Mould in my flat, please help! (Yucky pictures attached)

[CanTheMousePLEASEGoToHell]

I moved into my flat last summer and noticed a little bit of mould on the windowsill in the bedroom. When I mentioned it to the estate agent they just advised to open the windows to allow air in which I’ve done everyday.

Fast forward to now and the mould in the bedroom and on the front door is awful. I live on one of those blocks where you open your front door and you’re already outside on a balcony. So everyday the outside of the door is cold whereas the inside is really warm. There’s always condensation on the windows in the morning and sometimes it’ll still be there by the evening even though the windows have been open for most of the day.

The heating has started to come on in the last month or so meaning I can’t always keep the windows wide open as thay doesn’t make sense. Can anyone advise on what to do? I’ve attached a picture of the mould on the front door and on the wall on top of the window in the bedroom. I’m looking at getting a dehumidifier (will that work?) but what can I use to clean the mould off in the meantime? Thank you

This is all great advice, thank you so much! My plan is to try and get rid of as much mould as possible and then just maintain this by wiping away the condensation along with opening the windows. I’m relieved that I finally have a plan because I’m asthmatic and I’ve been finding it a bit difficult to breathe in the room recently. I also have kids so I can’t let this problem go on any longer. Thanks again

We have a Karcher window vacuum, and in the mornings we vacuum the condensation off the bedroom windows - a surprising amount of water comes off them.

If you do buy a dehumidifier remember you must have the windows CLOSED when you run that you - if you run it with the windows open it's trying to dehumidify the entire world.

I'd recommend anti mould paint once you've got rid of what is there. We had terrible mildew problems in an old house and repainted completely in anti mould paint and it's now been okay for a decade.

Ask landlord to check gutters.

Do you dry clothes in the house? If so, it won't help matters.

It can be dealt with, but really needs active management.

White vinegar will destroy it all
Keep everything dry and seal up any cracks

Air rooms for 20 minutes a day at least. Try and get a through draught going.

Dry excess water as soon and as often as you can

Clean mould

Reduce water in air (close door when showering and keep bathroom window open). Lids on boiling pots. Double spin clothes before air drying inside. Etc etc.

If you have trickle vent on windows keep them open as much as possible.

Can you "open lock" your windows? Could you sleep with the windows like that?

Thanks for the tip! I’ve never heard of anti mould paint until I read some of the comments on this thread so I’ll definitely try and get permission to use that. Great to hear that it’s worked for your household!

The only option is to dry clothes in the house. There’s no garden, laundry room or anything like that. The clothes dry on a rack in the living room where surprisingly there isn’t much mould in that room

I'd definitely make sure to run the dehumidifier when drying clothes

Tell your landlord it needs to be dealt with, give them 30 days in total to book an appointment to fix. If they don’t, hide someone & deduct from your rent. It’s unacceptable I’m in the same position

I'm glad you feel better about it, if you are drying washing in the house definitely get a dehumidifer with a laundry function. I got mine at Aldi, 20L. Lids on pans, extractor on when you are cooking, and shut the bathroom window when showering with the extractor on.

I moved into this bungalow in March 2021, by November I'd discovered every floor was covered in black stinking mould. My dog started coughing this January and died in October, I think he had mould spores in his lungs as he had evidence of aspergillosis in his nose. The vet said it was old age and his kidneys (he'd have been 14 the next day) but I still have my feelings of guilt that I bought him somewhere so unsafe. The vendor was very very wrong not to tell me.

Please ignore this advice, never deduct money from your rent.

Look it up! You can do this.

I would second this. Astonish Mould and Mildew Spray £1 in Poundland. You need to get rid of that mould ASAP and keep on top of it. I have two bedroom windows that get bad condensation some mornings. I use the Karcher window vac to get rid of it every morning. I wouldn’t leave moisture on your windows. It’s easier to nip it in the bud.

Yes and definitely report to your landlord if renting.

Thank you so much for everyone’s comments!
I couldn’t find any mould spray in Poundland today but I purchased white vinegar and cleaned the windowsill and the front door. I’ve added pictures of the same area after it’s been cleaned. You can see that there’s a faint show of what used to be there but it’s WAY better than before. I also cleared my windowsill in the bedroom as it was full of junk and probably wasn’t helping.

My 7 month old has a genetic disorder and we were in hospital on Tuesday night as he has Bronchiolitis. That really motivated me to finally do something about the mould as I don’t want anything to make him have to work harder to breathe right now. Thanks so much guys, I’m so grateful. I’ll definitely stay on top of it by wiping the condensation on the windows and the door every morning as well as opening the windows too. I appreciate all the comments!!

That does look a lot better OP but you need to make sure the spores are dead otherwise it will grow back within days. Diluted bleach can work. I haven’t tried this but seen lots of recommendations on here. I was going to get some for my bathroom tiles:

www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01CRBEUVO/?coliid=I3V6U91J4OJBLD&colid=XR09CXYQTMI3&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Oh @AchillesLastStand you’re bloody lying?! As soon as I saw your comment, I’ve gone to Savers and bought mould and mildrew spray. They didn’t have Astonish brand so I’ve had to get the dettol one. Will the mould and mildew spray help get rid of the spores or only diluted bleach? Sorry I clearly know nothing about this

Bleach will help in the short term if you have nothing else but the proper mould and mildew spray are much more effective as they have active ingredients to kills the spores permanently. Don’t worry you haven’t wasted your money. Make sure you use in a well ventilated space because it’s quite strong!

Best wishes to your baby, I hope he is comfortable.

White vinegar only kills some types of mould, so do use a few different things. I've got to get a toothbrush to get into the space the mould is lurking on the skirting board, the damp company haven't been back to replace it yet.

As before, don't use white vinegar as well as bleach as it gives a chemical reaction.

Oh no, that's so sad to read.

Do you drape wet washing inside your home?

Oh yes, I see you do.

Does the bathroom have an extractor fan that works?

If so put a line or rack in there (perhaps over the bath), SHUT the door and window, turn the fan on, and leave it on.

It will put the water vapour outside your home, and it will generate enough suction to prevent it drifting into the rest of the flat.

Okay great thank you. I’ll go over everything again tomorrow morning with the Dettol mould spray!