Mold help

Mea786

Hi all!
I'm in a bit of a dilemma. My husband and I live in a 3 story stone cottage in Wales that have night storage heaters (don't give off much heat), on the 3rd floor is a large attic we don't use often but has a double sofa bed and a few excess stuff but lately I have realised that mold is growing on the sofa and on the stuff like travel bags and cushions. I've left the window open ajar all the time but the heating isn't on in that room as 1) we don't use the attic and 2) it's a tiny night storage heater that wouldn't give much heat. We do put the dehumidifier on now and again in there but is it worth putting the heater on? I'm not sure how mold/mildew works whether a ventilated cold room is okay or a warm(ish) room is best? And any other tips would be great as we embrace the colder months!
Also any tips on how to remove the mold from the sofa without getting it too wet?
Many thanks!

TheCyclingProgrammer

A cool damp environment creates the ideal conditions for mould. Even with a dehumidifier an unheated room is likely to still be cold enough for condensation to form on the colder surfaces. Warmer air can hold more water vapour than colder air.

Ventilation will help but if you want to store stuff in the room without keeping it in sealed plastic boxes then I would suggest keeping it heated to a certain degree.

magn8p

Ideally you need warmer air with less humidity. Since you say you don't use the room you are not going to contribute much to the humidity via respiration so you are much better off closing windows in the winter and maintaining good temperature in the room using your heater. Of course you can open the windows every now and then to allow fresh air.

At the same time try a dehumidifier with a sensor like http://amzn.to/2iE9IHU which turns on when humidity builds up in the room and turns off when not needed.

Mea786

Thanks all for the tips! I must of been doing things wrong as I kept all the windows open and didn't put heaters on. I just washed the sofa with vinegar and some tea tree oil, hoping it stops anymore mold/mildew. Only problem is now trying to dry the sofa without the mold regrowing. Is there anything I can put on the sofa to keep it protected??