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AIBU?

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Original poster

To freak out at black mold in the house we just bought?

65 replies

PapayaCoconut · 27/07/2019 07:07

The house has been empty for almost a year and the guy we bought it from (a property developer) has never lived there. Our surveyor didn't find any signs of damp or flag up any mold issues.

When we got the keys yesterday we went round the place and had a bit of a look around. I opened some kitchen cupboards and realised two of them have some black mold inside, towards the back. It's a terraced house so the mold is on the adjoining wall with the neighbor. I was planning to clean it off and see if it comes back but after sleeping on it I'm wondering if we're going to have to get someone in to pull the cupboard out and look behind it and tell me that we have a damp problem that he can fix to the tune of £5000...

We're moving in today and were so excited but this has put a bit of a "dampener" on it for me...

OP posts:
slipperywhensparticus · 27/07/2019 07:12

It's not been lived in for a year I would not be surprised at mould somewhere in the property

SinkGirl · 27/07/2019 07:13

I don’t think it’s uncommon in properties that have been empty a while, not properly ventilated etc? I could be wrong of course. I’d clean it up with mould remover and see what happens.

We had similar in a bathroom but never recurred after cleaning it up and the place being ventilated as normal (didn’t even have to keep windows open, it just didn’t come back)

madcatladyforever · 27/07/2019 07:14

Don't worry I've lived in mouldy houses before and there is normally a very simple solution such as needing to switch a radiator to an outside wall in a room, getting the gutters cleaned or replacing missing roof tiles. Get a few people round as there is always one who will say you need a million pounds woRthitis of work that you don't need. And check the gutters.

089ville · 27/07/2019 07:15

Black mold is really bad for you, I'd be looking to sue the vender

DailyFailAreTwats · 27/07/2019 07:18

Sue the vendor???! Caveat emptor surely?

I'd give it a good clean with bleach and keep an eye on it. Hopefully once the house is lived in and aired it'll go away.

Joans3rddaughter · 27/07/2019 07:18

We had this after we bought a house. Clean with a mould removing product and some elbow grease and leave to dry and will probably be the end of it. Enjoy your new home.

madcatladyforever · 27/07/2019 07:19

PS most unoccupied homes have mould. Probably needs airing. Stick the heating on and leave all the windows open.
That's a bit dramatic vill.
My last house has appalling mould and damp in the built in cupboard. All it took to cure the prob lemon was to move the radiator to the outside wall. The cupboard was between us and neighbour. Job done.

Foslady · 27/07/2019 07:21

If he’s been and done up the property then had no heating on and like that for a year I’m not surprised that you have found mould in an unventilated cupboard.
Wash it off with some anti mould stuff (Cillit bang do a brilliant one ) and it should be sorted.
And open all the windows and get some air flowing though

Original poster
PapayaCoconut · 27/07/2019 07:24

Thanks so much everyone for your reassurance. I feel much better reading your responses. We're first time buyers so probably have a lot to learn...

OP posts:
macdhui · 27/07/2019 07:26

Don’t mess around with mould. Call in the professionals. It is not worth it. Mould is the new asbestos

Mog6840 · 27/07/2019 07:29

Sue the vendor!? You wouldn't get very far.

A bit of mould is common, especially in an older property or one that's been shut up for a long time and not ventilated.

I live in a Victorian terraced property and has a small patch where I had something leant against the wall for a long time and admittedly hadn't been opening the windows because I have an indoor cat.

I also have a terraced property I rent out. The tenant was drying all the families clothing inside on radiators and never opened the windows. There was a small patch of mould. We cleaned it off, explained she needed to open windows and bought her a washing line for the garden. The mould has never come back.

Don't panic!

Original poster
PapayaCoconut · 27/07/2019 07:30

@macdhui

Whaaat? Shock I can't clean it off myself?

OP posts:
Mog6840 · 27/07/2019 07:32

You can definitely clean it off yourself OP, they make mould killer products for this job lol

PalindromicUser · 27/07/2019 07:32

Of course you can OP. No need to panic.

Original poster
PapayaCoconut · 27/07/2019 07:35

Do you reckon I need to buy protective equipment and cover my face with a mask like it says on some websites, or is that only when you're dealing with really large amounts?

OP posts:
adaline · 27/07/2019 07:36

Of course you can clean it off yourself!

Our old flat had a bad damp problem as one wall never really got any sunlight - we moved in and the cupboard in the bedroom was horrendously covered in the stuff. It took a day - lots of scrubbing, open windows and heating on, but it was sorted within 24 hours and it never came back.

We just left the windows open year-round (just ajar or with the ventilation bit open) and made sure the room never got too cold or damp. We lived there three years and it was fine the entire time.

No need to sue anyone or get professionals involved! Mould is pretty normal in unoccupied houses, especially in damp countries like the UK.

Original poster
PapayaCoconut · 27/07/2019 07:36

There's also some mould in the freezer but that seems unsurprising as it's been switched off for a very long time and likely to have had some damp inside.

OP posts:
PickingUpLicks · 27/07/2019 07:37

Dettol do a good remover, it's in a green bottle.

Nearlyfriyay987654 · 27/07/2019 07:39

Terraced houses are notorious for mould.. its to be expected. It’s not been ventilated for a year nor lived in... so it will have patches of it.

Put some gloves on and bleach it off and scrub it! It’s nothing major.

boredboredboredboredbored · 27/07/2019 07:40

Goodness there's some drama queens in this thread!!!

monkeysox · 27/07/2019 07:40

Mix washing up liquid and bleach together and scrub it off with that.
Don't waste money on special products
My first home was v old and had to have damp course etc. Builder gave me that tip

Soontobe60 · 27/07/2019 07:42

Just clean it off, dilute bleach will do the trick, no need for expensive products. Leave the cupboards open and empty until completely dry. However, if the freezer has mould in it I'd not want to use it and buy a new one.

Treacletoots · 27/07/2019 07:49

Genuinely not being sarcastic when I say this. I think that people should go on a first time home buyers course. The majority of perceived issues are usually very minor and as a result of a house not being lived in, or other spurious reasons.

Black mould can be very serious but the majority of times it's simply a heating and ventilation issue which given its an empty house and inside a cupboard is a fairly small and easily treatable issue.

stucknoue · 27/07/2019 07:49

We fixed our mould issues by ventilating and a dehumidifier. Most likely it's just because it's been shut up. Wash with a mix of 50% thin bleach (the cheap stuff is fine) a bit of washing up liquid topped up with water - use gloves obviously and discard the cloth once done. Leave all doors and windows open. Can you thoroughly clean before you move in - a year unoccupied means they'll be other build up I suspect

ptumbi · 27/07/2019 07:59

The best, the Very Best black mould remover is HG Black Mould Remover. Spray it on, wipe it off. It even kills black mould in the corners of the bath/shower.

And of course you can remove it yourself. 'The new Asbestos' indeed Hmm It can be dangerous if you leave it and breathe it in and have breathing problems. In a kitchen, just ventilation and normal heating will probably help. Especially if it's on an inside wall - eg no leaks, cracks or damp coming from outside.

Check the wall is dry and not underneath the bathroom for example. What's on the other side? Another kitchen?