Mould problem need advice urgently?

Question

I just moved my bed out from the wall and behind it the wall is wet and covered with furry black and white mould. THe carpet is affected too, and the mould is starting to creep past the bed which is what caused me to look behind there. I am horrified as I have been sleeping right next to this for god knows how long.
What am I supposed to do?
FYI: The wall affected is an outside wall, I have looked on the outside there is no obvious signs of moisture, the wall is dry and there are no drains near that section of wall. I do not have mould anywhere else. I only have single glazing.

Answer 1

come across this problem alot i have a (Stonemasonry and restoration business) people call us in to damp proof the area but its caused by cold spots i.e wardrobes, beds etc blocking heat from the radiators especially against external walls of older houses with no or poor cavity insulation the cold air from the cavity also rises through the floor where the floor joists are built into the wall. The cold air in the inch or so gap between the furniture and wall creates condensation more so if your heating is on a timer not allowing the whole room to heat up before it goes off again. Just wipe your wall down with a anti bacterial spray leave it to dry and place the bed with a large gap from the wall or if possible against an internal wall but don't worry about damp proofing. I hope this helps.

Answer 2

With no offense really, to anyone, WOW, I see answers, that don't address the more important issues.

First of all the "wet" is coming from somewhere. It isn't akin to the "immaculate conception." You state that the exterior wall is dry, have you checked the roof? especially above what I assume is a window (Single glazing?)

On that note be aware that WATER finds its way, and very often the source is nowhere near the place it manifests in its travel.

I recently replaced drywall in a basement level of an 11,000 sq. ft. building, because of water, its damage, and Black Mold as the byproduct. BLEACH will not strictly "Kill" it, nor will it stop whatever is causing it. Might there be "plumbing" running through that wall, to a bathroom/lavatory?

Sadly your best efforts won't rid your "mind" of the situation, and as you dicover the source/reason for the "wet" you might consider checking your budget for new carpet, as well as repainting, at the least.

You also don't strictly state the humidity in your location, or within the home, in general. Opening a window might not actually "HELP." A dehumidifyer appliance would certainly show you in a span of time, how much moisture is in the air.

Black mold is "Life" on some level, and GROWS as it is nourished. In this case by something you should address along with removal of all that "Houses" the mold.

One more note: Without knowing the substance of the wall, IE: Drywall/sheetrock (Gypsum filled, paper covered panels) I offer this. In such case as drywall is the case, the mold is attacking the paper and paint on the surface of the wall, as well as the back side of the panel. It does not attack the plaster/gypsum, that makes up the substance of the wall. To retrace to the bleach suggestion. Certainly with bleach and scrubbing you can remove or diminish signs of mold on the interior of the wall, but if it is "Drywall" the mold is established on the back side and your efforts will be time wasted. "Removal" might be the only option.

First and foremost however is to explore and discover the source, then deal with its after effects.

Steven Wolf
(The Rev.)

Answer 3

we are battling with this problem at the minute too! if you have a wardrobe or other piece of furniture up against an outside wall, look behind there, i bet there is mould/damp behind there too. we found ours last week and it was so bad we are redecorating our bedroom. strip the wallpaper, clean the wall with bleach and warm water, also buy a HUMIDIFIER for your bedroom as damp is caused by condensation, this will remove excess moisture from the air, we have also bought a slimline panel heater to keep the room warm and dry. once you have stripped the wallpaper paint on some DAMP SEAL, wait until dry and then put up some vinyl wallpaper. then attach your slimline panel heater to the wall, preferably under the window. make sure the room never gets too cold or damp. good luck you will need it (and so will we!) PS if you just clean it and leave it, it will come back again next year.

Answer 4

Washing and bleaching the walls will eliminate the inside problem. BUT NOT THE SOURCE.

If you have a window on that wall, it sounds like it needs waterproofing around it . You definitely need to bring in a seriously qualified window person to remove the facings from the outside of the window and determine the problem and reseal it against moisture.

Possibly you have a clogged gutter causing water to flow down the wall on that side or a roof leak. If nails were put in improperly on a roof they can cause leaking.

Carpeting for that room needs to be disposed of and needless to say until this is taken care of you need to sleep in another room

Good Luck.

Answer 5

Wash the affected area with a mould removing liquid and then move the bed and allow it to dry out completely. In future you may need to leave a gap between the bed and the wall for ventilation.

Answer 6

I would say this is down to condensation on the window if its directly below it? once you have solved the mould problem always ensure the window is open as much as possible and there is nothing too close to the walls. Mould can cause medical problems such as asthma and other respiratory problems, the old and young are more vulnerable.

Answer 7

The wall isnt breathing...you can clean the wall with a household bleach then let it dry....Tompsons do a spray that can be used to block the mould then redecorate...you will just have to keep a check on it from time to time...

Answer 8

We had it too, its because theres no drainage, what we were told was is to clean the walls with cold water and bleach and open the window to let the air circulate. Also pull the bed away from the wall as often as possible.

Answer 9

Wash the wall with disinfectant, you can get a fungicidal emulsion, to paint the area of the wall with. Perhaps if possible move the bed to an inside wall.

Answer 10

could be from condensation. clean the mould away with bleach which kills the spores and prevents it from spreading. I had the same problem but my landlord supplied me with a de-humidifier which has helped reduce the excess moisture in the air.