UK households urged to put bowl of salt on windowsills this winter

Condensation and mould are two of the most destructive phenomena in any home in the winter.

Whether it’s cooking, boiling the kettle, showering or drying clothes, we’re constantly pumping warm, wet air into our homes and then sealing all the windows and doors shut.

That’s a recipe for disaster, as the moisture has nowhere to go, and eventually turns into condensation and eventually mould on walls, around windows and behind kitchen appliances or on bathroom tiles.

While the best counter to mould is a proper ventilation system such as an extractor fan and/or a solid dehumidifier, if you’re on a budget there’s a very cheap and easy way to reduce the moisture in your home - salt.

Salt is a natural dehumidifier. It soaks up moisture and locks it in, where it can’t do any damage to the surrounding area.

If you buy a cheapy dehumidifier, which looks a bit like a square of plastic with some salt in the bottom, there’s a reason it looks like that. That’s effectively exactly what it is.

You can get the same effect even cheaper by simply popping some salt in a bowl and sticking it on your windowsill, in your bathroom, or basically anywhere that you’re worried about moisture levels and mould.

The salt will eventually soak up all the moisture, and once it’s saturated, simply chuck it away and replace with a fresh pile of dry salt.

Any salt will work, such as the cheapest supermarket table salt.

'Salt has adsorption properties, which means that it can bind to moisture and prevent it from developing condensation. This is why salt is often used in the kitchen to stop water droplets from forming on dishes or silverware,' explains homecare expert and archeologist Barry Gray from The Tool Square.

Barry adds that salt is able to 'pull moisture out of the air, making rooms drier' and less damp. 'This can help to prevent mold growth and other harmful conditions in enclosed spaces like homes or offices,' the expert adds.