Now that it is no longer warm enough to leave the windows open and dry my clothes on the line I am faced with the prospect of humidity and mould. I've found some good sprays but I would like to avoid mould growing in the first place if possible. My wife asked me to through some silica gel dehumidifier packs under the bed and in the cupboards but I'm wondering if I would be better off buying a second electric dehumidifier for the master bedroom. Ground floor two-bedroom London flat, 2 adults 1 child, no tumble dryer. The kid's bedroom has issues, according to the owner's son, he installed a vent in the wall when it was his bedroom but it has been covered and painted over from the inside for some unknown reason. Instead, it came with a floor standing Delonghi Dehumidifier. This thing can fill its tank in a day. The problem isn't as bad in the bedroom but the bay windows collect a lot of condensation and grown mould. I don't want to waste money or floor space. Should I be looking at an electric dehumidifier? Should I get one that does 250-500ml a day or do I need to get one of the big ones rated for 10-20L? The smaller option is around £35 and the bigger option ranging from £170-250.
For that money, how about an air-con with dehumidifier feature? The £199 AC unit I bought from the orange place earlier this year has dehumidifier function, it has a tube that allows you to connect to any container or drain. Where do you dry laundry? Make sure to do it in a south facing room and open the window at least once a day. Keep the room in a comfortable temperature can also helps because warmer air is able to absorb more moisture, meaning relative humidity goes down the hotter you get, so less condensation on surfaces to produce mould.
After we buy a place, but right now we are renting so I don't want to buy an AC as we will have our own place by summer and I will likely get proper AC installed if possible.
The smaller units are thermoelectric, so aren't nearly as efficient. Spend the money to get a proper compressor unit and put it in a location that you can hardwire a drain. Also check for air leaks around windows and other openings to keep the humidity from getting in to begin with.
When I previously lived in sub-standard MOD accommodation, the only thing I found that killed the mould dead was this spray: https://www.amazon.co.uk/HG-Mould-Remover-Foam-Spray/dp/B01CRBEUVO HG products are excellent and can now be found in Tesco supermarket too. Treat the mould with this and ensure adequate ventilation and you should put an end to your mould issues.
I live in a back-to-back terrace that's over a hundred years old, and condensation has always been a problem. I actually have three, count 'em, dehumidifiers. This one was bought in 2015, lives in the living-kitchen, and only gets switched on when things are particularly damp - like after cooking, say. Works a treat. This one, by contrast, lasted less than six weeks before it started making a right racket, so it went back... ...and was replaced by this one in the bedroom-office. Now, that's a compressor type rather than a desiccant type. The advantage is it uses, on average, less electricity; the disadvantage is its headline liquid-pulling power is only true at something crazy like 25°C ambient and drops off dramatically the colder it gets. It also heats the room less, but that's a wash: it's good in summer, not so good in winter. Finally, this beast lives in the cellar and is always on with a permanent drain. The cellar in this house is pretty damp: if I switch the thing off, it'll rise to north of 70% humidity. It doesn't run all the time, but it's probably running 12 hours out of every 24 on average. Works a treat, the cellar's permanently between 49% and 59% RH according to a cheapo sensor thing I popped down there - but it's only been five months, so I don't know how it'll last long-term given the beating it gets down there.
