Warns of growing problem: – Alarming

– If mold forms, it is bad for both people, animals and furniture, says Patrick Westerby.

He is the general manager of Desintrygg, which, among other things, carries out measurement and quality assurance of indoor climate.

Sound the alarm

Consequences of too high humidity in homes is a big problem, according to Westerby.

– It is actually alarming how big the problem is.

The Oslo-based firm has seen a large increase in mold problems in homes since the end of 2021.

– Often the high humidity has also rotted away parts of the wall. In some cases, panels on the wall have to be cut out and replaced.

Westerby sees the rise in the context of people taking measures to save on electricity.

– Even if the fungus is killed with our processes. Has the fungus often had enough time to “eat” the paint so that surfaces have to be painted afterwards to make the room inviting again, he says.

Horror examples

– We come across a lot of strange things and creative methods people use to save money on electricity.

Westerby adds:

– We once had a case where a person, who had hot water included in the rent, left the shower on at full heat and blew this air into the living room.

They have also seen creative solutions where the home has windows that draw.

In one case, the tenant had wrapped and taped the window in plastic film.

– This led to the frames and windows being quickly attacked by mold and the wood rotted to a porridge-like consistency.

Swipe in the image carousel for more horror images of mold in homes:

read more

read more

read more

read more

Don’t do this

He says that more people ventilate less in order to waste less electricity. Otherwise, a common mistake is that people close too many hatches.

– But what makes the biggest impact is that the air gaps on the window are covered, and that the fresh air vents are closed and sometimes sealed or taped.

– If you have air vents on the windows, keep them open. Make sure you have ventilation in the bathroom and that the steam does not go straight out into the apartment, this is something we see a lot of.

Westerby says that an impractical ventilation solution in the bathroom is a common occurrence in homes with mould.

– You should have an automatic system, and not something you have to switch on and off. All human errors should be eliminated.

Warns of mold in wood

The industry organization Norsk Ved has previously stated that they see a large increase in firewood consumption, and links it to unpredictable electricity prices.

Jan Vilhelm Bakke, consultant for the Norwegian Asthma and Allergy Association, warns of a potential mold hazard by having a woodpile in the home.

– If you chop wood, or get freshly cut wood, and take it straight in, mold can become a problem. Either because there is already mold on the wood, or because the wood grows from mold that spreads inside after it has been brought into the house.

This can happen because damp wood increases the humidity in a room, which in turn can lead to mold forming elsewhere. NRK Nordland discussed the issue first.

Therefore, you should make sure that the wood is dry enough before it is brought in. Bakke has a trick:

– If you take a wood ski into a bag and you see condensation forming in the bag, the wood is too moist.

But he clarifies that this is not a major problem. Desintrygg also has no experience with wood-related mold assignments.

Polluting

– The main problem is that wood burning increases the risk of respiratory ailments, and that they can give people with asthma and allergies worse symptoms, says Bakke.

He adds that wood burning is mainly problematic because of the pollution, and that the stove must get enough air in, so that there is no partial combustion.

If you don’t have a stove that is not clean-burning, it leads to increased pollution both inside and outside, he explains.

– That a stove is clean-burning means that it burns efficiently, and that cleaner air comes out, among other things because the flue gases are ignited further up in the stove.