Mould keeps coming back in bathroom, landlord useless

[JasmineWentShop28]

Hi all,

Bit embarrassed to even post this but the mould in our bathroom is back again and I just dont know what to do anymore.

We are renting a 3 bed semi and the landlord is USELESS. Every time I ring he says just open the window or wipe it down. Well I do open the window every single day and I bleach it and it still comes back black round the window frame and on the ceiling above the shower. The boys are in and out of there all the time and I hate them breathing it in. I am scrubbing it every week like some mad woman and its still spreading.

The boiler is ancient and the bathroom is freezing so I dont know if thats part of it. Weve also got a little one whos only 17 months and always poorly with ear infections, I worry the damp is making him worse.

I feel like the landlord just does not care. He took ages to fix the toilet last time and when he did it was bodged with tape. I am at my wits end with it.

Has anyone got any tips for keeping the mould away properly or do I need to go back to the council about this. I feel like we are being fobbed off constantly.

Thanks if you got this far.

You need to contact environmental health.

Is this being caused by a leak or is it condensation, or is it old mould that just has a foothold?

If the former your landlord is the only one who can fix it.
If the latter, you are the only one who can fix it (if the ventilation fan is up to scratch).
If the last one then either of you could fix it and it the landlord isn’t going to then I would just do it myself. By peeling seal on the window and recaulking. And by sealing and repainting ceiling with zinnser sealer and the anti mould paint.

Our bathroom gets mould too despite us having the window open 24/7 and always use the fan and leave it on for a while after someone has a bath or shower.
We use a spray from Astonish(the one that smells like apples) which clears it up and then in the Spring. DH painted the ceiling with some special mould resistance paint from Screwfix an. It’s been clear since then.
We will repeat the process if it comes back over winter. Make sure your extractor fan is working properly and cleaned regularly too.

I have an en suite with no window. I always run a dehumidifier while in the shower as well as the ceiling fan, and take damp towels out as soon as finished. That would definitely help avoid the damp.

I got some mould stuff from Must Have Ideas and it has pretty much sorted the issue in our bathroom.

How annoying. Some ideas for you to try:

• Ask your LL for a dehumidifier then prop it by the door- especially after baths and showers. Keep the window shut when it’s running.

• mould resistant paint.

• HP mould spray is better than bleach - spray it every day/ every few days to keep it at bay, even if there are no visible signs of mould

• if it’s near to plumbing you could get a plumber out to sort a leak.

• keep some heating on in the bathroom.

• it could be some cold air getting in through the window- can you feel any breeze etc? If yes the windows could be re sealed.

• does the brickwork look ok on the outside- are there bricks or grout that needs repairing?

Keep photos and a log of mould issues in a document that you can then submit to your LL or environmental health you want photos dates and times, plus a log and photos of stuff you’ve tried to fix the issue.

Good luck.

Bleach doesn't kill mould spores, you need vinegar or something like HG mould spray.

A dehumidifier should help.

It’s coming back because you’re using bleach. You need proper mould spray. Bleach doesn’t do anything to mould.

Of course bleach kills mold! No idea why people have started saying that it doesn't.

If the mold is above the shower it's probably condensation on a cold ceiling. Ideally the landlord would sort the insulation out so the ceiling is no longer cold, but you just need to heat the room and ventilate so all the moisture dries out.

Do you wipe down after a shower every single time? That's essential in my experience.

When is your tenancy up? I would not want to pay for a poor standard of living, have you looked at alternative properties?

Depends bleach will kill mould on a none porous surfaces like tiles and plastic

anything like a painted ceiling,wood ,plaster or silicon you are wasting your time with bleach it will just come back
you need proper mould remover

Fix the window yourself (people above have given good advice), then buy an anti-mould spray, clean and spray the ceiling and paint it twice with a special bathroom paint which is supposed to be damp-resistant.
Does the bathroom have any kind of heating? If not, buy a small electric radiator and heat it in the evening before children shower.
Keep the window open after shower.

We sufferer too. Condensation is the cause in my bathroom, it is a by-product of hot showers in a cold(ish) room. I need to get balance right between the moisture level of the air and temperature of the surfaces, to stop condensation.

So far I've used anti mould paint, fitted a decent extractor fan, and used HG mould spray.

The paint and extraction fan have helped, but not cured the problem. 3 hot showers still cause condensation on every wall and mirror in the room. What I think I need is more heat so the surfaces aren't as cold to stop the warm air condensing.

To help this I think actually keeping the window closed, but extractor on will help. I'm considering replacing the light with a heat/light unit, or even installing a bigger radiator. I've also been looking at dehumidifiers to lower moisture content of the air.

The active ingredient in most mould-remover sprays is sodium hypochlorite i.e. bleach.

Op I suggest you google Awaabs Law, it is coming in next month regarding damp and mould.

it requires landlords to comply with deadlines around damp and mould.

up yr knowledge and use it to take yr LL to court if required.

it’s something to do with the spores penetration porous surfaces

and from experience it doesn’t kill mould on painted walls but cilit bang mould removal does

At the end of the day this is your LL's problem as this is a risk to you and your family's health.

I suggest that you send them an email or letter with photos of the mould, telling them that you keep windows open & use the extractor fan. Also put them under notice that you intend contacting the local authorities (eg: Environmental Health) if the problem isn't remedied. I'd also get records from your GP showing that your child suffers from recurrent ear infections (though these could be due to something else, as at 17 months, your DC may have other issues, however always a good idea to evidence these things). I suggest that you give them 14 days to investigate the problem before you contact the council.

I wouldn't have any electrical items such as dehumidifiers or heaters in the bathroom as this is a risk of electric shock.

I also think that the lack of heating in the room isn't helping the problem - but an expert will be able to tell you about that.

I've rented out several properties over the years and would be so ashamed if one of my tenants felt that they had to resort to MN to sort a problem with one of my properties.

Good luck.