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Original poster

Will mould come back?

11 replies

cuddlebug · 07/04/2017 10:48

I moved into a new build Christmas time and I do not have a garden or tumble dryer because there's just no room for one in my flat. I have been drying clothes in the spare bedroom but I always leave the window open when I do it! Anyway yesterday I noticed a musky smell in the wardrobe when I opened it so I pulled everything back and the back of the wardrobe was covered in thick green / white mould! Pulled wardrobe back and the back of it was so green and thick and covered the whole bottom wardrobe and also the walls surrounding it. I cleaned it all with milton, scrubbed it and wet it again and did it over again until I could no longer smell or see mould and also cleaned the carpet with milton. I am no longer drying clothes in there, windows almost have constantly been open as well. The mould won't come back now will it? I flipping hope not ShockI felt disgusted! Never thought it would be THAT bad

OP posts:
wowfudge · 08/04/2017 07:29

Is the wardrobe against an external wall? If so ensure it isn't pushed right back against it so air can circulate. Open the window and leave it open when you can. Consider getting a dehumidifier. With limited space you could put an airer over or stood in the bath and put your laundry on that. Turn on the extractor fan and shut the door.

Notsandwiches · 08/04/2017 10:49

I think Milton isn't very good. HG mould spray is so much better. I used to dry indoors and every winter had mould. Now have a tumble dryer and a fab dehumidifier. Love the dehumidifier as house also feels a lot warmer.

bananacake1 · 08/04/2017 10:57

Yes it will come back. You have not killed it, only wiped it off the surface.

Wickets do a 5litre bottle of mould killer. 1st application kills and the second deters future growth. I'd recommend using that.

If you dry clothes inside it will keep happening, however. A tumble dryer would do the trick- apart from all the things that can't be dried inside it. A dehumidifier (costing about £180) will also make a positive difference.

Moving that wardrobe so it's not against a cold external wall would also help.

IME once you've got mould, and the spores are in the house, it's really hard to eliminate it. I've never managed it. Sorry.

LIZS · 08/04/2017 11:01

Do you heat the spare room? Is there a trickle vent on the window so you can keep it ventilated? Stand wardrobe away from outside wall so air can get behind or preferably against an internal one.

pirsonal · 08/04/2017 11:42

To me that sounds very strange. You haven't been in the flat 4 months!
Could the wardrobe already had mold when you took it in? I wonder if there is a building fault - but again it is so quick for this to develop. Does the sun get in to the room? Are you ground floor?

80sMum · 08/04/2017 11:59

Any room with excess moisture - such as a kitchen, a bathroom or a room with wet washing hanging up - needs 3 things: the door to the rest of the house closed, Heat (in the winter months) and Ventilation. Shut the door to prevent moisture getting into other rooms; when the outside temperature is cool or when it's raining leave a heater on or the radiator on 24/7; keep the window open or an extractor fan running for several hours each day.

Alternatively, keep the door closed and keep a large capacity dehumidifier running 24/7.

ThouShallNotPass · 08/04/2017 12:32

We had a mould prone house once and it damaged . We stopped all indoor drying and brought a product called kilrock which, whilst stinking of the strongest bleach in existence, it did eat away the mould and leave those areas mould free for a while. Unfortunately we kept the furniture and the spores never really left so we had to retreat often.
When we moved we cleaned every piece thoroughly but it followed us. You could tell by the smell. Some rooms got new furniture and there's no mould is in those rooms but the kid's toy box has made a gross patch of mould behind it. I'm binning it. It's the only way to be sure.

My advice is to buy a small tumble drier for your spare room and have it vented. You can have a vent hole put through the wall or just simply hang the venting tube out the window. It won't look good but it's better than the mould. Also get a dehumidifier for those items that can't be tumble dried.

Original poster
cuddlebug · 09/04/2017 01:01

Pirsonal

We are on the ground floor and the wardrobe was brand new. It must be due to drying clothes in the room! Cannot find any other reason :(

OP posts:
Original poster
cuddlebug · 09/04/2017 01:02

LIZS we have a vent in the window but it doesn't do sod all and the room is well heated throughout the day and night as I have a thermostat

OP posts:
Original poster
cuddlebug · 09/04/2017 01:03

Thank you ladies for for your help! We are going to bleach it sometime during the week

OP posts:
pirsonal · 09/04/2017 11:19

OP. I think I'd be getting in the building inspectors. Lots of people dry clothes in a house without even having a window open - but I see you open your window.

I think it's VERY odd that it has happened so soon. I would easier understand this happening if you did this for years on end without opening a window, but not less than 16 weeks.

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