DIY Forums

Every autumn the same story: streaming windows in the morning, black mould creeping into corners, and a hundred gadgets promising to fix it.

What's genuinely worked for you - PIV units, dehumidifiers, better extractor fans, trickle vents, or just changing habits like drying washing outside the living space?

And what did nothing at all despite the reviews?

Leaves are about to start coming down, and blocked gutters cause more damp problems than most people realise.

What's your method - ladder and scoop, one of those telescopic vacuum poles, a pressure washer attachment, or paying someone who enjoys heights?

Anyone tried gutter guards or hedgehogs? Did they actually stay clear or just move the problem?

Everyone here has at least one - the shelf that took the plaster with it, the 'quick job' that ate a whole weekend, the wrong pipe cut at the wrong moment.

Now that enough time has passed - what's yours?

Bonus points if you learned something worth passing on. Extra bonus points if you didn't.

Seems like everyone has one - the tool you put off buying for years because it felt like a luxury, then finally bought and immediately wondered why you waited so long.

For some people it's an impact driver, for others a decent multi-tool or a laser level.

What's yours? And on the flip side - any tool that turned out to be a complete waste of money?

With autumn around the corner, it's nearly time for everyone's annual ritual of firing up the heating and hoping for the best.

Do you have a pre-winter routine? Bleeding radiators, checking boiler pressure, testing the thermostat before the first cold snap - or do you just switch it on in October and deal with whatever happens?

Would be good to hear wha...