Cleaned black mould without mask

[Cappuccino17]

We've been struggling with black mould in the bedroom due to a damp outer wall. Unfortunately our wardrobes are fitted on that wall too. It keeps coming back and we're looking to get insulation.

My baby sleeps in this room too so quite worried. Is it harmful enough to affect his health?

Iv been cleaning it with a sponge and fairy liquid then spraying mildew mould spray that smells bleachy.

Iv just read i should wear mask and gloves when cleaning it but i never have and now im worried as I've cleaned it numerous times without a mask amd gloves. Is this a cause for concern?

Is it ok to sleep in this room 12 hrs after bleaching? Baby is there at night and iv left windows open in day.

Black mould has only recently been recognised as a significant health hazard, in the UK anyway.
I’ve spent my whole life in houses full of black mould without realising it was something to worry about unduly. I’ve cleaned it a million times without masks. I’m pretty old now, and no known issues with my health due to mould.

Once the bleach spray dries the smell will dissipate fairly quickly. Try not to worry. Keep all the windows open for as long as possible, and wear a mask next time.

Are you able to deal with the source of the damp? Guttering? Bad damp proof course?

It would never occur to me to wear a mask but I have always worn gloves to clean mould. I'm 68.

Try to find out what is causing the mould though.

Thank you for the replies. We are trying to find out what is causing the mould. We think the outer wall is causing damp issues. My husband rekons insulation will help.

@Cappuccino17 What are you looking at insulating? The wall? The wardrobes? The cavity?

You need to find why you have mould growing in the first place. How old is the house? What is it made of construction wise? Stone? Brick with cavity wall?

What is outside the room where the mould is coming in? Are the gutters clear and in good order? When it rains are they overflowing or emptying as they should? Do you get the mould the whole year round? Do you ventilate the house, ie open the windows daily? Do you have extractor fans taking away the damp air from the bathrooms?

In the past I have used HG mould and mildew and you definitely need gloves and a mask for that stuff. It is amazing but very, very harsh smelling.

I air out the house daily, our windows are quite condensed so not sure if thst contributes to mould spread. I'm dead worried about my baby sleeping in there. Even though it's cleaned it says mould is airborne. What do i do? Or am i overthinking too much?

We are looking into cavity wall insulation.

I'm not very clued up on problem solving these issues so all suggestions are welcome. Thank you x

We had an issue with black mould in Dts bedroom, it was because the grout / render whatever it's called between the bricks had failed and water was getting in that way.

You need black mould remover not mildew and then find the source of the problem.

We are in a Victorian semi so no wall insulation.

DH repointed the bricks and we haven't had a problem since.

I'm no expert, so take with a pinch of salt, but cavity insulation will make the house even less able to breathe and may make the problem worse, this is just my opinion formed after a google search. We have mould, our house has cavity wall insulation, it was there when we bought it. I honestly think it is adding to the problem. We've replaced all guttering, had vents put in the roof to help the house breathe. We still have mould.

And had the bricks repointed, chimney fixed etc.

@Cappuccino17 unless you have some qualification in solving damp issues it is completely normal not to be informed about this sort of thing. This is why MN is good, reach out to people who might have had issues too.

Is the bedroom upstairs and is there anything like a chimney breast in the room? Sometimes built in wardrobes are fitted around them.

Cavity wall insulation is not always the answer which is why everyone is asking the questions. Is your house made of brick on the outside? Or stone? Do you know when the house was built? Usually by looking at the houses you can guess a building era, this is something google is quite good with identifying standard house building designs ie 1930s semis are different to 1970s large windowed houses. The age can give us an idea if you have a pointing issue, ie the mortar joints between the bricks. Again google is great for looking up things like what a poor mortar joint looks like, cracked or missing sections may indicate that water is coming in through there.

This might be an up the ladder job to get a closer look. What is on the other side of the bedroom wall? Is it an outside wall? Or is there another house attached to you?

On the wall where is the mould? At the bottom? Top? In a corner? The more information we have the more likely we can help. The alternative is to get a damp specialist in get them to identify it for you.

The window opening will definitely help with the air borne mould issue. If your baby was affected they would be getting chest infections and coughs.

Thanks for your replies everyone. My husband has said it isn't black mould it's coloured black but he's saying it isn't the dangerous black mould. At this point I'm deciding whether my baby sleeps in there tonight. I've cleaned it up. It is located behind our fitted wardrobes so the worker who fitted them in didn't put a backing on so we can see the wall. Can someone advice if it's okay to sleep in there? Windows been open since 11.30 and I'll keep it open till 8. Just read about spores. Theres was a thin film of mould on the ceiling in wardrobe and some on the wall area but it hadn't spread beneath that.

My house is made of bricks and i think it's a 1930s property definitely not 70s.

Thanks for your replies everyone xx

@Cappuccino17 different common types of mould explained

https://www.envirovent.com/help-and-advice/why-ventilate/mould-problems/the-different-types-of-mould-most-found-in-the-home/

How old is your baby and can you sleep in another room with him/her if they are under 6 months? This might be the lounge or dining room. I can't tell you if it is safe or not because we do not know how bad the mould is or what it is.

The best thing you can do is get a damp and mould expert in to help you and identify why your wall keeps getting mould. You can keep cleaning it off but until you find the source of why it is happening then you will just be in this loop.