Mould advice

[coxmattycox]

Hi,

In our bedroom we have had severe black mould appear around our window and walls. It has happened in a very short space of time, I suspect since the weather has got worse. We are looking into potential causes, we have had the gutters cleaned and will get the tiles checked. We have recently had new windows fitted however I hope this is not the cause.

The main issue I have is that we have a baby with us and I don't want her to become ill. I plan to remove the affected wall paper and spray with something such as detol mould remover short term. I'm aware it's quite strong and we would need to leave the room a while.

After Christmas once the baby is in her own room we will decorate and use mould paint etc hence I am not worried about taking down the wall paper.

Ate there any other suggestions?

Thanks

 

[divuk83]

While the new windows may not be the cause, they could be a factor. The fact that they are well insulated and don't let a draft in means that moisture in the air in your house has nowhere to go and condenses on the cool external walls. Do the windows have vents on them? Are you drying a lot of washing indoors at the moment? The easy solution is to ventilate the house by opening windows, however when trying to keep a baby warm this is not an ideal solution. We are in a very similar situation (new baby, lots of airers of washing in the house etc) and we run a dehumidifier when it's not practical to open windows. Clean any mould off with some mould remover, don't spend loads on anything to fancy as it's all just spray on bleach! It's still worth going up into the loft with a torch when it's raining to look for any leaks as well.

I'm sure other people with have some more tips.

Dave

 

[Caged]

Do you have condensation on the inside of the windows in the mornings? Check that your trickle vents haven't been filled up with crazy foam by a ham-fisted window fitter.

 

[Vern1961]

It is very hard to get rid of.

We have suffered from black gathering on the ceiling edge by outer walls since moving in our current house nearly nine years ago. Have tried cleaning off with bleach and the specialised spray but it always comes back in the winter, when the house is generally less ventilated.

Content to contain it, one thing which does help is to ensure on cold mornings go round and wipe off any condensation etc. that has formed on inside window glass.

 

[Maccapacca]

Aero 360 and ventilate.

I assume your new windows don't have trickle vents?

 

[pitchfork]

That's almost certainly a condensation issue.

If you haven't got trickle vents then install some or leave the windows open a crack to allow moisture to vent the room.

Don't dry clothes indoors either.