Down with damp

Getting through winter can be tough, especially when your home is not as warm and dry as it could be.

If your home is damp, it can be even harder to heat.

Here are some top tips to control the damp in your house: 

• Control the moisture made within your house from activities such as cooking or showers, so it doesn’t spread to the rest of the house and cause further problems. If you don’t have a rangehood, opening a window will help as long as it is pulling air out of the house not blowing it back in. Even something as simple as using pot lids when cooking will reduce the amount of moisture in your home. 

• Bathroom fans can remove bathroom moisture, and using a vented or condensing clothes drier will stop extra moisture getting into your home. 

• If you are doing something that makes a lot of steam, you can try and create airflow to the outdoors by opening windows to pull the moisture out of the house. Just check there’s not a breeze blowing into the house that will push moisture back in. 

• We recommend you avoid drying wet washing inside as it can generate a lot of moisture – try hanging washing in a garage or under an overhang if it is too wet to go outside. 

• Ventilate your home by opening windows on both sides of the house during the warmer parts of the day. This will promote airflow and allow the damp air to flow out and dry air to flow in. 

• Shut the windows before the temperature drops, otherwise the house is harder to heat once evening arrives.

Home built before 2008? It may need an insulation top-up. Warmer Kiwi Homes is a government programme offering insulation and heater grants. Visit eeca.govt.nz/co-funding/insulation-and-heater-grants to find out if you are eligible.