Kirstie Allsopp reveals she swears by the German ritual of lüften – but how often do YOU do it?
Property guru Kirstie Allsopp has revealed her easy and free trick to help get rid of black mould in homes.
The broadcaster, 53, is known for helping people achieve their housing goals alongside Phil Spencer in Channel 4’s Love it or List it and Location, Location and Location.
However, many British properties struggle with mould, especially in the cold, damp autumn and winter months.
The latest research from Uswitch has found that more than 60 per cent of people have experienced mould in their home, up from 58 per cent last year.
Kirstie – who has more than 430,000 followers on X – is passionate about drawing attention to this issue and shared her personal tip on how she banishes black mould from her houses in Devon and Notting Hill.
Last month, she replied to a tweet recommending a German method called lüften and said it is a good practice to try in your home.
It is a practice where people regularly open their windows for around ten minutes to let out the damp and ventilate the room with fresh air instead.
A woman wrote to Kirstie: ‘Our daughter lives in Germany and they open their windows every morning for a while. It’s called Lüften. They do it even when it’s really cold.’
Many British properties struggle with mould, especially in the cold and damp autumn and winter months
Kirstie – who has more than 430,000 followers on X – is passionate about drawing attention to this issue and shared her personal tip on how she banishes black mould from her houses in Devon and Notting Hill
Kirstie said that lüften is a technique she swears by to help get rid of black mould and damp
She replied: ‘I cannot [retweet] this often enough. It is the way to deal with the majority of mould and damp problems. Lack of understanding of the science of this is a huge issue.’
Kirstie says people can open the windows while they are making their bed and clearing up the rooms.
She said that with bathrooms, homeowners and tenants should open the door as soon as they come out of the shower or bath and then fling open their windows as soon as possible to reduce the damp build up.
She also claimed that running cold water first before turning on the hot water tap would ‘reduce steam’.
Mould and damp are recognised by the World Health Organisation as causing an array of neuro-toxic effects, problems with breathing, irritations to the skin, eyes, nose and mouth, along with other nasty reactions
However, her followers expressed concerns that opening their windows would increase their energy bills and make their house cold.
One wrote: ‘It may be a false economy not to do it but it means an extra energy cost if you do. So this is not straightforward or easy to message at the moment.’
She then replied: ‘That’s not true, it makes no difference and can actually reduce your heating bill. If you don’t believe me look into the science of it.’
Lüften is a practice where people regularly open their windows for around ten minutes to let out the damp and ventilate the room with fresh air instead
Kirstie says people can open the windows while they are making their bed and clearing up the rooms to help prevent mould
Kirstie wrote about her top tip to help get rid of mould on X, formerly known as Twitter, and gave extra advice by answering people’s questions
Kirstie also said to another user who had their doubts: ‘Opening windows does not increase your heating bill or make your home colder.’
She later admitted that while lüften doesn’t solve all mould and condensation problems it is a ‘very good start’.
Condensation and humidity on walls and windows two major factors that contribute heavily to mould growth within properties.
Yan Margulis, a home improvement expert at Capable Group, told the Telegraph: ‘In winter, short but intense bursts of this kind of ventilation – 10 minutes with wide-open windows – is much better at drying out humid air than simply cracking them open throughout the entire day, losing lots of heat in the process.
‘In summer, the longer windows can remain open, especially in the morning or evening when outdoor humidity is low, the better.’
In 2022, Shelter, a housing and homelessness charity, estimated that 42 per cent of private renters – nearly 4.7 million people – have experienced issues with mould in the previous year.
Noel Fok, CEO and co-founder of EcoAir, told House Beautiful that rooms that have the most moisture in a house tend to be the bathroom and the kitchen.
Therefore using lüften and a dehumidifier in these areas could be very beneficial in removing mould from a property.
