Why are the walls wet on the first floor? Methods of dealing with high air humidity in an apartment (house)

High humidity and associated problems - mold and mildew - are not uncommon. A few tips on how to get rid of dampness in an apartment or private house will help you forget about this trouble. To combat dampness effectively, you need to determine the cause of its occurrence. This can be a consequence of life activity - steam from the bathroom or shower, things drying in the apartment - or defects made during construction. Often high humidity is a consequence of incorrect organized system ventilation or blockage of ventilation ducts.

"Symptoms" of high humidity

The normal relative humidity in an apartment is about 50%. If this indicator is exceeded, then this must be dealt with. You can measure humidity using a hydrometer, but there are some “symptoms” that clearly indicate that its level in the room is elevated:

steam or drops of condensation on window glass;

mold on the walls or ceiling;

smell of dampness (mustiness);

things in the room are moistened.

Increased humidity in the bathroom and kitchen

Getting rid of dampness that appears after cooking, boiling things or bathing is quite easy. Most often, it is enough to organize ventilation. If for some reason this cannot be done, you can install a dehumidifier in your home. For these rooms, a model with a capacity of 10 liters per day is suitable. Since humidity due to life activity is not constant, it is better to choose a portable dehumidifier and use it, if necessary, in the room where you need to reduce the moisture at a particular moment.

This device will also help out during repairs, because industrial humidity appears in the house when plastering surfaces and wallpapering, and it is not always possible to remove it by ventilation. For the kitchen it will be important to use a hood of sufficient power. If things are often boiled there, food is prepared for big family, then the extraction capacity must be at least 500 m?/hour.

Organization of ventilation

Properly organized ventilation will help reduce humidity in the apartment and prevent problems associated with dampness. Of course, not everyone can decide to make major repairs to install ventilation shafts. In this case it will do technological innovation– window pressure ventilators. They automatically create the necessary draft taking into account the difference in pressure outside and inside the house.

Hygro-controlled exhaust grilles installed in existing ventilation ducts are another useful device. Their action is based on regulating the draft flow depending on the humidity in the room. However, it is worth noting that if the channel is clogged or has insufficient diameter, then installing such equipment will not help remove dampness. In this case, first of all, it is necessary to clean the clogged shaft, and only then install forced ventilation.

How to deal with dampness in an apartment on the ground or floor

Apartments on the ground floor are chronically “sick” from high humidity. Getting rid of dampness in them is sometimes quite difficult, because the reason here may be due to improper construction of the foundation of the house. If such a defect is present, it is impossible to eliminate it yourself. In this case, only additional heating and forced ventilation will do.

If the cause of the humidity is insufficient waterproofing, then the dampness can be reduced. To do this, it is necessary to arrange a coating or adhesive waterproofing of the floor with filling of cracks with waterproofing plasters. It is more difficult to cope with moisture penetration through interpanel seams. This problem is a construction defect, and it is felt by residents of all apartments in the building. To eliminate it, you can contact the Housing Office or collect the necessary funds at a meeting of residents and order seam sealing from professionals.

How to reduce moisture for residents of the top floors?

Residents on the top floor suffer from dampness in the absence of pitched roof. Moisture penetrates through the ceiling. It is impossible to eliminate its penetration by waterproofing the ceiling in the room, since any solution in this direction will be unreliable. The water will simply “bypass” the obstacle and go into the walls. But there is still a solution. In order to get rid of dampness, you need to insulate the floor on the floor above the apartment. This is the attic or, as it is officially called, the technical floor. During repairs, attention should be paid Special attention sealing joints and seams, since it is mainly through them that moisture enters the apartment.

There are cases when access to the attic is closed for various reasons, for example, the premises are rented or sold, and the new owner does not allow anyone there. Here the question of how to dry the air in an apartment becomes problematic. There is only one way out - waterproofing the roof. Not everyone can afford the financial investment for such repairs, so you will have to demand that the leaks be repaired from the organization servicing the house, or collect funds from all residents of the riser.

Private house and high humidity problems

In a private home, excess moisture may be the result of insufficient waterproofing of the foundation, moisture penetration through cracks in the walls, or insufficient ventilation. One of the reliable methods for eliminating dampness in a house is to install a proper drainage system on the site. This is especially true if there is a high groundwater level.

The second method is external and internal waterproofing base External vertical insulation can be done after the construction of the house, but horizontal insulation is done only at the time of laying the foundation. We must not forget about floor insulation in a private house. A concrete floor is more reliable for preventing moisture penetration, but high-quality insulation can be provided for wooden floors.

Waterproofing walls in a private house can be done by applying a layer of plaster of the following composition:

1 part cement;

1 part sand;

1 part silicone or synthetic latex.

This dry plaster mixture diluted with water and applied to the walls in the usual way. This will strengthen the walls and serve as a barrier to leaks.

When the humidity in the apartment is high, something needs to be done urgently, otherwise many problems may arise, including the formation and proliferation of fungus. In addition, dampness can lead to a musty smell in the room. That is why everyone should know how to remove excess moisture in an apartment.

It is advisable that the humidity in the room be at 60%. In hot summer weather this figure can be reduced to 45%. However, it should be remembered that a person feels uncomfortable in an overly dry room. That is why those who prefer to solve a similar problem with the help of an air conditioner should monitor the air condition and be aware of how to remove high humidity in the apartment. During operation, this climate control technology reduces the humidity level in the room. This must be taken into account when using it.

On top of that, remember: if you prefer to dry things at home without ventilating the apartment, the air humidity will quickly increase, and such conditions will become ideal for the development of mold.

How to measure in a residential area?

You can determine that the moisture content in the air in an apartment exceeds the norm by looking at mold on the wallpaper and wet walls, and also using a hygrometer. Moreover, this household measuring device It's not very expensive. To control the level of dampness in a room, you just need to hang it on the wall like a regular thermometer.

Harm from excess humidity in the apartment

Excessive dampness in a room will first of all have a bad effect on a person’s skin, for example, rashes will appear or even allergies will occur. In addition, excess moisture can provoke the development of other unpleasant diseases. First of all from high humidity Children and the elderly will suffer because their immunity is weakened.

Magazines and newspapers in a damp room become unusable over time. Also, due to excessive humidity, the room begins to smell like mold. Moreover, this unpleasant smell will quickly permeate clothes and furniture. In addition, with excess dampness, food spoils much faster, so you should figure out how to remove high humidity in the apartment so as not to constantly throw it away.

The main reasons for the increase in indoor humidity

The reason may be poor-quality waterproofing of the walls of the house from the foundation. This happens due to a violation of technology during its construction. In such a situation, it will be difficult to get rid of the problem, since such construction defects are practically irreparable, but it is still worth finding out how you can remove the humidity in the apartment in order to improve living conditions.

The most common cause of excess humidity in rooms is violation natural ventilation. Often, after replacing old windows with new, more airtight double-glazed windows, dampness develops in the apartment. This usually happens due to a violation of air circulation, which causes humidity to appear, which condenses on windows, walls and even provokes the growth of mold.

There is another source of increased humidity in the apartment - the release of water into the air when family members breathe. And we are talking here not about milliliters per day, but about liters. Therefore, you should definitely find out how to remove humidity in an apartment, otherwise you will not be able to avoid negative consequences.

In addition, constant drying of laundry indoors can worsen the humidity situation. Another factor that increases moisture is heating. Moreover, even when the radiators in the room do not heat well, dampness may appear.

If the roof of a house is leaking, then high humidity can be eliminated only after it is repaired.

How to remove humidity in an apartment?

To normalize the microclimate in the room, there is no need to curtain the windows on sunny days in damp rooms. You should not dry your laundry in the apartment; it is better to hang it on the balcony or loggia.

Many people, when faced with a similar problem, look for any information on how to remove humidity in an apartment using household appliances. Lots of sales today various devices, absorbing moisture. They contain an absorbent substance that absorbs all excess water from the air.

To prevent an increase in humidity in the apartment, you must always ventilate the rooms after the following manipulations:

It is recommended to install a hood, especially when the cause of increased moisture is gas stove or a shower with constant fumes.

PVC profile windows can also lead to increased humidity in the room. When the glass unit is hermetically sealed, the air exchange between the interior of the house and the street is disrupted. To prevent this from happening, it is better to buy plastic windows having a built-in ventilation system.

Candles, hair dryers, heating devices and even houseplants. But the most effective method reducing humidity - air conditioning. IN modern models In addition to cooling and heating, there are additional functions such as dehumidification and air purification.

Dampness in an apartment can occur if the plumbing is in poor condition. To reduce air humidity, you will have to eliminate the causes of the leak, for example, by replacing outdated pipes.

How to remove humidity in an apartment using folk remedies?

If walls without wallpaper are covered with mold, you can get rid of it using a solution of laundry soap. It’s easy to do: the detergent is dissolved in 5 liters of water, then brought to a boil. The resulting mixture is applied evenly to the walls with a brush and left until completely dry. The procedure should be repeated several times until soap marks form on the surface. Then they can be treated with another composition, to create which you will need 6 liters of water and 100 grams of alum.

Many people are interested in knowing how to remove humidity in an apartment using grandma’s method. For example, calcium chloride, which perfectly absorbs moisture, will also help combat this problem. Containers with it are placed in damp corners of the room. But in order to use calcium again, it will first have to be dried in the oven and then crushed. By the way, you can use this product instead charcoal or quicklime.

Other tricks for eliminating excess moisture in the air

Before removing high humidity in an apartment, you should familiarize yourself with other folk methods in order to choose the most suitable suitable option. For example, you can get rid of dampness using bricks. They must be heated and placed against the moldy wall on any fire-resistant surface. It is advisable to do this until you can get rid of the dampness. It should be taken into account that after 10 heatings the bricks stop absorbing moisture. In addition, there should not be any flammable objects near them.

But to combat black mold spots on surfaces in damp rooms, you will need a solution of the following ingredients:

The walls must first be dried, and then the antibacterial substance must be dissolved in alcohol and diluted with water. The resulting composition should be applied directly to the mold stains. This folk remedy will help quickly eliminate them, and it will also prevent the occurrence of dampness.

How to avoid high humidity in the room?

If you do not want to face such a problem, you need to carefully choose your indoor plants. remember, that tropical flowers need frequent watering. It is better to give preference to cacti, although some of them are not very attractive.

When renovating rooms with high humidity, it is advisable to purchase mineral-based materials, as they are able to regulate the level of dampness in the room and do not create a greenhouse effect.

When fighting excess moisture in the air, most people forget that dryness is no less dangerous for human health, which is why it is so important to maintain the microclimate in the apartment at an optimal level.

Options for getting rid of dampness indoors

Excessive dampness often becomes a diagnosis of private houses, city high-rises and dachas. In the cold season, it manifests itself as mold on the walls and windows. Many owners begin and end the fight only with the fungus, because it has a sharply negative effect on the health of the residents. In this case, the root cause - increased humidity - is ignored, so the mold soon returns. Only an analysis of the situation and an integrated approach will help you get rid of dampness.

Causes of high humidity

There are several hundred types of household mold in nature. The main factor in their appearance in residential premises is excessive dampness. The fungus forms in places with poor ventilation on surfaces prone to sudden temperature changes. In other words, if there is a cold wall in your house, a dark coating will appear in poorly ventilated corners as soon as you turn on the heating system.

In high-rise buildings, mold can occur due to global disturbances in the air circulation system. Check the draft in your ventilation ducts using a regular match. Its weakening or cessation occurs for the following reasons:

mistakes made by builders even at the stage of building a house;

illegal interference in the integrity of the channels of your vertical neighbors;

failure of parts of the system due to the old age of the house.

It is difficult to eliminate ventilation in a high-rise building. Building management companies, as a rule, do this only if a global restructuring or reconstruction of the building is planned. You will have to rely on folk remedies to eliminate dampness in the room. In the private sector, such problems are relatively easier to solve, because everything depends only on the owner.

Attention! On the first floors of apartment buildings or in private houses, dampness may appear due to flooding of the basement due to a burst of water supply, groundwater, or poor thermal insulation between the wall and the foundation. Mold forms at the bottom of the wall.

Step 1. Fight against fungal plaque

To get rid of dampness, first of all you need to identify and eliminate all fungal plaque on the walls. Delay can cause the development of diseases. Fungal spores enter the lungs with air and disrupt the functioning of the respiratory system. Dampness and mold can cause acute respiratory infections, bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis. In addition, it suppresses the immune system. For residents of the house, especially children and the elderly, this manifests itself in a deterioration in health, allergic reactions and exacerbation of all kinds of ailments.

During the cleaning process, it is important not only to clean, but also to disinfect all surfaces where there is fungus. Use any suitable means:

chlorine bleach and other chemicals;

vinegar;

hydrogen peroxide;

soda;

ammonia;

tea tree oil, etc.

Attention! Wear gloves and a mask when working with any type of cleaning agent against dampness and fungus.

It is important that close contact does not introduce large quantities of spores into your respiratory tract. When using special store supplies Do not under any circumstances mix one with the other. This may cause chemical reaction with dangerous consequences for you. The video will help you understand in more detail how to combat mold and dampness.

If mold has extensively covered the surface of the wallpaper, get ready to rip it off the wall. The mycelium of the fungus is located under the paper layer. There are no means to kill it without damaging the wallpaper itself. In this case, the plaster will probably also have to be removed. First, thoroughly clean the surface of fungus, and then treat it with an antiseptic. For example, aqueous solution office glue (1:4) or urea. Before any further work To get rid of dampness, the wall section must dry completely.

Step 2. Finding and eliminating the root cause of dampness

Diagnosing the problem is the key to getting rid of dampness. Take the glass, press it against the wall and fix it in this position. After 2-3 hours, remove and check the surface:

dry - source of indoor humidity;
damp - dampness penetrates from outside.

In the second case it is easier to understand. Your task is to reduce the temperature difference from which the walls suffer due to dampness. There are two ways to do this. It's better to use them in combination.

Thermal insulation of the wall. Cover it with breathable insulating material. Today, many people choose external insulation, but experts advise first of all to carry out work inside.
Check and, if necessary, upgrade the heating system. Perhaps it is cluttered or not powerful enough to warm up and protect certain corners of the house from dampness.

Advice. Often, large-sized furniture becomes the cause of the formation of harmful plaque if it interferes with the normal ventilation of the wall adjacent to the street. Do some rearranging.

Traditional methods to get rid of dampness due to poor ventilation:

white mold usually appears in flower pots as a reaction to excessive moisture or the use of certain fertilizers. Human exposure may manifest as an allergy;
green mold may appear on food: eating contaminated food risks causing serious illness. Green mold also occasionally affects building materials, such as brick;
black mold– enemy number 1. This is the most common type of mold and can affect any surface: wallpaper, paint, plaster, boards, concrete, etc. If left untreated, it can subsequently cause insomnia, dizziness, fever, headaches, and in the worst case, asthma, bronchitis, dermatitis, pneumonia and even lung cancer;
blue mold often appears on wooden surfaces in the house: parquet, frames, furniture, etc. They begin to acquire an unpleasant dull blue tint, the paint layer is destroyed, and even the paint coating cannot save it;
mold rotting- another enemy of wood. Depending on certain features, the tree may acquire a gray or brown tint, become lighter, cracks appear on it, etc.

None of the finishing materials known to us can resist mold. But besides harming the repair, it also toxic to human body , especially children's. Depending on the level of mold spread in the apartment, the symptoms may be different: first there is an impact on the respiratory system, and then on the entire body as a whole. Evidence of the negative impact of the fungus is the appearance of a cough, runny nose, lack of air, difficult to diagnose chronic diseases - all this is the reason for being in a damp room contaminated with mold.

Mold can also cause nausea, vomiting, headaches, and fatigue. In addition to the fact that it looks unaesthetic, it also has a destructive effect on building materials: it penetrates the structure, quickly spreads and occupies more and more areas. That is why, after detecting even hints of mold, it must be eliminated immediately.

Causes and signs of mold

To get rid of mold once and for all, it is enough to clearly determine the cause of its appearance in your apartment and eliminate it. The fact is that fungal spores are present in any room, but the basis for their development is favorable conditions, which become reasons for the appearance of moldy spots in different parts of your home:

high humidity combined with poor ventilation, which often happens in the kitchen or bathroom, in apartments on the first floors, houses where humidification is abused, etc.;
freezing of walls;
ground dampness;
leaking water pipes;
roof leaks;
poorly heated room.

Everyone has probably already encountered the phenomenon of mold and can easily recognize it: it is the appearance of an unpleasant damp smell, spots of black, gray or white. To get rid of mold forever, you need to apply a set of measures, and in addition to the means described below aimed at combating already existing fungus, be sure to eliminate the cause of its appearance.

In general, all work to combat mold in the house comes down to the following list of measures:

clean the affected surface from mold;
treat the surface with a mold repellent;
Throw away all items severely damaged by fungus;
create normal conditions in the room: good ventilation, normal heating, eliminate all sources of high humidity.

Mold repellents this moment a lot has been invented, each of them is applicable in certain conditions and differs in some features.

Ways to get rid of mold

You can fight mold both with special means, which are sold in a sufficient assortment on store shelves, and with folk methods. The latter will be less harmful to the person himself, will cost less, and are not always inferior in effectiveness to their professional counterparts.

Method number 1. Antiseptic primer

This is the most proven method that will definitely help in the fight against fungus. In construction stores, such products are presented in a wide range: Fongifluid Alpa, Dali, Olymp Stop-mold, Biotol-spray, etc. Applying them to an infected surface not only helps get rid of the fungus, but also prevents its occurrence in the future.

Working with this solution is very simple: it is sold either in finished form, or need to add a clearly defined amount of water, as indicated in the instructions. Next, you just need to apply the resulting composition to the required surface, and you’re done.

Important: you need to apply an antiseptic primer only to a well-cleaned surface, so all material affected by fungus must be carefully removed, and if it has become deeply ingrained, then you will need to clean all layers down to the brick or concrete slab. Then the primer is evenly applied with a regular paint brush onto a dry surface. When the protective layer has dried, you can begin finishing: gluing wallpaper, painting walls, plastering, etc.

Method number 2. Bleach

Bleach is an easier way to get rid of mold in your home, a worthy replacement professional means. Regular bleach contains sodium hypochlorite (it is also present in many special products as an active ingredient), which has a detrimental effect on mold and its spores, so it is a reliable way to get rid of almost all types of mold. But you can’t use bleach on all surfaces, as they can fade, deteriorate, etc. Bleach is great for glass, tiles, bathtubs, and other non-porous materials, but it won't work on drywall, wood, etc. The fact is that active substance, chlorine, in this case does not penetrate into the material where the mold particles are located, but acts only on the surface. And the water that is part of such a solution is absorbed by porous materials, leading to even greater mold development.

Working with bleach can hardly be called safe, as it can corrode the skin of your hands and cause poisoning with toxic fumes. Therefore, it can only be used in a well-ventilated area and wearing rubber protective gloves. The solution is prepared from bleach and water in a ratio of 1:10, applied with a brush and wait until completely dry. As in the previous case, the previously damaged surface must be cleaned.

Regular vinegar, which everyone has in their kitchen, is a weak acid that is poisonous to many types of mold. Its advantage is that it does not emit any dangerous fumes, so it is completely safe to use.

Vinegar is sprayed onto the prepared surface, and then wiped with a dampened rag; after an hour, the surface is washed with water and the room is well ventilated. In particularly damaged areas, it is better to carry out this procedure several times at intervals of one week.

Method number 4. Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is another poison for most types of mold. You can buy a 3% peroxide solution at any pharmacy; its smell is not so harmful to humans, so working with it is more or less convenient. It should be applied to a prepared surface cleaned of mold, but since peroxide also has a bleaching effect, it is better not to apply it to painted surfaces, but to choose a different method.

Method No. 5. Ammonia

Ammonia works similarly to bleach: it works great on mold on hard, non-porous surfaces, but is not very effective on porous materials. It does its job perfectly when mold has formed on e.g. tiles or glass.

Ammonia must be mixed with water in a 1:1 ratio and sprayed onto the contaminated surface, and after an hour, rinse the solution with water and ventilate the room well. You need to work with ammonia very carefully, as its pungent odor can cause dizziness, headaches, etc. Be careful not to try to use it in combination with bleach, as the reaction between the two will release toxic gases.

Method number 6. Baking soda

Soda is one of the simplest and safe ways get rid of mold, and it does not harm either humans or pets. It is enough to prepare a solution of soda - dissolve a teaspoon in a glass of water - and spray the surface affected by mold with the resulting mixture. You can also wipe moldy things, walls, objects with a sponge soaked in this solution. After an hour, the surface needs to be washed with water, but it is not recommended to completely wash off the soda solution from it: soda is not capable of harming the material, but it perfectly protects against the recurrence of fungus.

Borax is a natural material, so it cannot harm human health. It is often used to disinfect toilets and drains and acts effective fungicide, an insecticide and herbicide, is generally a mold inhibitor and toxin.

It is recommended that before starting mold cleaning work, first vacuum the surface with a fine filter, so that during the process as few pores as possible fly in the air and enter the respiratory system. The working solution is prepared as follows: 1 glass of borax is diluted in 2.5 liters of water. The borax solution is applied to the surface with a stiff brush, while simultaneously removing the fungus itself from walls, objects, floors, etc. It is advisable to walk over the surface with such a solution several times; there is no need to wash off anything, since in the future the borax will become a reliable protector against mold.

Method No. 8. Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil is one of the most effective natural remedies that are absolutely harmless to humans. Although this oil is not cheap, you will need very little of it; it has strong antibacterial and antifungal agents.

For one glass of water you will need a teaspoon of tea tree oil. This mixture is added to a spray bottle and applied to the damaged surface, or used to apply it to a sponge; there is no need to wash it off, since this solution will reliably protect against the possible reappearance of fungus.

Tea tree has its own specific smell, but it is harmless and will disappear after a while. By the way, the prepared solution for combating mold can be stored for as long as desired, since it does not lose its strength over time and does not deteriorate.

Method number 9. Grapefruit Seed Extract

This product is similar in action to tea tree oil; it is also expensive, but it is odorless and has a disinfectant and deodorizing effect.

The solution is very simple to prepare: one glass of water requires only 10 drops of grapefruit seed extract. Again, we use a sprayer for application, and after application we do not wash off the solution, since the longer its contact with the damaged surface, the better, and in the future this solution will protect walls and floors from the appearance of new mold stains.

Method No. 10. Potassium permanganate solution

Ordinary potassium permanganate also has a detrimental effect on mold. The damaged surface can be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate: add a teaspoon of potassium permanganate to 1 liter of water, and spray or wipe the damaged areas with the resulting composition. The solution does not need to be washed off; it will be effective for some time.

Method No. 11. Lavender and Rosemary Fragrance Oil

These oils contain substances that can counteract the development and activity of mold, so just add a few drops aromatic oil in a glass of water, and then treat the surface: there will be no unpleasant smell of chemicals, these oils are non-toxic for humans, and they perfectly kill most types of mold.

Method No. 12. Stationery glue

Many craftsmen get rid of mold using office glue, which is diluted one to one with water. The method is effective in some cases, but it does not cope with all types of mold, and if the affected area is not very large.

Method No. 13. Iodine solution and camphor balls

An iodine solution and camphor balls will only help if you have just discovered small traces of mold, and you don’t want to use more aggressive means of control yet. Therefore, in an infected room, you can place containers with iodine solution or place camphor balls.

Method No. 14. Lemon acid

Citric acid or lemon juice, which have the same properties as vinegar, is a weak organic acid that negatively affects the development of fungus. Dissolve a teaspoon in a glass of water citric acid, and the surface is treated with the resulting solution. This method is great for tiles.

Method No. 15. Hydrogen peroxide+vinegar+boric acid

All these components are able to cope with mold on top level, and all together they give an absolutely amazing effect. Water must be mixed with peroxide, vinegar and boric acid in a ratio of 4:2:2:1, and then spray or wipe the surface.

Method No. 16. Let's get rid of it for sure

Even if you have dealt with the mold that has formed in accordance with all the instructions, there is still no guarantee that it will not appear again. It is important not only to remove the fungus that has already appeared, but also to eliminate all possible reasons for its reappearance. This is why you need:

reliably insulate an apartment or house;
repair or replace the heating system;
install an air conditioner to dry the air;
adjust the ventilation system;
dry clothes not in the room, but on the balcony or purchase washing machine with drying function;
use a hood when preparing food;
ventilate all rooms well;
eliminate leaks in the roof, taps, etc.;
geraniums and violets – perfect place for mold growth, so their presence in the apartment should be limited;
The most risky places from the point of view of the appearance of mold should be regularly wiped and sprayed with anti-fungal agents.

How to remove mold smell?

Often, after removing mold from an apartment and subsequent ventilation, the smell of rot still does not leave the room. You can fight it with products that absorb odors. So, you can pour baking soda on the place where the fungus used to be, and after a few hours remove it with a vacuum cleaner: soda perfectly absorbs odors, so after this procedure the smell will either disappear or become much weaker.

You can use charcoal as an odor absorber: briquettes are simply placed around a room with an unpleasant odor, and after a while not a trace of it will remain.

Mold in each room has its own characteristics, so the approaches to combating it should be slightly different.

Removing mold from walls

At the first signs of mold, you need to act immediately, since within 10-12 months it can reach concrete or brickwork. Therefore, you should remove the damaged layer of finishing, wet the wall a little so that mold spores do not scatter throughout the room, and remove the layer of plaster, then thoroughly clean off all the plaque and thoroughly sweep the room, dry the walls and treat with the selected anti-mold preparation.

If the walls are painted, then the mold spreads more over the area than inside, and after removal paint coating, you can begin the process of neutralization, moving from simpler means to the most powerful.

Plasterboard ceilings and walls differ in their structure: they are porous, so you need to take into account that mold can develop deep into the material. In this case, professional products are suitable.

In rooms on wallpaper, fungus spreads at lightning speed, so in most cases you will have to remove the wallpaper. This can only be avoided in the initial stages of mold development.

In this case, a solution of vinegar, ammonia, special compounds, lavender oil, a solution of potassium permanganate or a solution of hydrogen peroxide are ideal for fighting fungus. But still, it is unlikely that you will have to avoid dismantling at least part of the wallpaper, since all of the listed means can slightly change its color, and the likelihood that mold is already firmly entrenched in the apartment and is developing under the wallpaper is high.

Removing mold from the bathtub

In the bathroom, the most vulnerable places are the joints between the plumbing and the wall, treated with sealant, as well as the seams between the tiles. A black coating very quickly appears there, which is not washed off - mold.

In this method you need to act according to old scheme: remove the affected area, i.e. moldy sealant, treat it with the selected product, and reapply the sealant. The seams between the tiles are cleaned with a metal scraper, and then grout with antiseptic properties is used there.

If mold appears on the ceiling, then moisten the area a little with water and leave for 2-3 hours, then remove the whitewash and plaster, and putty all the resulting unevenness. Next, we use a primer that contains antifungal agents, and after it dries, we apply a penetrating primer. All that remains is to sand the surface, and the ceiling is ready for further finishing.

You can also get by by applying a solution of bleach, soda, vinegar or tea tree to the affected area of the bathroom ceiling.

We often underestimate the harm that seemingly ordinary mold can cause us. It is extremely dangerous not only for building materials, but also for health, so you need to start fighting it when it first appears. But at the same time, it is important to eliminate the causes of mold in order to get rid of them, otherwise all efforts may be ineffective.

How to get rid of dampness in a room using folk remedies

All about concrete and gypsum products

Increased humidity in the house can be caused by various reasons. Almost every second owner of an apartment and private house faces this phenomenon. Humidity causes mold.

Therefore, it is imperative to combat excess humidity in the house. The source that causes this phenomenon should be found and appropriate measures taken. It is worth saying that fungus and mold appear in the house precisely because of high humidity. In addition, dampness worsens the health of all residents living in the house. Therefore, today the portal Beton-Area.com will talk about how to get rid of dampness in the house folk remedies?

High humidity in the house: how to deal with it

Why does dampness appear in the house?

The cause of dampness is directly sought in the territory of the house itself. To quickly get rid of dampness in the house, you need to find the place where mold accumulates, and only then think about what can be done in such a situation. If increased dampness If the wall facing the street is affected, it must be lined with reliable insulating material. Mold does not only appear in private homes. Quite often mold occurs in modern apartments. This problem worries the owners of apartments on the first floor very seriously. Typically, in such rooms, mold forms in the lower part of the walls. Contributes to this whole line unpleasant reasons. It could be:

Poor insulation between foundation and wall.
Damp basement with pipes constantly leaking.
Poor ventilation.

It is worth saying that eliminating dampness in a private home is much easier. After all, you just need to organize proper ventilation or install thermal insulation materials. In apartment buildings it is very difficult to combat this phenomenon. Here, the main reasons for the appearance of this factor are hidden in the first stages of construction. And if the developer misses important points, then the apartment will always cause unpleasant problems for its owners. Moreover, being in this room will adversely affect the health of all household members. People who are constantly in an apartment with high humidity can get sick: asthma, tuberculosis and other more serious diseases.

What methods will help get rid of dampness in a private home?

Now it’s time to understand what to do about dampness at home and how to get rid of this unpleasant phenomenon in your home. It is imperative to combat dampness in the house.

In this case, you need to use all modern methods.

So, a special product that can be purchased at any supermarket will help get rid of mold and dampness in the house. However, this remedy may not seem effective if the cause of the mold lies in other factors. For example, the use of special means will be a useless measure if there are problems with ventilation or airing in the house. If the building was constructed incorrectly, the remedy may also not be effective. After all, you need to fight the main causes of mold.
Mold on the walls in the house can form due to poor heating. Indeed, block walls can let the cold through. In addition, they are filled with bulky furniture that does not allow heat to pass through. All these reasons contribute to the formation of mold, which releases dampness and unpleasant substances into the indoor air for years. Some people believe that such problems are very easy to solve with the help of a special product from the supermarket. However, it is not. This will require drastic methods. Even an air conditioner that simply circulates damp air around the apartment will not bring the desired effect. But there is no need to despair! After all, if the house is constantly damp, you should simply install plastic windows that will not have partitions. The window will allow natural light to constantly enter the house. In addition, with such an item you can provide high-quality and constant ventilation of the room.
Mold is very difficult to combat. And every homeowner with such an unpleasant problem should remember this. In this case, you will need not only patience, but also a lot of effort. To make your family nest comfortable and cozy, you need to remove fungus and mold from the walls of the house. For such work, you will need to purchase a high-quality antiseptic that will clean the walls of fungus and make them aesthetically pleasing again.
If the walls of the house are covered with wallpaper, then they are removed. In addition, plaster affected by fungus is removed. In order not to harm your health, all work must be done wearing a mask. Before treating with an antiseptic, the walls must be cleaned of fungus and mold. Only after this can they be treated with antiseptic and creosote. Other compounds can also be used to treat walls. For example, you can dilute office glue with water in a ratio of 1:4. Walls can be treated with urea. All of the above products should be applied only to the affected areas of the walls. Before application, the affected areas on the walls must be heated to 50 degrees. After finishing the work, the walls must be completely dry.

How to get rid of dampness in an apartment and in a house? This question will be relevant at any time. It was said above that this process is difficult and painstaking. In addition, after removing mold in the room, it is necessary to create special conditions that will prevent the formation of mold and increased dampness.

Increased humidity in the house: methods of control, causes

So, sunlight and fresh air will help prevent the appearance of mold and dampness in the apartment. In addition, you should not cover all the walls in the room with furniture. Some plants can increase humidity in rooms. Therefore, it is necessary to remove from the room where there is high humidity: geraniums and violets. If there is a normal level of humidity in your home, then you can forget about mold and mildew for a long time. Experts do not recommend drying wet laundry in an apartment or house. In addition, for repairs you need to purchase dry construction mixtures.

A good effect can be achieved by insulating facades using insulation or polystyrene foam. Dampness in an apartment is quite common. Therefore, everyone should know how to get rid of this phenomenon. In a room with high humidity there should be normal air circulation.

That's why interior doors It's better to keep them open. But the doors to the kitchen should be closed while cooking. In this case, it is recommended to use a hood and vents to ventilate the kitchen.

For high-quality ventilation of the bathroom and toilet, you need to equip it with good ventilation. There is no need to invent something new or look for expensive solutions.

To save good health and excellent health must be removed from the rooms: mold, mildew and high humidity. In addition, you need to monitor the condition of your home and prevent this problem from occurring. For example, if an apartment or house is equipped with poor-quality heating, then you need to purchase a heating convector that will dry the walls with warm air. During wet cleaning You should wipe the floor well and monitor the condition of the walls, on which the appearance of fungus has already been recorded.

If all methods to combat the fungus have already been tried, if there is no good result, or there is no time to deal with such problems at all, you need to contact a special company that will send competent employees to combat this problem.

Such a problem as high humidity in the house occurs quite often. If it is not dealt with, it leads to health problems, damage to property and buildings. Why is high humidity dangerous? Why does the house become damp? How to deal with the problem and eliminate its consequences (mold)? The answers to these and other questions will be discussed below.

Dampness in the house is manifested by condensation on window glass and mirrors, dampness of things, a musty smell, wet spots on the wallpaper and under the ceiling. If nothing is done, mold will grow in the room.

Dampness and mold fungi in the house threaten:

decreased immunity;
destruction of supporting structures;
chronic colds;
failure of electrical appliances;
allergies;
the appearance of stains on furniture and wallpaper;
asthma, etc.

High humidity

Causes of high humidity in the house

You can deal with dampness in your home only by determining the cause of its occurrence. Natural reasons lead to an increase in humidity (washing, wet cleaning, cooking, steam formation in the bathroom, etc.). When breathing, one person releases up to 4 liters of liquid per day. These factors do not always lead to dampness; most often the reasons for high humidity are other.

Helpful advice. To find the source of dampness, you need to fix the glass against the wall overnight. It must be pressed tightly against the plane of the wall. If no condensation has formed on the glass by morning, the cause is dampness inside the room.

Humidity in the house increases due to:

hanging wet laundry indoors;
lack of a ventilation system or disturbances in its operation;
plastering and finishing works;
insufficient;
increasing groundwater levels;
lack of external;
leakage of construction pits;
defective;
uneven distribution of heat in the house;
freezing walls;
indoor plants;
leaking roof, defects in roof overhang;
walls lined with furniture;
damage or ;
irregular or excessive ventilation;
improper operation of the heating system;
improper installation of double-glazed windows, their defects, high tightness;
problems with and ;
proximity to the sump;
swimming pool located on the ground floor;
damaged or clogged drain;
aquariums.

How to reduce humidity levels in your home

To eliminate dampness, special preparations and folk remedies are used. Thanks to them, it is possible to significantly reduce, but these are temporary measures. To completely get rid of dampness and prevent its reappearance, it is necessary to eliminate the causes.

How to determine humidity

You can dry the air using:

Chemical preparations (Cerizite stop moisture, Stop Dampness, Drypet skit, Torrbollen, etc.). They act on the principle of a sorbent. Sold in hardware stores and online stores. They are mainly produced on the basis of calcium chloride.
Air dryers.
- Air conditioners with dehumidification function.
- Heating devices (warm floor system, heaters, etc.).
- Home remedies (salt, rice, etc.). They are placed in the corners of the room.

There are four types of dehumidifiers:

compressor (can dry large premises, but take up a lot of space and are noisy);
with thermoelectric converters (they are quieter, but the power is much lower);
adsorption (the stronger the sorbent absorbs moisture, the lower its efficiency becomes);
rotary (combine the functions of adsorption and compressor equipment).

Note! Don't get too carried away with the fight against dampness. Low levels of air humidity are also harmful. Its optimal indicator is 45%. Humidity below 30% and above 60% is a violation. You can measure accurate data using a hygrometer.

Humidity measurement device

Humidity due to poor ventilation

Very often the cause of dampness is poor workmanship. ventilation system or its complete absence. After eliminating this problem, the humidity level can be significantly reduced.

Ventilation cannot work properly due to:

obstruction;
poor sealing;
improperly equipped exit above the roof;
insufficient cross-sectional area of the ventilation duct.

To restore normal ventilation, you need to invite a specialist. He will inspect the system and determine the cause of the problem.

A clogged system must be cleaned:

remove the grille;
wash it with detergent;
remove dirt from the walls using a scraper;
vacuum the channel;
wash it with a damp cloth (as far as your hand can reach);
put ventilation grille in place.

The ventilation shaft is clogged

At high humidity, you can use the system forced ventilation: reversible, exhaust or supply. It is installed in the ventilation duct. When there is no ventilation in the house at all, you need to do it in the wall through hole and install a recuperator in it. It must be covered with bars from the inside and outside.

Another reason for dampness is improper installation of double-glazed windows. If on window slopes mold appears, you need to level them and foam the cracks again. To prevent condensation from settling on the glass, do not clutter the window sills. This prevents the normal circulation of warm air. Window sills that are too large lead to the same consequences. To fix this, you need to drill holes in them.

Important! Fans, hoods and air conditioners need to be cleaned regularly. Otherwise, the device itself will become a source of bacteria and mold.

Windows that are too sealed are also a cause of increased humidity. How to lower the humidity level in this case? The problem of dampness can be solved using a hydraulically controlled window pressure ventilator. ventilation valve or a vent fan. You can simply remove the rubber seal on top of the window frame. There is no need to do this with all double-glazed windows at once: first treat one window, then (if that doesn’t help) the next one, and continue until the result is obtained.

The source of moisture is under the floor

If there is no ventilation in the underground, it is necessary to equip it. Waterproofing walls and floors, sealing gaps and cracks help to significantly reduce the level of humidity at home. For this, waterproofing plaster is used.

Dampness in the cellar may appear due to leaky construction pits. To eliminate the problem, you need to compact it with waterproof clay ( clay castle).

Foundation drainage device

Changes in the groundwater level lead to dampness in the house. To solve this problem, you need to properly organize the drainage system.

Another reason is poor foundation waterproofing.

In this case, vertical waterproofing is necessary:

coating waterproofing;
penetrating compounds;
vertical lining of the foundation with waterproofing.

Note! The service life of waterproofing materials is not infinite. In an old house, it may be out of order.

The cause of dampness is the roof and walls

Conventional heating methods help warm the air in the home. They are not able to warm up the walls. Condensation forms on cold surfaces. Because of this, the humidity in the room increases.

You can correct the situation using:

heating convector;
infrared heater;
increasing the footage of the heating system;
arrangement of heated floors;
thermal and waterproofing of walls.

Note! Do not apply to affected surfaces Decoration Materials with high acidity. Mold spores thrive in such an environment. It is better to give preference to compounds with a neutral or alkaline reaction.

When dampness “sets in”, wet stains appear on the wallpaper, mold spots appear on the ceiling and under it. This is caused by holes in the roof and damaged gutters. won't help here. The water will soak into the walls and still seep into the house.

The work must be done from the attic side. To eliminate the causes, it must be examined. Then, if necessary, carry out waterproofing and restoration work. It is necessary to carefully treat the cracks, cracks and joints. Clogged gutters can be cleared out using a garden hose.

What to do if the cause is dampness indoors

Installing a heated towel rail in the bathroom

When high humidity in the house is not associated with poor ventilation, violation construction technologies, it's much easier to deal with. You just need to follow certain recommendations.

To prevent the humidity level in the house from increasing, you need to:

during the daytime (especially in summer) keep the curtains open;
do not put undried laundry in the closet;
check the integrity of the water supply and sewer pipes, eliminate defects;
reduce the humidity level in the kitchen using a hood;
perform 5-minute through ventilation 3 times a day;
during cooking, reduce the heat so that the container can be tightly closed with a lid;
if it is impossible to dry clothes outside the house, let things drain over the bathtub, then hang them closer to the hood;
keep interior doors open in the house;
on the doors of wet rooms, install at the bottom ventilation holes(from 200 sq. cm.);
do not place furniture close to the walls;
When wet cleaning the house, wring out the rag well;
do not keep filled buckets and bathtubs for a long time;
reduce the number of flowers in the house, reduce the frequency and volume of watering.

Helpful advice! Installing a heated towel rail will help reduce the humidity level in the bathroom. It can be electric, water, combined.

How to deal with the companion of dampness - mold

How to deal with mold

The lesion is formed due to high humidity. To prevent its occurrence, you need to understand why dampness appeared in the house. Only by eliminating the cause can you completely get rid of mold.

They fight lesions in the house using various compounds:

mildew removers:
antiseptic primer;
3% hydrogen peroxide solution;
soda solution (1 tsp per 200 ml of water);
alcohol;
urea solution (temperature 50 degrees);
10% bleach solution, etc.

Important! Hydrogen peroxide and bleach can lighten the surface. They must be used with caution. You can use the products on painted surfaces, but only after checking the durability of the coloring pigments (in a small area).

The surface must be prepared before treatment. The wall needs to be cleaned of wallpaper and plaster. Then dry it thoroughly using a heater. After this, you can begin surface treatment. Anti-mold agents must be applied to the affected surface. Then dry the wall thoroughly.

Dampness and mold in the house are dangerous to health. They lead to the destruction of building structures and damage to property. Humidity in a home can increase due to various factors. If the problem is caused by human activities, dehumidifiers can help. In other cases, it is necessary to find out the causes of high humidity in the house and eliminate them. Otherwise the problem will return again and again.

Excessive dampness often becomes a diagnosis of private houses, city high-rises and dachas. In the cold season, it manifests itself as mold on the walls and windows. Many owners begin and end the fight only with the fungus, because it has a sharply negative effect on the health of the residents. In this case, the root cause - high humidity - is ignored, so the mold soon returns. Only an analysis of the situation and an integrated approach will help you get rid of dampness.

Causes of high humidity

There are several hundred types of household mold in nature. The main factor in their appearance in a living space is excessive dampness. The fungus forms in places with poor ventilation on surfaces prone to sudden temperature changes. In other words, if there is a cold wall in your house, a dark coating will appear in poorly ventilated corners as soon as you turn on the heating system.

mistakes made by builders even at the stage of building a house;
illegal interference in the integrity of the channels of your vertical neighbors;
failure of parts of the system due to the old age of the house.

Attention! On the first floors of apartment buildings or in private houses, dampness may appear due to flooding of the basement due to a burst of water supply, groundwater, or poor thermal insulation between the wall and the foundation. Mold forms at the bottom of the wall.

Step 1. Fight against fungal plaque

Attention! The dark coating that appears due to dampness may not be immediately visible. But a strong musty smell will immediately give away the problem.

During the cleaning process, it is important not only to clean, but also to disinfect all surfaces where there is fungus. Use any suitable means:

chlorine bleach and other chemicals;
vinegar;
hydrogen peroxide;
soda;
ammonia;
tea tree oil, etc.

Attention! Wear gloves and a mask when working with any type of cleaning agent against dampness and fungus.

It is important that close contact does not introduce large quantities of spores into your respiratory tract. When using special store-bought products, never mix one with the other. This may cause a chemical reaction with harmful consequences for you. The video will help you understand in more detail how to combat mold and dampness.

If mold has extensively covered the surface of the wallpaper, get ready to rip it off the wall. The mycelium of the fungus is located under the paper layer. There are no means to kill it without damaging the wallpaper itself. In this case, the plaster will probably also have to be removed. First, thoroughly clean the surface of fungus, and then treat it with an antiseptic. For example, an aqueous solution of office glue (1:4) or urea. Before any further work to get rid of dampness, the wall section must be completely dry.

Advice. For the disinfectant to work effectively, heat the cleaned walls to +50 °C.

Step 2. Finding and eliminating the root cause of dampness

Diagnosing the problem is the key to getting rid of dampness. Take the glass, press it against the wall and fix it in this position. After 2-3 hours, remove and check the surface:

dry - source of humidity indoors;
damp - dampness penetrates from outside.

Thermal insulation of the wall. Cover it with breathable insulating material. Today, many people choose external insulation, but experts advise first of all to carry out work inside.
Check and, if necessary, upgrade the heating system. Perhaps it is cluttered or not powerful enough to warm up and protect certain corners of the house from dampness.

Advice. Often, large-sized furniture becomes the cause of the formation of harmful plaque if it interferes with the normal ventilation of the wall adjacent to the street. Do some rearranging.

Traditional methods to get rid of dampness due to poor ventilation:

Place bags of sugar or salt.
Place small containers of potassium chloride in the corners.
Heat the bricks and lean them against the wall. Repeat until the surface is free of dampness. Use 1 brick no more than 3-4 times, then it should dry.
Treat the wall in 2-3 layers with a decoction of laundry soap (100 g/l, bring to a boil and cool). After drying, apply the following solution with a brush: 100 g of alum per 6 liters of water.

Attention! Do not use sprays or other antifungal agents, and use air conditioning to dry your home.

You can get rid of dampness only by accurately determining its cause. When you eliminate the fungus and moisture, do not forget about further prevention.

How to deal with dampness in a room: video

Since a home with an excessive level of moisture is not a favorable place for a person to live, how to remove humidity in an apartment becomes more relevant.

The modern lifestyle of almost all people contributes to an increase in the level of humidity indoors in which they live.

To understand this, it is enough to give a simple example: previously people took a bath approximately once every 5-7 days.

Today, daily showering is the norm for the common person.

Some people play sports or go to the gym, as a result of which they constantly sweat.

In addition to the developed habit of taking a shower or shower every day, you also have to wash clothes, and some even have to take care of pets.

The main sources of humidity in the room include:

respiratory process of the human body
daily bath procedures
laundry care, including drying, washing and ironing
influence of the external atmosphere
cooking in the kitchen

In any case, all these everyday moments cannot be avoided, so you will have to deal with excessive humidity in.

Possible consequences of dampness

The most favorable place for the proliferation of microflora is a room with high air humidity. This could be a bathroom or a basement. Humidity in the room often contributes to the appearance chronic disease from the person who lives here.

Most often, children suffer, since the child’s body is not yet formed and the immune system is not fully strengthened. Old people also suffer from living in such premises, since the protective and other functions of the body weaken with age.

Residents of houses made of brick most often complain about the problem of high humidity in the room. In turn, residents of panel buildings complain about the lack of the required level of moisture inside. Dry air also negatively affects human health, as a result of which he can get sick.

If the room has a high level of humidity, you should immediately address the problem, since replacing several household items is much cheaper than spending money on treatment.

In addition to possible harm to human health, increased humidity levels create an uncomfortable state of being inside.

Often, due to an excessive level of dampness, an unpleasant odor and a feeling of coolness form inside the home or any other room. In a humid room, food quickly deteriorates, including even vegetables and fruits.

In such rooms mold and harmful microflora often form. Dampness is one of the most unpleasant phenomena that can ruin the entire comfort of living or being inside a building. If this problem is detected, you should immediately take measures to eliminate the dampness.

Reasons for dampness in an apartment

Before you begin the process of eliminating the problem, it is worth identifying the main reason for the accumulation of damp air inside.

The main reasons for the accumulation of dampness inside a building include:

Lack of room ventilation. Even if ventilation is present, its functionality and quality of operation should be checked.
Moisture may appear due to flooding of the apartment by neighbors above. Often this problem is difficult to identify, since a neighbor who lives above an apartment with high humidity may not be aware of the breakdown of his plumbing. It is always necessary to check whether this is not the main cause of orphanage in the home.
If the building has unsealed seams between the walls, moisture can also appear inside the building.
If the basement multi-storey building flooded, moisture will rise upward, resulting in dampness. Before you remove moisture from a ground-floor apartment, you should make sure whether a flooded basement is the main source of moisture.
Incorrect placement of kitchen appliances can cause dampness.

To eliminate the problem, you always need to find the source of the dampness. The easiest way to detect increased moisture levels is to lean a mirror or piece of glass against the surface.

If after a few minutes drops of water appear on the surface of the glass or mirror, it means there is an increased level of dampness in a separate room or the whole room. If the glass turns out to be clean, you should not rejoice ahead of time, since moisture can only be stored in the walls of the building.

How to get rid of dampness

As mentioned above, if a problem is discovered, it should be eliminated immediately, since the influence of a humid environment can negatively affect the human body.

The most common methods for eliminating indoor humidity include:

Installation of a dehumidifier, which can be purchased at any electronics and household appliances supermarket. The price of a dehumidifier directly depends on its model and power. In any case, to fix the problem you need to purchase a similar unit. When purchasing, it is worth considering the fact that the greater the power of the device, the faster dampness in a particular building will be eliminated. The market for similar products offers devices with built-in dampness control sensors. If the moisture level on the dehumidifier sensor drops, the device automatically changes the heating temperature. Thus, the device will not dry out the air, but will maintain a stable temperature and humidity level inside the room or building. Note that such models consume more electricity than standard, simple dehumidifiers that do not have a control sensor.
Installing a radiator if there is none. If there are radiators in the building, then it is worth using them. A damp room needs to be warmed up from time to time. When radiators emit heat, all of the unfavorable microflora, including fungi, can disappear, and the apartment can dry out well. Based on the advice of experts, the room should be heated not strongly, but often.

How to Prevent Excessive Humidity

Houseplants absorb moisture. This is why it’s worth getting plants if you don’t already have them. Flowers on the windowsill, in addition to their aesthetic function, perfectly absorb the dampness that is in the building.

Indoor flowers or other plants minimize any chance of increased moisture levels. For example, tropical plants absorb huge amounts of water, so placing such a plant in the bathroom or bedroom would be the right decision.

Cacti are the most “powerful” plants in terms of absorption capacity.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that these plants are not very decorative, many do not want to place them at home.

When choosing a plant for a room, kitchen or bathroom, you should first study the characteristics of various plants.

If the problem described above is identified, the main source of the emitted moisture should be urgently identified. And only after identifying the problem, the owner of the house should choose a method that is ideal for him personally to regulate the microclimate and, accordingly, reduce the level of moisture inside the building.

Watch the video on how to get rid of dampness in an apartment or house:

Dampness in rooms is fraught with an unpleasant odor, black spots and mold on the walls and in the corners. Wet warm air is an incubator for bacteria and microscopic fungi that cause various life-threatening diseases: tuberculosis, colds, bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchial asthma, skin inflammation and suppuration. Dampness must be removed from the room using various methods.

Isolation of the source of dampness

If dampness comes up the wall from the soil in the form of groundwater, it is difficult and sometimes impossible to dry the room. A similar situation occurs when the foundation is poorly waterproofed. The way out would be drainage system installed on the territory adjacent to the building. If this is not possible, the wet wall is insulated by covering it with a layer of waterproof material:

rolled bitumen;
mastics;
penetrating mixtures based on polyurethane resins.

The latter method is preferable. Under the layer of bitumen, the wall continues to dampen and collapse. Penetrating mixtures penetrate into the pores, making concrete and brick waterproof.

Damp basements

On the first floors there is an increased humidity appears due to flooding of basements premises . The housing office should deal with the elimination of pipe breaks, but the owners of apartments on the lower floors can also take part in improving the microclimate by carrying out additional waterproofing of the floors:

floor slabs are cleaned of dirt and loose layers of concrete;
seal cracks;
level and prime the surface with bitumen or any other moisture-repellent mastic.

The insulation should cover the floor and part of the walls, rising vertically on them by 10-20 cm.

Neutral sealants are easy to use:

Penetron – mortar made of cement and quartz sand, which is suitable for waterproofing reinforced concrete and concrete surfaces.
Waterplug is a product made from aluminate cement, sand and active chemical additives. It is applied for quick fix leaks in concrete, brick and stone surfaces.

Premises on the ground floors require additional heat sources. They could be:

Sun rays;
split systems;
electric floor heating systems;
household electric heaters.

Additional sources are used in spring and autumn, since humidity in basements increases sharply at this time of year. Heat quickly drives dampness out of the room.

Drying methods

The fight against dampness is successful when the root cause is eliminated. Air dehumidification will last a long time if you get rid of the source of the problem.

For example, if a wall becomes damp due to defects in the pipes adjacent to it or as a result of careless use of water (flooding), then to eliminate humidity in the room it is enough to restore the integrity and tightness of the water distribution system.

How to maintain normal air humidity in an apartment?

Alpine windows

Apartments on the upper floors are most often damp due to external reasons. Humidity appears as a consequence of insufficient wall insulation, poor-quality processing of interpanel seams, poor roof waterproofing, low battery efficiency central heating.

Ventilation of apartments located on the fifth floors of Khrushchev-era buildings provides for the supply of fresh air through cracks in window frames, and then its removal through ventilation shafts. Most residents replace their old ones over time wooden frames on plastic double glazed windows that impede the influx street air. Also ventilation on top floors five-story buildings do not work efficiently enough, since the lower levels “draw” the main air flow in the mines. As a result, mold in the corners and water on the window sills have become commonplace in apartments located under the roof.

Alpine windows help solve the problem of insufficient ventilation of Khrushchev and other panel houses. Holes for these structures are punched in the outer walls. The valves supply fresh air, which passes through the room and is removed through the ventilation shaft, picking up moisture.

Construction of an alpine window

Alpine window - view from the room

Electric dryers

In rooms with poor ventilation, dampness appears even for ordinary household reasons. Daily drying of laundry, a large number of aquariums or plants, frequent cooking or showering can increase the water vapor content in the air to a concentration that is unacceptable for a living space.

For this reason, it is necessary to reconsider everyday life. Linen should be dried not in rooms, but on balconies, verandas, loggias, and attics. A range hood installed above the stove will eliminate fumes rising from boiling pots and kettles. An electric heated towel rail for the bathroom will help combat moisture in this room.

The safest way to eliminate high air humidity in an apartment is not to do it yourself, but to purchase a special dehumidifier with automatic mode work. This kind climate control technology successfully copes with the elimination of humidity in apartments, quickly regulating the air condition. Household dehumidifiers are economical and compact, operate silently, and are safe to use.

Household electric dehumidifier

The operating principle of the device is as follows:

the fan is sucking in room air inside the device;
it passes through the evaporator and is cooled below the dew point, while water vapor condenses and flows into the container;
the air is passed through the condenser, heated and returned to the room.

It has a higher temperature than the original one, so it is not advisable to use the device in hot weather. In the warm season, another drying method is used - ventilation.

Ventilation

Ventilation in sunny, dry weather helps get rid of minor dampness and is a good prevention of its occurrence. There are sanitary standards for carrying out this procedure for various institutions, including preschool and educational institutions.

Residential rooms ventilate before going to bed and after waking up, opening window or windows for 10-30 minutes. In the bathroom (if it has a window), close the doors first to prevent dampness from spreading to other rooms. The apartment is ventilated after long periods of cooking, showering, and washing. If you are going to dry clothes in a room, the door should be tightly closed and the window should be opened.

Additional heating

Heating devices increase the temperature and dry the air at the same time. This function is performed by central heating batteries. If the power of the radiators is not enough, install additional sources heat. They will reduce the relative humidity. Water vapor will not leave the room without ventilation, but the dampness will become less noticeable.

The following heaters are used for heating with dehumidification:

infrared;
oil;
convector;
fan heaters.

Exist heating devices, which can actually remove moisture from the air by splitting it into oxygen and hydrogen atoms. In ordinary living conditions it is impossible to achieve such an effect, since a temperature above +2000 degrees Celsius will be required. It is typical for special carbide heating elements. In apartments, cottages and dachas such high temperatures are fire hazardous, so they can only be used in industrial environments.

Traditional methods

In the summer, wallpaper is removed from moldy walls and treated as follows:

Dissolve 500 g of laundry soap in 5 liters of water.
Boil, let cool.
Apply the solution evenly to the wall using a brush.
Let it dry.
Repeat until the solution stops being absorbed.
Another composition is prepared - 100 g of alum is diluted in 6 liters of water.
Cover the wall once.

There is a way to eliminate dampness in a private home with stove heating. To do this, new bricks are heated and placed on fire-resistant stands near a damp wall. The operation is repeated until the dampness disappears. Bricks stop absorbing moisture after 10-15 heating, then they are replaced with new ones. The old ones are used as fireproof stands. Hot bricks should not be left overnight to avoid fire. There should be no flammable objects near them. The method is not used in houses with wooden walls: made of timber, logs or boards.

Table salt absorbs moisture from the air well. To dry the room, place any open vessel with substance. From time to time, damp salt is dried in an oven, crushed and used again as a desiccant. Instead, you can use other folk remedies: calcium chloride (they sprinkle it on roads in icy conditions), quicklime, charcoal.

Mold on the wall of a damp room is removed as follows:

the surface is well dried;
one part of salicylic acid is dissolved in 200 parts of alcohol and diluted with a small amount of water;
Apply the mixture to mold spots.

Salicylic acid and alcohol will prevent the fungus from multiplying in the old place, but it may appear on another wall if measures are not taken to drain the entire living space.