Dealing with mould

enchilada

Hi guys,

I have a problem. A big, mouldy 'orrible one.

I bought my bungalow a few years ago and although it was vacant it was in fairly decent condition. The bathroom was quite old and a little mouldy so I completely ripped it out- new tiles, new fixtures, etc, and I removed some stinky carpets and replaced with laminate (whole house now has hard floors).

A few months after I moved in, it was winter and the windows were getting lots of condensation on them. I didn't notice and by the time I did, there was mould around the windows. I cleaned it off and bought a Karcher window vac, which I use every morning to remove the condensation.

A little while later, some mould appeared on the ceilings. I used a mould and mildew remover spray and started looking around for more. It turns out it was everywhere- my shoes and clothes were badly affected and the slats under the bed were green. I went on the offensive and sprayed and cleaned everything. I removed everything from under the bed and bought a dehumidifier which runs for at least an hour every day, and every corner now has disposable damp traps.

But it's still there! The ceilings are still getting it and I just removed a drawer to find blooms underneath. The bed is the only thing that has remained mould free.

Tomorrow, I'm removing the mouldy wardrobe and side cabinets and replacing the bed, spraying the bedroom ceiling and repainting with an anti-mould paint. I will also be doing this for the bathroom and spare bedroom- the kitchen and living room don't seem to suffer much, and the hallway already has anti-mould paint. I will also install a new fan in the bathroom as the one I have doesn't work (but has today started dripping- yet another problem!).

My question is, what more can I do? Is there anything I haven't tried? It's driving me crazy and all I can think about is how unhealthy it all is!

Edit: I should add that it's a semi-detached bungalow, and I'm told there is damp-proof coursing throughout. No problems in the attic, it's all mostly in the front of the house.

brightontraveller

Fit an extractor fan in the bathroom as a starter

Sounds like just not enough ventilation dehumidifies etc are ok but they don’t tend to cure the problem just drag it out and are often not as effective as just opening a window ?



http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/05/10103020/30217

maas

Just sounds like you've got high levels of moist in the air (no escape/ventilation).

Open windows, especially when showering/bathing. Are you drying clothes indoors on radiators?? Let the house breathe.

enchilada

brightontraveller wrote: »

Fit an extractor fan in the bathroom as a starter

Sounds like just not enough ventilation dehumidifies etc are ok but they don’t tend to cure the problem just drag it out and are often not as effective as just opening a window ?

Thanks BT- you're definitely right about the fan. I drag the dehumidifier in there whenever I use the shower but it's a PITA! That's a useful link, thank you- it's very thorough.

maas wrote: »

Just sounds like you've got high levels of moist in the air (no escape/ventilation).

Open windows, especially when showering/bathing. Are you drying clothes indoors on radiators?? Let the house breathe.

Thanks maas- I used to dry clothes in the house but stopped when I realised how bad it was. I now dry only the towel used after showering on the radiator. I have the heating on twice a day in the winter. I admit I don't open windows much but that's difficult in the winter, especially when the heating is on! What do you think the minimum time / number of windows is? My house is quite small.

I just found some clothes that had fallen behind the drawers and become mouldy- do you think the reason it keeps coming back is because I haven't quite killed it all and whatever's left reinfects everything else?

I have someone coming round tomorrow to give me a quote for new windows to see if it will help- I think the panes in mine may have broken down. If I can only get just the bedroom done it may well be worth it!

maas

enchilada wrote: »

Thanks BT- you're definitely right about the fan. I drag the dehumidifier in there whenever I use the shower but it's a PITA! That's a useful link, thank you- it's very thorough.



Thanks maas- I used to dry clothes in the house but stopped when I realised how bad it was. I now dry only the towel used after showering on the radiator. I have the heating on twice a day in the winter. I admit I don't open windows much but that's difficult in the winter, especially when the heating is on! What do you think the minimum time / number of windows is? My house is quite small.

I just found some clothes that had fallen behind the drawers and become mouldy- do you think the reason it keeps coming back is because I haven't quite killed it all and whatever's left reinfects everything else?

I have someone coming round tomorrow to give me a quote for new windows to see if it will help- I think the panes in mine may have broken down. If I can only get just the bedroom done it may well be worth it!

Im no expect but Im very conscious of moist in the house having spent the money on a DPC when I first moved in, and the previous owners also had mold on some of the upstairs windows and walls because they sealed all the vents and had windows shut.

So I'm the complete opposite.

I opened all the vents in the house.
Upstairs spare rooms which I keep closed I leave the window inside them slightly open 24/7 so they breathe.
Open windows in each room in the house during the day. Only slightly I may add. Even if its just for a couple of hours.
Always have bathroom window wide open during and after shower.

Anywhere you see steam (like shower, kettle, cooker) you need to be thinking of ventilation. Plus moist evaporates from our bodies all the time! Gets into the air, needs to go somewhere!

As for the mould reappearing, Im not expert but as far as I know, mould spores are everywhere in the air. We breathe it in all the time. If they land on a suitable surface like moist wall, they feed and multiply and eventually grow large enough to be seen. Then eventually start shooting off spores of their own, which in large quantities can make you very ill.

A couple of sites to read up on.

http://www.lung.org/healthy-air/home/resources/mold-and-dampness.html
http://www.cleanaire.co.nz/IAQ++Health/Humidity.html

WestonDave

The link in post 2 gives a good background. A bit more is that most of our housing design is historic and based on draughty houses heated with cheapish fuel. We've more recently tried to make those houses much more airtight to save money on energy but in doing so have largely forgotten the other side of the equation - humidity. Those draughts in the old days may have been energy inefficient but were performing a vital task in changing the wet air in the house for drier air from outside. (I could go into the science of how cold air outside on a winter rainy day is still drier than air in the house but trust me for now!).


On top of that you need to understand that warm air hold more water than cold air. Therefore if warm wet air comes into contact with something cold (e.g. a window pane) it will dump the water it can no longer hold - condensation. Condensation left is an ideal breeding ground for mould.


The other typical places that you get this occurring is where the warm air in the room doesn't reach. An hour twice per day may make the air temperature warm up, but that little pocket of air down behind the cupboard or under the bed won't get warmed enough to warm the surfaces around it (the wall or the bed base). So when wet air circulates under there it hits a cold surface (wall or bed etc) and again condensation.


So my advise would be to get yourself a hygrometer (Maplin sell them amongst other places for £10-£20) - it doesn't need to be mega accurate, just enough to give you an indication of where the humidity is now. Then run the dehumidifier seriously until it gets down to at least the 65% level and ideally nearer the 50% level. Run the heating for longer, and have the windows open longer. An alternative to that is to pick a crisp cold dry day, switch the heating off to stop it trying to compete, then open all the windows and let the air completely change. Then stick the heating back on to warm up your nice dry air (making it relatively drier as you do because its capacity to hold water will increase as you heat it).


I suspect there is nothing significant to be gained by changing the windows unless you can get the humidity down and that one window is still a problem. Occasionally if you have a stubborn corner (we've got a north facing corner in our lounge that tends to condensation) it may be worth using a mould killing paint just to hold any mould growth at bay. However in most instances its better to treat the cause than this symptom.

bretts

I am sort of having same problem
I had created a thread earlier that was my first winters in my house and the second one which has just begun, has not started well either to be honest.
I dont know if I am right or no but I am going to get a nuaire drimaster fitter as last resort as opening windows and all has not worked a bit and with a kid in house opening windows for long is not something I can afford to do.
I am still keeping the bathroom window open all the time and have an ecoair dehumidifier too which works almost overtime right now.
Last resort I dont know sell the house and get a new one I guess and hope that the same problem is not there

nod149

I was having a mould problem in my bungalow, soaking wet windows every morning and mould in the shower room. A year ago I had a nuaire drimaster installed and the mould, wet windows and musty smells were gone very quickly. (THE NEXT MORNING!!) I am really pleased. The hall where the unit is installed can be quite chilly, however the other rooms seem to warm quicker than they used to. Also I am never as cold as I used to be in bed at night.. someone said I'm warmer because the air is dryer. I dont know but I'm very pleased.

phill99

nod149 wrote: »

I was having a mould problem in my bungalow, soaking wet windows every morning and mould in the shower room. A year ago I had a nuaire drimaster installed and the mould, wet windows and musty smells were gone very quickly. (THE NEXT MORNING!!) I am really pleased. The hall where the unit is installed can be quite chilly, however the other rooms seem to warm quicker than they used to. Also I am never as cold as I used to be in bed at night.. someone said I'm warmer because the air is dryer. I dont know but I'm very pleased.

You have only made 5 posts. All of them are about the nuaire drimaster. How long have you been working for them?

bretts

phill99 wrote: »

You have only made 5 posts. All of them are about the nuaire drimaster. How long have you been working for them?

You are right phill

nod149

I dont work for drimaster. I suppose I got a bit obsessed with my mould problem and when I read about other peoples problems and how like mine they were, I just gave my experience. Like so many other people. Hope my views are of help to someone. I know what I read on this forum was of a help to me.