What can I do? Everything in my home going mouldy

[AngeloMysterioso]

I live in a 2 bed flat on the ground floor of an Edwardian house. We’ve had problems with condensation for a while- we only have single glazed windows (double glazing going in this week after a 6 month wait) and we don’t have a tumble drier so until now, unless the weather has been nice enough to hang laundry outside we’ve had to dry it indoors.

We first noticed a problem when I realised that some of my shoes and boots which are kept on shoe shelves in the bottom of my wardrobe were going mouldy. Then it was the clothes which I keep in the drawers under my bed. I’m 6 months pregnant and DH and I have just checked the pram bassinet which was in its travel case under the changing table in DS’s room- mouldy. A cooler bag in the cupboard under the stairs- mouldy. Clothes of mine in a drawer in another wardrobe- mouldy. Stuff I’ve already washed once when it got mouldy has gone mouldy again.

I’m at my wits end. My shoes all stink because I’ve had to spray them with white vinegar. There’s piles of shoes and clean laundry everywhere because I’ve got the mould out of them but I’m too scared to put them away in case they go mouldy again (which they will, it’s already happened once). We’ve bought a bunch of those little disposable dehumidifiers that you put in drawers and on shelves which appear to have made no difference at all. I’ve bought a heated airer with a cover and plan to use that to dry clothes (with a small electric dehumidifier turned on underneath) but with things like the bassinet, I can’t put that in the washing machine so will have to find some other way of cleaning it.

What else can I do? We hoped that the new windows would help solve the problem but we spoke to our neighbour in the other downstairs flat the other day and it’s a big problem for her too, and she already has double glazing. I’m terrified that when I get out our next 2 me cot from under DS’s cir or the old baby clothes from his wardrobe that they’ll all be mouldy as well. Clothes can be washed, but how do I deal with the things that can’t? We can’t afford to replace everything.

Help!!

I’ve found a local company specialising in damp issues that I’ll call tomorrow, see if we can get someone round to give the place a once over.

I just don’t know how I can properly clean the stuff that can’t be washed- most antifungal sprays have some sort of bleach which will just wreck things like the pram bassinet.

The first and free thing you can do is open your bathroom window, all the time! Put a catch thingy on if it's downstairs. I have mine upstairs open all the time as I don't have a fan in that bathroom (I do downstairs). Only opening briefly after a shower is not enough.

Then book to get the fan sorted in that bathroom, get a really good one, as a starting point for sorting out that room, because otherwise you are simply just replacing the mould with more...mould.

The advice on dehumidifiers and tumble driers is spot on unfortunately, it is expensive to fix this, but £500 now is probably less than you would spend if you are constantly buying sprays, airers and to replace damaged goods etc (the airer isn't a solution as the moisture is going...into the air!)

Ultimately with two kids, you can't have tonnes of wet washing hanging up inside all winter in a house prone to mould and not get mould.

You may be able to get a second hand condenser drier from the British Heart Foundation or another second hand shop to keep the price down, I use mine all the time and don't allow any drying indoors, it's my one 'luxury' to pay for but it makes life so much nicer also than walking round with wet washing everywhere especially in a small home. You will have to sacrifice a cupboard!

Make sure it's a legit company, not one that offers a free survey and suggests installing a DPC.

Edwardian buildings are designed to breathe, you need to ventilate.

I'm sorry your having to deal with this. I have had this before in one previous flat and it's so depressing.

Does the flat have any direct sunlight that hits it? My previous flat had none and I found that no matter how much I opened windows it never made a difference. Airbricks?

My second flat had both of these and I never ever had a condensation issue even when drying loads of clothes inside.

Hopefully you get it sorted :)

I’ve found a local company specialising in damp issues that I’ll call tomorrow, see if we can get someone round to give the place a once over

This seems an odd take-home message from this thread! Everyone has told you you need a proper drier, squashed in somewhere, as a matter of urgency in your kitchen. Plus to open windows/get air bricks/some type of ventilation at all times. And a super duper humidifier.

I'm not saying don't ask them around, but this is a common or garden mould problem which is really quite solvable, you could move to getting specialists in if you did all that and then it didn't work or you had rising damp/damp from another source, but so far I don't think you've really addressed the problem yet.

Ringing a local "damp company" is honestly just throwing money away.

The things that solve damp are ventilation and not drying soaking wet clothes indoors. Until you stop doing those things, the mould will just continue to grow..

We had a similar problem and bought a decent dehumidifier, meaco I think, It's supposed to be able to handle a bigger house than ours, but the tank can fill up in a day. There is a laundry setting also. I run it in the largest area, and in winter shut it in each bedroom every few days.

Damp proofing industry is riddled with scammers, rising damp is even considered mostly mythical now but it won't stop someone quoting you for expensive solutions that won't work.

My dehumidifier has a uv filter so kills bacteria in the air which will help with your pram and baby things, It's got a setting so that it only comes on when the humidity hits a certain point.

I did have a mouldy,cold and smelly extension and now it's fresh, unmouldy and warm for less than £200.

I live in an old house and it's on the damp side. I have electric dehumidifiers and have the windows open when it's dry. Even if they are open a crack it really helps. Do you have an air brick in your flat walls? Keep that clear and open will help. Also a condenser tumble dryer is a god send for the washing!

The dehumidifiers are really amazing!! I love seeing how much water they collect!! Brilliant for getting washing dry too! I also have the little dehumidifier beads in plastic pots in all the wardrobes etc.

This is what you need (as well as a tumble drier). Don't bother with a dehumidifier - they are costly to run. This is £690 supplied & fit (or buy one for £300ish and get your own electrician to fit if you know someone), but running costs are far far lower and this will improve your air quality no end. It forces the moisture-laden air out of the week points of the building, which are plentiful in an old Edwardian flat, and replaces it with clean, dry air. Your heating bills will reduce as drier air is much cheaper (more efficient) to heat than humid air.

www.condensationcontrol-uk.com/index.php?Page=cms&ID=1005

Rising damp does not cause condensation and mould. Leaking drainpipes etc do not cause condensation a mould (except perhaps localised on a wall which is cold because its wet). You have an air quality problem not a "damp" problem so unless the damp specialist also deals in air quality, don't waste your or their time.

You have to ventilate to get the water vapour out. Start with a powerful and quiet modern extractor in the bathroom. Usually they are connected to come on with the light, and have an overrun timer, but in your case you may as well run it constantly until the damp is cured. You can get a quiet one.

That means you can dry your washing in there, perhaps on a line over the bath, and the extractor will vent the water vapour outside. An extractor fan uses 300 times less electricity than a tumble drier.

Also, a house that old probably has leaking plumbing under the floor, and broken drains. You might identify it if you close all the doors overnight and look to see which room has windows running with water in the morning. It will probably be the kitchen

In the meantime, open windows on at least two sides of the house so you get an air current to blow the water vapour out. If you don't know how to secure sash windows or how to trace a leak, put a post in "Property/DIY" and I will tell you.

If you have a garden, put up a washing line.

I invested in an expensive thing called envirovent and not had any more trouble since.

I have a washer drier and it's great, they're definitely not all rubbish. You need a decent dehumidifier though. We got one as we were getting lots of condensation on our double glazed windows and the blinds were going mouldy. Worked a treat, and it was amazing to see how much water it extracted!

P.s.

Do not allow anyone who sells silicone injections into your home. Do not sign any contract for them. Do not pay any money for them.

As well as ventilation and a dehumidifier you need to think about adequate heating and allowing air flow around furniture.
Try not to put storage furniture ( eg wardrobes) up against outside walls.

Buy a decent dehumidifier and leave it running for a few weeks, then when you are hanging washing inside.

Double glazing in an old house is going to make it worse, old houses need to breathe.

If you can afford double glazing surely you can afford a second hand washer/dryer or condensing dryer. I’ve had a perfectly good one from the British Heart Foundation for £50 before.

Everything you are doing seems to be making it worse. Using a heated airer is just condensing water, not opening windows (you can get cheap stick on bug screens), not using an extractor in the bathroom.

www.gravesham.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/138659/Damp-Mould-and-Condensation-Advice.pdf

We had a problem like this, didnt help that the house was sat on a water table, we got an Envirovent fitted, its done the job, its on most of the time though

I live in a period house (think this is generally code for damp!). Seriously though, you have to be so mindful of the moisture you produce. Have every window open a tiny bit and ensure it's heated on low, not sudden changes of temp from cold to blazing. Use your extractors, close the door if you are cooking and make sure all pots and pans are covered when you do cook. You can't dry the clothes indoors if you don't want mould - it's too much moisture when the heat is on. Use a dehumidifier a couple of hours a day in the worse effected rooms. Your new windows may actually make things worse in that old ones tend to let in a flow of air which is actually needed. Closed windows or new ones that are sealed to stop any air flow are death to old houses.

Wish I could 'like' Piglet Johns excellent advice as usual

You should have big windows that can be left open front and back for a through draft.
I would also check the gutters and down pipes when it's raining - if rainwater is running down the outside walls or pooling at the bottom of a downpipe and making puddles or extra wet ground it might be affecting you on the ground floor. If you can't afford to have that fixed you could attach some plastic pipe to aim water away from the house.

You must have some damp surely? It's really not normal to have stuff go mouldy in a house. I dry stuff inside and nothing is mouldy and nor is there water in the house.
What's the spin setting on your washing machine? Is the stuff you're drying very wry when you hang it up?

Sorry to say but a proper dehumidifier is over £200 generally. We used to have ours running constantly in our old flat

@NCfortoday2021 me too! My house is too quiet without it on! So used to it! Haha