I bought a £10 moisture sucking plant from B&M and it's worked wonders for damp and mould in my home

The plant in question

I generally don’t excited about plants, they usually end up dying a very quick death in our house. But the fact there are moisture sucking plants out there that can help improve the air quality of your home, well, that’s something I can get on board with.

In fact there are quite a few clever houseplants that can suck moisture from the air and help prevent the build up of mould. Eager to give one a try, I managed to find a snake plant – also known as a Sansevieria – at B&M, costing £10, reports the MEN.

The plants have tall, flat, tongue-shaped leaves that grow in a stiff, upright manner and thrive in warm conditions with bright filtered light or partially shaded areas. Our bathroom ticks all the boxes and, as a family of four, gets particularly damp as the shower is so heavily used. We don’t have an extractor fan, so we rely on throwing the window open, but it doesn’t always keep the damp at bay and mould spore patches quickly build up near the ceiling.

Our trusty snake plant has been in place on the window sill for a good few weeks now and it’s made a huge difference. I’m not saying it’s banished the mould completely – and we still have to give the room a good airing – but the moisture lasts nowhere near as long with this thing sucking up what it can.

I love the fact there’s no ongoing cost either and it certainly looks a lot nicer than a big plastic dehumidifier taking up space, especially inside the bee-themed pot I also picked up at B&M for £5.

Plus, it’s so easy to look after and seems to be thriving with very little attention. It needs just a little bit of water once a fortnight and you let the soil become dry to touch between watering.

As well as loving moisture, the snake plant can also help regulate airflow by converting carbon dioxide into oxygen, and removing airborne irritants. Lots of people swear by them for purifying air in the bedroom and giving them a better night’s sleep.

And if that’s not enough to persuade you to invest in one, according to the ancient art of Feng Shui, the plant also brings good luck and cuts through negative energy. I haven’t won the Lottery just yet, but you never know.

Other common house plants that can help banish mould include spider plants, orchids, Boston fern, English ivy, peace lily and palm plants. Pet owners need to be aware that the lilies are toxic to animals though, so you need to keep them out of harm’s way.

As well as budget stores like B&M, you can buy the plants from other retailers including garden centres, eBay, B&Q and Amazon. You can get plants even cheaper at B&Q by using TopCashback. If you sign up here, you’ll get £15 sign up from them to spend on what you want, and an extra 10% off your B&Q purchase.