Dampness

So I read this thread and this thread but due to the blank post issue, I can't read some of the responses.

I am pretty sure this flat has a damp issue- my suitcase was sitting on the floor in the bedroom for 2 weeks and when I picked it up, it was covered in mold and my clothes take forever and ever to dry on the racks.

Is my only option a dehumidifier?  Anything else I can do?

We had damp show up last winter. We got a dehumidifier and it was cleared up in a matter of about a week. Plus it acts as an air purifier too! They work wonders and it dries our clothes in a matter of a few hours! I'd get one now before winter sets in and you won't be able to find one.

Drying clothes inside is a big contributor to dampness.  Make sure you use extract fans where available and cook with lids on your pots if possible.

A dehumidifier certainly helps, but if you can cut down on the causes of damp, you will be better off.  Here's brochure that will give you some more ideas.

Thanks to you both 

I'm sorry to hear. I hate damp.

Try to keep the windows open as much as possible. For mold on walls/surfaces, I go for straight bleach.

Get thee a dehumidifier! It has worked like a charm in our bedroom! I know the clothes drying in there is what caused our mold problem. Keeping the window open in there didn't help at all. In fact, I think the fact that it was so damp outside just contributed to the damp inside. With the dehumidifier you have to keep the window closed. Because the mold in our room was on the carpet I used tea tree oil mixed with water to clean it up instead of bleach. I sprayed the heck out of it, let it dry for a bit, then vacuumed it up. I also sprayed the walls and wiped it off.

There is definitely a damp problem in our flat that goes above and beyond. You can see on the wall where moisture is coming through the concrete and crystals are forming. However, the dehumidifier has kept any mold at bay and we're not staying here forever, so we'll deal with this for the time being. 

Excellent- thanks 

I suspect your problem might be bigger than this as a fix, but you can buy a UK equivalent to Damprid (http://www.damprid.com/) for small scale damp problems.  I lived in a series of basement apartments back in the US and it was tremendously helpful.  Again, definitely small scale, but might be good in combo with a dehumidifyer for smaller rooms.

Make sure you use extract fans where available and cook with lids on your pots if possible.

And if you have one of those exhaust hoods which just draws the fumes through a filter and then recycles the damp air back into the room, try to get it replaced with one which vents to the outside if it all possible.