'I bought 7p an hour Amazon gadget and it cleared mould from my home'

The Swan 20 Litre Low Energy Dehumidifier is discounted on Amazon by more than £100 - and it's perfect for getting rid of condensation, damp and mould in the home

With autumn in full swing, many households are preparing to tackle the issues that cold and wet conditions can cause on their properties.

Extreme weather can lead to both internal and external damage to homes, including an increase in mould and damp. Manchester Evening News journalist Tiffany Lo recently relocated from a high-rise flat to a riverside property where condensation is a significant issue.

She discovered last winter that while running heaters in her home helps reduce condensation, it's not a cost-effective solution. To prevent her windows from being perpetually wet on the inside and to stop the paint from peeling off the walls, Tiffany invested in a Swan 20L Dehumidifier, which she bought from Amazon for £90 at the time - reduced from £249 - to combat the damp.

The energy-efficient dehumidifier costs 7p per hour to run and can remove up to 20 litres of excess moisture from a room in 24 hours, whether it's in a bathroom, living room or kitchen. Her main challenge is the bathroom, which lacks extraction fans and has permanently sealed windows, so it was no surprise when she noticed tiny mould spots on the ceiling and along the window sill. She placed the Swan model right by the shower and let it run for two hours on automatic speed to see if it could reduce any condensation on the window. The LED display showed the room's humidity level, which was a shocking 86%.

The ideal humidity level for comfort and safety should be between 40% and 60% - anything above this, and you'll start to feel uncomfortable and muggy. Swan's website states: "This handy dehumidifier will keep your home free from condensation, damp and mould caused by steamy showers, kettles boiling and laundry drying, removing excess moisture from the air, reducing mould spores and dust mites to improve air quality, ideal for those with respiratory problems and allergies."

Tiffany was taken aback by the noticeable change after just 30 minutes - the window was no longer foggy as the water had been dried up by the dehumidifier and the humidity level indicated the room was at 66%. Once the two-hour timer was up, the machine automatically shut off to conserve energy.

After emptying the water tank, she gave it another go a few days later, this time letting it run for three hours. By the end of the week, Tiffany noticed that the black mould patch on the ceiling had vanished along with the tiny black dots. However, she felt the dehumidifier was quite noisy when running, which is not ideal. With no power socket in the bathroom, Tiffany found the cable slightly too short to plug it into the nearest socket and had to use an extension to do so.

She also tried it in the kitchen where the paint in the ceiling corner was peeling off - it's a temporary fix to stop it from going from bad to worse - but ultimately Tiffany said might need something more powerful to deal with condensation from cooking. The four-litre tank can fill up pretty fast if I keep it running for a day but compare this to other dehumidifers, it's quite a generous size.

The Swan 20 Litre Low Energy Dehumidifier is currently discounted at £147.99 on - more than Tiffany was able to buy it for but still saving shoppers a whopping £102. For those in search of a non-electrical dehumidifier the Unibond Aero 360 Moisture Absorber has proven popular, particularly for use in wardrobes and guest toilets. While at John Lewis, the £259.99 20L Low Energy Dehumidifier and Air Purifier by Meaco is also sought-after item.