Mildew/mould around painted wooden window frames

[ThisIsMyNameChange]

Please can you help me. This might seem silly but it's upsetting me so much i've had to nc.

Basically, lived in rented flat for 4 years. The windows are double glazing with painted wood frames, and the sort of sealant that still feels a bit putty-like. We have mildew around the sealant and the frames, but i can't tell if there really is mildew on the sealant as in some places it's black, others it's white (I suspect the sealant was badly painted at one point).

Now we're not talking biohazard here or anything, but the paint (don't think the wood, but def the paunt) has cracked and flaked in places, so this is sending me into a panic as i'm worried this is going to prevent us from sorting this out. Plus the sealant was done really badly and is lumpy and across glass at times so it's never going to look smart. I want it to look good, i take care of this flat but the damp winter hasn't helped and now i'm in a tiz and am so worried we won't be able to fix it and will be blamed. I feel utterly sick and confused about what it was like before and whether things really are as 'bad' as they seem (due to the sealant being black and splodgy and basically hard to tell apart from the mildew).

I got hopeful reading about the Dettol liquid but that doesn't look like it can be used on painted wood.

Mn please save my sanity. My dh thinks i'm over reacting but i'm very upset.

I think it would probably be worthwhile to scrape out all the old sealant and re-do it with a bathroom sealant which is mould-inhibiting.

I would like to do this around my kigchen window where they used the wrong sealant and because of the prolonged cold weather mildew has grown on it as its the coldest point in the house.

The only problem is that its so high up its really difficult to reach. A bleach-based cleaner or a specific mould and mildew remover eg from Homebase would do you in the meantime.

Thanks Mandy. That might be tricky but at least it's an option. Got some white vinegar spray today so might try gently with that!

Dilute thin bleach and an old toothbrush will help, or borrow a steam cleaner perhaps?