To think our house is making DC sick

[Concernedmum23]

Please, need some urgent help.

DC is 4. She used to be lively, happy and full of energy. Since about late October time she started getting colds. We thought the usual, oh it's that time of the year. Except the colds never went away and kept on coming. Since then she's been ill and "congested" every single day. She now looks pale, yes I know it's winter time but she has this weird tint to her that she gets when is run down. She has big black bags under her eyes, her energy is higher but restless and irritable. Again, we thought it could be down to her age and a phase but now I'm not so convinced. As well as permanently being congested and always choking on it, she's become highly wired at night time. She wakes up multiple times during the night sleep talking/walking. The other day she randomly woke up, complained of pain, vomited and then was fine?

The thing is we live with family and can not afford to move out at the moment. The house, to me anyways, seems riddled with black mold. When I bring this to DH or his families attention I get shut down. But there is evidence of black mold, in the corners by windows. On the floor, in the carpets, in the corners of the wall/skirting. At its worst it can go up into the ceiling and this is all just the visible external part of it, god knows what is happening behind the walls. I'm worried her sudden onset of illness and not seeming to get better despite the diet change, heavy vitamins ect is due to black mold poisoning? DH claims it's common from old homes to get this, but surely not every week/month? We clean the mold and it seems to return with about that time frame. If left untreated it can get really bad. The wall paper in the house in many places is peeling/bubbled but again it gets dismissed from just being an old house.

I feel convinced that unless it's a random allergy she has developed it's the house doing this. Her symptoms align with black mold exposure but no one seems to take me seriously. Also there isn't really anything we can do about it being in the financial predicament we are in.

The drs don't seem concerned. They have referred her to an ent and said her to sols look big but that it's "normal for most kids and she will grow into them". This feels more than that, and I'm scared for my child despite being shut down by everyone. Gp won't even do basic allergy/asthma tests on her. I'm at a loss and so so worried. Help!!!

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

I’m so sorry OP it’s really hard to deal with mould issues especially where it’s not your house.

First things first is document the mould with photos and dates. Videos would be good too.

secondly use the videos as evidence to go to the landlord. Be firm. Send a link to the little boy who died and explain the issues with your child. Insist he gets a survey and don’t take no for an answer. Ask your landlord for a dehumidifier and air purifier and put this in your child’s room.

In the mean time you need to protect your kids.

• Empty your ill child’s room completely.
• Spray the walls with white vinegar and mould killer spray.
• Clean off the visible signs of mould.
• Paint the room in mould resistant paint (Zinzer do a good one) and you could also send your LL the receipt for this too and ask them to pay.
• Clean the carpets and furniture with white vinegar- spray and leave to soak. Wipe off and spray again.
• Return the clean furniture to the room, placing the furniture strategically away from key mould areas and a few inches away from the walls to help with air circulation.
• Clean clothes with a laundry disinfectant such as dettol, dry thoroughly and replace (maybe do this at a laundrette so you’re not putting more moisture into the air in the house)
• Wash all toys etc with white vinegar.
• declutter the room and throw as many things away as possible
• Air the room every morning and every evening with windows wide open for as long as possible. - minimum 15 mins. Yes I know it’s cold- make sure your child is in another warm area of the house whilst you’re doing this.
• run the dehumidifier/ air purifier as much as is needed (always for now perhaps?)
• you can get a humidity monitor from Amazon to keep an eye on humidity levels in the room - aim for 60%. At lower humidity levels mould won’t grow.
• check the room once per week for mould and note any new growth. Photograph the evidence and clean off as needed.
• document everything you’re doing and send regular updates to the LL- you want to build a case documenting everything you’re doing to prevent the issue and convince them there’s a deeper structural issue that needs to be looked at.

Good luck!

Just to mention, we had a real mouldy smell in one room in our new house, and a good dehumidifier and heating above 20 degrees only did so much. Paid someone to check and clean the gutters (about £90) and it's gone. We had a partially blocked gutter and it was causing issues.

A hygrometer is about £5 on Amazon and measures humidity levels. A decent dehumidifier will bring it right down- you can watch the humidity levels dropping. Since cleaning out the guttering, the levels sit at about 42%, without having to use a dehumidifier

Also, if there is a physical damp proof course on the house (you can see the black membrane or slates on the bricks in the mortar near the ground) check that there is nothing obstructing it round the house. Especially in the rooms where there is mould around the skirting. Two bricks below it should be clear. This can cause rising damp. The bricks above it should not look damp outside.

Sometimes it's not condensation and you need to sort the root problems.

That's because there isn't a test for dairy intolerance 🙄

Also look at a broad spectrum probiotic for your daughter- this supposedly helps with exposure to mould and improves gut health which helps with allergies

I think there are enough details to see that it’s an absolute disgrace to be there with one child, never mind two.

Is the house being aired every day? You could also buy a dehumidifier for her room.

It's really unfortunate that you're having another baby in a mouldy house rather than working more so you can live somewhere better. Between the 2 of you can you really not afford a flat? Even if you have a move a short way away? If a 4yo is struggling, how will a newborn cope?
But clean the walls regularly, keep the house warm, buy a big dehumidifier and leave it on, don't dry laundry in the house.

A house with 4 adults and a child plus lots of animals though no number mentioned will need windows open more than just an hour a day. But that is at such a bad level there could be an issue with the fabric of the building. I have lived in various older houses, one was built in 1840 and never had a mould problem, one had a leaky roof as well.

Lots of resources here linked below from Alexx Stuart based in Australia, the East Coast of Australia apparently can be susceptible to mould and absolutely can be a health hazard and certain people can be affected badly especially children.

www.lowtoxlife.com/so-you-think-youve-got-mould/

You need to get out of that house. Yes this is making your child sick.

We’ve struggled with little bits of black mould in the past and it makes me so ill very quickly. I’m asthmatic but I wonder if I have MCAS.

The mould needs to be cleaned at first sight- bleach and vinegar.

Pretty sure you didn't mean it like this but - DO NOT mix bleach and vinegar together.

Highly likely it is the mould OP - I’m so sorry. Mould is (quite literally) a scourge in our society and the cause of a lot of health issues in children - respiratory, allergy etc - all the symptoms you describe are likely to be down to it if she was a previously healthy child before moving in and the GP isn’t finding anything else wrong. We’re just starting to wake up to the impact mouldy housing is having on the health of our population and it’s catastrophic - 45% of all rented properties in the UK have a mould issue - that is 2 million households (around 5 million people). For me, it’s genuinely the number one public health issue we face given it’s often not a choice and you’re losing before you even start with anything else if your home is mouldy. Sorry, huge rant. I realise you’re in a difficult position and incredibly vulnerable, but I would do everything possible to get out.

@Concernedmum23 are you on the list for social housing?

Has anyone ever tried to do anything about the damp? Ie washing it of and then using damp paint? Also wardrobes/drawers /beds slightly away from the walls so air can circulate.

I assume she means lactose intolerance. There is a test for it, a hydrogen breath test.

THIS!

And yet, OP seems pissed off that the family isn’t solving the mould problem.