Mouldy porch (and shoes)

dcouponzzzz

Hi All,
It would be great if anyone could provide advice on how to resolve a mould problem I have in my porch. Apologies if its glaringly obvious from the pictures! Advice on anything I can do myself, or what kind of tradesperson I should contact would be great.

FYI moved in to this house 1.5 years ago, no issues were experienced last winter. The pictures are after Ive sprayed anti-mould anywhere I could see it.

Also... Yes I'm aware the previous owners did a poor job of repointing, and that my gutter needs clearing!

Rural_Puppy

Is the porch heated? Likely to be moisture in the air cooling and condensing on the coldest area.
You could try heating the porch, running a dehumidifier or maybe find another place to store your shoes that is heated?

neilmcl

It's very difficult to keep an unheated porch mould free. It's purely down the the lack of heat and resulting condensation that's giving you the mould that and the fact you bring in and leave damp items like shoes sitting there. You could try clearing out as much stuff from there as you can, I particularly wouldn't leave shoes for extended periods and make sure they're dry before putting them on the shoe tidy or you're going to get the results you see. You need to keep it as dry and clean as possible so regular cleaning is a must particularly with a bleach solution.

Grabs39

Is there any ventilation?  You might need to keep the windows open all the time to ensure there’s plenty of airflow to dry off and keep dry shoes etc.

Soot2006

This is just like my conservatory. We now keep a window open 24/7 all year round, and no more mould. It's still fairly damp, because it's the way in from the garden so went shoes, etc. I'm guessing you have the same problem. So we have woodlice in residence in the conservatory but the mould hasn't returned (yet?!)

Paula_Smith

The second pic shows water getting into the porch under the door.
The third one shows a big lump of mortar missing on the outside.
I would get some external filler and fill the gap outside, then run some sealant around the door frame on the outside.
Fill anything that looks as if it could let water in.

neilmcl

Paula_Smith said:

The second pic shows water getting into the porch under the door.
The third one shows a big lump of mortar missing on the outside.
I would get some external filler and fill the gap outside, then run some sealant around the door frame on the outside.
Fill anything that looks as if it could let water in.

The OP said they sprayed anti-mould spray allow over the affected areas then took the pictures, hence why it looks wet in some places, that was my assumption anyway. I don't believe this has anything to do with water ingress, just the fact that porches are generally cold, damp areas where mould can flourish if there's no ventilation and full of stuff that stays damp.

carefullycautious

You need to keep the drains clear of leaves as well, plus check guttering. The outside walls look wet.