New information hub designed to help solve problem for good
Safeguard Europe has launched a new free portal, Got Damp and Mould? designed to help understand what is causing damp and mould in a property and how to fix it for good.
The damp and mould information hub, available at https://safeguardeurope.com/articles/got-damp-and-mould, includes in-depth guides on the causes of condensation, rising damp and penetrating damp, as well as a downloadable condensation guide, easy-to-follow treatment flowcharts and more.
It comes as new research commissioned by Safeguard Europe showed that nearly three-quarters (73%) of UK households that clean or paint over mould without addressing the underlying damp problem experience its return with it happening within three months for three in ten (31%).
Two in three wipe mould away
Two in three (66%) people who have had damp or mould at home in the last year, wiped it away with bleach, vinegar or household cleaners and almost one in five (18%) painted straight over it. Around one in six (17%) used air fresheners to cover the smell, rising to more than a quarter (26%) of 18 to 24-year-olds.
Dr Jonathan Kirby, head of research and development at Safeguard Europe, said: “Wiping mould off a wall feels like you’ve solved the problem, but you’ve only removed what you can see. If the moisture feeding it is still there, it will come back, and our research shows that for most people it does. Lasting treatment means removing the mould and then dealing with the cause.”
The most common mistakes
- Treating only the surface: two in three (66%) wipe mould away and almost one in five (18%) paint over it. Just 6% called in a damp-proofing contractor
- Expecting it to stay gone: of those who cleaned or painted over mould without fixing the source, 73% saw it come back, and 54% within six months
- Not knowing what’s causing it: almost four in ten (38%) aren’t confident they could tell surface condensation from structural damp, such as rising or penetrating damp, or don’t know. This rises to half (51%) of 18 to 24-year-olds
- Doing the same thing again: if mould kept coming back to the same spot, almost a third of UK adults (32%) would clean it again, use a stronger product or paint over it. Only one in seven (14%) would first look for a leak or a problem with the building
- Winter habits that add moisture: more than half of adults (57%) dry clothes indoors on radiators or clothes horses in colder months, and three in ten (31%) keep windows and vents closed to hold in heat. Only 28% regularly run a dehumidifier
- Cold homes: almost six in ten adults (58%) say cost stops them heating their home a lot or a little in colder months. Cold walls make condensation, and then mould, more likely
