Mould issue please help!

[ksalter88]

Please can someone help!
We've been getting a mould problem in our ground floor flat but recently it seems to have taken over and it's everywhere. Particularly in the bedroom and on the wardrobe.
Has anyone else had this issue and how did you deal with it to stop the mould coming back?

It is problem condensation and therefore inadequate ventilation. You need to solve the problem and then you need s wash solution to kill off the mould spores before you decorate

Heat, ventilation and dehumidifier.
The CIF mould spray is excellent at cleaning it off.

First you need to check for penetrating damp. Look on the outside of this wall and in particular the rainwater goods. Do your gutters overflow? Is the damp area near a down pipe? Is the downpipe in good condition? Is part of the wall underground (lower floor than external ground)?

Dampness on an outside wall is caused by humidity in the warm air condensing on the cold wall. Two things will exacerbate this problem. 1. High humidity- do not dry clothes indoors, close bathroom door when showering and open window/use extractor fan, ditto kitchen when cooking etc. 2. Lack of ventilation/air flow. Areas commonly affected are those with furnishings against the wall, reducing air flow. Can you move large furniture to an inside wall? Have less furniture? Do you have air bricks on your external wall? If so, are they clear or blocked up? Finally there should always be ventilation in a room. Most new windows have ventilation channels so some air flow is constant. These should be left open especially in winter when we have tend to keep doors and windows shut more. If you have an old house you might have a lack of space under the floor reducing air flow - this would require digging out some of the sub floor space and is a disruptive and expensive solution. Some of these investigations may be best looked at by a builder or specialist company.

Deal with the cause first. Then to clear up mould I use Milton (chlorine). There are paints for these issues but I tend to use things like that in high humidity areas.

That’s really a trot through of the most common issues. Hope it helps.

That's all really useful info! Our flats are being renovated so I think they will be looking at the insulation and the air bricks. We're going to move the room around to make sure nothing is touching the outside walls.

Do you dry washing inside? If you do, a dehumidifier is a must. It's good to keep the windows locked a small amount open if you can apart from in winter. And to air the room with the window wide open when you are at home for a bit of each day.

NOTHING, we had a dehumidifier, cleaned the walls wardrobe etc every couple of days.. it even came through the carpet and ruined our sofa! We moved to a new build xx

As everyone has said above, sort out ventilation, air flow etc. One of the best recommendations I got for cleaning the mould in our old house was to use a solution made with Milton tablets. Seemed to keep it at bay longer than anything else we tried.