Fuel-poor households in Scotland selected for national mould and damp intervention programme

Families across Scotland have this week commenced a 12-month mould and damp intervention programme before a full UK rollout this spring.

Delivered by Indoor Air Aware, the campaign democratising access to healthy indoor environments, and funded by Energy Action Scotland, the year-long pilot project will assist fuel poor households in preventing and safely remediating areas affected by mould and damp at home.

The project aims to address the critical issue of condensation, damp and mould in homes, specifically targeting fuel poor households with preschool-aged children in Scotland.

This innovative pilot will focus on a selection of households living in social rented, private rented and owned housing, providing them with proactive solutions to prevent mould and damp from affecting their living conditions. The initiative enables Indoor Air Aware to act on its mission to improve indoor air quality and the health and wellbeing of families.

The project pilot will involve home visits to assess the efficiency of the fabric and physics of buildings, ventilation and heating systems, and the provision of tailored guidance on household activities like drying clothes and showering – two of the main causes of moisture resulting in mould growth. 

As part of the pilot, each household has been equipped with two smart air monitoring devices, coupled with a user-friendly app.

A team of expert advisors at Indoor Air Aware will remotely monitor each environment and provide guidance where improvements can be made. The energy consumed to heat each property will also be tracked.

To track progress, each participating household will regularly complete surveys to record the physical condition of their home in relation to condensation, dampness and mould and share their experiences after putting new measures and behaviour change in place. 

The health of all residents will also be tracked during the pilot to identify how the improved environment impacts each resident’s level of health.

The project will run for 12 months, culminating in a final report that will outline the findings and effectiveness of the initiative and interventions.

Lisa Malyon, Founder of Indoor Air Aware, comments on the pilot launch: “The steep, sustained rise in energy costs has led to underheated homes which has exacerbated the UK’s mould epidemic.

“Living with mould can have a detrimental and often irreversible impact on people’s health – especially children whose lungs are still developing. The chemistry and physics behind why mould grows in our homes is complex, so this pilot is designed to educate households on the causes, and how to prevent mould and damp. 

“We are incredibly grateful to Energy Action Scotland for funding this pilot project, which has the potential to be life-changing for those who take part.”

Frazer Scott, CEO of Energy Action Scotland comments on the grant fund: “Cold, occupied homes are a breeding ground for mould, so we really welcome the opportunity to learn more through this work with Lisa and Indoor Air Aware.

“If we equip households with the knowledge of heat, air and ventilation, we can all combat the causes of mould growth and protect ourselves and improve our health. We look forward to sharing the outcome of the pilot.”     

Indoor Air Aware is home to ‘Mums Versus Mould’ a fast-growing Facebook community of 1,500 families hoping to prevent mould and damp, or safely clean and remediate their homes after the damage is already done.

Lisa shares her top 10 tips to help avoid mould and damp at home:

1. Do everything in your power to strike the right balance of heat, ventilation, and insulation. Mould needs moisture to start growing, so we must do what we can to avoid moisture landing on porous surfaces.
2. Always use the ventilation made available to you. Each day, we each create around 8 glasses of water through washing, cleaning, cooking, sweating, and breathing. Ventilation such as extractor fans and trickle vents on windows should be used to reduce the moisture in the air. Opening a window 5cm will result in less than 5% heat loss. It will feel warmer inside as the window will release moisture from the air.
3. Cooker hood ventilation is more effective if you cook using the back rings, instead of the front rings. Always make sure to clean cooker hood filters around once a month, or every fortnight if you use it every day.
4. Each day, do the daily detox. This is sometimes known as ‘back to front’ or ‘shock ventilation’ whereby you open each window of the house very wide, and all internal doors. This allows the outside air – which is generally 3.5 times cleaner than indoor air – to sweep all the moisture, stale gases, chemicals and particles out of the property, leaving behind dryer, cleaner air that is quicker and cheaper to heat.
5. Establish dry rooms and wet rooms, and don’t mix the two. Never do anything ‘wet’ such as drying clothes, using a steam iron, or having a heated aquarium in dry rooms (living rooms / bedrooms etc). These activities should be done in the bathroom or kitchen, with good ventilation.
6. Do your maths. Many households are opting to air dry their laundry using a dehumidifier instead of a tumble dryer. My own experiments have proved it’s normally more economical to use a tumble dryer – but make sure it’s well vented and used in a room with an open window.
7. Do not attempt to clean large areas of mould. Any space larger than the size of a tea-towel should be professionally cleaned and remediated if necessary.
8. Never use bleach-based products, and don’t try to mask the problem with stain blockers. Bleach feeds mould growth, and can break down silicons, leaving gaps around the bath to create much large water damage issues.
9. Do not get duped by ‘mould sprays’ as these contain sodium hypochlorite which is bleach.
10. Pure white vinegar on a microfibre cloth is the best way to remove mould, followed by another wipe down with water and a few drops of liquid soap or washing up liquid in a bowl of water. Wring the cloth out well as excess water will exacerbate the issue. Leave to air dry / use a heater / dehumidifier. Always wear protective gloves, clothing, and a face mask to reduce the impact of spreading the issue and health side effects.