Damp and mould is not just unsightly but can cause serious health problems for you and your family. It is essential that you remove it as soon as possible and prevent it from coming back.
Mould is caused by too much moisture that can be a result of rising damp, leaking pipes and rain that has been able to get in because of a damaged roof or window frame. The most common place for black mould is in the bathroom, but it can also be found in bedrooms, behind beds, on or around windows and in cupboards and wardrobes.
Excess moisture and a lack of proper ventilation inside a property can cause condensation. This can be caused from things like cooking, drying clothes inside, showering, and even just breathing.
You may need to call out a professional property maintainer to make repairs to your home, to improve its ventilation and to stop any leaks before they escalate into a bigger and more expensive problem.
How to prevent condensation from building up
· Put lids on saucepans.
· Dry your washing outside.
· Open the windows every day.
· Make sure your home is well insulated.
· Increase the heating in your home.
· Ventilate rooms and open doors to let the air circulate.
· Open the window and turn the fan on when having a shower and cooking.
It helps to keep on top of all the maintenance jobs in your home to ensure that any leaks and causes of mould and damp are quickly dealt with.
Once you’ve found the cause of the moisture in your home and it has been fixed, you can then get rid of the mould. It sometimes is possible to get rid of the mould yourself, but you may have to call in a professional handyman to do the job for you. You should only remove it yourself if you are confident that the mould has been caused by condensation and it is only covering a small area. If the mould has been caused by contaminated water, then you should never attempt to remove it yourself and call in a professional who will have the correct equipment and expertise to safely do the job for you.
When removing mould, you should always protect yourself by wearing goggles, a face mask and rubber gloves. Make sure the windows are open, but keep the doors closed to stop any mould spores getting to other parts of the property.
You will also need to get rid of any soft furnishings such as soft toys and clothes that are mouldy. Anything you are keeping should be thoroughly cleaned. Clothes should be taken to the dry cleaners and all soft furnishings should be deep cleaned. This will help to make sure all lasting traces of mould have been removed from your home.
For clothes that you wish to keep, wash them in water and mild detergent. To remove mould spores, all the surfaces should be thoroughly cleaned by either a wet cloth or vacuuming. With a wet cloth, wipe the mould off the wall or window frame. There are a variety of mould cleaners available to buy to help you thoroughly move all remaining traces of mould from your home. Afterwards use a dry cloth and make sure you the area is dry and all moisture has been removed from the wall. The cloths and any mouldy soft furnishings should be carefully put in a plastic bag and thrown away.
Even when a mould and damp issue has been dealt with and leaks have been fixed, it is always a good idea to regularly check problem areas to ensure the problem hasn’t returned.