Tell-tale signs you have damp in your home
Posted on 9th April 2022 at 15:42
You’ve seen all the pictures, heard all horror stories, and now you are worried that you might have damp in your house. Nobody wants that.
Not only can it cause respiratory problems for you and your family, but it can cause structural damage. Neither are an ideal situation for a family home. But how can you be sure you have damp?
Here are some tell-tale signs that you have damp in your home.
Damp has a distinctive musty smell
One of the biggest identifiers of damp in your home is the smell. It is easily identifiable. To some people it smells like petrichor, or the mould that forms on expired bread. Remember the way your clothes smell after walking in a rainstorm? That is what damp smells like.
If you smell this in parts of your home, you might need to check the area for other tell-tale signs of damp. Make sure you are not drying clothes in this area or storing any damp fabrics.
Dark or discoloured patches on walls or plaster
If you have penetrating damp in your home, you might see the walls have wet patches. Your wallpaper might be dark or discoloured in large patches. If this happens, it signifies that there is moisture behind the wallpaper, the plaster, or the paint.
If you see a damp patch, keep an eye on it to see if it spreads, or call in an expert to have a look at it.
Excessive condensation on windows, not just during the winter
When you are heating your home, you expect to see some condensation on your windows on tiles. But if you’re mid heatwave in August, you shouldn’t be seeing a lot of condensation on the inside of you home. If you are able to write funny messages on your glass, then you might have a damp problem.
Excess condensation is a tell-tale sign of rising damp occurring in the home. It is worth calling an expert in to see if there is a problem.
Are your skirting boards rotting?
If your wooden trims in your house are beginning to swell and rot, you may have a significant damp problem.
Moisture is the main reason your wooden furnishings and trims would be beginning to rot. If you have wood skirting boards, keeping an eye on them is an easy way to find out if you need to call a damp specialist. Skirting boards that have started to rot often illustrate a rising damp issue.
The appearance of mould or mildew on walls, floors, or ceilings
Have you seen your walls or ceilings starting to show black blemishes? It can look like charcoal coloured acne invading your home. Sometimes this can remain isolated to certain parts of the home.
If you see the black spots and speckles, that is definitely a sure sign that you need expert help. Mould, mildew, and other forms of damp can cause significant damage to the home, and you do not want it to spread to other parts of the home.
If you need experts to view your house and assess your damp, then let us know by calling 01604 652 920. We are more than willing to come and conduct a free dampness survey on your home.
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