Mold inside wooden shed

Static M.e.

Hi all,

Bit of a random question. I got a new wooden shed (8x8) in September last year and over the coming weeks, I built some shelving and a workbench within the shed. All fine and no issues. I more or less locked up the shed for the winter then.

When I went into the shed this weekend, I found that there appears to be a thin white mold growing on the workbench and on various other boxes etc. I can brush away the mold with a paintbrush but I'm wondering how it got in there, where is it coming from, and can I get rid of it permanently? My previous wooden shed of 10 years, which contained the same equipment didn't have this problem so I must have introduced this into the shed somehow...The shed doesn't have any bad smells or anything.

Anyone have any ideas or should I just clean everything down with Milton?

Thank you.

MicktheMan

Is there good ventilation in the shed?

Lewis_Benson

Ventilate

Static M.e.

On the ventilation, I'm not sure... I haven't added or removed any vents, it's still fairly spacious inside too. If it's just a ventilation issue, I'll air it out over the coming days and do a bit of a reorganize \ clean up. Hopefully that will fix it up.

Thank you for coming back.

Calahonda52

Its possible that the shed timbers were not 100% dry ... just a maybe

Stigura

No answers, from me. But, I have two, adjoining rooms with Exactly this issue! Bloody stuff gets Everywhere and, I'm sure, will eventually destroy stuff

Ventilation, eh? Good. I have One chimney in there. I'll now punch a hole through the door and patch a grill over that. Let the air from the chimney Go Somewhere.

Does that sound like a plan, lads? Thinking OP might want to try similar? Two air vents. More or less one up and one down? Mine will thus be fire place level and top of the door.

MicktheMan

Stigura wrote: »

No answers, from me. But, I have two, adjoining rooms with Exactly this issue! Bloody stuff gets Everywhere and, I'm sure, will eventually destroy stuff

Ventilation, eh? Good. I have One chimney in there. I'll now punch a hole through the door and patch a grill over that. Let the air from the chimney Go Somewhere.

Does that sound like a plan, lads? Thinking OP might want to try similar? Two air vents. More or less one up and one down? Mine will thus be fire place level and top of the door.

Work on any / all these 3 interconnected general actions:

1. Better heat the place
2. Improve the ventilation
3. Reduce the moisture load

Stigura

Thanks, Mick. I've actually since walked past said door and mentally plotted the 'air vent grills' I'll need. Figuring to get two. One for each top panel. (Wonder if going for broke and putting a pair at the bottom might help too?)

Heating's not an option. Full stop. Paying enough to keep This room warm.

The Moisture Load? What would that be, please?

Thanks

MicktheMan

Stigura wrote: »

Thanks, Mick. I've actually since walked past said door and mentally plotted the 'air vent grills' I'll need. Figuring to get two. One for each top panel. (Wonder if going for broke and putting a pair at the bottom might help too?)

Heating's not an option. Full stop. Paying enough to keep This room warm.

The Moisture Load? What would that be, please?

Thanks

If no / little heating then the efficiency of any ventilation will be negatively effected as well as increasing the risk of mould issues in the unheated space. So, by not heating you're not helping the situation.

Moisture load is the generation of. moisture internally by normal daily activities such as breathing, cooking, washing etc. Drying clothes internally is an example of excessive moisture load as well as a lot of potted plants for example.

Stigura

Bum!!! Well, That doesn't bode well for myself Or the OP, does it?

My rooms, like his shed, are unheated. Uninhabited. Have no clothes hanging up to dry in them.

Should I block up the vent on the (boarded up) fire place then?

Crazy thing is, I have another room, vented fire place and second vent, higher up, 'breathing' the roof? Good as gold in there.

I'll go and sit beside OP. Two guys completely lost.

everlast75

Dehumidifier?

MicktheMan

Stigura wrote: »

Bum!!! Well, That doesn't bode well for myself Or the OP, does it?

My rooms, like his shed, are unheated. Uninhabited. Have no clothes hanging up to dry in them.

Should I block up the vent on the (boarded up) fire place then?

Crazy thing is, I have another room, vented fire place and second vent, higher up, 'breathing' the roof? Good as gold in there.

I'll go and sit beside OP. Two guys completely lost.

The advice offered is on general principles on how to deal with excessive moisture leading to mould in buildings in order to help you to a solution of the root cause. These principles are based on building physics and years of successfully diagnosing and sorting similar problems for clients.

Why some spaces suffer more than others depends on a myriad of reasons such as room orientation, heat loss characteristics and mechanisms, thermal envelope weaknesses, construction materials & methods used to build, moisture ingress, household size & behaviours, proximity to activity areas etc etc but a dearth of understanding of the basics by the user being one of the main ones.

The great thing about websites like boards.ie is that you are free to take or leave advice offered just as one can choose to offer advice or not. Good luck.

MicktheMan

everlast75 wrote: »

Dehumidifier?

Yes a dehumidifier will help somewhat (while consuming a fair bit of electricity) but, imo, is not a long term solution (is akin to using a bucket to catch the water from a roof leak but does not address the leak itself).

Stigura

Boom! Was checking Amazon. The cost of buying / running one, Vs. the actual value of what I have in those rooms was uppermost in my mind too!

Weighing it up? Plywood seems to be the biggest victim! I have bird cages and a ferret box in there. All thoroughly soaked in paint / varnish. Yet smothered in that white plague.

Well; No ferrets now and I won't be breeding any more birds. It just hurts to think they may sit there and rot away, before anyone else can take them to a drier place and use them.

That's me. Poor OP though? Bought a bloody shed and instantly found it unusable?! Hells teeth!

Best of luck, OP!

Static M.e.

Ahh, I think my problem is small compared to yours Stigura I'll vent the shed out for a few days and I hope that will fix it until I can do a full cleanout for the summer. Thank you for all the responses.

GreeBo

Lawn mower in shed with wet/damp/rotting grass on it?

Unless there is water getting in, your shed shouldnt need to be super well ventilated to stay dry and mould free.
are you sure there are no leaks or condensation drips?