Kitchen (EE)

Everyday activities, especially tasks like cooking on the hob, or boiling a kettle, produce a lot of warm, moist air. When this humid air hits cold surfaces like tiles, walls and ceilings, it turns into condensation. If the moisture isn’t removed quickly, it can remain in the room and can lead to dampness, mould growth, peeling paint, damaged plaster and unpleasant smells. Opening a window helps by letting the moist air escape and allowing fresh, drier air to flow in. This reduces humidity levels more quickly, prevents condensation from settling on surfaces and helps keep the kitchen dry, reducing the risk of damp and mould forming.

Cost

Free Open windows when cooking to help ventilate the room.

£ Dehumidifier pots on windowsills can help with managing excess moisture and condensation. If you have wooden window frames, dehumidifier pots are also a cost-effective way of minimising some of the potential damage to these: moisture can be absorbed by wooden window frames which can cause them to rot, warp or swell which in turn can encourage mould growth and pests.

Further information on how to tackle condensation, damp and mould

Read the Good Home Lincs Guide to condensation, damp and mould

Check out the Good Home Lincs information on Common hazards to find out more about how to manage damp and mould in your home.

To help prevent damp and mould, kitchen doors should be kept shut whilst cooking to stop humid air spreading through the rest of your home. This has the added benefit of stopping grease particles and strong smells spreading to the rest of the home, and can also be a helpful fire safety measure as closed doors can help stop the spread of potential fire or smoke. However, there are exceptions to this general rule: if your home has very poor ventilation, for example no fan or cooker hood or limited ventilation from windows, then it may be necessary to leave doors slightly ajar when cooking to stop your kitchen getting excessively hot or humid. After cooking, you will need to ensure that you ventilate your home to reduce the risk of condensation damp and mould (by opening your windows for 10-15 minutes (or in the winter or colder weather, a minimum of 5 minutes) to let warm, moist air escape- you should air your home in this way at least once a day, ideally more often).

Risk

Damp can pose health risks as it can lead to high humidity and mould growth. Breathing in mould spores can cause respiratory problems and can worsen existing health conditions such as allergies and asthma. Some groups of people, such as children and babies and people with medical conditions such as asthma, can be at greater risk, so it is important to tackle condensation, damp and mould.

Cost

Free Close kitchen doors and open windows when cooking.

Further information on how to tackle condensation, damp and mould

Read the Good Home Lincs Guide to condensation, damp and mould

Check out the Good Home Lincs information on Common hazards to find out more about how to manage damp and mould in your home.