mold/condensation

[chobb]

Hi need some advice, we have some mold in our bedroom on the walls ceiling and Windows and been trying to get rid of it, my partner thinks it's condensation but as its getting colder now we do not want to leave the Windows open, we share the room with my 1 yr and 2 yr old so we really need to nip this in the bud, theres also a lot of Orangeish,yellowish blotches we can't get rid of either it won't wash off I'd appreciate any ideas Ty all

I have a real mold problem in my house so much so that that the expensive curtain linings are now spotted will dry cleaning remove?

Somethingtodo, even if the dry cleaner manages to clear the mould off them along with the stains mould leaves (very unlikely), it will return unless you tackle the source of the mould.

Fickle - running a dehumidifier in the same room as washing it drying in makes it dry sooooo much quicker. they're inexpensive to run too.
Alternatively, a heated clothes drying rack? I think Lakeland do them but Lidl have them on offer next week for £30.

We had similar problems in our old house and got one of these...

www.envirovent.com/blog/did-you-wake-up-to-window-condensation-this-morning/?utm_content=buffer55b9f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Solved all our problems. No need to run an expensive dehumidifier.

The link above has all the information and they'll come our to your house and do a free survey.

Thanks for that. Just ordered a dehumifier.... Not sure if i should cancel the window guy charging me £400 to put a secondary glazing on the ancient skylight.... A dehumidifier might be the solution...

One question though, can you hide it? (say behind books on a shelf near the windows? Or does it have to be in full view?

the dehumidifier needs air circulating around it.

Sizzlesthedog Thu 16-Oct-14 15:06:30

I dry clothes on rads in my house but never had a damp problem?

Do you think your building is too hematically sealed and has not allowed for normal moisture?

I am fed up of hearing how people do not air rooms, houses should be able to have air flow.

OP

I stongly strongly urge you to do some more in depth research on your mould and the types there.

We do not take mould seriously enough in this country in the states mould - asbestos.

they come in big suits to take it away.

You must also be very careful when you try to clean it - because wiping with a cloth can release mold spores into the air, which you don't want, as then you are more in danger of breathing one in and possibly leading to lung infections.

FickleByNurture Thu 16-Oct-14 14:59:29

this surprises me, older houses have more knooks and creavis and opportunitues for the house to breathe have you looked into outside issues, damp cavatiy, and so on.

We had this once and it turned out to be caused by a broken downpipe. Once we replaced the pipe, we washed it with some specialist cleaner and it never came back. Get up there and see if you can see how water could get in.

It's not our house to rip apart in the quest for dry walls. We do open windows and secondary glazing as much as possible although some of the sash windows have been painted shut. Gorgeous house but I can't wait to move.

For killing the mould, the green Dettol spray is brilliant.

We moved into a house with a condensation problem, we had to have a bit of work done on the chimney to stop water getting in and have since installed extractor fans and it is a lot better now, we try to open the windows for ventillation whenever we can too.

Sizzlesthedog I get what you are saying but I have lived in 5 houses all my life, we have always dried wet clothes on radiators and never had damp. So there must be other factors in play if you get great big damp patches, surely?

(We get black on our bedroom window frames and I find cillit bang with bleach the best to get it off)

Yes I'm on a similar quest, we rent too and can only afford the old damp houses. So far I've bought humidity monitors and a dehumidifier, which is helping. I've always aired the rooms, there aren't any air vents in the walls where we live and this is meant to help a lot. We've checked down spouts and cleared the gravel and soil from the sides of the house thinking the ground level was adding to the problem but it's not that. We have found some rotten storm boards that need replacing and I think this will help. If the walls were insulated better or had mould resistant plaster board that would help but no land lord would actually fix the problem as it's too costly; we can barely get ours to do running repairs.
If it's in the wooden doors I would buy some solution to clean the doors with but test an area first as some are meant to be pretty strong and can bleach areas they've been applied too. I think some house are notorious for damp and shifting it can be a nightmare.
If your in Scotland and rent you can check to see if your land lord is on the land lords registration, if he's not I think you can go to the council and report the damp and they can try to get the land lord to sort it. You can also ring shelter for advice. Hope you get on top of it soon.

Balloonslayer "other factors"

If the amount of water that you tip into your house is greater than the amount that escapes, it will get increasingly damp.

Water comes from wet washing, steamy bathrooms, breathing, and cooking.

It mostly escapes through ventilation, or, at greater cost, dehumidifiers.

Many people are unaware of the accidental ventilation that occurs through draughts, fireplaces and loose-fitting windows. Removing the water vapour at source, e.g. with bathroom and kitchen extractor fans, or tumble driers, gives it less chance to cause condensation and spread round the home.

Firstly, mould is around us always, all of the time. It's opportunistic and requires two things in order to activate and flourish: an organic food source to grow on (this can include non-organic surfaces that have become contaminated) and moisture. It is amazing how little actual water it requires in order to become active.

In order to deactivate the mould you need to lower the humidity levels. Good air flow is essential, so having the windows open will help. A dehumidifier is a good idea and if you can run the heating regularly, even better. Cooler weather will provide ideal growing conditions.

To help reduce the risk of reactivation, I would vacuum the affected surface thoroughly and then wash it with a solution of household bleach and hot water. You should make sure you wear rubber gloves whilst doing this, dispose of them when you're finished and make sure you wash any tools and equipment used thoroughly. It's pretty tenacious stuff, so repeat as necessary.

Mould will stain the surface that it grows on (this is caused by digestive enzymes released as it feeds on the surface it grows on). You can use bleach and/or a fungicidal paint to reduce it's appearance, where appropriate. However, on surfaces like paper, leather, textile or wood, bleaching will discolour, damage and ultimately cause a whole set of other issues.

there is a toxic type of black mould, yes. It is very rare in the UK and there's usually no need for the full bio-hazard measures. Most of the mould we see is harmless and can be prevented by housework.

there is a need for ventilation, proper clothes drying measures, not taking ridiculously long showers, extractor fans,lids on saucepans etc etc.

yes, some properties do have damp - I live in a house with old parts and am working on that. No window wiping needed today (not a cold night) but opened the windows for 10 mins this morning. It's not hard.

The property I rent out does not have damp, is fully insulated, has new heating, bathroom extractor fan, opening windows, outside space for drying etc. No mould or damp on last visit - tenant has tumble dryer and common sense. In my town the tatty old rental properties stay vacant. As they should.