Getting rid of dampness around windows, ceilings and walls

SimbaSimon

This is starting to really bug me now so I'm trying to find the best solution. It’s getting to the point where its really frustrating me having black marks appear and just seeing it slowly getting worse.

Our house is fairly open but we get quite a bit of condensation around the windows and doors and we're getting more and more mould on the walls and ceiling, one ceiling in particular. I would love some feedback/comments on what to do to help prevent it. I'm getting confused with insulating and ventilating as I'm not sure which one we're not doing correctly!

First the windows, we have double glazed wooden windows which do collect quite a bit of condensation. Research says this is because they are quite cold on the inside. I'm thinking if changing the curtains will help to allow the air to flow more. At the moment the windows have drapes which seem to stop the air from flowing. They are 2 thin layers of drapes, a day part which allows light through and a second part which blocks most the light. The drapes themselves cover the windowsill completely so I doubt this helps. Would different curtains or blinds allow the air to flow more which should allow the air to flow in/out more and help the windowsill area to warm up. The paintwork around the windowsill also gets small patches of damp which I presumable is because of the moist air that isn't really escaping/flowing.

On to the walls. This isn't too bad really, I noticed a tiny spot yesterday in a bottom corner but there is a cable coming in so presumable the solution is to plug the coldness coming through here?

Bedroom Ceiling/Wardrobe. This is a room above a garage if that makes any difference, I guess it may be slightly colder but the radiator warms it up quite well. The one wall at the back of the house slopes down from the ceiling to the top of the garage underneath. So one small half of our bedroom ceiling is sloped and above it is the roof so again this is probably one of the cool spots of the room. We also have build in wardrobes on this ceiling which gets quite cold. We repainted the wardrobe using mould resistant paint and this seems to have helped but it’s still very cold and I can sometimes see condensation on the back of the wardrobe. Again a new wardrobe with better doors may help but there’s no budget for this at the moment. I leave the doors open during the day but should I make an airhole perhaps in the wardrobe doors to allow air to flow more? The wardrobe has improved but now the sloped roof is getting black marks on it instead. Should we kill the mould, repaint it and try to stop the moisture somehow? (Possible by fixing the drape thing as per earlier). Also the ceiling which has black marks is artex, should I try getting rid of this to help stop the mould growth?

Finally at the back of the house we have sliding doors to the garden. There are some small cracks between the doorframe and there some black marks on the wall besides the cracks so should these be filled in? Again we have drapes which probably don't help the air flow.

So my proposed solutions are:
-I've ordered a hydrometer to measure the humidity levels, hopefully this will arrive soon so I can check my solutions might work (i.e. if one area is hot and another is cold).
-Try changing the drapes to curtains or blinds which allow the air to flow in and out the windows more (they are don't have trickle vents but allow a draft through anyway as they are wooden).
-With the air flowing hopefully more I'm hoping the black marks stop appear. In which case use a fungicide to kill the mould and repaint the affected walls.
-Possible cut out holes in the wooden wardrobe to allow air to flow into/out the wardrobe all the time. Another thought is currently the wardrobe is seperated into 3 with no air travelling between the 3 so some holes between the wardrobe might help too.
-Replace the door in the main bedroom to a folding door as I believe the door also restricts air flow as its quite a small room and part of the wardrobe is behind the door.

Pictures can be uploaded if requested. I just really want to get rid of this mould before it gets any worse. At the moment its fairly minor I think but I have visions of it taking over my house!

Thanks

Simon

keith969

Where is all the moisture in the air coming from? Cold walls or ceilings on their own shouldn't be a big problem if the humidity in the house is not excessive.

SimbaSimon

keith969 wrote: »

Where is all the moisture in the air coming from? Cold walls or ceilings on their own shouldn't be a big problem if the humidity in the house is not excessive.

Possible the bathroom. Reading up on it (like I said this is really annoying me) we should be opening the window of when taking a bath which were currently not doing. The bedroom with the mould problems is next to the bathroom and the rest of the house except the one bedroom is mainly open plan. So my guess could be a) taking a bath, b) opening the door to leave c) moisture escapes and heads towards the coolest spot next door?

I'll have to try opening the window in the bathroom and get the wife to do the same. An extractor fan would be nice to fit but I don't think there is room or electricity for it at the moment.

Also the bathroom sink is very slow to drain so this could create moisture as well as it takes ages! I've never really thought about it before but yes this could lead to humidity in the bedroom next door I suppose. However there is no mould in the bathroom surprisingly.

Simon

mightymolly

not a cure, but dettox mould and mildew remover is wonderful, although your house will smell like a swimming pool for a bit!