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!!

Are they fake sash windows? Can you lock them in position? My windows don't have vents (because they are replacement period windows) but they do have the ability to lock ever so slightly open which means air can get in but you can't open them from the outside.

I think they’re vertical sliders (is that the same thing?) that open out as well as up but I’m not certain- it’s been six months since we ordered them! If the vents aren’t an option then we’ll have to just keep them open a crack at all times.

@BlackKittyKat that’s ever so kind of you but our bassinet is for an uppababy vista- I’ll have a crack at cleaning it, if I can’t then I’m sure I’ll be able to find a secondhand one on eBay-fb or somewhere.

Double glazing may not help at all with this. Things that will help:-

Large dehumidifiers
Not drying any laundry indoors
Ventilating flat regularly by opening windows a lot
Heating the flat properly
Airbricks - ventilation system
Always open windows when showering or bathing

OP we've got PVC sash windows and we don't have trickle vents on ours.

Do you have the little child safe/security tabs on yours? Little thing you pop out which stops the window going up or down very far. Good for having open just a crack.

Sorry to repeat what's been said but - We bought a big dehumidifier when we were drying out a big newly plastered room. They are amazing. The amount of water they pull out of the air is mind boggling. The footprint of this thing is about the size of a footstool.

A condenser dryer (one which you don't need to vent outside) takes about one to two pints of water out of a wash load. Really important that you aren't releasing one to two pints of water into the air every time you do a wash load. Could you stack the dryer on top of your washer?

My PVC "sashes" are great. They can be locked open about 2in. Mine are like that all year round until I need to throw them right up mid summer.

Also, I know you said money is tight, but if you've got a bit of outdoor space something like this would house a mini dryer. I had one in my first flat and it was amazing

https://www.homebase.co.uk/keter-manor-apex-shed-4x3ft-beige-brown/12808006.html

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cookology-CMVD25WH-Vented-Tumble-Mountable/dp/B07PHV59HH/ref=mpssa111_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=Small+Tumble+Dryer&qid=1631645102&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFLWkRGUUpPTVpLTkUmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1NjU2ODMyMkE4VklDTEVGSkZHJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5MjE1MzkxU1dPQUM5MkYxREVKJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

I checked and my 12l dehumidifier is 220W which works out on my tariff 95p to run for 24 hours.

Update if anyone is interested- a friend of mine came around a little while ago with a humidifier she’s no longer using- it’s a Meaco Low Energy 20l one which I’m told is rather fancy pants!

Anyway I just turned it on in the corner of my bedroom where we first found things going mouldy and the humidity reading was 79%. Holy shitballs 😱

I’m going to start running it tonight- we’re taking advantage of the good weather to have the windows open and I understand there’s no point doing both at the same time. Would it be more effective if I move it from room to room or should I just leave it in one place?

@borntobequiet

You need a proper decent sized dehumidifier, or as pp have said, two.

Absolutely the only way to tackle and sort it. I have lived here in Ireland it old properties that were riddled with damp and mould and a proper dehumidifier was the answer. For weeks the tank was filling up every day and night. All water pulled in from my home.

That is what they do. Pull water from clothes, furniture bedding etc and fill the tank in it with the water. Literally FILL.

No other measures worked or will work.

And day by day you can feel the place drying out. Wonderful machines.
THE solution for a serious problem.

@AngeloMysterioso

Update if anyone is interested- a friend of mine came around a little while ago with a humidifier she’s no longer using- it’s a Meaco Low Energy 20l one which I’m told is rather fancy pants!

Anyway I just turned it on in the corner of my bedroom where we first found things going mouldy and the humidity reading was 79%. Holy shitballs 😱

I’m going to start running it tonight- we’re taking advantage of the good weather to have the windows open and I understand there’s no point doing both at the same time. Would it be more effective if I move it from room to room or should I just leave it in one place?

Fantastic, well done for finding one, it will make so much difference to have a properly-sized one! As long as it is pulling water out, and the tank it's filling up it shouldn't matter too much where it is. I'd say leave it in the dampest room for now, but do keep all the internal doors open. I've forgotten how big your place is, but it should be able to do it's magic throughout as the newly-dry air circulates.

As above, leave the doors open and it should draw moisture from the whole flat. It's so satisfying seeing the dish fill up.

AngeloMysterioso yay good hear you got one.

You need a tumble dryer even if it has to go in your bedroom with the ventilation hose dangling out the window. No more indoor drying AT ALL. Then you need some serious dehumidifiers going. You can hire them for £35-£150 a week or buy a couple of big ones to keep. I had to buy mine through a catalogue and pay it back over 12 months interest free. The mould can't grow in a very very dry atmosphere and you will have more luck killing off the spores for good then.
I ran two dehumidifiers on high constantly for months and placed those dehumidifier tubs (49p each from B&M) EVERYWHERE. Once my old farm cottage was as dry as the Sahara I managed to treat everything with anti mould stuff and it just couldn't come back. Away went the airer and radiator racks and on went the tumble dryer. No more damp and condensation.

You do need to remember to pull your furniture out as often as possible to air behind them. I'd a sideboard that was entirely green, black, white and furry behind it that I hadn't moved in a long while. I only noticed when my contents started going nasty inside.

When we moved we just replaced a lot of stuff so we weren't risking taking mould to the new house.

You say you've found washer dryers to be ineffective but we have this John Lewis washer dryer and it is bloody brilliant.

We have the same JL washer dryer - it really is excellent

Oh brilliant! It's so satisfying sucking all the moisture out of the air and pouring it down the sink.

I only had damp in one room and just shut the door but if it's the whole flat, I don't suppose it matters.

But get your extractor fan fixed too!

I have a Which? membership and that JL model is the second highest rated washer-dryer at 73%.

The top one is a £844 Bosch and it's only 75%.

Sounds like a poor conversion and rising damp which can only be solved by putting damp coursing in to actually solve the root cause of the issues. I lived in a flat like this at uni and it was really hard work washing and drying all the time. We also had slugs.

Yes you need a proper dessicant dehumidifier. We use EcoAir ones are they’re brilliant. Can often find secondhand ones on Facebook marketplace.

Older style houses aren't designed for modern living. Every thing we do produces water vapour- even breathing.

Do you have high ceilings? I recommend putting in a ceiling airer, one that you lower on a rope. Clothes will be out of the way and benefiting from the rising heat. Always double spin on the washing machine. I get so much extra water out that way.

As PPs have said, check the air bricks, do you have a bricked up or hidden fireplace somewhere? That would have been crucial for air flow.

Loads and loads of the tiny dehumidifiers. You can get wardrobe ones you recharge in the microwave.

A massive, efficient dehumidifier is the best thing you'll ever invest in. Some even have a laundry setting. When we first got one we had to empty it frequently, after a while it needed empty ever third day or so.

Drier air is cheaper to heat

I'm obsessed with opening everything I can and getting a "through draught". Even in the middle of a windy, sea coast Scottish winter! (So windy I've had picture frames blow off the wall!)

We had a cupboard right at the window in an older house, we had to line it with an insulation thing. It really helped.

I keep all my windows open locked, even with trickle vents.

It's an ongoing "battle" but you will win!

@Clymene

Oh brilliant! It's so satisfying sucking all the moisture out of the air and pouring it down the sink.

I only had damp in one room and just shut the door but if it's the whole flat, I don't suppose it matters.

But get your extractor fan fixed too!

We had Big Dave (that’s what we’ve christened him) on since roughly 3pm yesterday, first in my sons room, then in my room until bedtime (also with a knitted throw drying on the airer so put the cover on and put him right underneath) and then overnight in the hallway.

3 litres of water went down the sink this morning!! And it was still only down to like 64%…

Firstly rising damp us a myth.
Secondly dehumidifier treats the symptoms, not the cause of damp.

habe you spoken to @PigletJohn ?

I have nothing more to add.

We already know that drying wet washing indoors is a terrible, and very common, source of damp.

And we know that insufficient ventilation is terrible, and very common, for keeping damp inside a home

And we know that water leaks from pipes or drains can cause severe damp.

IMO these are the first and most important aspects.

Without addressing these points, a dehumidifier may help a bit.

@PigletJohn have started a thread in Property/DIY as you suggested- would be very grateful for any advice you can give re leaks.