Condensation in my Bedroom

JennRutts

Hi all.

I'm new to the forums and haven't posted in here before but thought it was worth a shot...

I have a really awful condensation issue in my bedroom. One entire wall of the bedroom is made of glass (double glazing I think) and every couple of days I have to mop the window sills.

When we moved into the flat (we rent), I didn't have a chance to view it and left it in my boyfriends capable hands. However he failed to see that in the top corner of the bedroom, the blinds were no longer attached to the ceiling and were hanging off. I now think this is to do with mould from the condensation but things took a turn for the worse the other day when we went to shut the blinds after a really big mopping session and the whole thing fell off the ceiling. Now we have no blinds up in our bedroom and they're currently laid in a pile on the floor... which will probably be a puddle in a couple of days.

What can I do? Am i liable for the blinds falling off the ceiling and the mould in the corner? How do I stop this from happening again?

I'm really worried about the mould making me ill, is it likely to??

Hope someone can help!!

Mee

Welcome newbie!

I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will come along, but do take some pictures. Check online what the rules are regarding your property - you don't say whether it is private or social housing.

The Tenants Association and Shelter may be able to assist, plus your local authority Environment or Housing department.
Also there is a lot of info. on how to deal with mould and condensation online and the implications for your health.

WestonDave

Mould in large quantities will make people ill - some are prone to an allergic type reaction to mould spores (these are the "eggs" that get sprayed out by mould in order to spread). HG Mould remover is the king of mould removers - you can usually get it in DIY sheds or Robert Dyas if you have one around. If you can't get some of that, clean it off with thick bleach and leave some bleach solution on the surface to help prevent regrowth. However mould can live in standard emulsion paint so unless you repaint it with a mould proof paint (Zinnser Perma White is one I've used in difficult situations and has so far held out for a few years) you'll need to keep on top of it.

However that is really only treating the symptoms of the problem. The core of it is that the relative humidity in your room is too high. Air holds water depending on temperature - warm air holds more. Warm wet air created by you both lying in bed at night, windows and door tightly shut will come up against a relatively cold window and start dumping water as condensation. Your two options are to either leave a window open a crack, or run a dehumidifier in there to counteract the water creation you are doing.

The mould won't have dropped the blinds but if the area around the window is frequently damp with condensation, the plaster holding the fixings will get soft and fail. Its not that big a job to sort - some decent filler like Tetrion to fill the holes, you can then redrill and put the blinds back up.

Blame is a tricky one - failure to ventilate by the occupier is at least part of the problem. In a bedroom you wouldn't normally expect an extractor fan, however if the windows aren't openable for some reason, some form of air vent might help.

I-Want-To-Move

Only solution is to keep an air vent open or if you don't have one, leave the window open on the lock (is it called drip lock or something). Your insurance will cover you even though the window is open (I double checked with mine about this recently) and it will let air circulate which should reduce the problem. You can buy plastic dehumidifiers which do not need plugging in. They contain a large round tablet (looks like a dishwasher tablet but much bigger) which soaks up moisture. You can get them from B&Q or the supermarket.

I'm not sure about liability for damage to the blinds because the landlord might try and blame you for not airing the room. I don't trust most landlords....