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Housekeeping

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Original poster

Major damp/mould problem

17 replies

parentallyinept · 26/10/2011 11:41

Help! I'm seriously running out of ideas, and it's beginning to get me down.

Basically, we are in a very old, damp house, and despite permanently running 2 dehumidifiers in the bedrooms (where the problem is worst), that suck out a full chamber of water a day on average, we still have damp and mould issues. Just gone to sort the soft toys in my daughters room (they are stored in a rubbery garden trug thing), and all of the bottom layer are mouldy, and my wardrobe has another fine layer of mould growing on the inside despite my regularly wiping it with bleach, and the afformentioned dehumidifier working.

Any advice, better storage options for toys, etc would be grateful. Unfortunately I do have to dry washing in the house which probably doesn't help, but I do try and air rooms as much as possible. I'm seriously considering removing my wardrobe doors to see is I can get more ventilation to my clothes, as I really don't want (and can't afford!) to have to throw loads of clothes away due to mould damage, as I had to last year pre having the dehumidifiers!!

OP posts:
Bucharest · 26/10/2011 11:45

Blimey, I thought my damp was bad! (I run a dehumidifier for a couple of hours a day in winter and have to bleach under the windows)
Yours sounds so bad tbh, that perhaps it might be worth asking a builder or someone more expert about anything structural you can do?

Maybe put one of those mini non electrical dehumidifiers inside the wardrobe? One of those with the pellet things?

GooseyLoosey · 26/10/2011 11:51

Is your wardrobe a built in wardrobe as I have always found that damp problems are much worse with these and got rid of ours.

If the house is as damp as you say, can you investigate why?

I too live in a very old damp house. Large areas of the ground floor have been tanked to deal with the problem. I always leave the upstairs windows partially open and all of the doors to allow as much through flow of air as possible.

I have also taken steps to deal with as many sources of moisture ingress as possible (guttering, drains around the house, high ground levels etc).

Ponders · 26/10/2011 11:54

\link{http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/40096166/\maybe something like this for the toys?}

where is the damp coming from? is it condensation or penetrating or rising?

mousyfledermaus · 26/10/2011 11:58

you need find out where it is coming from.
if it is structural you need a builder in to repair.
wardrobe doors open, airing, heating can only help if the structure itself is not causing the problem.
are you renting? if yes, give notice and move on and inform environmental health so that the landlord will deal with the problem.

Original poster
parentallyinept · 26/10/2011 11:59

I suspect ours needs major structural investigation / work to fix it (I think we've got initially-undetected earthquake damage from a few years ago -I'm in S E Kent), but we simply don't have the money to sort things at the moment. Unfortunately, it sounds like I'm already doing all I can do, so I guess I'm just going to have to persevere and keep on top of it.

OP posts:
Ponders · 26/10/2011 12:05

keep all furniture etc away from the walls where you can, & take doors off all cupboards, esp fitted ones. & leave drawers open.

doesn't sound as if you can do much else atm Sad

Original poster
parentallyinept · 26/10/2011 12:06

It seems to be coming from top-down, on the exposed outer wall (we're end-of-terrace), but bizarrely only from the middle floor - my sons room is an attic conversion, and his room is fine. I suspect some of the problem in my daughters room is condensation from the washing drying in there (hence the 2nd dehumidifier). We own the house (or will in 180 mortgage payments!!).

OP posts:
Ponders · 26/10/2011 12:07

is yours a gable end or hipped? if it's hipped it will be the guttering (attic is above gutters) if gable, no idea!

GooseyLoosey · 26/10/2011 12:09

If you own the house, you really, really do need to investigate the problem now and find out what is cuasing it. Unresolved damp can cause major structural problems (it could lead to rotting floor and roof timbers and cracking walls for example).

It is a false economy not to address the problem now. In addition, running 2 de-humidifiers will cost a fortune so the cost of solving the problem may not be as great as you think.

Alibabaandthe80nappies · 26/10/2011 12:09

Can you find a better solution for drying the washing? Tumble dryer? Line outside?

Grumpla · 26/10/2011 12:11

Can you dry the washing somewhere else? That level of damp in bedrooms is not healthy, surely?

An over-bath airer perhaps, with small heater / radiator and window open a crack - this would keep the extra moisture from affecting the rest of the house so much?

Or heated drying rack / electric airer thingy in kitchen / lounge overnight?

Original poster
parentallyinept · 26/10/2011 12:16

I have an outside line which I do use, and I've got a small tumble dryer which I use to 'finish off' the washing when it's nearly dry, but I've got 3 small children as well as 2 adults, so the amount of washing we generate is phenomenal!

I guess we're going to have to bite the bullet and get a builder in to investigate. Does anyone know of anyone good in S E Kent? God only knows how we're going to afford it. I know running costs of the dehumidifier over time will mount up, but I can cover that in the monthly electrical outgoings. Somehow I doubt a builder would accept monthly installments!

OP posts:
sleepevader · 26/10/2011 12:27

There was a programme called help my house is falling down in which Sarah beenie showed you how you can check for common, easily fixed causes of damp. May still be on channel 4 catch up or YouTube.

It was things like checking circulation/vents in attic, gutters blocked or misalligned. Real basic things that made a massive difference.

AgentProvocateur · 26/10/2011 12:32

We also has damp patches on a the gable wall of our house. It's an old sandstone house, so I was dreading the repair cost. But the damp was caused by rain coming in under the roof tiles, and it was fixed cheaply and easily by a roofer adding "dry something-or-other" at the edge of the roof tiles. Yours might not be this, but I'm telling you to give you hope that it's not always as serious or as expensive as you think it will be!

heather1980 · 26/10/2011 12:36

we had really bad damp in my dcs bedroom and it was caused by a loose tile on the roof letting water in, we fixed it and had the gutters replaced at the same time. the problem is nearly gone now and cost about £200 to do.
it was made worse by condensation in the room. we have 2 kids in there and them breathing at night caused the windows to steam up and the walls to run with water.
i make sure the door is open and open the window in the morning to dry the window out.

mousyfledermaus · 26/10/2011 12:44

channel 4 how to deal with damp has some links and advice how to find the right builders.
can all the children sleep in the least affected room to minimise possible health problems?

PhyllisDiller · 27/10/2011 19:59

I take it your dryer is a condenser one parentail ? Also do you manage to get your heating on much?

We've had damp in our house (gone now), heating helped, I also had to stop drying my hair in our bedroom...

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