Yet another mould question

GiveItAWiggle

Hello, I've done a search and couldn't find anything about the question I need answering.

I moved into a rented house in Oct and within the past couple months I am starting to get a lot of mould on our bathroom ceiling. We open the window every day to keep the bathroom ventilated but it seems to do nothing to help.

The problem is also when we have a bath or shower, moisture seems to stay in the bathroom and you can still see wet patches on the ceiling even a day after you've been in. Like I said we open the window daily, keep the bathroom door closed and have the heating but still there is mould. Is this problem with our lifestyle or a lack of ventilation?

I know you can't give a certain answer but I want a rough answer before I go to the landlord about this problem.

Gingernutty

Open the bathroom door to let the air circulate if you can - it might do a little more good than just opening the window. That cold air coming in might be making the surface of the bathroom cold enough for the condensation to settle.

Is there a vent? A fan? Even one of those weird plastic vent inserts in the window is better than nothing.

If the condensation is collecting in one place and you're sure it is condensation (not a slow leak from somewhere), it might be an insulation thing.

There may no be enough insulation above the bathroom ceiling, the ceiling gets cold and the vapour condenses.

GiveItAWiggle

Thanks for the reply.

There is no fan or vent, just a window.

Kynthia

If the mould is being caused by lifestyle issues, such as showering and drying clothes, rather than a leak or faulty extractor fan then it's your responsibility. If you are already ventilating the room and heating the property then you may need to clean off the mould more often and buy a dehumidifier or moisture absorbing crystals (Homebase have some good ones for £6.99).

NinaSwiss

I'd suggest a good quality de-humudifier. Sometimes opening the window isnt enough.

I had a similar issue when I rented a studio flat. Issue was non existent in summer but in winter, clothes would take a week to dry and mould started growing on walls and curtains. Once I had the dehudifier on for a couple of days, clothes started drying in a day mould never returned (once cleaned).

After that, I only used the dehudifier once or twice a week in winter (it automatically stops once the wter tank is full). The best buy I made that year and sold it off on gumtree when I moved out.

Furts

Is the ceiling just plasterboard that has received a minimal coat of standard/cheap emulson paint? If so, it can be expected to absorb moisture and appear damp.

Even matt vinyl silk is porous - so same problem but to a lesser extent.

Move up to vinyl silk for better results and the ultimate is anti fungal emulsion made for bathroom use.

Does this help?

vectistim

Wipe up after a bath/shower, OK not really possible with plasterboard, but wipe down all tiled surfaces rather than leaving puddles of water everywhere.

spacey2012

Buy some mould and mildew remover spray, does what it says on the bottle.
Spray, do not wipe or rub, leave it a day and repeat, same again if required.
It will disappear with a few sprays.
You can then get on top of it first sign.

GiveItAWiggle

Thanks for all the replies, I'll get some of that spray.

Just to clarify I don't dry clothes in the bathroom. Also it's not 'puddles of water' left. You can just see wet patches on the ceiling (a bit hard to explain on a forum).

I'm not sure if its plasterboard or what type of paint is used.

I just feel some of it maybe down to me with the tips you have given me, for example with rubbing down tiles and mirrors, and also buying a dehumidifier but with the lack of ventilation (e.g. no fan) and maybe or maybe not the correct paint used then it could also be the landlords issue too.

amr547

Maybe try a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture?

We have the same thing in the kitchen, but it started appearing after we had a water leak in October... it looks like they've had problems with the mould before though because its coming through bits that they'd plastered. And the back door leaks... Leaving the windows open / the extractor fan on hasn't helped us sadly.

NinaSwiss

GiveItAWiggle wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies, I'll get some of that spray.

Just to clarify I don't dry clothes in the bathroom. Also it's not 'puddles of water' left. You can just see wet patches on the ceiling (a bit hard to explain on a forum).

I'm not sure if its plasterboard or what type of paint is used.

I just feel some of it maybe down to me with the tips you have given me, for example with rubbing down tiles and mirrors, and also buying a dehumidifier but with the lack of ventilation (e.g. no fan) and maybe or maybe not the correct paint used then it could also be the landlords issue too.

I guess my post was abit misleading. I wasent drying clothes in the bathroom but the living area of the studio flat. The problem wasent limited to just the bathroom so I used to leave all doors open and place dehumidifier in a central location to suck excess moisture from the whole flat.