Mr Mould

Anonymous asked: Hello, I live in Dampier, Regional Western Australia. The temperature can reach upwards of 40DegsC, and we live in an air-con ducted home. I have found mould in the kitchen cupboards that are beside the oven cavity, and I can't get rid of it. I have bleached/vinegared it, lined the cupboards with newspaper, and put boxes of Bicarb of Soda, but they are still unuseable. Could you please advise how I could get rid of this problem permanently? Regards, Sue.

Hi Sue,

The bad news about mould is that it is everywhere, it has populated our planet for billions of years and is a tough survivor. The good news is that it is a really thirsty organism. Think of it like a plant, if you don’t give it water, it will die and if you keep the conditions dry, it will never return.

The kitchen cupboards are a nice dark, damp space for mould to grow and it will be feeding on the organic material of which the cupboards themselves are made. If you can improve the ventilation to this area, you will have a fighting chance of stopping it from growing as improved air flow helps to reduce humidity and condensation.

Look also for any other sources of excess moisture, for example leaking water pipes nearby. Evaporating water from puddles caused by leaking pipes create the sort of damp conditions that helps mould to thrive.

I’m not sure what types of mechanical ventilation systems are available in Australia and you need to make sure that whatever you do does not impede the performance of your air conditioning, but a good place to start would be to look up a local ventilation specialist and ask them to call round to give you some specific advise as to what measures might be available on this front. 

Anonymous asked: We have recently installed your products. What do you recommend to remove the mold? It has affected the woodwork! Painted walls and grouting in the bathroom. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks

Hello, sorry for the delay in replying, I have been doing some research in to mould re mediation. The problem I have is that all advise seems to be about using chemicals and as an indoor air quality specialist, I find it very difficult to recommend something without knowing exactly what possible harmful effects they may have when these chemicals become airborne and we breathe them in.

Mould is a plant, just like any other plant, if you deprive it of water, it will die and so long as you retain these arid conditions, mould will not come back. If you have successfully created these conditions, then it is likely that any residual marks are just stains from where the mould once was, and you will be able to scrub it off and redecorate without fear of it returning.

Anonymous asked: We have a detached house built around 1820. The house does not have cavity walls. Recently we have found mould in some of the rooms in different places but all on the left hand side of the house. This external wall is fully exposed to rain etc. What can we do to resolve this as guess damproofing wouldn't be suitable? Also what sort of cost can we expect? Over the past few years we have replaced windows and converted the cellar to an office, could this have contributed? Thanks Emma

Hi Emma, you’re right, this isn’t a damp proofing issue, it’s caused by poor ventilation. Improving the windows could certainly have contributed to the problem, the more we seal our homes up for energy efficiency, the more airborne moisture from your daily living is trapped inside. Then when the temperatures drop over night, this moisture forms as condensation on cold wall surfaces, leading to mould growth.

Mould is not something you should be living with longterm, I would suggest you contact EnviroVent for a free survey, just click here: http://www.homeventilation.co.uk/

Anonymous asked: Hi, you have previously helped me on a mould issue. I have since discovered the whole loft is badly infected, beams, insulation the lot is black and mouldy. I have sent pictures and repeatidly argued the fact that its dangerous, but get fobbed off by my agent. I have told them i wish to vacate the premises on the day i have paid up until, and will be wanted my deposit back, as they refuse to do anything, and i am feeling tje effects health wise, do i have a fair arguement?

Hi, the loft probably just needs some improved ventilation, it’s quite simple and not very costly to do. The sorts of things available are roof vents, soffit vents, air bricks and felt separators. All of these allow air to flow in and out of the loft, keeping it dry and free from condensation. In terms of health risk, as long as you don’t spend too long in the loft, you’ll be OK.

Anonymous asked: Could you please recommend a reliable, trustworthy company in London. to come and check our home for mould please ... thank you for al your hard work.

The only company I know of that specializes in cures for mould is EnviroVent, they come out and do a free survey, give expert advise and offer award winning solutions designed to last the lifetime of the building. You can contact them at www.homeventilation.co.uk

Anonymous asked: Hi, I have mould growing in several rooms of my rented flat. The landlord is refusing to even buy a de humidifier, let alone do anything about the mould. At the moment, the largest bit i have is about 50cm by 50cm... but is growing very fast! Do i have a leg to stand on, if he still refuses to do anyhting, for me to come out of my tenancy early

Under the landlord and tenant act, they are legally obliged to provide adequate heating AND ventilation. Now, when the boiler breaks down, it is not acceptable for them to tell you just to put on a sweater, they get the boiler fixed, the same is true if there is inadequate ventilation, they can’t just ignore it and tell you to open a window.

The bottom line is that you have a right to expect the house you are living in to be safe, and black mould is considered a class 1 health hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, the same level as Asbestos!! So if I were you, I would get the Environmental Health involved. If they tell you to open your windows too, as some of them do, tell them that you cannot afford to heat the street this winter, and you have heard that there are some cost effective mechanical ventilation systems available that the landlord could install that will cure the mould and stop you losing all of your heat. Check out www.homeventilation.co.uk for more advice.

Anonymous asked: Doe's positive input ventilation work and what are it's drawbacks

Positive input ventilation does work as part of a whole home ventilation system. Just like humans, houses need to breathe and breathing is a 2 part process. PIV breathes in the good stuff, i.e. fresh, clean filtered air, but you also need to breathe out the bad stuff, i.e, moisture laden, contaminated air. In some properties, there is sufficient natural leakage for PIV to work on it’s own, but in most modernised properties, the level of airtightness achieved with cavity wall insulation, loft insulation, UPVC doors and windows etc, you would need to have a negative pressure system fitted such as the Cyclone fan by EnviroVent. This is the only intelligent vapour tracking, variable speed, trickle and boost fan in the world. Combine this with PIV and you have a whole home system that not only breathes in and out, but also varies the rate it does so dependent on the amount of moisture in the air at the time.

Anonymous asked: how can i get rid of the mould it only started after i had cavity wall insulation

It is quite common for mould to start to appear after fitting extra insulation as you are effectively making your home more airtight, please watch this video and get in touch if you would like a free home survey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcuSX_WW1eE

Mould is a living organism, deprive it of the moisture that forms on the walls as a result of high humidity and you deprive it of it’s only source of water for survival, hence it will NEVER come back if you use this type of ventilation system.

WE HAVE MOVED!

The Mr Mould blog now has a new home.

For all advice, information and news stories regarding condensation, damp, mildew and mould visit THE NEW MR MOULD WEBSITE

http://www.mildewandmould.co.uk/

Family fear for health in damp-ridden home

A MUM of three has claimed her family are living in a nightmare after moving into a house described as a health hazard.

Amanda Kendall moved with her parter Darren Jeffries and her three children into a home owned by Rooftop Housing in Mill Avenue, Broadway before Christmas.

Miss Kendall, who exchanged from St Ives, said the semi-detached house was full of damp and had black mould in every room.

The couple viewed the house in the summer when Miss Kendall said there was no indication of how bad things would get but there was now even mould in the cupboards and her children’s clothes were getting damp.

“When you look through someone’s home you are not going to look through their cupboards, you simply do not expect a house to get into this state,” she said.

“Obviously as winter came, the weather was much colder and damper and that’s when the real problems came.

“The hallway has no wallpaper on it as it simply won’t stay on. I have black mould growing in my kitchen cupboards, on our bed clothes, our own clothes and in the bathroom.

“It is a total living nightmare.”

Miss Kendall said an inspector had visited the property and described it as “one of the worst he had seen” but subsequent visits and phone calls had ended up in arguments as she felt they did not want to sort out the problem and said they had been told to exchange again.

The 44-year-old said the health of her sons Kyran, 17, Aaron, 15, and Sunny, 3, had now started to suffer.

“Aaron suffers with asthma and Sunny has started to develop breathing problems. I’m also suffering with breathing problems,” she added.

“Our house is a health hazard.”

Juliana Crowe, director of housing and communities at Rooftop Housing Group, said they would arrange another inspection to try and help the family.

“I appreciate that damp and condensation problems can be a difficult to live with and I have every sympathy for the family concerned,” she said.

“Unfortunately, however, there are no quick fixes and we know from experience that you try the small-scale things first, such as improving the circulation of heat and ventilation.

“We also know that condensation is often a lifestyle issue and there are practical steps that householders can take to combat the problem.”

Source: Evesham Observer