Smell

While damp and mould are often thought of aesthetically, and traced visually, they impart a smell, a lingering musty or scent, or an overwhelming, eye-watering odour.

This olfactory factor cannot be understated. It is a often reported key of shame and embarrassment for those enduring dampness. In part, this is because it imparts itself, onto your clothes, your body, your belongings, in a way that means many carry it with them outside of the home. As one BBC headline read this year: Council housing: ‘You become the mould, the stench and the nastiness.’