Black mold on bedroom ceiling

cyclonebri1

Pepe_Jean wrote: »

I agree, a dehumidifier would be the best thing.

We have one for our spare room that has a similar problem and since we've used a dehumidifier it has really helped.

Our's costs around £2 a week to run.

You, and the earlier poster are so far off mark it is unbelieveable.
Please read that without offence.

Ask yourself what a dehumidifier does? I'll tell you.

It removes excessive moisture when all else fails
And there is the clue, it's the last line of defence, not the prime option.

So what should you do?;

You need to do a combination of the following, depending which is lacking in your property.

Improve ventilation, increase heating and increase insulation.

In more case than you would believe, the issue is low heating.



So only if you can't heat, ventilate or insulate, should you consider a dehumidifier, ie, treat the disease, not the symptoms

Mr_Ted

Before you do anything you need to check the roof and gutters

Mold in a corner and edges of a room are often associated with water ingress from either a leak on a roof hip, blocked gutters causing water to ingress into the cavity, or just plain ol weather getting into the cavity.

PS to all those who recommend heat as a cure, it should be understood that condensation is caused by the air reaching a dew point on a cold surface, heat will often RAISE the humidity, so before using a dehumidifier or wasting heat, CHECK THE HUMIDITY LEVEL IN THE ROOM

[Deleted User]

Loft insulation was just fitted in September, this mold has been there all year.

I'm hoping since I've had the insulation done, the mold won't come back once I wash it off and repaint the room.

Door is usually left open but don't usually open the window in that room. It doesn't get used apart from storage.

anotheruser

Clean it off with bleach.
It will come back but every week just keep going over it with bleach and itll go away eventually.

This is only a treatment, not a cure.

cyclonebri1

As above and to be honest it can take more than that if it had really got hold.

A few coats of impermeable paint, (gloss), may be needed after bleaching, to form a shield layer before emulsioning again.

Now I understand what Mr T is saying but condensation occurs in any room we live in, heat we apply to keep comfortable becomes more humid due to hot air being capable of carrying more water. If it isn't then removed by ventilation it will reform on the colder surfaces of the room as the air in that room cools.

These are usually the windows and the point where external wall meets ceiling.

Now, given that new loft insulation has been added and that we all know the necessity to maintain through ventilation of a loft, it is possible that the installers have been generous in leaving airspace at the eaves.
It may be wise to get up there and install some standard vent tray that actually ensures a proper gap, but does allow the insulation to be tucked closely over the inner skin of the wall.

I think it's time to check.;)

erichamster

Bleach doesn't work very well with this, what you need is Dettol Mould and Mildew Remover, it comes in a bright green bottle, costs about £3 in supermarkets or £2 I think in Home Bargains if you have one.

I had a small patch of black mould in one room which bleach had no effect on whatsoever. I sprayed on the Dettol and left it and within 20 minutes it had faded from black, to orange, yellow and finally white. As it's on the ceiling put some paper/plastic sheet down on the floor as some may drip down and this stuff bleaches everything and spray it on the mould, don't wipe it off as you'll spread the spores and you might wipe off your paint too.

Since using this whenever I see the odd spot of mould it seems to stop it coming back in a given area for at least a few months and a whole bottle lasts me 1-2 years so pretty money saving!

Obviously this only treats the symptoms not the cause which in our case is a very warm, well insulated house (cavity wall insulation and a ridiculous amount of loft insulation) which causes a lot of condensation on our plastic windows every night in the winter months. Ventilation is the answer but who wants to open the windows and let all their heat out!

[Deleted User]

Thanks, I will get some of this Dettol Mold & Mildew remover and give it ago before painting the ceiling. And take it from there if it comes back.

GwylimT

You need to be opening the window, its clear that this room is too humid and opening an internal door isn't going to be too effective as the air circulation wont be as great as it will be with a window open. If you can get in the loft to check that there aren't any gaps in the insulation, if there are water will condense on those areas as they will be colder than the rest of the room.

kaya

The black mould is a fungus and a living organism , if you use something caustic and it feels under attack it will simply reproduce more spores . The way to permanently remove it ( after rectifying the cause ) is to use neat pva adhesive available from most diy stores and paint over it , once it dries you have sealed it in and it will die off , simply paint over

Blackpool_Saver

Imagine standing on a ladder leaning back applying bleach to a ceiling, very dangerous, likely to end up in hospital with bleach in your eyes. Treat the cause