Mould!

[GrumpyCowBag]

Hi all, just after suggestions!

We have a big bay window in our bedroom and have a set of drawers that sits in front of it pulled as far as possible away from the bay window wall.

We’ve always had a recurring mould issue in the area. Mostly on the skirting board. It’s only really an issue during the winter and we regularly treat it and remove it but it quite quickly comes back. We’ve had a mould specialist out who said it’s because we have our en-suite door near the window so when we shower in the morning, the steam comes through. It’s also contributed by water droplets overnight.

We’ve just paid almost £1,000 for new curtains as the old ones (20 years old!) had mould on them at the back. From the mould position the curtains It’s either come from the window sill or the skirting which isn’t surprising as it’s very wet round there in the morning.

I want to protect these new curtains.

Have added a couple of those water absorber boxes to the window sill but skirting and windows are still wet in morning.

Any other ideas??

Do you remove any condensation straight away? We have a window vacuum which is excellent

You need one of these. We’ve just had a damp specialist round after battling black mould for years. All black mould is condensation, apparently it only grows in pure water. You fit them in the loft.

https://blandfords.net/damp-and-mould/?utm_term=piv%20unit&utm_campaign=&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=7096803858&hsa_cam=21883335963&hsa_grp=175388431812&hsa_ad=720571327388&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-993258952033&hsa_kw=piv%20unit&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21883335963&gbraid=0AAAAACsl_STbvGNHZWNTCBDfuszKfDGiW&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_PWllIe1kQMViZJQBh15gQw0EAAYASAAEgIfnfD_BwE

Do you have a extraction fan in the ensuite?

Mould can be due to a water leaking in from the outside too, because that then makes the wall colder which leads to condensation. Do you think there could be a water leak round the window somewhere? Have the gutters been cleared and checked?

I have a big bay window and use a meaco dehumidifuer. It collects so much water. If your ensuite is near it must cause a lot of condensation.

You won’t like my answer but we have similar issues and the only thing that’s solved it is running a dehumidifier 12 hours a day in the room, fitting air bricks in the roof and not having furniture anywhere near any window walls. So you’ll have to move the drawers. I also wouldn’t spend much on curtains and furnishings as we need to replace ours fairly regularly - I just buy them from George at Asda or Argos and replace every couple of years. Our house is a 1950s house and we’ve had so many people out to give opinions and they say it’s because back then they were built with such thick walls they just can’t breathe.

You need a dehumidifier. Not one of the small )15/£20 ones one of the irritatingly large ones £100+ ones.

I have mould in my property too. Dehumidifiers are the best. One area in mine like your bay is cold even with my heating on and I’ve just learnt to accept it needs a tea lying mould wash and re paint, dehumidifier and wipe off the moisture is the best

I’ve just pulled the drawers out to check if the skirtings are wet and the carpet itself feels damp! No idea how long that’s been the case, it also smells a bit cheesy!

Thank you for all your suggestions!

We do have enough space for a dehumidifier behind the drawers I think. I’d say there’s maybe 1-2 feet behind the drawers depending on the curve point of the bay

A cheaper way than what @Dolphinnoisessuggests would be to get a dehumidifier. I have a Meaco 10l and it does the job - about 10-15 quid extra on the electric monthly. That's for a house with a failed dpc.

You need a proper dehumidifier. The box ones with beads in won’t cut it. Honestly you’ll be astounded at how much water it will remove from the air each day.

We’ve just got a Meaco dehumidifier and put it in the utility room. Our kitchen is much drier, and hence warmer and more comfortable. I’ve always got gym kit and swimming costumes drying and everything dries more quickly

First: look for leaks. A pipe internally? The gutter outside? The window?

second: move the chest of draws completely from that space.

is it a sealed UPVC or timber?

open windows for 10 mins morning and evening.

White vinegar kills mould spores , mould sprays remove what’s on the surface.

The cheapest and most efficient way to get rid of humid air is extraction. So making sure the water vapour from the en suite goes outside via an extractor fan. Also keep the door to the ensuite as closed as possible, and after using it make sure you get rid of any excess water on surfaces. I use a squeege to push any water in the shower tray down the plug hole and also to skim any water off the shower door. This water will just evaporate into the air and make the atmosphere more damp if you do not get rid of it.

After that it is dehumidification and you need a proper one not the condensor boxes. You can probably time it so it comes on during the day so it will not disturb you at night.

It sounds like the bay may have failed. We had this in one of our houses and it was a big job fixing it.

But I would try a dehumidifier first and check to see if you have an extractor fan in the bathroom.

It sounds like you have water ingress, as well as the issue of condensation.

A plug in dehumidifier is your new best friend, they work wonders!

I discussed that with the damp surveyor. The PIV extractors are a lot cheaper to run - so it depends how long you intend to stay there. They also serve up to a 5 bedroom house with one unit

Yes but pretty expensive to install.

The problem is the whole house solution may not be optimal in terms of removing damp from a specific area.

If you are creating high humidity in one area, the best solution is to remove/reduce that, not try to condition the entire house.

I would say that your bay window is letting in damp air too. I would suggest you get some of that plastic sheeting/secondary glazing and run a dehumidifier in that area - before and after to compare.

I've recently move to a new but damp house and I was extracting 12L every day from the bedroom bay area so I put the sheeting up and it's now down to 4-6L a day. The bay roof is compromised so I know I'll be extracting that until the new window is put in, but at least I'm no longer drying outside as well. I bought the 12L Challenger dehumidifier from Argos, cheaper than meaco but still works great.

Start with a proper extractor. I recommend an extract rate of about 240 cu.m/hr if you have steamy showers. Turned on by the light switch and with a run-on timer. If you can run a duct above the ceiling you will not see it. The best ones with ball-bearing motors are inaudible when you shut the door and run for about 100 hours on 25pence worth of electricity.

@summerhillsquare

" a house with a failed dpc."

I have some difficulty with that concept. Slate lasts at least 50 million years and does not wear out. However it is not unusual for builders to defeat it by laying paving that brings ground level above the dpc. Such paving should be removed.

No @PigletJohnit was a bitumen coating on concrete that has been scraped off by people relaying floors, post war building.

I have a dehumidifier and use clove oil. It kills the spores and smells like Christmas

There are some obvious things to do while you wait for more permanent solutions. Remove the chest of drawers, stop using the en suite for showers and buy a dehumidifier.

It would be better to stop making mould rather than just keep cleaning it up.