Damp

[gaz1250]

In my bedroom it has always been the coldest room in the house. I have a store cupboard/room in there which is really small but it smells and is very cold there is a book case in there that has started to produce green mould/damp? What should I look for to try and see what is causing this before I get somebody in to give me there advice?

[pennyd334]

Before you get a damp surveyor in (aka salesman!) - you need to figure out a few things. The clue is in your bedroom being the coldest room in the house. Cold = condensation, because you sleep and therefore breathe in there, which produces moisture, which in a cupboard has nowhere to go. Is there anyway of warming your bedroom up and also ventilating it? Is the rest of your bedroom dry? Can you have ventilation for your cupboard by replacing the door with a louvred one? I lived for 2 years in Auckland, which has a very humid climate, and my shoes and all leather went mouldy! Mould is dangerous to breathe in, so if you can, you need to remove the mould in the cupboard with a mild solution of bleach and water, or fresh lemon juice diluted with water. And then ventilate the cupboard and the room, and try and get the room warmer. If this is not possible, you can buy small dehumidifier which should dry the air a bit and keep your cupboard dryer. Failing all that, then call in the damp boys!

[tas]

Is your bedroom groundfloor and do the walls get wet?
check to see if there is cold air coming in from somewhere.
I only ask because we had similar problems in a rear ground floor bedroom. Damp smell and always cold despite heating on full blast.
The room had air vents in the walls outside. These vents should have allowed air to pass freely below the floor boards from the rear of the premises to the front. Unfortunately the passage for the air was blocked by cement below the floorboards within this room therefore cold air would enter these vents and flow up through the floorboards of the bedroom - causing the cold and subsequent damp.
We had the air channel beneath the floorboards cleared and amazing - no damp and no cold!!
hope this helps
Tas