Office Closure & Atmospheric Changes (From Watford Observer)

Office Closure & Atmospheric Changes

12:09pm Thursday 15th December 2011

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Christmas is getting closer and closer and what better way to count down than by eating chocolates from my advent calendar. I don’t worry about calories at this time of the year so much yummy food to enjoy …..all those mince pies, roasted chestnuts and of course, Christmas pudding ….the list can go on and on. I decided to start my Christmas shopping earlier than usual and it has made such a difference. I am really impressed how organised I am with just a few last gifts to decide on and I am almost finished. It was my ultimate plan to try and avoid the usual last minute panic buying in the shops with the crowds at the checkouts and so far that is exactly what I have done. I even managed to stick within my budget setting myself limits of how much I was prepared to spend on each gift. It’s so easy to get carried-away and end up spending far more than you originally planned to and was no way I wanted any nasty surprises in January when the bills start to come in. I am really pleased how disciplined I have been with my shopping this year.

Over the holiday period, I am planning to stay with some friends who live on the south coast. It will be a great chance to go for long walks, sit by their open log fire with the occasional glass of wine and maybe even toast some marshmallows and lots and lots of catching up.

Although our offices will close on Friday, 23rd December at 4.00 pm and re-open on Tuesday, 3rd January 2012 at 8.30 am, plans are in place and should anyone have a problem they should contact our Emergency Repairs phone number on 0800 2182247 or 01923 209247.

One of the main issues that can affect many of us at this time of the year is the problem caused by cold damp weather and this in turn causes condensation.

This can be a major issue and is generally caused by the way we live. Most of this can be controlled by ourselves and here are some ideas to help alleviate the problem.

Because air contains moisture, the warm air acts like a sponge and soaks it up. We tend to notice this most on windows on a cold morning and can also be seen on mirrors after a bath or shower, and on cold surfaces such as tiles or cold walls.

Typical problems caused by too much condensation are: Mould growth on walls and furniture Mildew on clothes & other fabrics Rotting window frames An increase in house dust mites To tackle mould growth: To kill and remove mould, wipe down or spray walls and window frames with a fungicidal wash that carries a Health & Safety Executive (HS) ‘approval number’ and follow its instructions carefully for safe use. You can often buy these in supermarkets.

After treatment, redecorate using a good quality fungicidal paint and a fungicidal resistant wall paper paste to help prevent mould growth recurring. N.B. The effect of fungicidal or anti-condensation paint is destroyed if covered with ordinary paint or wallpaper.

Dry-clean mildewed clothes and shampoo any carpets. Don’t try to remove mould by using a brush or vacuum cleaner.

To reduce the levels of condensation to stop the problem recurring: Dry your windows & windowsills every morning, as well as any wet surfaces in the kitchen or bathroom Wring out the cloth rather than drying it on a radiator Cut down the moisture you produce in your home Increase your ventilation Reduce the number of cold surfaces In cold weather maintain a low level of heating I do hope that you have found my suggestions helpful in tackling condensation as it can be such a nuisance and can also become very unsightly. To find out more information about our office closure over the Christmas period or anything else happening at the Trust, please contact me on trusty.house@wcht.org.uk.

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