Mould in Bedroom and Bathroom (Flat)

Nixer

We got a dehumidifier (Prem I Air X-Dry I think, deffo a Prem-I-Air) that has turbo laundry mode which helps no end - if the heating is on and the dehum is on it will get even a load of towels dry in about 2 -4 hours and stops them smelling horrid.
Moving to a house with a less !!!!!! landlord and less !!!!!! build quality helped more though. Why does everyone on here seem to think it's usually the tenant's fault if the flat is mouldy?

Fire_Fox

Nixer wrote: »

We got a dehumidifier (Prem I Air X-Dry I think, deffo a Prem-I-Air) that has turbo laundry mode which helps no end - if the heating is on and the dehum is on it will get even a load of towels dry in about 2 -4 hours and stops them smelling horrid.
Moving to a house with a less !!!!!! landlord and less !!!!!! build quality helped more though. Why does everyone on here seem to think it's usually the tenant's fault if the flat is mouldy?

Thanks for the recommendation! :T

Winter damp tends to be caused by condensation, the water comes from the lifestyle of the resident - as I said earlier we apparently produce four pints of water per person per day, that water will cause problems if it isn't ventilated out.

There often is an element of the design of the property - my flat has metal window frames which act as cold bridges for example. But that doesn't make mould inevitable - I heat less than my neighbours but ventilate religiously and have very little mould/ water damage compared with the two flats I have been inside.

Houses tend to be better ventilated 'naturally' - they may have fireplaces, windows/ doors on more than one aspect so it's easy to get a through draft, trickle vents near windows. Flats tend to be set up to be as airtight as possible presumably to comply with fire regs, and they often don't have doors which open outside but open into equally airtight corridors.

If you read around the net, many councils have advice on their websites about damp/ condensation, and the experts advice is the same as we give here. I think a landlord who isn't willing to investigate damp and/ or provide a decent dehumidifier is a fool to himself as condensation and mould can be damaging to his investment and make the tenants more likely to move on.

Nixer

I agree that drying washing indoors without much ventilation will certainly produce a lot of condensation (emptying the dehumifier is rather satisfying) but is it ever the sole cause of mould? The most usual cause I have experienced has been the combination of uninsulated (i.e. cold) wall plus water running down the wall outside - this has been the cause in both my current and last houses. I haven't had mould in any houses prior to the last and I have lived in over 20 houses and flats.

Luckily in the current house the landlord fixed the leaky guttering that was causing the problem. In the previous house (wasn't guttering, we suspected roof leak) the landlord wasn't interested despite us pointing out the damage to the mortar on the external wall. The only mouldy wall in that house was the bathroom and I never dried clothes in there because I thought it would make it even worse. It was absolutely black in places during winter. I hadn't discovered dehumidifiers then but I doubt it would have helped much. Glad I'm not lining his pockets any more, especially since he served notice on us because we kept asking for repairs that weren't done.

If anyone reading does get a dehumidifier they work best when the air is warm - I try and time my evening laundry to be finished when the heating has been on for about an hour.

Fire_Fox

Nixer wrote: »

I agree that drying washing indoors without much ventilation will certainly produce a lot of condensation (emptying the dehumifier is rather satisfying) but is it ever the sole cause of mould? The most usual cause I have experienced has been the combination of uninsulated (i.e. cold) wall plus water running down the wall outside - this has been the cause in both my current and last houses. I haven't had mould in any houses prior to the last and I have lived in over 20 houses and flats.

Luckily in the current house the landlord fixed the leaky guttering that was causing the problem. In the previous house (wasn't guttering, we suspected roof leak) the landlord wasn't interested despite us pointing out the damage to the mortar on the external wall. The only mouldy wall in that house was the bathroom and I never dried clothes in there because I thought it would make it even worse. It was absolutely black in places during winter. I hadn't discovered dehumidifiers then but I doubt it would have helped much. Glad I'm not lining his pockets any more, especially since he served notice on us because we kept asking for repairs that weren't done.

If anyone reading does get a dehumidifier they work best when the air is warm - I try and time my evening laundry to be finished when the heating has been on for about an hour.

With the guttering you are talking about penetrating damp, which has a different presentation to the more common (in flats) condensation damp. Often penetrating damp appears in patches mid wall or between the ceiling and wall; it often doesn't cause mould as the water is coming in from the outside not settling on the surface like condensation. Crtitically penetrating damp can appear at any time of year.

Condensation tends to appear behind furniture, on windows or frames, inside cupboards - basically anywhere cold where there is little circulation of air. Condensation which is not addressed quickly progresses to surface mould growth, and is mainly a problem in winter as it's then that people stop ventilating and the external walls get cold enough for the water to settle.

Condensation is caused by breathing (bedrooms worst affected), showering and bathing (bathrooms), cooking without lids on pans (kitchens) AND air drying laundry indoors. As stated design does play a role houses suffer far less often, ditto older flats tend to escape as they are not as well sealed against the elements as a modern flat.

If you read the many threads on damp on this board, you will see the first thing we ask for is a description of the problem, where the damp/ mould is found (in this case the OP helpfully provided that). This gives us a strong clue as to the likely cause and thus the remedy. Anyone complaining of mould at this time of year is given condensation advice, if it were June then we'd be asking about guttering, roof tiles, pointing, condition of windows.

neas

If your lifestyle produces mould and the building isnt up to scratch.. it might be worth buying a Dehumidifer..

We got the Delonghi DEM10 from amazon (around 100 quid).. and over 6 hours it takes out about 1 litre or so of water from our bedroom area. Previously we had problems with cold/damp... but the air feels cleaner with this thing going. Also we purchased from ebay the bag dehumidifiers (like salt in bag basically that you can heat up to remove water)... for when we sleep.

The mould that grows on your wall WILL go to that overpacked wardrobe... and if it is or isn't your fault... are you willing to risk some of your expensive clothes ?

Also drying clothes in house will produce alot of water in air... which aroudn tight areas or areas with mould already there will help mould grow. Mould isnt good for your health or clothes,furniture etc... spray all walls down with mould spray, open window... don't dry clothes indoor.. but if you must i think a little dehumidifer is going to be needed to avoid getting mould.

damtheman

Thanks everyone for the suggests but yes I am resurrecting this old thread just tell you all, I've moved many times since! And now finally in a property that mould isn't following or forming in the damp corners. Thank goodness for that.

Now where's the "close thread" button