Is this damp/mould or something worse?

[dizzyupthegirl86]

I moved here three years ago, the bathroom has a window but no extractor fan. Last year some damp/mould spots appeared in the corner above the shower, I cleaned them off but they’ve come back again with a vengeance!
I’ve noticed in the last couple of weeks that there are more patches along the walls as well, and wondered if it was a sign it could be something else (like the roof?)

I am planning to get an extractor fan installed (it’s been on the to-do list for a while but other stuff was more urgent last year). I open the window after I shower and close it before bed which probably isn’t long enough really but otherwise the bathroom is freezing in this weather!

does anyone have any opinions please?

You need to have the window open whilst you shower and after to avoid condensation forming to prevent the mould. If the window isn’t open long enough, could you maybe shower earlier so that it is?

Thanks - i usually do that most of the year, which is probably why it’s only ramped up now! The position of the shower and the window means you’re basically right next to it, which is miserable when it’s freezing cold!

J

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I would check the guttering outside to make sure there’s no issues there but it looks like simple condensation related mould to me - the edge of the ceiling is often the coldest if it’s next to an outdoor wall and that’s why it tends to be worse here. Heating, ventilation and dehumidifiers is the answer.

It's possibly a cold spot in the loft where the insulation doesn't quite go right up to the wall.

I had a spot like that in my bedroom (that's also ventilated everyday) and that was the cause.

Looks like damp mould. The only way we can stop it is ensuring we have the heating on for at least two hours before using bathroom, and wiping down the walls and surfaces straight after. We have an extractor fan, but to be honest it's not very effective, and is on for several hours after shower/ bath.
We just regularly blitz the mould. I've found white wine vinegar (leave on for at least thirty mins before wiping off) just as effective as bleach. Yet to find anything that stops it coming back.

Depending on the layout of the hall/rooms around the bathroom you could put a dehumidifier near the bathroom door and leave it ajar.

You would still need to wipe down the walls after every shower. It would just mean in very cold weather you don't need to open the window.

What are you cleaning it with? Bleach doesn't get rid of the mould it just colours it.

Thanks everyone for the tips!

to answer a few questions…. I have been cleaning it with bleach, but up til now it’s only been a patch in the corner, which being RIGHT by the shower, I put down to damp/mould.

I have a dehumidifier in the bathroom (the blue thing in the photo) which absorbs a lot of water, I’ve just ordered a refill pack for it as the one in there has gone.

both of those walls are outside walls as well! I went through a stage of using a karcher window vac after every shower but have admittedly slacked off in the last couple of weeks.

Those little dehumidifier things barely work. You need to get one of the proper plug in electric ones - we got ours from AO, it cost about £250 but we pay £10 monthly for it and it makes a huge difference.

I wouldn’t have the room in the bathroom for one of those, but I think the non-electric ones are pretty good, for smaller rooms anyway. I keep one in the conservatory too and it makes a real difference there.

We have a bathroom with no extractor fan and no radiator either and what I find helps is to open the door to the bathroom and have an electric dehumidifier on the landing outside. I have the window open and the door shut for about 5 minutes but any longer and the room itself is unusable at this time of year. Plus door open and dehumidifier is much more effective

We get this. My DH kept cleaning but in the end we got the letting agency to repaint with anti damp paint and we have one of those little tablet dehumidifier things. They also got the guttering cleared. Also we ended up buying a meaco dehumidifier which lives on the landing. It broke though so we had some weeks without it. A bit has returned right in the corner. But I'm just trying to wipe it and will paint over with normal paint as it's just a bit

We don’t put the dehumidifier in the actual bathroom, we put it on the landing outside. It works so efficiently it brings the whole humidity of the house down. We had awful problems with condensation when we first moved in, to the point we even had water dripping down the bedroom light fitting at one point. We had to get air vents put in the roof, a more powerful extractor fan and we use the dehumidifier a lot, I just move it round the house and leave it on in various rooms. It’s really helped, we don’t have half as much black mould now.

Oh blimey! Mine luckily isn’t that bad (yet!).
Prior to me buying it, and before the previous owners, the house was rented - and for some reason, all the vents on the windows have been siliconed shut, which cannot be helping. At the moment, all the windows at the back of the house, and the living room bay window at the front are really wet first thing in the morning.

do you mind if I ask which model you have? I’ll start researching tonight. I’ve asked someone to come and quote for installing an extractor fan, but if that’s £200 vs a £300 dehumidifier, it gives me something to think about!

We don’t have an extractor fan, but we keep the window open during showering and long after. I use a karcher window vac to dry off the glass/ tiles/ tray/ mirror after every shower. This makes a massive difference, it removes so much moisture from the bathroom that would otherwise be lingering around. Dehumidifiers are better than extractor fans IMO too.

You need mould remover spray, either Astonish, Cillit Bang or Harpic do them, it's much better than bleach but smells strong. The aero 360 are pretty good too.

This is the same one we have. It’s on offer here -

https://www.very.co.uk/black-decker-20-litre-dehumidifier/1600509942.prd?cm_mmc=google--PLA+-+Generic---_-__&utm_campaign=Generic_Electricals+-+Generic+-+Small+Domestic+Appliances+(SDA)+-+PMAX&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_term=&campaigntype=shopping&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD2k1i0opRerCiDVpdTV_IbEU2tSP&gclid=Cj0KCQiAnfmsBhDfARIsAM7MKi3vohP-IV8tI6mD48EXLeNoSRyZfK7HaXHN56aqbhbnk8hJUcpjP40aAmfNEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds#sku=sku23067181

Wash (I just used flash) and paint with mould resistant paint, that will keep it at bay for a while. Dehumidifiers are great. Our bathroom ceiling was really bad, even with an extractor, washed and painted with paint I think it began with Z, Zisser or something looked like new got a dehumidifier and no more mould.

We just bought a 12l dehumidifier from Asda for around £90. I can't believe hos much water is pulled from our nbathroom daily. We so have the washing in there too, but it can filling one day! I'd really recommend getting one, we have been putting it off for ages, regret not getting sooner.