UKC

I come to the hivemind seeking advice!

We've just noticed a small patch of mould on our bathroom ceiling, about the size of my hand.

Our bathroom is used fairly intensively with two showers in the morning and a bath for two small boys every evening so it gets pretty moist in there twice a day. This winter has been so warm that we have not had to deploy our emergency heater in there when someone is in the bath or shower like we did last year. I don't know if this has affected anything - perhaps it has not dried out properly this year hence mould.

Anyway any tips for getting rid of it? Past experience in a different house tells us that use of bleach and scrubbing works temporarily but then enables the mould to spread to a larger area.

Current plan is to move the repaint and re-grout up the DIY to do list (bye bye climbing passes!) hopefully that will help but any other advice appreciated.

In reply to Bobling:
We had that problem in our bedroom with an en suite bathroom for three years - until this winter. Look into some sort of ventilation system or do what we do - leave the window open just a little permanently - mind you, we have shutters which aren't airtight. Now with the ventilation not only is the whole room completely dry, it feels warmer too.

In reply to JTM:

Yup, open the window a bit.
It's mostly caused by lack of air/circulation.

I now almost always have mine open. In addition, I did use an anti mold paint. It has worked and 12 months on, seems to be ok

In reply to Bobling:

You might find something in this thread
http://www.ukclimbing.com/forums/t.php?t=576653&v=1#x7652422

In reply to Bobling:
Mould grows where there is damp. In your case this is the condensation from the bathroom. Ventilation should reduce the condensation. Heating the room more will also help thus reducing the cold surface on which the condensing takes place.
Open windows/trickle vents. Put better fan in. Put electric towel rail in. I'd advise caution with extra heaters, I've got visions of electric fires falling in the bath. . .

In reply to Andrew Wilson:

Like Andy says get an extractor fan fitted, a timmed one that comes on with the light and stops on for a set time when you turn the light off, extracting the damp air is the best way.

Make sure you get the right fan for the right zone.

Mark

In reply to pec:
So i ended up going for some dettol mould and mildew remover from tesco, it was in a green bottle. worked very well. took it off in a few min. it is bleach in a spray bottle. very strong bleach.

I didnt get round to doing this untill a few weeks later, but its not been back since. I have started leaving the window open and the door afterwoods so the fan can keep up.

Thanks for the advice on the last thread.

In reply to Bobling: I've used this mould remover from Lakeland and it works a treat.
http://www.lakeland.co.uk/20284/HG-Mould-Remover

In reply to Bobling:

Best to put in an air brick - with a closeable vent for when a gale is howling. All bathrooms should have one anyway.

In reply to jonathan shepherd:

and you must wipe it down with a brand new navy blue flannel that is part of a set. Turns it a lovely blotchy pale sort of pink. Then you must hide said flannel and deny to the wife that you've seen it.

In reply to Bobling:

Thanks all. We do have ventilation in the form of a whopping airbrick directly below the mould. I'm wary of a fan as that was the landlord solution last time and it made the bathroom frigid.

In reply to Removed User: I hope you've buried it real deep. I broke a mug once that was part of a set, I chucked it in the waste bin under some other bits of stuff, she only spotted it through the bin liner when she was putting it outside.

In reply to Bobling:

Hey Bobling good to see climbing is high up the agenda..... welcome to family life. who knows you may get a pass out! Cheers mate
andy

In reply to kiwi boy:

Yeah I may get a chance eventually to do some climbing....


.....up ladders to fix gutters!

No I lie, I've got the Cornwall and North Wales trips booked in and am looking forward to them, maybe see you there!

In reply to Bobling:

A fan may make the bathroom cold, but it will sort the humidity quicker and reduce the mould, your call!

In reply to ceri:

^ This. The airbrick will be allowing the he cold air in and cooling the wall surface and causing the condensation of the steam. Controlled ventilation is the key. Ie, a fan. Alternatively, reduce the humidity with a dehumidifier. I'm a plumber btw!

In reply to Bobling:

Mould removers tend to be simply bleach with fewer safety notices. However, it does not kill or deter the deeper seated parts of the growth. Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda) is said to be more effective for that purpose.

In reply to JazG:

Do you think I could replace the airbrick with some sort of automated fan then or leave the airbrick in place and add a fan? For context it is a standard postwar semi with airbricks in almost all rooms. Much as I'd like to block them all up I think they do serve a mysterious purpose airing the walls.

In reply to Bobling:

Personally I would always go for controlled ventilation, the airbrick should go and the fan would be the more effective alternative. There's no reason to keep the airbrick once there's a fan there. If you think about it, modern houses don't have them in every room unless they are required for a gas appliances etc.

In reply to JazG:

Isn't it more healthy to have fresh air circulating from outside? For security reasons you can't leave windows open all the time so air bricks seem like a good idea. It's also expensive to have fans and de-humidifiers running all the time.

In reply to Pekkie:

There is no need to have them running all the time. You can get the to run on for a timed period after you switch off the light, or even with built in humidistat that operates the fan when the levels of humidity reach a certain threshold. Uncontrolled ventilation from an airbrick will just cause loss of heat as well as some ventilation.

In reply to JazG:

Not sure I agree with you. Maybe I'm being a bit Victorian about this - the benefits of 'good fresh air' and all that but it's not just humidity is it? There is also the build up of carbon dioxide and other gases - and not just from fires. I hate stuffy rooms and love opening windows. My wife is the opposite - she calls it 'creating draughts'. All I know is that when we had a problem with mould in our bathroom, putting in an air brick - closeable when it's blowing a gale - solved it.

In reply to Bobling:
if you just want to get rid of it in a fairly longterm way clean with whatever method you fancy and then paint with a couple of coats of 'zinsser perma white' its not a cure for condensation but it will stop mould and brighten up your bathroom for a tenner whereas all other methods are cash intensive and of disputed worth - but ventilation will almost certainly help - give the zinsser a try it really does resist mould growth !
ps it doesnt have to be a white finish, it can be colour matched so there you go, bobs your uncle !

In reply to Bobling:
Condensation forms on cold surfaces. What is above the ceiling? A roof space? Is it properly insulated?

In reply to Bobling:


That is nothing. Our last house was very mouldy. We tried ventilation, anti-mould paint, the lot. Made no difference. The cheapest and most effective treatment in my opinion is to dilute neat bleach into a spray bottle and then just spray it on and wipe down 10 minutes later. It will be back, but then you just spray it again. It is one of those things that comes with modern draft free houses.

In reply to Bobling:

The advantage with the fan is that you can control where the moist air goes - depending on wind direction, the airbrick will eithersuck the moist air out or blow it through the rest of the house. It's almost certainly best to suck the damp air straight outside and allow warm dry air from the rest of the house to replace it.

In reply to Toerag:

We had an extractor fan and a window in our bathroom. Didn't stop the mould.

In reply to Turdus torquatus:

Roof space above the ceiling. Properly insulated? Well done for free by the government last year so I hope so.

Interestingly had another of the insulate your house for free lot round today who wanted to insulate our wall cavities. He was going great guns till he saw this air brick and the one in the room next to it which can't be reached with ladders. According to him getting to and knocking out these airbricks is a sufficient PITA to make insulating the wall cavities not worth their while so perhaps I'll try opening the window more and wiping down tiles after showers before fitting a fan which may cost quite a bit!