Mould thrives in a damp environment so it is little wonder that the bathroom is its favourite room in the house due to condensation caused by hot showers and baths. This occurs especially in showers where water remains after a shower.
Mould is a fungus that thrives in damp conditions and reproduces by way of spores carried in the air. This can become a serious problem that commonly affects bathrooms although it will thrive on any damp surface in the home. Bathroom mould is a real concern for homeowners as it can cause health issues like allergic reactions and asthma attacks.
There are 4 theoretical ways to prevent condensation associated with bathrooms:
- Increase the temperature of the bathroom
- Extract the moist air.
- Reduce the amount of moisture being created through design
- Use specialist anti-mould products.
Possible Solutions
Ventilation and Heat
Heat the bathroom – Many people fit only a heated towel rail and do not consider the heating requirements of the whole bathroom. A heated towel rail, once covered with wet towels, will not provide much ambient warmth, and will actually introduce more moisture into the room as towels dry. But there is another element that can reduce moisture and humidity in your bathroom and that is a heated floor system installed underneath your floor tiles. Besides the comfort of stepping on warm tiles, heated floors will prevent the buildup of mould as it allows excess water to be dried quickly.
Circulating air is an effective means of removing moisture from the atmosphere and preventing mould growth. An extractor fan takes the moist air out of your bathroom and transports it outside. You should clean the extractor fan every so often to remove dust and dirt – this ensures it runs effectively.
All too often heating is left out of bathrooms making them colder than the rest of the house, by installing a quality underfloor heating system such as Thermonet can help eliminate mould growth in your bathroom by keeping it warm