How to get rid of dampness, humidity and their unpleasant consequences in an apartment or house

In this article, you will learn about the main causes of dampness in an apartment or house. We will also talk about how to eliminate these causes and restore the normal microclimate of the home. You will learn about traditional and most modern methods solutions to the problem of dehumidification.

With the change of seasons, almost all owners are faced with increased humidity due to melting snow. The range of negative phenomena is great: from mild discomfort to "crying" walls and mold. Consider some of the most popular cases and causes of dampness in living quarters, as well as ways to combat this unpleasant phenomenon.

Any changes in the microclimate have their own reason, by affecting which, you can change it. Dampness has its own "sources", which the owner may not know about, or not attach importance to them.

Reason # 1. Poor ventilation

Owners often "forget" about the device of forced ventilation during repairs out of savings, relying entirely on windows and doors. In our apartments, the project provides for the ventilation of two rooms - a bathroom and a kitchen. The living quarters have vents, windows and balconies for ventilation. Of course, ventilation lowers the room temperature by blowing out warm (and humid) air, so in cold period it is rarely used.

The dehumidification effect in summer is achieved by mixing dry air from the street with steam-saturated internal "exhaust" air. During periods of transition, especially in early spring, atmospheric air saturated with vapors, but at the same time remains cold. Accordingly, airing does not bring the desired effect.

How to fight

Check the ventilation arranged according to the project - the draft should be noticeable. If the draft is good in the kitchen and bathroom, and dampness is not removed, there are three options for solving this problem.

1. Forced exhaust ventilation. The device of such a system, although it will entail certain costs and inconveniences, will solve the problem of dampness once and for all. A branched hood has its drawbacks - power consumption, duct system, background noise. The minimum that can be done is to install a fan in the kitchen duct.

2. Installation of the recuperator. A ducted room recuperator such as PRANA, Reventa or an analogue is a more modern and ergonomic element that solves two problems at once - humid air extraction and fresh air inflow. Many models are heated for operation in winter period... The cost of a duct recuperator is from 340 to 380 USD. e.

Video: PRANA duct recuperator

3. Use a dehumidifier. This device allows air to pass through itself, collecting excess moisture and filtering it. Such a device is very effective - it removes dampness from the room within an hour. In this case, the composition of the air remains unchanged. The moisture is collected in a separate container and drained. The device can optionally be integrated with filters, ozonizers and fragrances. The cost of such a device for a room of 30-50 sq. m is from 140 to 220 cu. e.

Reason # 2. Source of moisture

In private houses, these are septic tanks or shambos located close to the house. They saturate the soil with water, the water flows under the house, the soil, the surrounding foundation or basement becomes damp. The same with atmospheric waters flowing down to the split blind area. Dampness in the basement and in the floor of the 1st floor is ensured.

In apartments it can be:

leaking roof;
defect in the drain or overhang of the roof, directing atmospheric water to the wall of the apartment;
windy side of the house - rain constantly falls on the wall of the apartment;
constantly flowing taps, plumbing;
a large amount of water on the ground floor - aquariums, swimming pool, sauna;
evaporation of condensation on the windows (which collects due to poor ventilation).

It is difficult to name other trouble-free open sources of moisture in the apartment, but in each case everything is possible.

How to fight

Eliminate the source. Fix the roof or drain, move the septic tank, protect the wall from atmospheric waters. If the reason is in an open source, waterproofing should be done liquid composition... Remember that waterproofing is applied from the side of the moisture source.

Reason number 3. Unheated room

Extreme savings on heating on the principle of "only warm air in the room" is the most common reason for the dampness of the "crying walls" of an apartment or house. The wall should be heated to at least half the thickness. Then the dew point (the place of condensation formation) will come out to the side of the street. A frozen wall shifts the dew point closer to the warm area, and sometimes even to the inner plane.

This problem often "works" in conjunction with a lack of ventilation. Abandoned or low-heated rooms get damp very quickly - Decoration Materials collapse in 2 seasons, the construct loses up to 5-6% of its strength annually (in addition to natural wear and tear). It is highly undesirable to combine heated and unheated (according to the project) premises under one roof.

How to fight

Increase heating. Try to calculate how much damage your home can get from the merciless dampness and the amount you will save on heating. Then compare these amounts and make a conclusion. Of course, the insulation must be of high quality and timely.

If it is not possible to raise the temperature, set the fans to heating devices and provide short-term ventilation - the humidity will equalize. Do not leave the house unheated, if you are going to return - find someone who will heat it.

Reason number 4. Incorrect insulation

Thermal insulation of walls with cheap and lightweight foam or expensive modern extruded polystyrene foam has already gained momentum and is becoming a welcome event for residents apartment buildings... Almost no one ever makes a thermal calculation of the walls of an apartment to determine the thickness of the insulation. Therefore, when choosing a layer of insufficient thickness, the wall continues to freeze and damp.

Life in such a "thermos" can spoil the dampness in the apartment and the inevitable fungus. The reason is the same dew point, which is snugly located between the panel (wall) and the insulation plate. In addition, the vapor permeability of the sonicated materials is close to zero and this is not the only problem with the foam. Cheap material handcrafted, extremely flammable and toxic when heated. Keep this in mind when preparing to insulate your apartment.

Video: problems with polystyrene foam

How to fight

Explore useful articles where engineers and builders with extensive experience speak up. Understanding the physics of processes will save you not only from dampness, but also from many other troubles. There are two unmistakable options for insulating an apartment:

Deliberately redundant layer polystyrene insulation... The thickness of 100-150 mm guarantees that the dew point is outside the wall (in the thickness of the insulation) for any region.
Breathable insulation. Mineral wool, ecowool, any kind of ventilated facade. This is guaranteed to get rid of moisture in the walls.

Dampness in the apartment can provoke the appearance of mold, which, getting into the body, becomes the cause viral diseases person. In addition, humid air by itself is not suitable for everyone. Weakness, soreness, spontaneous loss of performance are what can happen due to excess moisture in the air. Therefore, the elimination of moisture is a concern not only for the native walls, but also for yourself and dear people.

Before deciding how to get rid of dampness in an apartment, you need to find out: moisture comes from the outside or is generated inside the room.

To do this, you need to take a small piece of glass, press it firmly against the wall and hold it for a while. If, after tearing off the glass from the wall, it is wet, you can be sure: the dampness is outside. Otherwise, you have to look for an internal reason.

What is the reason

What could be the reason high humidity in the apartment? First of all, the absence or bad job ventilation. Check first if you have covered it with wallpaper or installing kitchen appliances.

It is easy to eliminate such a reason: cut the required square on the wallpaper in place of the ventilation grill or make the right bend household appliances.

Perhaps you are being heated by the neighbors from above. Examine carefully the ceiling throughout the apartment, especially in the bathroom, toilet, kitchen. If you find wet spots on the ceiling or walls adjacent to it, go to your neighbor to sort things out.

The accumulation of moisture in your room could form due to poor thermal insulation of the walls, flaws in the seams of housing construction. In this case, these shortcomings must be eliminated.

How to prevent

If you dry a large amount of laundry at home, high humidity in the apartment cannot be avoided. It is worth considering, maybe there is a way to extend the wash over time, and to use the balcony instead of the bathroom to dry the laundry.

In case of chronic dampness in the house, it is worth buying an air dehumidifier, preferably with an automatic mode of operation. He will independently maintain optimal humidity in the apartment.

If the source of dampness is in the bathroom, install an electric one there. It will dry not only the towels, but also the air in the room.

Any damp room should be periodically heated, dried and ventilated. This should be done even in winter. Use when preparing food in the kitchen. It will successfully cope with the absorption of moisture formed during cooking.

First floor

The reason for the dampness in the ground floor apartment is the flooding of the basement. If this happens constantly, and complaints to the housing office do not give results, you should think about installing waterproofing. But she does not give a complete guarantee against dampness.

The apartment on the ground floor also needs additional heating.

Than the room is heated - by the rays of the sun, warm air from an air conditioner or underfloor heating with a built-in electric heater - it does not matter. By heating the apartment, you will expel moisture from it.

If you are thinking about how to get rid of dampness in an apartment on the 1st floor, know: the flow of moisture from basement increases sharply in spring and autumn.

Therefore, if you correctly place heating devices in the room, the problem will be solved. You should not be afraid of energy overruns: they will need to be turned on only twice a year, in spring and autumn, for periods of a maximum of a month.

Fifth floor

If you are faced with the opposite problem and do not know how to get rid of dampness in an apartment on the top (spot) floor, perhaps these tips will help you.

In Khrushchev on the 5th floor, the cause of dampness is usually external. The increased humidity here is a direct consequence of the lack of gable roof, wall insulation, substandard interpanel seams, cast iron batteries heating with extremely low efficiency.

Ironically, technological advances only exacerbate these problems. The design of the Khrushchevka assumes that fresh air constantly enters the room through the cracks in the windows, and leaves outside through the ventilation shafts.

The installation of plastic windows closes the air flow from the outside. And ventilation on top floor five-story buildings do not work well, since in such a structure, mainly the lower floors are ventilated. As a result, on the 5th floor there are always corners and rivers on the windowsill.

To solve the problem, you need to install an alpine window. This is a system of valves punched into the walls of each room in combination with a powerful hood.

Fresh air enters the apartment through the valves, the hood draws out the humid exhaust air from it.

It is easy to be convinced of its effectiveness in winter: large icicles must form on the pipes of the valves in frosts outside. This is the moisture from the air in your apartment.

Folk remedies

Is it possible to get rid of dampness in an apartment with the time-tested folk remedies? Let's turn to the experience of our grandmothers.

Salt, sugar, coffee beans perfectly absorb moisture from the air. If you place open bags or jars with these products in the corners of the room, in closets, the apartment will "dry out".

For the same purpose, furniture in the room should be regularly wiped with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Wipe dry for all wet surfaces. Ventilate the room thoroughly after each cleaning.

Against mold

The mold must be scraped off the wall, then the walls must be smeared with mortar copper sulfate or a special antifungal mixture.

You can use bleach, bleach, baking soda, vinegar, tea tree oil, and regular soap and water for this.

Must be done in the house high-quality ventilation- fresh air will prevent mold from developing.

When preparing food, it is better to use forced ventilation... It is also necessary to repair the leaking water supply in time, do not overcool the room, wring out the laundry well before drying.

For the winter, it follows with a special cord in a cotton sheath or porous gaskets. Fill gaps in frames with ordinary window paper.

And from the replacement wooden windows it is better to refrain from plastic for problems with dampness.

If you nevertheless decide to install plastic windows, consider a ventilation system. Now fresh air will not be able to get to you through the window. And not everyone will dare to open the window in the twenty-degree frost.

Dampness and repair

If you have started a renovation and intend to radically solve the problem of dampness in the apartment, it is advisable to use for it natural materials... They tend to absorb excess moisture from the air.

When repairing, you must also apply waterproofing materials... Include antifungal ingredients in the grout.

Consider the future furniture installation in advance. It should not be placed close to the walls, be sure to leave a gap.

To eliminate the causes of dampness, it is necessary to thoroughly deal with floor insulation, external and internal insulation walls. Walls should be cleaned with a bleach solution and re-plastering.

People have long noticed that there are rooms in which a person feels worse than usual. Some people notice that they feel uncomfortable when they come to visit, move to new apartment... Often the air we are forced to breathe is to blame for the deterioration of health. If you notice that there is high humidity in your apartment, a fungus has appeared on the walls, it's time to think about how to remove moisture from the apartment. After all, the "wrong" microclimate at home causes whole line unpleasant symptoms- nasal congestion, insomnia, sneezing, general weakness, joint pain.

Standard humidity in housing

In a living room, the optimum humidity is 60%. You can measure this indicator using a hygrometer. A decrease in air humidity in the summer months up to 45% is allowed. On human body both excessively dry and too humid air have a negative effect. Those who like to turn on the air conditioner should be especially careful. This device has the ability to "take" water from the room and reduce the level of humidity in the room.

If you dry clothes in the house, do not ventilate the apartment well, the air can be very humid. High humidity provokes the formation of fungus.

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Why you need to reduce the humidity in the apartment

Falling into the lungs of a man mold promotes the development of allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma... If a person often stays in conditions of high air humidity, it is quite possible that he will more often experience migraines, runny nose, and disrupt the work of the cardiovascular system.

Lifestyle modern man helps to ensure that the level of humidity in his home was increased. If earlier people took a bath about once a week, today they take a shower twice a day, wash their clothes often, etc.

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Sources of humidity in the apartment:

Human breathing through the surface of the skin and lungs;
Taking a bath or shower;
Washing and drying clothes;
Plants, aquariums;
Cooking food;
Outside atmosphere;
Excess groundwater;

How to lower the humidity in the apartment?

In a family of three, the volume of half a bath is released into the air weekly. This is about 70-100 liters.

Moisture is the main factor in the formation of mold. To successfully combat this, you need to find out the cause of the moisture.

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Find the cause and eliminate

If the humidity in your home is temporary, such as when you cook food, it can be eliminated by ventilating the room or using heating appliances. Your main task is to thoroughly ventilate the room. If the moisture is concentrated on the walls, the air flow should be significant. Arrange a draft for a few hours, or even better, for a few days.

If your room is in short supply sunlight and heat, this can also cause increased humidity. To lower the humidity in the room, you need to use heating devices that can heat the entire room.

In addition, the poor condition of the ceiling can be the cause of high humidity in the apartment. Dehumidification of this part of the room is a rather complicated process. You can simply additionally plaster the room. It is better to wait for the plaster to dry completely without furniture. It absorbs moisture, and then begins to give it away, which can cause another increase in humidity.

Hermetically closed windows(eg PVC) often cause additional moisture. After all, in many apartments they become a barrier between the street and the room. It is better to immediately order frames with a well-thought-out ventilation system.

Remember how to reduce the humidity in the apartment, you need even at the stage renovation works... All plaster compounds contain water, so it is very important to thoroughly dry the room. This will prevent condensation from forming.

You can reduce the humidity in the apartment with the help of modern chemicals... For example, Henkel has developed a new product that helps in the fight against excess moisture called Stop Moisture. It is a system that includes an absorbent and an absorbent. Active crystals fight the formation of excess moisture. The moisture is collected in special containers.

Not every one of us pays attention to the level of humidity in the home, but it is this indicator, along with the air temperature and illumination, that participates in creating a microclimate and directly affects health. Both low and high humidity are harmful.

Optimal values. If you focus on sanitary standards, then the normal level of relative humidity for a dwelling varies from 40 to 60%. In winter, when the air is dried up by hot heating radiators, the humidity "drops" to 15-20%, humidifiers come to the rescue. But in the warm season, the indicators often "go off scale" in reverse side, which leads to unpleasant consequences.

Effects. Negative influence high humidity on the human body is not exaggerated. Firstly, heavy humid air is contraindicated for people with cardiovascular diseases, hypertensive patients and asthmatics. Secondly, in combination with an increased air temperature (more than 25 ° C), high humidity provokes overheating of the body, and if the temperature is low, hypothermia.

In such conditions, harmful microorganisms and bacteria multiply with amazing speed. Even in adults healthy people breathing is disturbed, efficiency decreases, allergic reactions occur, let alone the "risk zone" - the elderly and young children.

High humidity leads to mold growth

In addition, high humidity in an apartment contributes to the appearance of mold and mildew on any surfaces, can ruin furniture, books, linens and mattresses, food (cereals, flour, vegetables). A persistent "swamp" smell appears in the house.

How to measure moisture level

A hygrometer is useful at home. This device, more like a digital alarm clock, controls the increase or decrease in humidity.

Hygrometer - the simplest device for measuring humidity

However, you can find out whether the humidity is high or not using plain water. Fill a transparent glass halfway and place in the refrigerator for a few hours (the "outlet" water temperature should be no more than 5 ° C). Place the vessel in the "test" room, away from household appliances and radiators, observe for 5-10 minutes. Large drops of condensation on the sides of the container indicate that the room is humid.

Large drops are a sign of high humidity

How to deal with high humidity

First of all, you need to find and fix the problem. The following options are possible:

1. Inoperative ventilation. Hoods tend to break, and ventilation shafts tend to clog. And if in the warm season you can open the window to ventilate the room or kitchen, then in winter this is problematic. Be sure to check the ventilation of the apartment or house. Install an extractor hood in the kitchen, a more powerful fan or a baffle in the bathroom, if necessary.

2. Insufficient insulation or waterproofing. Poorly insulated and not waterproofed walls and floor, like a sponge, absorb moisture from the outside, becoming covered with condensation and "giving out" all this into the room. Constantly damp wallpaper or "chomping" linoleum is a reason to start repairing.

3. Lack of heating. The fastest damp rooms are heated to a minimum. Installing an additional radiator or purchasing an oil heater solves this problem.

4. The presence of sources of moisture. Perhaps the most common reason for high humidity in an apartment: poorly installed double-glazed windows that collect condensation, errors when connecting a washing or dishwasher, leaking pipes or plumbing. "Walk" through all the nodes and connections, if necessary, replace or repair problem areas.

Not right installed windows- the most common reason

If the windows "fog up" in the apartment, treat the glass with a special composition: 5 parts of transparent dishwashing gel or liquid soap, 3 parts glycerin, 1 part turpentine, and then rub them until shiny with a clean rag.

Prevention of high humidity

Basic but effective preventive actions will not be superfluous even if everything is in order in the house with humidity.

Be sure to ventilate the apartment (even in winter) for at least half an hour a day.
Heat the rooms evenly, preventing the already heated air from getting into the "chilled" room, creating a sharp temperature drop.
Do not dry laundry in living quarters and in the bathroom, it is best to do this on a balcony or loggia.
Use simple yet powerful absorbents. Arrange bags with table salt, rice, coffee beans in closets, on shelves in the toilet, bathroom, kitchen.
Operate the dehumidifier periodically. This unit passes excessively humid air through filters, which helps in maintaining a natural and healthy microclimate.

An example of an electric dehumidifier

Instructions

One of the ways to reduce humidity in rooms is to use heating devices and special moisture absorbers. However, this may have and Negative consequences... First of all, the use of heating devices leads to additional electricity. Secondly, excessive drying of the air should be avoided, since the comfortable humidity for a person is about 50%, and a lower humidity can negatively affect the state of the cardiovascular system.

Install indoors quality windows... It is desirable that these are double-glazed or double-glazed windows. Such glass retains heat well and at the same time prevents the formation of condensation on. Please note that not only the glass unit itself should be of high quality, but also window frame.

Ventilate the room more often. The more airtight the windows are, the less fresh air... It is best to air it three times a day for 15-30 minutes. It is advisable to leave the window open at night, for example. This will reduce the likelihood of condensation and reduce humidity. You can install special ventilation valves on the windows.

Purchase special moisture absorbers and install them in locations subject to moisture.

How to quickly reduce indoor humidity

There are also additional ways combating high humidity to apartments and cottages. Using special chemicals can be a good option. They absorb moisture, normalizing the microclimate in the rooms, moreover, as a rule, they cope with their task quite quickly.

Be very careful when using these products if you have children or pets in your home!

One more a good option- installation of a dehumidifier. Such devices allow you to quickly reduce the humidity level to a predetermined value. They are mobile, so you can move them from one room to another if necessary. To ensure that the dehumidifier works well and helps you quickly and easily deal with the problem, pay Special attention his choice. The more spacious the room and the higher the air humidity, the more powerful the device must be. Otherwise, it simply will not be able to fulfill its functions.

Finally, if the rooms are cool, independent heating devices can be used to dehumidify the air. They raise the temperature and lower the humidity level, allowing you to create a comfortable microclimate. One of the ways to gently lower the humidity is to use a floor heating system.