Mould and carpet mushrooms (yes really!) support thread

[HannahHack]

Right, I'm going to tackle it this afternoon really!

We came home two weeks ago to a leak in the airing cupboard, which has since been fixed. We are waiting for the damp, which has appeared in all surrouding walls and carpets, to dry out before we redecorate. However, we now have a charming bloom of mould over all the damp spots on the walls, and carpet mushrooms sprung up this week even though it has dried out a bit.

What do I do? Where do I start? Please help me before my flat becomes more of a biodiversity hot spot!

May I be the first to join? I returned to my old flat after having rented it out for a year to find carpet mushrooms! Later discovered that a water leak from the upstairs flat had been going on all that time and my tenant had just been mopping up what he could see in the bathroom and didn't bother to tell me

Can you hire a dehumidifier to get the damp out quickly? You probably have, but it's best to remove the carpet to wash and dry it properly, outside in the sun should do the trick.

Mould can't survive being treated with bleach, but your carpet may not survive this and remain the same colour. But if you don't, you can't be sure the spores have been killed. Wash down the affected walls with bleach more than once as well.