damp problem

[wen214]

Advice please!
We have a top floor Buena Vista apartment in Quesada and have a problem with condensation/damp/mould. the mould is on the living room walls and the smaller bedroom. We think it maybe due to condensation, does anyone have any ideas how we can rectify the problem and prevent it happening in the future.
Many thanks

[Beeny]

Hi wen214,
Problems with damp, mould and condensation are very common out here, so you're not alone. Do you live here permanently, or do you use your apartment just for holidays? Whatever, you really need to get some air through and circulating. Bleach the walls thoroughly, and then, provided you have good security, get some windows opened up a little bit to get some air through...and try to avoid using gas heaters. You'll find that you're apartment should reach an ambient temperature in a few days or so - that's if you can stand the initial cold of course!!
Hope this helps as a starting point at least.

[wen214]

Thanks for your reply, we use our apartment as a holiday home and we rent it out to holiday makers, although not all the time, but we had some people staying in our apartment for a week in Feb and they had the air con/heating on 24/7 which we think has caused the problem, now we have decided not to rent it out from November to March to try and prevent the problem, we came over after they left for a long weekend and will be back in 3 weeks with nobody staying in between, we left a few windows ajar hoping to dry the place out. A friend in the uk said it would be a good idea to leave rock salt in a bowl by the damp walls to draw the dampness out for a few days before we bleech and paint it.

[Beeny]

Goodness, what inconsiderate guests. I have tried Rock Salt but have found the cheap little dehumidifier cartons you get from the Chinese Bazaars work better (I think they are about 95 cents each) - you also get the satisfaction of seeing the dry powder inside turning to liquid as it absorbs the moisture. At the end of the day though, you can't beat good old fashioned fresh air.
Might be a silly question, but you have checked the outside of the property to check it's not a blocked gutter or anything?

[happy1234]

wash the walls with mild bleach let them dry out and use a dehumidifier in winter

[Lucas]

We had a similar problem but didnt want to leave a dehumidifer running when the place was empty so we bought a SolarVenti and we leave it running all winter and it costs nothing to run as it runs on solar and it didnt cost a fortune.