Mold problem in bedroom help!

[lostboy87]

For the last couple of winters we have had a mold problem in the bedroom on the window wall.
I have lived in my house for 10 years and have never had a problem before.
Today my girlfriend noticed mould growing in the corner of the wall and behind a large chest of drawers against the wall (but not touching) and around the window reveal.
I had new windows put in a couple of years ago upstairs because the seals in the old ones had blown,could this have anything to with it?
Also i have noticed today that the gutter on that wall is dripping and wetting the bickwork alittle where our gutter meets next door's.Like i said we only get the mold when we start to use the heating.
I have bleached the mold and bought i dehumidifier today,will this keep it at bay?
Any help would be great as we have a 3 month old baby and i want to get rid of this problem.
Thanks for reading!

[boxtops]

It's most likely the gutter which is causing the problem - we had this last year when the gutter wasn't aligned properly, and next door's water was missing the hopper completely and pouring down the wall. Get your guttering sorted!

[The Builder]

It's the beginning of the condensation season, Lostboy.
Of course, this coincides with putting the heating back on.
Your old windows used to keep a good flow of ventilation through the room. Use the trickle vents on the new windows. Keep the room moderately heated and ventilated.
Essential to fix the guttering. Eventually it'll damage the brickwork. Also, a damp wall is colder than the dry ones, and a cold surface attracts condensation.
If it's cavity brickwork, then consider filling the cavities. It's very beneficial, and subsidised by the local council.

[lostboy87]

Thanks for the answers! I do have the trickle vents open but it doesnt seem to do much.Also i live in an old terrace house and i do not have any cavities! any other sugestions on that that would help? will the dehumidifier help at all?
Thanks!

[boxtops]

Not really - I too live in a Victorian terrace - get that gutter sorted!

[The Builder]

I agree with boxers. Gutter first, then heating on. De-humidifier would only help until you switch it off :o(

[cathfromsaron]

heat will encourage existing mold spores to reproduce, but where did they come from? damp gutter sounds fave!

also, do you dry clothes over radiators? this can create moisture where mold spores love to thrive!

[Mosaic]

It'll take a "little while" ( scientifically, between 1 day- 6months) for the excess hunidity to reduce. It depends on a medley of factors - the wet penetrating the building skins; inside temperature; inside humidity (ie breathing, drying clothes).
So bluntly, if you crank up the radiators, open the window a crack and leave it all on constantly all winter, it will dry out....at a cost.
The trick will be to try and get back to the older balanced situation where this didn't happen - might be the gutter or a combination of things like not having damp washing in that room.

[lostboy87]

Thanks all,gonna get someone round to sort the gutter this week! The other years we have had clothes on every rad in the house but so far this year we have just had clothes on a clothes horse in the kitchen.We have had no damp clothes upstars at all.
Just been in the bedroom and with the dehumidifier i can feel the difference already,there is about two cups of water in the tray and and the air just feels dry!! Hopefully once the gutter is sorted it should be fine? and just use the dehumidifier a couple of hours a week to be sure.

[237SJ]

Clothes on radiators or drying anywhere else in the house is one of the worst things for causing black spot mould. I had a place where the tenants had no choice but to dry on the radiators. The house was old as well. You must ventilate and heat old places. Any cold wall that has furniture against it such as a chest or free standing wardrobe will have problems behind that furniture. I had loads of the problems you describe with my place.

[Gizmonster]

You need to try and work out whether the mould is being caused by damp penetrating through the wall from the outside (in which case get your guttering sorted), or if it's being caused by warm humid air condensating on cold spots on the walls etc.
We had a similar problem with some small areas in our lounge getting black spots on the wall - behind the TV and behind the CD cabinet. We've since had cavity fall insulation fitted and have 2 dehumidifiers constantly running. The one in the loft prob gets emptied every 3 days ish - but the one in the lounge gets emptied twice a day .... that's alot of moisture in the air. The drying of clothes on radiators is prob one of the biggest culprits for putting moisture into the air - other culprits include: boiling a pan/kettle and having a shower/bath. We always leave our bathroom window open (apart from very cold days/nights) and all the internal doors open to help try and improve the air circulation. We tackled our mould problem about 3 years ago ish. It's prob a combination of all of the things that we've done - but the black spots are now a thing of the past.

[Gizmonster]

...... that should be cavity "wall" insulation by the way lol :)

[supapapa]

Mold is a town in North Wales.

[joko]

i had this...all i did was totally drench the walls and paper in neat bleach...and let it dry... hasnt been back in about 10 years...
the thin stuff, as the thick stuff can discolour paper

it may need repainting though

also add a bit bleach to any wallpaper paste and emulsion

[tamborine]

Gutter should be first job. Condensation could be a problem; open windows to air the interior. Drying clothes on radiators causes condensation that leads to mould.

[sacha.86]

Tea tree oil is supposed to prevent it from growing back but it's not gona get rid of it.