Black mould in bedroom

mintymoneysaver

Don't know if anyone else has this problem. We have a bay window in our bedroom. The radiator is right underneath it but we only ever have it on really low or off. We have double glazing. The two walls at the sides of the bay window are covered with a black mark all over the wallpaper. I keep washing them down and it does fade slightly, but comes back. Any suggestions as to what I can do to reduce it as I want to redecorate and don't want it happening again?

liuhut

I have exactly the same on either side of our bay, be interested to see what the solution is!

adaze

mildew/ damp? Do you get condensation on the window?

mintymoneysaver

Yes we do get condensation but it's not major.

newnhak

If it is condensation you will need to get rid of all traces of damp and then do something to stop the condensation problem.

We had really bad condensation in our bedroom and in the last few months I seem to have finally got it sorted.

First we tried to keep on top off it by wiping it down, then it got worse and we painted over it (over blown vinyl), eventually we had to strip the paper and re-wallpaper (blown vinyl again as the walls were bad). wiping down the walls wont get rid as it will be in and behind the wallpaper.

It got worse - nearly the whole corner from top to bottom was black - so earlier this year I stripped the walls again, cleaned them with bleach spray, replastered and then painted. This seems to have killed off all the existing damp. It also means as the walls are now painted it wont get behind the wallpaper anymore so the wall can just be wiped down with bleach if necessary.

To minimise the condensation I have put in an air brick to increase airflow. I have also re-arranged furniture to allow air flow around them as much as possible and I have tried to ensure sources of condensation are contained - i.e we keep bathroom door shut when we use shower or bath and we open the bathroom window and put the extractor fan on. I dont dry clothes on the radiator in the bedroom and I am in the process of increasing the extraction in the kitchen.

I hope this helps a bit - I know I spent ages looking in to what best to do as it was really depressing when the room was damp plus it didnt help my asthma. I still get condensation on the windows but I keep them open a little when i can to minimise this. I also bought a dehumidifier that seems to make a difference (it sucks a scary amount of water out of the air) but I try to use it as little as possible. I dont think it helps that my house is double thickness brick with no cavity.

K

latecomer

I'd recommend getting a damp meter and checking whether you have a problem with damp in the walls. If there is damp then you'll get more condensation which is the problem I have currently.

TimBuckTeeth

latecomer wrote: »

I'd recommend getting a damp meter and checking whether you have a problem with damp in the walls. If there is damp then you'll get more condensation which is the problem I have currently.

A damp meter will give a rough idea of how much moisture is on the surface of the wall. It is basically a simple electrical resistance meter - water conducts electricity.

Unfortunately it will not differentiate between damp coming from outside and condensation, so if the wall has black mould on it then it has moisture on it and a meter will just confirm this.

viz

we had this problem in rented accomodation. The room was not well ventilated and not used much. The mould/mildew was bad all up the walls.
But on adviced we kept the window on latch- small gap and started to use the room - and after one wipe down it never returned.
...so from my experience a good air ventilation can help...although noted above advice re other underlying causes.

DisneyPrincess_2

We have had this problem since we moved in, 2 years ago as did the previous owner. I know people try to help, but I was sick of being told it was ventilation (2 air vents open every night, plus window in -O b******* temperatures), central heating, (never on) etc. Every day we had the black stuff even in summer months and it really gets you down. However, 6/7 weeks ago, we got a thick white paint from Leyland/Johnstone paints for Damp Proof (although it is codensation we have) it stinks and costs about £35 a tin but goes a long, long way. We have covered both plastered wall and wallpaper with this and have not seen an inkling of the mould since. I will point out that although on the tin it says you can put another paint on top of it, that would be based on you having a damp proof problem, where in fact it is condensation, and that clings to the available surface, therefore we have decided not to tempt fate, and have left it white. No big deal really as it was magnolia before, and you can hardly see the difference. Please let me know how you get on, its worked miracles for us.

MR_G

I have the same problem !!!

Had a firm come in & they want to charge me £400 to put in a few air bricks !!!

Where as before I had a load of stuff cluttered in the corner I have cleared it so the air can flow so what next.

I think I may strip the wallpaper wash the wall down apply mould killer let it do its thing then apply some of that Leyland / Johnstone Damp Proof paint.

Can anyone see a flaw in my plan or know a better way of dealing with this ?

sooz

You need to both heat & ventilate.
So the suggestions of keeping a trickle vent open or the window open slightly, or adding an airbrick are good, but you also need to heat the room too.