Mould on the ceiling

loonygooner

I have noticed black spots of mould appearing on my bedroom ceiling and seem to be spreading fast.
I believe that it may be due to condensation but am worried that if I don't do something now then the problem will get far worse. My son also has a dusky smeel in his room with droplets of water appearing every now and again.
As he suffers from Asthma I need to sort this out quickly.
Any ideas concerning people who can assess the problem and how much a survey will cost?
All help appreciated

110frankie

If it is your home contact your insurance.
If it's rented contact the landlord.

PugLady_2

We get the same thing on our bedroom ceiling, as do the neighbours. The neighbours had theirs checked out and were told its condensation.
Its just because the windows are always shut in winter.
I scrubbed it all off with bleach and touched up the paintwork, then just made sure I opened the windows slighty each morning after the kids had all gone to school. It seems to stop it, or maybe use a Dehumidifier to remove the dampness from the air.

loonygooner

Wow, 2 replies in 2 mins.

Thanks guys, I had wondered whether it was condensation and need to invest in a de-humidifier to see if that works.
Leaving windows open has been tried but will try the bleech and wipe away the marks to see if they return.

Is it worth getting a Surveyor in to assess the extent of the prblem, I suppose only I can answer that.

code-a-holic

We are renting and have this problem in our bedroom and in kitchen. In the bedroom it is 2 specific areas and turned out to be a leak through the roof. The kitchen has the same problem - flat roof above it. Have ben promised it will be fixed in spring!

weekendwarrior

Hi,

I have just read this page on Mould and it says not to use bleach as this is only a temporary fix, you need a fungicide!

After treatment I would then use a paint designed for kitchens and bathrooms, these absorb most condensation and can prevent mould, better still try and prevent the condensation!

It definately needs sorting out though, mould spores can be detromental to your health!

BNU_2

loonygooner wrote:

Wow, 2 replies in 2 mins.

Thanks guys, I had wondered whether it was condensation and need to invest in a de-humidifier to see if that works.
Leaving windows open has been tried but will try the bleech and wipe away the marks to see if they return.

Is it worth getting a Surveyor in to assess the extent of the prblem, I suppose only I can answer that.

Hi loonygooner

I work for a Chartered Surveyor (who was in your area last week funny enough - who may have been able to pop by to inspect had I seen this earlier :rolleyes: ) but if the mould spots are not accompanied by an obvious damp patch, which might suggest a roof/gutter/chimney/pipe leak instead, then it is very likely to be condensation and a Surveyor will simply charge you around £100 to call out and tell you that, and advise you to bleach/fungicide it down and ventilate/dehumidify the room/house, the same as advice given by other members on this thread for free!

You can reduce the problem considerably by trying to keep your doors shut when cooking, washing.... but especially when bathing :eek: .... if possible try not to dry washing around the house either, but unless you are going to restrict your family to breathing only when outdoors then you will always get the problem to some extent unless you hit the right balance of heating/ventilatation.

loonygooner

BNU wrote:

Hi loonygooner

I work for a Chartered Surveyor (who was in your area last week funny enough - who may have been able to pop by to inspect had I seen this earlier :rolleyes: ) but if the mould spots are not accompanied by an obvious damp patch, which might suggest a roof/gutter/chimney/pipe leak instead, then it is very likely to be condensation and a Surveyor will simply charge you around £100 to call out and tell you that, and advise you to bleach/fungicide it down and ventilate/dehumidify the room/house, the same as advice given by other members on this thread for free!

You can reduce the problem considerably by trying to keep your doors shut when cooking, washing.... but especially when bathing :eek: .... if possible try not to dry washing around the house either, but unless you are going to restrict your family to breathing only when outdoors then you will always get the problem to some extent unless you hit the right balance of heating/ventilatation.

Bathing is my one joy in life, my mate Samson would not be impressed!!!

BNU_2

loonygooner wrote:

Bathing is my one joy in life, my mate Samson would not be impressed!!!

Just keep the door shut and don't create too much steam!

Are water shortages so bad in the South that you now need to bathe with a friend?

westernpromise

loonygooner wrote:

I have noticed black spots of mould appearing on my bedroom ceiling and seem to be spreading fast.

How old is the house? On new-built houses or newly-converted flats, this is very common. The water used in the plastered walls comes out again as it dries. Takes two winters for it all to come out, IME.

On new but not brand new houses the usual reason is condensation - do you also get little pools of water on windowsills on cold days?

I fixed this by scrubbing the affected area with fungicide from B & Q and then applying fungicidal paint, also from B & Q. It never came back.