How do you stop mould around your windows?

Question

I have a continuing problem of mould around my windows in my home, i have to have the central heating on to dry clothes and i know this is part of the problem so i keep the windows open slightly to combat the condensation. Does anyone know how i can stop the mould from reappearing and not coming back without constantly cleaning them every other week??.

Answer 1

If you're in the UK and can spare £50, buy a dehumidifier from B&Q. It's their own brand and is quite good, and cheapest for the capacity. I had a friend in Oz who did not use a tumble drier and dried his clothes with a fan heater and dehumidifier. Keep the dehumidifier on even after you have stored your clothes to dry out the air, for at least a couple of hours.
Use some diluted bleach to wipe down your window cills. Do this for at least a week to kill off the spores. This is assuming that the damp came from the clothes and not from your walls. If the latter, you need to get a builder to sort it out.

Answer 2

Well, leaving the window open removes the issue for ventilation. That's a good part of the solution. Well done. Washing the mold away only to see it return indicates another solution is needed. Simply washing it with a bleach solution or inhibitor will not solve this problem. "I think this will only take one bowl" Sherlock says to Watson. Try 2 things, starting with the simplest one first: 1) Close the window. You may have more growth in the outside air than you do inside due to air streams, therefore, in a room such as a bath, the spores which settle on the walls & sill now have a place to grow & flourish thanks to the humidity. Be sure to turn the exhaust vent/fan on overhead. You still need ventilation. 2) Wash the walls with the bleach water or inhibitor & then paint with a mold/organic resistant paint. This is found at any home center like Menard's, Lowe's, Home Depot, etc. Lastly, growth on the surface can indicate hidden growth from behind the wall.That could be a from a leak on the exterior around the window or overhead. Try these more economical tasks first, then proceed further. Regardless of the outcome, you do not have a large or extensive problem. Don't lose sleep over this. Good luck.

Answer 3

I Had a similair problem years ago when I was student in a flat...

Firstly go to the launderette for a couple weeks to dry your clothes and give the rooms chance to dry out with the heating on.
Use a mildew spray to kill the fungus spores and then clean them out with a bleach spray.
If you have normal single glazing you can repaint the window frames to reseal them but make sure the paint goes onto the glass, then use a window scrapper blade (99p) to scrape the excess paint off but leaves about 3mm of paint on the glass.

Try and get hold of some jars of absorbent gel crystals and leave them on the window sill when drying the clothes.

Hope this helps...it did for me!

Answer 4

Just the way koxinga said. I Had a mold problem in my basement so I purchased a dehumidifier and ran it for 4 weeks straight. That took care of it. Now it doesn't have to run constantly, it kicks on periodically to keep the basement dry.

Answer 5

First remove any mold and paint in a high gloss bathroom paint over the sills and any coverings to prevent more build up. Once a week you can run a disinfecting rag over it to make sure nothing is there.

Answer 6

Get a dehumidifier, it will draw the moisture out of the air.

Answer 7

Look into ventilating your property properly.... thats one of the causes..... or have the window seals gone and need renewing?

Answer 8

air circulation open windows slightly during day time !!!