Do you check these three bathroom weak spots regularly? You really should if you want to avoid damp in bathrooms says building expert

It's no surprise that damp in bathrooms is a common issue. But where does it most commonly appear and what can you do to avoid major problems?

Building expert, Ian Rock explains the three main weak spots in your bathroom so you can make sure you're doing all you can to prevent damp from taking over.

While good bathroom ventilation is an essential, it won't necessarily fix everything. So here's how to make sure damp in bathrooms doesn't turn your bathroom into an unwanted wet room.

Three weak spots that can cause damp in bathrooms

There are no prizes for guessing which room in a typical home is most likely to harbour unpleasant damp smells. Bathrooms have multiple weak points that can wreak havoc over time.

But, with walls often covered with bathroom tiles, unlike other rooms, where most ‘damp problems’ are initially spotted as distinctive brown staining that appears on internal plasterwork, sometimes accompanied by a smattering of white salts or patches of mould, damp in bathrooms can be a little harder to identify.

However, when you understand where to look, it can be easy to spot damp in bathrooms, so make sure you are regularly checking these areas to ensure the only damp in your bathrooms are the people stepping out of the shower or bath.

1. Siliconed areas

Mastic seals around the edges of baths and showers are prime candidates for allowing water to seep through, and shower trays are notorious for springing leaks.

Make sure you always use the best bathroom sealants and if you spot any signs of decay or damage, it's time to learn how to remove and replace it.

If your bathroom ventilation isn't doing the best job, it's likely you'll need to do this on a regular basis as it's also one of the key locations where mould in bathrooms appears.

Shop bathroom sealant and tools

2. Hairline cracks

Almost invisible to the eye, it may surprise you just how much hairline cracks in your bathroom wall tiles can cause. While they may not immediately problematic, hairline cracks in the grouting to bathroom wall tiles combined with power showers are a classic recipe for damp.

Even a small but consistent amount of water from other types of showers, or a build up of condensation over time can cause damage. So, make sure you regularly inspect your grouting for cracks and gaps. Learn how to re-grout your tiles, or if your DIY skills aren't up to the job, call on an expert to get you a watertight finish.

3. Dodgy pipework

As well as tiles covering damp problems on bathroom walls, fitted bathrooms with concealed cisterns, wall mounted vanity units and all the bathroom plumbing hidden out of sight may look good, but can equally conceal damp in bathrooms right beneath our eyes.

Everyone knows someone who's discovered the hidden horrors of DIY pipework, where small leaks remain hidden over time until timber decay has taken hold resulting in suspiciously soft and springy floors.

If you're renovating a bathroom, make sure your plumber checks all the joints are tight, secure and sealed where required. Regularly check under sinks for hidden leaks, and keep an eye on the area around the base of your shower tray and toilet.

And don't forget your bathroom heating too. It's easy to mistake water on the bathroom floor as drips from inhabitants using the shower or bath. But, always check your radiator valves for any sign of damp or wetness too.

Preventing damp in bathrooms

Much like the rest of the home, whether it's condensation in lofts or on internal walls, while leaks and dodgy plumbing can be the root of some cases of damp, one of the main culprits is people like us: innocent occupants unwittingly emitting large amounts of humidity in hermetically sealed modern homes.

The enemy in this scenario is condensation caused by moisture-laden warm air hitting cold surfaces (where relative humidity at wall surfaces is greater than 80%).

Picture a WC cistern in a hot, steamy bathroom, its surface dripping with beads of moisture. Worse, condensation on cold surfaces can start to attract patches of black speckled mould, which in time can potentially contribute to occupants’ lung-health issues.

Window and door reveals are especially prone to ‘cold-bridging’ making them vulnerable to attracting mould. To help prevent this problem, cold surfaces can be lined with a suitable type of insulation, and humid air expelled by fitting the best bathroom extractor fans, such as the Eintax Quiet Bathroom Extractor Fan from Amazon.

Ventilation can also be improved by making sure you have trickle vents on your bathroom windows. Ensure natural ventilation airflow in your bathroom is given priority too, by adding house burping – the act of opening your windows for a short period of time in the mornings – part of your daily routine.

One final note of warning, while you may be eyeing up your dehumidifier, wondering if you can use a dehumidifier in your bathroom to help remove moisture, the answer is you can't.

Instead, place it outside the bathroom door where it can draw out the humidity in that way. Not sure which model to buy? Check out our guide to the best dehumidifiers and select the one that best meets your needs.