During the winter, many homeowners across the UK have to deal with irritating condensation that drenches windows and dampens fixtures.
Ignoring the droplets can result in the growth of black mould and while the spores are relatively harmless, it can cause allergies and asthma attacks in sufferers. The best way to keep mould at bay is to deal with condensation before it can settle.
In the warmer months, it can be easily managed by keeping windows open for better ventilation. But in the chillier season, many households understandably keep them shut to stay warm and keep fuel bills down.
Thankfully, one German Reddit user has shared a nifty hack for banishing condensation quickly that won't require the windows to stay open all day. As reported by the Mirror, the helpful poster wrote on the site: "In Germany, we have a technique called 'Stosslüften."
"What that basically means is that instead of having maybe one window open all day (which is a huge waste of energy), open several windows all over the house for three minutes, creating a strong draft to exchange most of the warm humid air inside the house with cold air from outside.
"A cool feature about cold air is that it can 'hold' less water vapour. If this relatively dry cold air enters your house, it warms up. Being warmer, it is suddenly capable of taking up some of the extra humidity from inside your house.
"This might sound a little weird at first but is advocated in schools and so on. I use that technique and it works. Do this several times a day and you should really see a change."
The tip comes as many households - especially rented flats - across the UK experience a surge in condensation during the winter - as single glazed windows and declining building materials allow moisture to enter buildings.
Research conducted by Rentokil found that roughly 5.8million British renters have experienced damp or condensation issues at some point in their tenancy, which is less than ideal.
Many renters have reported reaching out to their landlords for help with the damp, but in over half of those cases - 51 per cent - the tenant received no help.
The study found 44 per cent of British renters lived in properties with no extractor fan in the bathroom, and 31% didn't have a window in the bathroom, so were unable to air it out properly.
Mould isn't good news, as many of us know - the NHS say that mould can create allergens, irritants, and sometimes even toxins. Inhaling or touching mould spores can often lead to reactions including a runny nose, sneezing, red eyes and skin itching.
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