killing mould

[RobynLou]

we've got mould on of 2 of our bedroom walls, we clean it off with bleach regularly but it comes back very quickly.

I looked at the mould killer sprays etc in tesco but they all say not to be used on porous surfaces, only on tiles etc. what can I use on paintwork, is it possible to actually get rid of mould totally?

one patch is in my daughters room, next to her bed and I clean it off very regularly but it keeps coming back and I'm so worried its going to harm her lungs, she's had so many coughs recently

it's black spotty mould.

[nancy75]

you can get stuff to put in paint, you clean the walls then repaint and it stops it abit. You really need to sort out why you are getting the mould - is it on an outside wall, if it is then it's caused by condensation, you need to ventilate your house more to stop it happening, or get a dehumidifier(sp?)

[systemsaddict]

Black spotty mould is probably from condensation, best way to keep it down is to up the levels of ventilation in the house - open windows to air rooms as much as possible. Also check for any sources of damp - eg a leaky gutter dripping onto the outside of that wall, a crack in the render - and fix them. Bleach will kill the mould as well as anything else, but if it is damp then more will grow in the same spot.

I am not sure about this 'black mould harms their lungs' idea though. The reason mould grows on these damp patches is because there are loads of mould spores in the air - and there always are, whether they settle and grow on a surface or not. It's unsightly and a signal of some sort of condensation / damp problem yes, but unless she has a specific allergy to black mould I don't think her lungs would be damaged (I'd worry more about the chemicals in mould killer sprays to be honest!)

[RobynLou]

thats very reassuring systemaddict.

It's a rented property and we've had them round to look at it and they're sure it's condensation, which is almost certainly right - we don't have any outside space or a tumble drier, so there's a lot of laundry dried inside...

the paintwork is in a pretty shocking state, the landlord has said they'll give us £75 for materials to sort out some of the rooms, so we'll look into the stuff to go in paint.

[HarrietSchulenberg]

Try kitchen and bathroom paint as they're meant to be resistant to condensation. I have the same problem, caused by UPVC windows, and when I eventually get off my fat backside and redecorate upstairs that's the stuff I'm planning to use.

[systemsaddict]

In that case I second the getting a dehumidifier idea too, we had the same in a damp Victorian terrace drying laundry indoors and it did help (and the laundry dries quicker too!).

[RobynLou]

any dehumidifier recommendations?

[DonaAna]

We had a mold problem like that and it stopped when we stopped drying laundry indoors (started taking it outdoors) and installed a bathroom ventilating fan.

[Bunbaker]

"I am not sure about this 'black mould harms their lungs' idea though."

It does affect some people:
www.asthma.org.uk/all_about_asthma/asthma_triggers_az/moulds_fungi.html

We stayed in a chalet in a holiday park in Colwyn Bay several years ago. It felt a little damp so we had the windows open a lot. By the end of the holiday DD was quite wheezy, and when I pulled her bed out to make sure none of her toys had slipped down I found the wall covered in mould.

Yes, there are moulds in the air, but mould on a wall is in much higher concentrations and can cause problems in susceptible people.

[xayuk]

I have had the same problem in my kitchen and I used HG mould spray. It is intended for bathrooms but I have used it on a painted wall and it literally worked wonders. All the mould will vanish in seconds and the wall will look just like it has been repainted.
here is the link from where I bought it:
[[http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000IU40HQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B000IU40HQ&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21">HG Mould Spray

[Erac]

I have this dehumidifier, which works great and is more compact than most. It helps dry laundry more quickly indoors and also prevents mold growing around the bedroom windows when we have the laundry drying.

[skydance]

I use the dettol mould & mildew remover spray on painted walls and woodwork.

Try a small patch first, but it's always been fine on all of our paintwork.

[PigletJohn]

Without wishing to sound unhelpful, if you continue to drape wet washing about your house, it will always be damp and no-one can help you. You might as well throw buckets of water at the walls.

A washing line or a vented tumble drier will do the trick.

[GandTwithLime]

I second a dehumidifier, though they are pricey. We've had one since we lived in a damp rented place, we use one lots still even though we've moved. Don't bother getting a small cheap one, it won't work and you'll only need to buy a better one. We've found they are one of those things where you really do just get what you pay for (have bought a fair few over the years...)

[linspins]

I agree with pigletJohn about the washing. We have a condensation problem, and get mouldy bits. We bought a tumbler dryer recently, after only ever drying clothes on radiators etc (when weather bad). It's a condensing tumbler, and when I empty out the water draw, it always amazes me how much water has actually come from the clothes as they dry. All this was previously in the air in our house - so the tumbler saves pints of water from being in the house.

[TheSandgroper]

Bleach turns black mould white. That’s all.

Buy a bottle of cheap white vinegar and wipe or spray liberally. Then sugar soap the walls to remove completely.

And yes to a dehumidifier.

[Smileyoriley]

We’ve got an Ebac dehumidifier and it’s brilliant. I second getting a good one