How to remove dampness in a house or apartment?

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

"Symptoms" of high humidity

The relative humidity in the apartment is normally about 50%. If this figure is exceeded, then this must be fought. Humidity can be measured using a hydrometer, but there are some "symptoms" that clearly indicate that its level in the room is elevated:

• steam or condensation drops on window panes;
• mold on the walls or ceiling;
• the smell of dampness (mustiness);
• things in the room are getting wet.

High humidity in the bathroom and kitchen

Getting rid of the dampness that comes after cooking, digesting, or bathing is pretty easy. Most often, for this, it is enough to organize airing. If for some reason this cannot be done, you can install a dehumidifier in the house. 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 it is necessary to lower the moisture at a particular moment.

This device will help out during the repair, because the process humidity appears in the house when plastering surfaces and wallpapering, and it is not always possible to remove it by airing. For the kitchen, it will be relevant to use a hood with sufficient power. If things are often boiled there, food is prepared for a large family, then the hood performance should be at least 500 m³ / hour.

Ventilation organization

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 for the installation of ventilation shafts. In this case, a technological novelty is suitable - window pressure ventilators. They automatically create the necessary traction, 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 the regulation of the flow of attraction depending on the humidity in the room. However, it is worth noting that if the channel is clogged or its diameter is insufficient, the installation of such equipment will not help to 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 first floor

The ground floor apartments are chronically “sick” with high humidity. To get rid of the dampness in them is sometimes quite difficult, because here the reason may be in the incorrect arrangement of the foundation of the house. If such a defect is present, then it is impossible to eliminate it yourself. In this case, only additional heating and forced ventilation are suitable.

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

How to reduce moisture to residents of the last floors?

Residents on the top floor suffer from dampness in the absence of a pitched roof. Moisture penetrates them through the ceiling. It is impossible to eliminate its entry by waterproofing the ceiling in the room, since any solution in this direction will be unreliable. Water will simply "go around" the obstacle and go into the walls. But there is still a solution. In order to get rid of dampness, you need to isolate the floor on the floor above the apartment. This is the attic or, as it is called officially, the technical floor. When repairing, special attention should be paid to sealing joints and seams, since it is mainly through them that moisture gets into the apartment.

There are times when access to the attic is closed for various reasons, for example, the premises are leased or sold, and the new owner does not let anyone in there. Here the question of how to drain the air in the apartment becomes problematic. There is only one way out - roof waterproofing. Not everyone can afford the financial investments for such repairs, so you will have to demand the elimination of leaks from the organization servicing the house, or to raise funds from all tenant residents.

Private home and high humidity issues

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

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

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

• 1 part of cement;
• 1 part of sand;
• 1 part silicone or synthetic latex.

This dry plaster mix is ​​diluted with water and applied to the walls in the usual way. This will strengthen the walls and prevent leaks.