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Date Published: 26/06/2024

How to make sure your Spanish beach house is safe from damp

Tackling humidity in coastal homes in Spain: A complete guide for property owners

Living by the coast has its perks, but it also comes with a unique challenge: managing humidity. This is especially true for apartments that remain closed for most of the year, only opening their doors during the holiday season.

If you own a coastal property, you've likely faced the battle against condensation and damp, and the pesky mould that comes with it.

To keep your Spanish casa in tip-top shape, try some of these handy tips:

Ventilate, ventilate, ventilate

The first line of defence against damp is good old-fashioned ventilation. Opening windows creates a breeze that carries moisture away. However, this trick doesn't always work, especially when the air is already saturated with water vapour. The key is to find a balance between reducing humidity and managing indoor temperatures.

Timing is everything

The best time to open those windows is during the central hours of the day when it's warmest. Invest in a hygrometer, a handy device that measures humidity levels. Keep an eye on it, and when you see those numbers rise, open the windows for a bit, then close them once the levels have dropped.

Dehumidifiers to the rescue

Your coastal home's best friend is a dehumidifier. These appliances are designed to extract water from the air and can be a real game-changer. Modern dehumidifiers can be programmed to turn on automatically when humidity levels reach a certain threshold, say 70% (which is already a bit too high).

Upgrade your insulation

Many beachside homes in Spain, especially older ones, don’t have the best insulation. To fight humidity effectively, consider upgrading your windows to higher-quality ones. This prevents moisture from seeping through and reduces condensation, a common issue with low-quality windows.

Plus, during the colder months when holiday homes are often empty, better insulation prevents condensation build-up.

Anti-humidity paint

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you arrive at your holiday home to find unsightly black spots, particularly around windows and in corners. This is where anti-humidity paint comes to the rescue.

These special paints have a treatment that prevents the growth of fungi and mould, keeping your walls looking fresh and mould-free.

With these simple tricks, you can say goodbye to damaging damp and hello to a comfortable, mould-free coastal retreat. So embrace the sea breeze, but don't forget to give your home a breath of fresh air too.

Image: Unsplash

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