The commonly made kitchen mistake that could be costing you thousands, and you can correct it in seconds

The Sun

17-05-2025

MOST people use their kitchen at least once every day, but an easy mistake could be damaging your home.
This common cooking error may end up costing you thousands, but don't worry, it's easily fixed.
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Save yourself the home repair bills and hassle by taking a quick step when cooking.
Whether you're boiling pasta or simply using your microwave, cooking generates steam and if that moisture isn't properly extracted, it can cause you trouble down the line.
Steam settles on cold surfaces, which can cause mould to grow in your home.
Andrew Pemberton, a chartered building engineer at the Professional Snagging Company, explained the importance of using your extractor fan in the right way.
"Kitchens produce a lot of moisture, especially when you are cooking without lids, boiling water or using multiple appliances at once," he said.
"While we all know that we should use an extractor fan, if it isn't used properly or for long enough, all of that steam just settles in your kitchen."
Over time, this steam and excess moisture can lead to black mould growing in your home.
This can cause a wide variety of problems such as peeling paint, damaged plaster, and warped units, all of which can be expensive to fix and are hazardous to your health.
"The problem is caused when you don't "use your extractor fan when cooking or don't use it for long enough," Pemberton explained.
"If you turn your extractor fan off as soon as you are done cooking, you are allowing this moisture to stick around."
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He recommended always keeping your extractor fan on for at least 10 minutes after cooking.
"If you can feel excessive moisture in the air, leave it on a little longer," the expert continued.
"If you have a recirculating hood, make sure the filters are cleaned or replaced regularly."
You should also check to see if your extractor fan is installed properly.
'If you can access the space above your kitchen ceiling or behind cabinets, check whether the extractor ducting leads outside," he advised.
Biggest mistakes people make when using a dehumidifier
Chris Michael, Managing Director of Meaco shared the mistakes exclusively with Fabulous.
Not cleaning the dust filter
Regularly cleaning the dust filter is essential to ensure that your dehumidifier works at its best. A clean filter allows air to flow freely, improving the unit's efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and extending the lifespan of the appliance.
Not setting the humidistat correctly
A dehumidifier uses a built-in humidistat to measure humidity. It enables you to set a target humidity level for your dehumidifier to maintain. The dehumidifier will work towards reaching this target before turning off, only switching on again if it detects an increase. For UK households a comfortable target humidity is between 50% and 55%rh (relative humidity). It's unnecessary to set the humidity much lower than this. Doing so makes the machine work harder for longer when its not needed.
Getting the wrong size for the property
Getting the wrong-sized dehumidifier for the job will mean a household is either wasting energy or cannot remove moisture effectively from the home. A 10L or 12L compressor dehumidifier is suitable for use in up to a three-bedroom house suffering with mild damp. In larger properties or for greater damp needs, larger 20L or 25L dehumidifiers should be considered.
'If it's venting into the loft or just ends abruptly, that's a major problem as this moisture is being pumped out of sight, which can cause big problems down the line."
And if you aren't using your fan for long enough or it isn't correctly installed, you will notice that your windows will regularly fog up during cooking.
Moisture droplets are also likely to form on your cupboards.
"You may also find that there is a musty smell that lingers long after meal time, this is a sign that your fan isn't doing enough or isn't doing anything at all," the expert said.
And make sure you don't ignore the problem, as the long-term consequences will go far beyond cosmetic damage.
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"Once mould gets into your walls, it can be expensive to fix. You could end up removing kitchen units, plasterboard, or even face structural repairs if the timber in your home begins to rot," he warned.
This can be a particular issue in modern homes, which are built to be airtight, keeping down heating bills.
This means that moisture has fewer places to escape.
"In older homes, there will be places where moisture can escape from, like chimneys or gaps in windows," the expert pointed out.
"New builds on the other hand are sealed tight, and if your ventilation systems aren't used as they should, even simple tasks like everyday cooking can lead to moisture spikes."