Damp walls? Flaking paint? Here are a few tips to keep damp walls at bay in Indian homes

image: dampcure

The one thing we have seen people complain about all the time are damp spots on their walls. Folks have had expensive textured walls destroyed, paint and POP peeling off and even a general devaluation in resale prices due to dampness setting in. Let us not forget that mold and other dangerous living organisms could be thriving beneath those damp spots on your walls and posing a serious health issue to you and your family. If the dampness is severe, please call in an expert and have the cause diagnosed and rectified. However, as the seasons change, condensation and rain water can cause dampness on your beautiful walls. Here are a few tips to keep damp walls at bay and have them looking like new for a long time.

1) After a bath or shower, ventilate the bathroom, to the outside and not to the rest of the house! Open the window(s) that are outside and close the bathroom door. This should lead the moisture out of the house and stop it from condensing on cooler walls in another room or the lobby.

2) Dry clothes in an open area or if its necessary, in a cooler area of the house. It will take longer to dry but less moisture will be held in the air throughout the drying period. If you are drying clothes in a room, keep the area ventilated.

3) Wet coats and umbrellas? Hang them outside the house or in the verandah. Have a porch? Use that area for these.

4) Use forced ventilation by way of exhaust fans in bathrooms and kitchens. These help get the moist air out of the house as soon as possible, preventing it to move around the house and condensing on cold walls, leaving damp spots. If your house is unoccupied for most of the day, keep a couple of windows open for ventilation. Completely sealed houses, left that way for a long time in a humid city can attract moisture on walls and create dampness.

5) Take a look at the fuel you use in the kitchen. Electric is the driest, paraffin the wettest!

6) If you live in a very humid environment, consider installing a dehumidifier. The domestic ones now available in India can remove a surprising amount of water from the air.

Those self care tips should keep your walls healthy and looking good and prevent the growth of unwanted organisms inside your home. Also, consider a good water proofing coat on your outside walls to keep the rain water from seeping through your walls to cause damp spots and destroy your internal walls and wall fitted furniture (which you may notice only after considerable damage has taken place!).