Mold in bedroom

Lolabeat

Hi, not sure if I'm putting this in the right place but anyway here goes...
Found mould at the lower corners of 2 walls of my bedroom in house I'm renting. Informed landlady, and her husband is going to paint over it and paint some 'waterproof' stuff on the bottom of the outside of the walls too. Just wondering does anyone know if there is any specific kind of paint he should be using as I don't want this to carry on, I've already got eye infection in both eyes which I suspect is related to it! I asked if there was a problem with damp before and he said there was "never any major problem..." so sounds to me like there might have been something alright.

Thanks in advance.

Ray Palmer

There is a water proofing paint for both inside and out that can be used. It needs to be reapplied to keep working about once every two years. Damp can have a number of causes. Unless it is noticeable damp outside at that point it is likely to be a ventalation issue.

People often block vents due to drafts but this in turn can cause mold and damp. It may actually be caused by how you live in the house and not the property itself.

Eye infections are not a likely result of damp. If you had a cough that would be a likely linked cause.

Lolabeat

Since you mention it, I noticed the other day that the vent in the room is painted shut - so presumably this could be the cause? In which case it's still not caused by how I live as I didn't paint it shut. Must mention this to them tho', cheers for that

michelledoh

Ray Palmer wrote: »

There is a water proofing paint for both inside and out that can be used. It needs to be reapplied to keep working about once every two years. Damp can have a number of causes. Unless it is noticeable damp outside at that point it is likely to be a ventalation issue.

People often block vents due to drafts but this in turn can cause mold and damp. It may actually be caused by how you live in the house and not the property itself.

Eye infections are not a likely result of damp. If you had a cough that would be a likely linked cause.

You said everything i was thinking when i read the post!

Anyway! you should try keep some good ventilation in your room especially now that you have had damp. Try and leave a window open when you're out any mybe the bedroom door too. You need to let the air circulate!

Lolabeat

Yeah...don't really fancy leaving a window open while I'm out to be honest, the house is a bungalow, and anyway the vent in the room should work as far as I can see, so I'll get them to do something about that too. Thanks for the suggestion though.

MissFlitworth

Sorry, don't know much about anti-damp paint but would definitely agree with getting the vent unblocked & opening a window for a couple of hours a day or blasting your room out with fresh air at the weekend while you're home. Also, if you dry clothes/wet towels in your room it's best not to

Lolabeat

Cheers, am already leaving window open several hours a day when possible i.e. when not raining, and I am home. Clothes/towels are never dried on radiators so thats not it either. Can only assume the vent is the problem.
Thanks again.

AMG86

If funds permit it might be worthwhile looking at a heat recovery ventilation system. It most likely will solve the problem. A balance of insulation, heating and ventilation will solve the problem. I came across this link. http://www.proair.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=63&Itemid=209. The landlord/lady may not be too keen on the idea. However if (s)he has happy tenants and does not have to redecorate every year or 2 years the payback could be quick.

up4it

Lola: It is probably caused by condensation.

So try not to dry clothes on the radiators and also improve the ventilation.

Heating the room will also help cos if you turn a radiator off in certain rooms then it encourages the build-up of damp air resulting in condensation.

odds_on

A point of interest re condensation:

Condensation in Irish houses is mainly a winter problem, particularly where warm moist air is generated in areas like kitchens and bathrooms and then penetrates to colder parts of the building.
The moisture in the air comes from a number of sources within the house. Water vapour is produced in relatively large quantities from normal day-to-day activities - a single person puts over 2 kg of water into the air every day (without taking into account any heating) - i.e.
- breathing (asleep) 0.3 kg
- breathing (awake) 0.85 kg
- cooking 0.6 kg
- personal washing 0.2 kg
- washing and drying clothes 1.1 kg

As OP is living in a bungalow, kitchen and bathroom are probablt relatively close to the bedroom. Steam from cooking and hot baths/ showers provides a lot of water vapour in the air.
- heating - especially paraffin and flue-less gas heaters.

Doop

Its a pretty simply job to replace the cover on the vent, couple of euro for a new cover and you're sorted.

Anti damp is horrible sticky gloss like paint, but it works a treat. Smells quite strongly too (until its dried properly).

Idbatterim

replace the vent for a start! then let landlord examine outside and seal it...

planetX

hi, my advice is start looking for somewhere else. Last place I rented had same problem as yours, the mould will come back through the paint. If you have a wooden bedframe check that too, as well as the back of any furniture up against the walls. It gave me a constant wheezy chest, itchy throat and sore eyes.

Lolabeat

planetX, I think you may be correct as I just found mould growing on 2 more pairs of shoes in another room in the house today, in the wardrobe! I've been complaining about heating for ages but it hasn't been properly fixed and landlord is getting a wee bit contrary now about it as they have decided they're doing nothing more about it! Have had to store all my clothes in hot-press for ages now to keep them from being damp so I'm thinking probably not condensation but a bigger problem in the house with dampness causing mould. Oh and every time I come into the house I start sneezing and get runny nose and sore eyes but if I go away for a few days it disappears!