Want To Get Rid Of Mould For Free? Stoßlüften Could Help

Living (and especially renting) in the UK means lots of us know way too much about black mould.

Citizen’s Advice UK says over half of UK renters have mould in their homes. Government stats from 2021 say private renters are roughly six times more likely than owner-occupied houses (11% vs 2%) to face the issue, too.

It gets worse: it turns out bleach and vinegar can sometimes make the problem worse.

But according to Which?, all is not lost! The consumer champions say that a German method ― called stoßlüften ― is effective and “basically free.”

What’s “stoßlüften”?

Stoßlüften, which literally translates to shock ventilation, is a more extreme version of opening your window when you take a steamy shower.

It airs your whole home at once, which is why Which? advises you wrap up warm before trying it.

They recommend opening all your windows as wide as they can go for five minutes, twice a day.

Per Ideal Homes, the amount of times you should leave your windows open changes according to how forgiving the season is: “The general guidelines are to do it twice a day for 30 minutes in the summer, then reduce the time to 10-15 minutes in spring and autumn, and just five minutes in the wintertime.”

That’s because mould and damp most often happens due to condensation, which takes place when a warmer surface (your home’s walls and windows) comes into contact with a colder vapour (the air), or vice versa.

So, “shocking” your home with a burst of cold air will help to equalise the temperatures between the two ― preventing the humidity that helps breed the spores.