Dampness/Mould in bedroom

Are there vents in the room? Heating? Windows? Drying clothes? Are you sleeping in the room? Is it insulated?

Using a dehumidifier is like using a bucket to fix a leak, you need to sort out the cause

I worked in a house in the US years ago where they had a mould problem. The owners called in specialist to kill the mould. They arrived in disposable overalls heavy gloves and respirators etc. I spoke to one of the workers outside and out of the corner of his mouth her told me that raw bleach kills the mould on non porous surfaces and for wooden beams etc or more porous materials they soak it in vinegar. They charged the lady quite a hefty sum for something you could easily do yourself. I agree with the previous poster that you need to deal with the root cause. Leaky roof? not enough ventilation? kill it with bleach and vinegar then sort out why its happening or it'll just return.

Hi there - I unfortunately know too much about mould due to having issues at home here and there - Also the below isn't me being opinionated or full of ***** - Its mainly stuff I learned from reading on here and other places - I'm open to correction or other advice too & always grateful for it.

There's some very good advice above - Basically you could dehumidify, clear mould stains and redecorate every day for the rest of your life but if you don't sort out the root issue of wet air condensing on cold surfaces you will perpetually have mould.

I read on here years ago and it stayed with me - You don't "clean mould", you have to kill it...

1 part ordinary Supermarket bleach to 3 parts water is fine. Put it in a old windolene spray bottle and be sure to wear gloves, glasses and a mask of some sort - open all windows, protect your health. Wipe any run-off drips with a cloth to contain it and avoid streaking walls etc.

The good news is the bleach will actually clear a lot of the staining too - Sometimes completely, keep doing it and you'll get back to a white ceiling that might only need one quick coat of paint.

Humidifiers don't work at all well in the cold, you'll need to lash the heat up and you might find it collecting more than the odd cup of water you've mentioned. Alternatively the room isn't damp anymore since the last tenant left as you're opening windows, not drying clothes inside etc.

Look at the mould stained area for anything holding water, in my house there was a very slight gap in places where the ceiling met the walls and it was holding enough damp for mould to get a foothold and spread outwards.

A plastered ceiling should ideally have been sealed on day one before regular painting - none of mine were as we were just clueless back then and wanted to get a quick coat of paint on and move forward.

AFAIK a good tip here it to mix regular PVA glue from Mr. Price with 3 parts water and paint it on like an undercoat, it soaks in, seals the area and gives a less porous surface for your final coat of paint then. You could spend a fortune on Zinsser Peel Stop or similar products but as far as I can tell from how they smell they're just PVA glue with water anyhow.

* Someone please correct me if any of this is poor advice or needs changing!

** See if you can inspect the ductwork behind this vent - They're commonly blocked due for noise or heat-saving reasons, people stuff crap into them, you should feel a slight draft of air if you hold you hand up to them.

Also check the vent inside and out and make sure its not blocked. People sometimes stuff them to keep drafts out and layers of paint outside can also block them.

thestar wrote: »

As a matter of interest, could having a window closed for weeks on end cause mould/dampness?

Thanks for all of the replies

Yes absolutely, particularly if there was no heating on.

This would probably be a best case outcome for you as it means that if you heat this room and ventilate it properly along with normal use, you probably won't have the problem reoccur once you deal with the mould and damp thats there now.