How can i get damp smell out of house.

yoloc

Own my own house but my girlfriend has been in rented accommodation for 12 years now and in the same house all this time. The house was build 2 years before she moved in and this year at the end of winter there has been a real damp smell up in 3 bedrooms. Its a 4 bedroom house and most the up stairs smells of damp apart from one small bedroom.

During winter time she had the heating on at night for few hours and used coal to heat the living room/kitchen. The oil wasnt on as much as it has been in previous years because of the price of it but still enough to heat teh rooms for her kids before bed and when getting up in the morning.

She's been trying all sorts to rid of this smell but shes just running up against a brick wall and now doesnt what to do to clear it. HAs anyone any suggestions

wretcheddomain

yoloc wrote: »

HAs anyone any suggestions

Ask her to take a shower.

My name is URL

Get a good dehumidifier

yoloc

My name is URL wrote: »

Get a good dehumidifier

Tried that but the smell is still there :mad:

yoloc

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Ask her to take a shower.

:eek:

SpaceTime

More ventilation is the only approach really and checking that there isn't a structural problem causing the dampness.

Houses that have a lot of South facing windows and natural heat tend not to have these problems.

Some buildings here seem to have been constructed for a completely different climate. I find a lot of them don't make use of the limited sun we have and end up being cold, damp, mould ridden places relying on central heating to keep them dry.

If she's renting I would really suggest moving and looking for something with plenty of south facing rooms.

biko

Petrol is the quickest way.

SpaceTime

I would strongly suggest moving. It's one thing resolving dampness issue in a house you own and can make significant alterations to but, you'll usually struggle to get a landlord to invest in extra insulation, new windows, ventilation etc etc which might be necessary to bring the house up to a more comfortable standard.

I really wouldn't hang around beyond the end of a single lease somewhere like that add you'll quite likely never resolve the issue.

I don't mind putting up with 'fixer upper' standards of I own the place and can fix it up but I would be loathed to pay rent for those standards as you can't really make significant improvements.

Artful_Badger

biko wrote: »

Petrol is the quickest way.

I agree, you need to burn out the damp. And I'd also tell the GF to stop pissing the bed.

yoloc

SpaceTime wrote: »

More ventilation is the only approach really and checking that there isn't a structural problem causing the dampness.

Houses that have a lot of South facing windows and natural heat tend not to have these problems.

Some buildings here seem to have been constructed for a completely different climate. I find a lot of them don't make use of the limited sun we have and end up being cold, damp, mould ridden places relying on central heating to keep them dry.

If she's renting I would really suggest moving and looking for something with plenty of south facing rooms.

SOuth facing, all i know is that we get the sun all day out the back then it kind of sets in the left hand corner/front of the house

I was thinking maybe it could be the carpets up stairs, they havent been changed since the house was built but in saying that, they still are in good condition.

she had a problem with a damp patch right under the ensuite but that was sealed up with silicone and hasnt had any problems since. This was a few years ago so wouldnt think this was the issue.

As for moving, she's well settled in this house and kids love the area.

My name is URL

yoloc wrote: »

Tried that but the smell is still there :mad:

Honestly, if you tried using a good quality dehumidifier and it didn't improve the odour in the house at all then there's probably mould somewhere which you should get checked out by a pro because that shits never good.

inc21

My name is URL wrote: »

Get a good dehumidifier

+1 on that.
Results are not instant and it will take time. And most importantly GOOD dehumidifier not a crappy cheapy one. Got rid of the smell in my 2 bed apartment. 2 adults and 1 4 year old and nearly 4 liters of water in 24h some days.

Phill Ewinn

Ventilate. Once the damp is in its generally a lost cause. If you get to the stage of washing the walls with bleach to get the mould off its time to move.

Believe me. Been there, done that. Lungs dont recover from mouldy houses.

yoloc

SpaceTime wrote: »

I really wouldn't hang around beyond the end of a single lease somewhere like that add you'll quite likely never resolve the issue.

Shes coming up to near 12 years in this house and has put some of her own money into it when she was working with new carpets on stairs/landing, new wooden floor in living room, wooden gates, and has decorated it since the day she moved in. She kind of is attached to this house now and has reared her kids here. Moving would be a big problem for her and the kids.

The Backwards Man

How many windows are in the house. What size are they? How many external door are there. How deep is the foundation? What's directly behind the house? Is there a river or stream nearby? How many radiators? Are the all always turned on? Where does the Mains water enter the house? What type of floors are in the house? How high are the ceilings?

yoloc

Phill Ewinn wrote: »

Ventilate. Once the damp is in its generally a lost cause. If you get to the stage of washing the walls with bleach to get the mould off its time to move.

Believe me. Been there, done that. Lungs dont recover from mouldy houses.

There is no mould in the bedrooms though, however there is some in the ensuite which we cant get rid off

SpaceTime

It could be a leak in something too. You'd really need to check it out.

Poorly insulated, North facing rooms will tend to get damp unless really heavily heated.

Get a high end condensing dryer too. That will eliminate condensation from clothes drying and also output heat in the winter. So you get dry clothes and a warm room. They can be quite handy if you've somewhere with an open plan kitchen / living area.

The cheap ones are often rubbish though and leak steam. A good one will be quiet, leak no steam and just warm your house while drying clothes.

They can even be handy for keeping that dank north facing bedroom hot.

Rasheed

Whatever about the smell of dampness, it's also very dangerous to be constantly in a damp environment breathing it in. Carpets are lethal. I'd say get out if you can if you've tried everything else.

Seedy Arling

Check the attic and see if there is a leak up there. Does she dry a lot of clothes inside?

yoloc

The Backwards Man wrote: »

How many windows are in the house. What size are they? How many external door are there. How deep is the foundation? What's directly behind the house? Is there a river or stream nearby? How many radiators? Are the all always turned on? Where does the Mains water enter the house? What type of floors are in the house? How high are the ceilings?

Big 4 bedroom semi detached house (built 14 years ago), big windows though one doesnt open because the catch is broke(she keeps forgetting to mention this to landlord), 3 external doors(1 is a patio sliding door that is open alot) big enough garden with more semi detached houses behind it. rads in every room, only turned on in winter now due to the costs of heating, there a small river about 500meters away(prob more but we are a few meters above it) Celings are 8-10ft high. Carpets upstairs, wooden floors/ lino down stairs.

yoloc

Seedy Arling wrote: »

Check the attic and see if there is a leak up there. Does she dry a lot of clothes inside?

The over flow has been leaking for few months of and on but that just over flows into the garden. Nowhere in the house. Attic is ok, no leaks

Sir Osis of Liver.

A girlfriend,a wife ,damp problems and a strapon.
Jesus,how do you make the time OP? http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056987323&page=4

The Backwards Man

yoloc wrote: »

Big 4 bedroom semi detached house (built 14 years ago), big windows though one doesnt open because the catch is broke(she keeps forgetting to mention this to landlord), 3 external doors(1 is a patio sliding door that is open alot) big enough garden with more semi detached houses behind it. rads in every room, only turned on in winter now due to the costs of heating, there a small river about 500meters away(prob more but we are a few meters above it) Celings are 8-10ft high. Carpets upstairs, wooden floors/ lino down stairs.

Cheers for that.:)

I can't help you, just being nosy.

yoloc

Sir Osis of Liver. wrote: »

A girlfriend,a wife ,damp problems and a strapon.
Jesus,how do you make the time OP? http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056987323&page=4

Just dont tell the wife about the girlfriend though

December2012

Maybe.... Ask the landlord to fix it?

Chucken

The Backwards Man wrote: »

Cheers for that.:)

I can't help you, just being nosy.

:pac: I cant believe he answered you!!

clairefontaine

She should move.

There is probably mould in the house and that's no good for her and her kids to breathe in.

Teyla Emmagan

Get onto THE LANDLORD.

rossie1977

yoloc wrote: »

Tried that but the smell is still there :mad:

how big, you need a 10 litre dehumidifier for a normal sized room, i have this one and it works excellently http://www.4air.co.uk/dh2100-10-l-dehumidifer-p-996077261.html

yoloc

rossie1977 wrote: »

how big, you need a 10 litre dehumidifier for a normal sized room, i have this one and it works excellently http://www.4air.co.uk/dh2100-10-l-dehumidifer-p-996077261.html

Have something like that in my own home and will bring it in and use it. The one we used wasnt as good as this so will try this out.