To think our house is making DC sick

Hi OP, just some practical judgement-free advice. I have an allergy to mould and live in an old rented cottage which is prone to damp & mould, so hopefully some of these suggestions will help.

This is how we keep it in check:

• Clear mould with bleach. You don’t need a fancy branded spray, bleach will do. Use a face mask when cleaning and if possible do it when DD isn’t at home (ask OH to do it as you’re pregnant).
• Run a dehumidifier constantly. You’re going to need a big one, ours is a Meaco and it’s great. Make sure you empty it frequently or it’ll auto shut off. It’s an expense, so if you’re strapped for cash try gumtree or a public auction house (you can find local ones on i-bidder, or MSE used to have info on these too).
• Move furniture about regularly to “air” the skirts and make sure it hasn’t returned.

If DD does have an allergy to mould then she may be affected by seasonal changes too (mould spore levels change through the year). Spore counts are currently high. This site gives a regular spore count “forecast”. As a PP mentioned, there’s lots of different strains you can be allergic to and autumn / winter is a miserable time for me.

Keep pushing GP for an allergy test obviously but in the mean time you could try Piriton (chlorphenamine maleate) to see if it helps with her congestion. There’s a syrup which is advertised as being safe for age 1+. I find this is very effective for managing my mould allergy, but the one a day / hay fever type antihistamines don’t touch it.

The damp and mold need sorting whether she's ill or not, it's not good for anyone. Is she slightly yellow when ill? Some people have a genetic problem that means their liver doesn't work 100% when they're ill, if she's yellow definitely mention to the Dr.

Firstly buy a cheap hygrometer so you know how high the humidity is in your house. The humidity should be kept between 40-60%. (You can buy them on Amazon for a few pounds)

Then take steps to manage both the overall humidity and specific cold moisture 'traps'.

1. Ventilate: stoßlüften is the most effective way to ventilate (Google it for details)
2. Get a dehumidifier with a humidity sensor so you can just leave it on permanently and it'll trip on and off as necessary
3. Ensure you use extractor fans / close the door to isolate the room and open the window every time someone showers or cooks on the hob.
4. Dry washing outdoors whenever possible
5. Remove any furniture from external walls (these will be the coldest place in your house so if warm air can't get to them condensation will form there behind the furniture and thus mould)
6. If condensation forms on your windows in the mornings remove it every day
7. Make sure the house is adequately heated

This. But don't open the windows and use the dehumidifier at the same time! We have an old house and in the old days it was normal to 'get a bit of mildew'. The answer is more heating, more drying out the air with a dehumidifier and opening the windows for a bit each day.

I think you need to move house rather than saying you are stuck. Somewhere smaller, cheaper area etc.
You can talk about it on this thread until you’re blue in the face it won’t go away without the landlord fixing the root cause

I think the circumstance is that they haven't done everything they can to not have children they can't afford. In 5 years they have not lived independently but instead lived with family and whilst they still couldn't afford housing for their existing child they continued having sex and got pregnant again. There isn't much more to it than that. They are now forced to live with their children in a home that makes them sick and could cause them to die and there is apparently no way out because they can't afford it/not making money.

OP, I think you have limited options.

The main one is to try and get in a position to mock out.

You either contact the landlord and they have to deal with it. If the landlord doesnt take action then you can report to environmental health.

Its not a quick fix but you do need to try and get your landlord involved before reporting anywhere else. With that amount of mold it's likely that there's been a leak somewhere and part/d of the house will need to be pulled out to fully remove and treat.

OP, even if you got your DD tested, it wouldn't solve the problem of mold/damp. it might prove your point but youll still be living in the house.
You may get on a housing list to bid but it can take years. If it's an emergency you might get placed in temporary accommodation but they aren't always much better than the house you're living in.

Are you on tee waIting list for social housing. You could have been near the top of the list by now.
You need to take action. Get on the list, keep her away from the house as much as possible, earn more and save.

Hi, we live in a relatively old house (1930s), we get mould in the winter months but it’s nothing like that! You need a dehumidifier and to open your windows.

Also, kindly, you have one child, one on the way, not working and living with family. How do you plan on being able to have your own accommodation ? X Why are you adding a vulnerable baby to a mould infested house ? @Concernedmum23

Try the HG mould spray. You can buy it on Amazon and it’s amazing at getting rid of patches of mould. I know it won’t deal with the underlying issues but at least it can limit her exposure. Running a dehumidifier in her room during the day might help stop the mould coming back. It’s grim though, as someone who is also in a damp house it feels like an uphill struggle.

You are crazy to be having another baby there instead of moving out!

Have we forgotten Awaab Ishak?

Get a dehumidifier for your DD’s room. Keep it running as much as possible and empty every day. Open windows for a period of time every day.
Ultimately, you need to start making plans to leave. I question the wisdom of getting pregnant over saving to leave when you are this worried.

That's appalling. I'd not want a rat to live there, never mind a human.
Looks like a lot of these houses aren't cleansed or aired out properly- Windows open to allow fresh air in is crucial.

Mould thrives where there is damp and cold and lack of air circulation.

I don't know if I've missed as not rttft, are you renting? If so the damp/mold is legally your landlords duty to sort.

If you own then I really recommend you get a damp specialist out. It's not normal for 'old' homes to be this damp. Are you having your windows open? Also a dehumidifier is a good investment even the £60/70 ones can help a lot.

But none of it will help unless you get to the route cause.

Check your guttering as that can be a common source of water ingress. Does any brickwork need repointing? Are your windows sealed properly.

Sorry you're having to go through this op.

@RoachFish
I am not denying that they shouldn't be living like this, it's absolutely shocking. But just assuming what the background to all this is, isn't helpful.
OP said she would move in a heartbeat, but clearly can't for reasons only known to her. Nobody else knows the circumstances, so it's unfair to comment at what they might be!

Why are you having another child when you can't provide a home for the one you already have?
Is the mould caused by condensation maybe leave the windows open a little bit aswell as buy a dehumidifier for your child's room!

The owners of this property have their heads in the sand regarding this! No one should be living in those condition although countless people do through no fault of their own.

Your childs health will not improve whilst ever she lives in that environment and you say you are expecting again, therefore that's another human life at risk.

Please take the photos to the GP and she them the conditions that you are living in. In you situation I would be taking myself off to the housing department, surely you qualify for a home of your own.

I am guessing the owners of the house are perhaps elderly and have lived there for years - family or not, it is not right to subject anyone, particularly children to such dire living conditions.

@MoonWoman69 It's not about sitting on our high horses and looking down on OP, it's about (soon) two innocent children who are forced to live in conditions that makes them ill, possibly for the rest of their lives, or could even cause death. OP says she can't move and she has no control to treat the condition herself because it's not her home, she isn't working, they have no money between them to afford to house their children. They can make their bedroom clean from mold but the mold spores will be all over the house regardless. These children do not deserve to live like this and OP and the dad needs to focus on living independently, not cleaning one room and stay.

Contact your landlord or letting agent.

I was ill for months on end, we had a bit of black mould in the corner of the bedroom, a wooden window that was rotting. I had all the symptoms you describe in your OP.

We managed to save up to get the window replaced, when we started moving furniture there was thick black mould behind it. Shoe and storage boxes under the bed covered in green mould. We had a dark wallpaper on the wall, It was covered in green and black mould. Then - we lifted the mattress off our bed and the whole underside of the mattress was black and green mould and the bedframe was fabric and that was covered in thick white grown mould, god knows how long I had been sleeping on it!

Windows replaced, walls washed, there was a gap in the side of the roof where water had been getting in which was fixed. We cleaned the carpets, bought new bed frame and mattress. You can actually smell that the room is dry! It's a weird smell, I didn't even know you could smell dry. I have not been ill since. I had had chest x rays, nasal sprays for 6 months, constant feeling of something stuck on my chest/in my lungs. a common cold would last for minimum 6 weeks. This has all stopped.

Your home is making your child sick.

It will almost certainly be part of the problem.

If moving isn’t an option then work on things that are.

eg.
Openonh the window in the room she sleeps in every day.
Keeping gaps between furniture and walls
Cleaning the mould away with a suitable product on a very, very regular basis.
Hoovering the room she sleeps in daily (removes spores, and moves warm air around the room).
Drying windows each morning if there’s condensation.

Ps if the house is cold a dehumidifier will help warm the room up.

I have the same symptoms from the same thing, just in one wardrobe. I have no heating upstairs. I'm getting this remedied or moving, but I am lucky to own the house.
I hope you can move. It's horrible feeling ill all the time, and not a healthy way for any of you to live. I'm sorry.

OP I’m sorry you’re living like this.
As a minimum: get a dehumidifier and run in yours/daughters bedroom. Scrub walls EVERY week if it needs it. Open windows when you can. Move furniture away from walls by a couple of inches to increase airflow. Get out the house as much as possible. Hire a carpet cleaning machine. Mould breeds so you have got to try and keep on top of it.
Can you buy a thermometer that also measures humidity so you can get an exact idea of the humidity levels and temp to 1) show your in-laws and partner. 2) try and keep them level yourself? At least then you know exactly what you’re working with/against.

Buy a dehumidifier (electric powered not a cheap one) that gives you your humidity, then aim to get your humidity below 55%. We have a Meaco arete dehumidifier.

Then ensure your house doesn’t drop below 18 degrees for long periods as this is optimum conditions for mold growth.

Then detox your daughter and yourself asap given you are pregnant. With something that contains Zeolite.

The OP hasn't given any personal details regarding her situation, which is her right to be fair.
All she has done is ask for some advice on the mold problem, she appears to be stuck with. That's all she wanted.
But once again, we have the usual MN issue of posters piling on and inventing scenarios; berating the OP for having another child "she can't afford" 🙄 her husband isn't working, is useless or is lazy?! All total speculation, which isn't helpful at all.
There could be a host of reasons why OP isn't currently working; pregnancy problems or redundancy and why she has ended up in this situation. Nobody actually knows!
All I can think is it must make you feel good to be looking down from your high horses, with no sympathy or anything decent or helpful to say.
And yes, I am aware that everything is chemical, but the ones I listed are a little better for the environment. I do apologise for not wording it as "less harsh chemicals"!