Damp and Mould in the Kitchen: Causes and What to Do

Kitchens generate moisture in bursts — boiling pans, kettles, dishwashers, and washing up all release water vapour, often without an extractor fan running for long enough to clear it. The pattern of kitchen damp is usually condensation, similar to a bathroom, but with a couple of kitchen-specific wrinkles.

Common causes

• Cooking without extraction — an unused or underpowered cooker hood is the single biggest factor in most kitchens.
• Condensation behind appliances — fridges, freezers and dishwashers sit against walls and can trap a pocket of still, humid air behind them where mould develops unnoticed for months.
• Cold external walls behind wall units — wall-mounted cupboards fixed to a cold external wall create the same trapped-air problem as furniture in a bedroom.
• Washing machines and tumble dryers venting indoors, or a dryer with a blocked or disconnected vent hose, release significant moisture directly into the room.

What to check

Pull the fridge and any freestanding appliances away from the wall periodically to check behind them. Check the seal and vent hose on a vented tumble dryer, and check a condenser dryer’s water tank is being emptied and its filters aren’t clogged, as this can drive it to work harder and release more ambient moisture. Look at the underside of wall cupboards near an external wall for early mould spotting.

What to do

• Run the cooker hood during cooking and for a few minutes after, and make sure it’s ducted outside rather than just recirculating through a charcoal filter if the room struggles with condensation.
• Leave a small gap between the backs of appliances and external walls where the kitchen layout allows.
• Check tumble dryer venting is intact and unobstructed.
• Wipe down windows and tiled splashbacks after cooking, the same habit as in a bathroom.

See our condensation prevention checklist for the broader set of habits that help every room, not just the kitchen.