Is anyone else having mould problems due to not using their heating?

[Charlize43]

I've had mould problems before on external walls but it seems more prevalent since I tried to avoid putting the heating on this year due to the cost. Trying to dry clothes indoors takes much longer for them to dry and I'm noticing a great deal of moisture building up on the windows.

AIBU - Not to put the heating on when drying clothes. In the long run, this going to cause a much bigger problem with mould and damp.

YANBU - Just keep washing the mould off with bleach or distilled vinegar and put a jumper on if you are cold. Wash your clothes less often.

Is anyone else experiencing this?

From my experience, airing the house all day won't bring you result. It'll only leave your house cold. Dehumidifier is the only thing that keeps moisture at bay in my house. I pour away 2.5L tank of water every other day by just using it in bedroom and bathroom for few hours a day (maybe total of 5-6 hrs). I set it to comfortable 60%. I have no idea how humid the air in my house was before I got it. Probably 80%? 🤐

I've only been in my ground floor flat for a year, and there are signs that the previous tenants (I bought it) must have lived with mould and mildew - stains on wallpaper, black mould or mildew dots on the window sealant etc. I'm keen not to buy a dehumidifier if possible, so I'm making these changes first:

All furniture away from windows; used mould spray on all the patches I could see previously had problems; stripping paint from window surround where it looks like the mould has grown through the paint, so I can treat it; very quick showers or just washing when I go swimming, same with daughter (extractor fan on but window not open if we do - I read on here that window open just pushes the damp air into the rest of the house); washing clothes/bedding less and only on dry days (considering doing bedding at a laundry over the winter - clothes drying indoors is a major source of condensation); wipe down windows every morning with a towel (but fancy a vacuum!); opening windows at the front of the flat a lot, as the back of the flat has damper air, and letting it waft through rather than opening all windows.

Longer term, I'm saving to have radiators installed below the windows in the whole flat as the only damp issue here is related to condensation at the windows. They were installed without trickle vents and can't be retrofitted.

I also need to clean the extractor fans in the bathroom and kitchen, but been avoiding it!

Yes, is! No issues last year when we had the heating on for a good chunk of the day. The windows are covered in condensation now we’re rationing it. Ive just told DH we have to put it back on and face the heating bill, we have a 3 year old and a dog and I’m pregnant.

Yes! I'm getting condensation in my bedroom for the first time this year. Quite a lot too. I'm wondering whether it is worth putting the central heating on for about 30 minutes every morning. Not sure how much extra that will cost, but might be worth it since I have asthma and really don't want to be sick.

Bleach actually makes mould spread. It needs to be treated with a mould treatment.

You do realise that most people with severe mould have structural problems with their house, and when that house is privately or council rented, it’s not their fault?

We have severe mould because of the structural issues with our flat and water soaking into the concrete floor from constant flooding on the walkway. We’ve done everything we can do to get rid of and prevent it and it doesn’t help. Same with my close friend and her place.

It’s a nightmare and has affected our health and is not our fault, a fact the council/surveyors have admitted. Plenty of people have little to no mould without opening their windows.

Thank you for your replies.

I didn't realise this problem was affecting so many people and it's been really interesting reading.

I'm now thinking of saving up for one of those Meaco Dehumidifiers that some of you have said to have been successful. Can anyone recommend a particular model?

Yes definitely experiencing this, this year. A combination of a lot of rain and no heating, has taken a toll. I've started putting heating on now as mould is bad for health, as is cold. I was getting stressy and edgy and realised it was partly because I was cold and uncomfortable. But it means I have to very closely watch my spending elsewhere. The energy rebate has helped though.

Upstairs is fine because we keep opening windows there. Downstairs is starting to smell a bit damp even though I open windows while cooking and we have some vents. We never had this problem in previous years when I used to have the heating on. I've ordered a dehumidifier.

I'm amazed noone has mentioned a PIV unit. You can even buy one that warms the air coming in and switches off automatically when not needed.

Window vacs and dehumidifiers don't solve the problem, just work round it (less effectively too IMO). Opening windows is an option but less so when it gets really cold.

I don’t really understand the premise for this thread. Yes you obviously get mould if you don’t heat and yes you obviously need to wash it off if you can’t put the heating on… it’s like asking ‘does anyone else’s house feel cold with the heating off?’ It’s just a given side affect, what did you think would happen?

Yes it's completely logical to you but read the other thread started by a landlord and you'll see that it's not obvious to all. It's amazing really.

Although a lot of the problem stems from us insulating our houses to the max and putting draught excluders everywhere. It keeps the house warmer but stops the house from breathing. Hence exacerbating the situation.

Replace all extract fans with single unit heat recovery units. As we have read recently about the small child that died in terrible mould conditions, you can’t paint over a living organism, you have got to get rid of the source. These units work, our whole house has a unit no condensation anywhere no windows open so the heat gets recycled. Someone wrote about there new windows not having trickle vents, if you want them put in do it yourself, drill the holes & cover with the vents, easy. Most importantly, keep all fans clean & if you can install a larger one to really shift some air

@Minikievs do you have a squeegee for your shower ?

It's a simple thing that makes a huge difference. When you see the amount of water running down the drain you realise how much you were expecting to dry

We’ve had a bit of a mould problem since switching the boiler to eco mode.
it seems that previously, the boiler kicking in at brief intervals to keep the water at a constant temp was also just enough to keep the bathroom clear of mould.

We seem to mainly get condensation on our bedroom windows which I guess makes sense because we are in their all night breathing out warm air. I’m going to get some of those little dehumidifier pots to put on the window sills.

Other than that you just have to find a way to keep your house relatively warm - it’s a total false economy not to have the heating on all winter. Aside from the mould you are looking at warped doors, pondy washing, potentially ruined electronic devices.

Ours is on for an hour in the morning (very low, just enough to take the chill off) and then another hour later in the day a bit higher when we get too cold. Washing on the airer I dry in front of the front door, next to a radiator with the dehumidifier on. Heating is on longer on laundry drying days.

How much cheaper is the running cost?

You must leave windows open or get a dehumidifier. It makes me so cross when people are doing their sad face stories in the media yet every bloody window is shut and there's wet washing hanging everywhere.

Exactly this ^^

IMO a lot of people don't seem to understand the science behind condensation. When I empty my tumble dryer tank after drying towels there are 3 litres of water.

Where do people think this goes when drying washing in a sealed and unventilated room?

You either need the window open or have a dehumidifier running.

Yes we are. We have a 1930s semi that had a tendency to get black mould in the corners of the upstairs rooms. The previous owners had no proper central heating and since we’ve installed it there was no mould problem. I’ve been keeping the heating off overnight and not opening windows as much and have been horrified to discover the mould has come back and the ceiling was actually wet. Thought we had a roof leak but I don’t think so, I think it’s condensation. I’ve put the heating back on overnight and properly ventilating in the day and the ceiling has remained dry despite heavy rainfall. We will be able to afford it just with the gov. Grants. Black mould isn’t something I’m willing to risk with a child prone to chest problems. It’s really going to harm people on top of being cold.

Dehumidifiers are big machines to find room for & costs to run mount up. Like I’ve said before,replacing the extract fan with a single unit heat recovery fan will ventilate your room 24hrs a day & give you some of your heat back it’s that simple, drier room & no bulky Mach that needs emptying, your condensate is where it should be, outside. Probably cost a lot less as well

My friend had an en suite like that and they absolutely hated it. They gave up using it, and had it turned into a lovely walk-in wardrobe after a couple of years.

And what do you do if you're absolutely on your uppers and can't afford to put your heating on?

I'm sure no-one makes a conscious choice to live in a cold, mouldy home, but there are many who are having to make really tough decisions and simply have no choice but to restrict the use of their heating.

Eco mode means that your preheat settings are off. ‘& the hot water will take slightly longer to reach the tap. Absolutely nothing to do with the boiler cycling

You have to ventilate. Open windows a crack in rooms it's worst. Leave a few hours before closing. I sleep with my window open a crack but dh likes it shut. I open his first thing

We sleep separately due to my menopause getting up a million times a night. Not fun.

I found black mould in our bedroom on Sunday! The heater doesn't really work in our bedroom, we are in a rented place and have just told the LL.