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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:

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

 

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).

 

 

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.

 

 

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.

 

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