Keeping your House Dry During the Rainy Season

Rain is a wonderful thing, and escaping a downpour to cuddle under a blanket in your dry cosy house is the best. But, when the rain and moisture start to enter your cosy home and damage not only your walls and furnishings but your health too, it has crossed the line.

Rain can cause lots of damage to your house, from leaking ceilings and water creeping in through cracks, to increased moisture causing mould and mildew to run rampant.

There are a few precautions you should take to keep your house dry during the rainy season.

Keep the Water Outside

Firstly, it would be a good idea to fix any issues on your house where water and moisture may be getting in. Mend any leaking pipes, cracks in your walls and ceilings, and ensure your gutters and drains are clear of debris so rainwater can run freely away from your house. Rainwater that pools around your foundation can lead to expensive structural damage.

Tackle any damp around your house. There are two forms of damp: rising damp is caused when the drainage around your home is insufficient, causing damp patches to rise from ground level and leave powdery deposits on your walls. Penetrating damp happens when there are cracks in your walls, allowing water to seep into the brickwork. Regular maintenance as well as proper insulation can prevent damp from penetrating inside your house.

You should also check your doors and windows to make sure they are properly sealed and aren’t allowing any water or moisture into your house. Ensuring your windows and doors close properly won’t only keep your house dry, but it will also save you money on heating costs.

Tip: if the moisture in your home is causing mould to grow in the spaces between the cushions on your couch, you can wipe it down with a dry cloth and place a cotton pouch of salt in between the cushions. The salt will absorb any excess moisture and should be changed out every few days. Salt absorbs moisture through the process of osmosis.

Use a Dehumidifier

As soon as your leaks and cracks have been taken care of, a dehumidifier will be able to assist in drying out the inside of your house and maintaining a comfortable level of humidity. The rainy season brings with it high humidity levels as the moisture content of the air rises. Mould, mildew and dust mites thrive in highly humid environments. This can lead to itchy eyes, coughing and other allergy symptoms, and even trigger asthma attacks.

A dehumidifier is a cost-effective way of controlling the humidity levels in your home and, as such, preventing the growth of mould and mildew. A dehumidifier works by removing excess moisture from the air which the mould and mildew need to grow. This results in a drier and more comfortable humidity level inside your home, fewer allergies, and better air quality.

Dehumidifiers also help to eliminate condensation on your walls and windows, which can lead to bubbling paint and peeling wallpaper. By keeping humidity levels in the optimal 30% - 50% range, you can limit rust from occurring, reduce musty odours and prevent damage from occurring to your wooden furnishings.

A MeacoDry Arete® One 20L is a low-energy dehumidifier and air purifier. It has been designed to collect more water, use less energy and make less noise, and it also comes equipped with a Medical Grade H13 HEPA filter to remove 99.95% of particles and impurities as small as 0.3 microns from the air. It is big enough to efficiently operate in a moderately damp five-bedroom home. 

Dehumidifiers have some added advantages in that they can be used to help dry your laundry. A more cost- and energy-efficient option than a traditional tumble dryer, dehumidifiers work in much the same way although at a slower speed. The ultra-quiet MeacoDry ABC 10L Compressor Dehumidifier has a laundry mode during which the machine runs at full speed for 6 hours and then switches off to save energy. It is energy efficient and a great solution for a slightly damp 2 bed house. With its low fan speed and 40db at high fan speed, it has a less obtrusive background noise. 

For smaller spaces, a Solenco Mini Dehumidifier is small enough to fit inside your cupboards, wardrobes, and other confined spaces such as cars, caravans and gun safes to effectively keep moisture at bay and remove mould, mildew and bad odours from your precious possessions.

Tip: You must remember to regularly clean your dehumidifier and to keep your doors and windows closed when it is running to maximise its efficiency and help it run optimally. 

For more information on dehumidifiers, chat to the team at Solenco.