Dealing with dampness

civis_liberalis

I've just noticed some rather nasty dampness in the corner of my bedroom. Unfortunately I discovered it when I turned over my pillow to find it was sopping wet from the headboard and wall it was left against.

A few pics

I'm in rented accommodation but I'd still like to deal with it properly if I can. I assume when I wipe it down and dry it, I'll still have the problem. Ventilating the room better would help I suppose.

Is there anything I can apply to it to reduce the effects? The smell is quite strong, now that I've pulled the bed out from the wall...

[If a mod can think of a more appropriate forum for this, please move it.]

Shield

Dettol Mould & Mildew Remover.

Second last item. Wear rubber gloves and hold your breath when you spray!

jkeane007

the moisture will be coming from a broken slate in the roof down through the wall. It will continue to happen until roof is fixed.
John

civis_liberalis

jkeane007 wrote: »

the moisture will be coming from a broken slate in the roof down through the wall. It will continue to happen until roof is fixed.
John

As you can see from the images, the dampness is rising from the floor. Correct me if i'm completely wrong but, I don't know if the roof has anything to do with it.

Buford T Justice

Is it a ground floor external wall? Looks like its damp rising from water outside the house imo.

builditwell

Theres either no damp proof membrane in the floor or wall from ground level up has no damp proof course so any water is allowed to soak into the wall and up thru wall and floor / or theres a water source which is coming thru the wall like rainwater or bad drainage. This isnt just from condensation it looks more intense judging by the spores and the size of the area

ricman

There could be a leak in a pipe ,above or alongside the wall,is it an external wall.in cold weather pipes ,freeze, expand,and maybe leak ,or water could be dripping from a gutter, down the external wall,if gutters are blocked,or not cleaned.
if its not fixed,mould can be very dangerous to your health, your landlord has a duty to fix it quickly ,provide a safe dwelling for all tenants.

civis_liberalis

Fingers McGee wrote: »

Is it a ground floor external wall? Looks like its damp rising from water outside the house imo.

It's an upstairs external wall.

builditwell wrote: »

Theres either no damp proof membrane in the floor or wall from ground level up has no damp proof course so any water is allowed to soak into the wall and up thru wall and floor / or theres a water source which is coming thru the wall like rainwater or bad drainage. This isnt just from condensation it looks more intense judging by the spores and the size of the area

I suspect that the build quality of the house isn't great.

More photos after having done my best to clean it.

Headboard was quite wet, which is how my pillow got soaked with the dampness.

Unfortunately I can't position the bed any other way. I'll just have to keep the wall as clean as possible for now.

hollymount

I have had this identical problem in a bedroom and had a friend of mine an architect examine it.

It was on an external facing wall and after washing down cleaning etc the best advice was to allow some space between the bed and the wall to allow some air to circulate.

A minimum distance of say 6 inches/15cm and keep this space at all times.

There are special paints that claim to do a lot but this simple remedy works.


It will not go away unless major renovations are done but allowing air to circulate will help enormously.

Good luck!

lynski

move your bed elsewhere so you are not sleeping and breathing it in. Allow air in and get a dehumidifer - fairly cheap from b and q

civis_liberalis

ricman wrote: »

if its not fixed,mould can be very dangerous to your health, your landlord has a duty to fix it quickly ,provide a safe dwelling for all tenants.

I doubt my landlord would have any intention of doing anything for the good of my health.

urbanachiever1

Don't be fobbed off by your landlord. It is absolutely his/her problem to deal with this. There is a glut of rental accommodation out there now and you should consider moving. Dehumidifiers/bleach/special paint will just mask the problem. The days of accepting this standard of rental accommodation should be over.

mad m

Looks like a bad case of condensation to me, I'd take down the headboard and move the bed away from the external wall to allow some air to circulate.

Have you checked your bedroom vents for any blockages?

With the way the weather has been in last couple of weeks and because people have their heating on 24/7, the warm air hitting the cold external wall has created condensation.

Also how many people sleep in the bedroom? 2/4 people in a room over night can create up to 2litres of moisture while sleeping.

paddy147

civis_liberalis wrote: »

I'm in rented accommodation but I'd still like to deal with it properly if I can.]

I know you have good intentions and you are a decent person by trying to sort it yourself,but,you are renting and therefore its up to your landlord to sort this asap.

Inform him that this is a serious health hazzard and affecting your health.

If he wont sort it,then go to your GP and get a letter to say that the damp and mold is greatly affecting your health.;)


Those conditions ARE NOT acceptable living conditions,judging by the pics you have posted.

Shocking in fact.:eek:

gsxr1

Im dealing with this now on a daily basis nearly with clients in small apartment bedrooms.

Im guessing your headboard is against an outer wall. Your head gives out a lot of heat 8 hours a night against a cold wall. That paired with stagnant still air behind your head board will cause this with no water leak anywhere im afraid .

I also guessing (as it behind the bed) the area is not cleaned very often

With the -10 weather we are having it is again made worse.

You could check outside . There maybe a gully is blocked around the area.(or a leak from some source or water). If so damp and wet can spread through the cavity. At the bottom then up.
I have seen 2 gully collectors frozen and when the thaw happened, water pushed indoor instead.
Is it a North wall?

Do you dry cloths in the house. Damp from the whole house finds its way into bedrooms more than any other.

Solutions are usually simple.

.Keep wall clean. Use the right stuff as normal detergents spread spores and do more harm then good.
.move bed against a stud wall
.Keep vents open. If you have no vent in the room suggest to the lardlord that one needs drilled into wall. (3-4 hours work for a trades man).
.Dry cloths in a condenser dryer or outside.
.Buy a small domestic dehumidifier . Aldi had them last week for 40 euro.

This could well be a seasonal problem due to the freeze.

Floor insulation sometimes is not pushed to the edge of the build causing the outside edge of a room to have a cold floor.

brendankelly

It is difficult to know from the Photos but it looks like a cheap decorating job to me and my guess would be a drylining job. My advice is get out as fast as you can.