The Causes of Damp and Why We Shouldn’t Ignore It
Everyone dreads seeing damp crops up in their home, especially when there’s no obvious cause. Having little understanding of why and how damp has occurred in your home can make it hard to fix. So, it’s good to know more to help prevent damp or fix it after it occurs.
What is damp?
Simply put, damp is excess moisture in a room that can affect any surface within it. Damp is usually seen as a bad thing as it’s unwanted and difficult to get rid of.
What causes damp?
Damp is caused by a variety of things, but usually, something that brings excess moisture into the home. Examples of this can be:
- Rain seeping through the ceiling, chimney, or walls
- Condensation building on the windows and rotting the areas around them
- Showers/baths leaking causing damp in a bathroom
- Moisture from the ground travelling up and affects the floor
As you’d expect, damp occurs more often when the weather is bad which means it’s important to be wary during the autumn and winter months. So, keeping an eye out or testing your home with a moisture meter helps to keep damp under control.
What happens if I don’t fix my damp problem?
Leaving your damp problem will only cause it to worsen over time. Once damp has started within your home, one small patch can soon spread over a larger area. The longer you leave the damp untreated, the worse it gets and the harder it is to get rid of.
Damp can ruin the aesthetics of your home. Normally, damp presents itself as a brown or black stained mark on your walls, ceiling, or floor. However, if it’s been there a long time, it might even begin to grow mold.
Fixing damp can also be an expensive affair. If you catch it quickly, there are products you can get off the shelf to sort quickly, efficiently, and cheaply. However, bad cases of damp might take some getting rid of. It costs to get a professional out such as those at https://advanceddamp.co.uk/damp-proofing/ to sort the issue and it might even cost to repair the damages after. That being said, bad cases should be sorted out professionally; a professional crew will know what to do to get rid of the damp and help prevent reoccurrence of your issues.
How can damp affect my health?
Living with damp in your home has been connected to a wealth of health issues. Some of these issues include a cough, runny nose, chest infections, breathing problems, asthma and skin or eye irritation. Thankfully, if you get your damp sorted as soon as it occurs, it shouldn’t have a detrimental impact on your health. So, it’s within your best interest to nip damp in the bud.
