Dehumidifiers, dessicators and other water-eating things...opinions please!

[Gingerbread]

My nice new bungalow is a humidity trap Even with windows open, unless it's summer outside it seems that we are going to have a major condensation problem.

I have turned the heating up, I put the boost on in the bedroom on top of the heating for a couple of hours every night (I can't afford to put the boost on for any longer, it's costing me nearly £30 a week in electric as it is)

I have just moved all of my ponies into the bedroom as we need to put grown-up stuff like freezers in the small room the ponies were in.

So I am majorly panicking - the walls are green and slimey, the windowsills are awash and my fave Cat boots which I put on the floor behind a storage tub (full of ponies) for less than a week have gone mouldy...proper white and furry

I've sprayed the entire bungalow with anti-mould stuff but this hasn't helped, as the humidity is still there.

I can't really afford the dehumidifier I want (over £150) but I have seen the little dehumidifying eggs, they are only about £7 for a pair, I could probably run to a six of those. Do they actually work? What about the boxes that do the same job, that you plug into the mains to recharge?

What do you use to keep humidity levels down in a medium-sized (10.5ft x 8ft) bedroom?

[mlp4me]

Yikes! My question would be what is the underlying problem? Yikes, yikes, yikes. Silica inside of ponies helps, but if you're getting mold on things that are just sitting around... if you're renting I'd contact the landlord, that's some serious health red-flags there!

[Honeycomb]

That sounds really disgusting and unhealthy! I wouldn't recommend living there for a longer period of time if your landlord cannot fix the problem.
Yes, those small containers/ eggs/ boxes work, but only in small enclosed spaces like wardrobes, drawers, boxes. I have to use them in Spring, that's our wet season, and I put them with my clothes and shoes. They fill up pretty quickly though.

[kaoskat]

That's nuts! And as others have said doesn't really sound safe. I wish I could help but I don't have a clue. I do think you should talk to your landlord if you are renting though.

[Wadatsumi]

boah! just leave this place!!!

[melodys_angel]

This is a major helth issue.  I know that all people are different but im extremely sensative to mold, to the point where if anything is in the air ill get sick.

So, do you own this home or are you renting?  If you are renting, do as the others suggested or getout of there as soon as you can.  You can wind up in the hospital if its not cleared up!

If you own it I would look into what the underlying issues are and save up to fix it.  Its not safe and has to be addressed.

[Lady.Arachnia]

The only thing with humidity that helps is putting on the heater every day for 30 min with a door open so you get the air flow trough the whole house and take the moist outside. But that could cost you money...but it is the only solution. Those containers are quicly filled with fluid and are also costy. You can also put containers with salt, just plain kitchen salt, in a lot of area's it work the same like silica gel. But the heating thing i mention above is the best thing to do. Good luck!

[lovesbabysquirmy]

It sounds like there is something serious wrong with your rental apartment that you, the tenant, will not be able to resolve.  You should NOT be having slippery walls or mold growing inside your living space.  Windows that leak mold inwards are also a HUGE health danger.  Contact your landlord and then your city's by-law and ordinance officers if repairs are not completed in a timely fashion. 

[Eviecorn]

Everything LBS said.

[Gingerbread]

Thanks everyone

Unfortunately, leaving is not an option. I'm in a Housing Association property; I can't afford to rent a private property and if I leave I intentionally make myself homeless, so the council has no obligation to re-house me.

I've bought a load of silica-gel pots, the type you put in cupboards, and put them all around the external walls. I've spoken to my Mum, who does property development for a living, and we have come to the conclusion that it is 99% certain to be something to do with water soaking in through the external walls. I was supposed to check the drain outside today but it's been far too wet and windy for me to look, will try and see tomorrow if the garden isn't still flooded.

It's a 1960s bungalow, well-renound for having condensation problems, which we have been dealing with by keeping all the window vents open, having the actual windows open 99% of the time even if only a crack, keeping all the internal doors open and having the heating on (costing my an absolute bomb ) One problem though is the row of bungalows is on a slope - I'm on the bottom fo the slope and the end terrace, so water congregates in my garden (or 'water feature' as I am currently calling it. The water is about 10ft away from the bungalow though.)

I have been in contact with the council via email - first they emailed me back telling me to look on their website for directions on how to use night storage heaters. Not much help as I know how to use night storage. So emailed them back, they emailed a leaflet on how to use night storage heating. Emailed back again and they have sent me a condensation leaflet <_< So, not bothered emailing back today, I will read their bloody leaflet they I will be taking photos of the rest of the damage the mould has caused - ruining two bookshelves for starters. I spent my day yesterday in tears as the shelves my Barbie and Sindy horses are on had gone green on the back and the shelves themselves had gone kind of squidgy I hadn't noticed as they were quite deep and low so you couldn't see towards the back. There are only two external walls to the bedroom, I have sprayed them with anti-mould spray before but I did it again, plus all my horses, then wiped everything down. Bookshelves went outside, fortunately I sold a big mass of playsets yesterday so had spare money to buy new bookshelves, which have gone on an internal wall next to the door so won't go mouldy.

Ugh I'm so bloody frustrated, I know it shouldn't be as bad as this - with myself, my OH who is here a lot, two dogs and three cats I know we are going to get condensation but with the windows constantly open it just shouldn't be this bad

Sorry for the mammoth rant.