This £3 IKEA buy has helped keep damp and mould at bay in my home

Spring is here, but it seems nobody told the weather that.

The cold and wet spell seems to be continuing longer than ever this year, which means a lot of people are still drying their clothes indoors.

That's just one of man factors that can easily lead to a build up of damp and mould. But there are certain things you can do to help and one of them is buying some moisture sucking plants.

Read more: 12 things you can't help but do in IKEA

Having already had some success with a £10 snake plant from B&M, I decided to give a peace lily plant a try, coming in much cheaper at £3 from IKEA.

Peace lilies, also known as Spathiphyllum, love humidity and are one of the best plants for absorbing moisture and purifying the air.

I picked up two - one for the en-suite bathroom, which gets particularly damp as there's no extractor fan - the other for the bedroom, which gets damp in the corners of the windows.

They've been there for weeks now and I have noticed less condensation on the windows and there's a less of a build up of the damp patches we used to find.

We're not particularly good at looking after plants in our house, but these need very little attention at all. They'll handle most light levels and need just a light watering every week or two.

I like how pretty they are too, with their white flowers, and they're thriving so much, they'll probably need a bigger pot soon.

As well as absorbing harmful mould spores, the peace lily is known as being one of the best plants for removing indoor air pollution and has been shown to improve air quality by up to 60%.

A Clean Air Study from NASA identified it as exceptional at removing toxins from the air - with the ability to filter out harmful toxins like ammonia, benzene, and formaldehyde. It's been described by some as 'like a little green vacuum cleaner for your indoor air'.

Other common house plants that can help banish mould include spider plants, orchids, Boston fern, English ivy, 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.