Hi,
I've not long moved into a new home, the bathroom of which you can tell has recently been painted. It has sat empty over October, Nov, Dec, Jan and a lot of Feb, most likely with very little heating on, if any.
The bathroom walls were free of any mould right up till about 4 days ago and now it's appearing on 2 walls, in a fair few places. Most of it will not come off, whereas other parts will wipe off easily. Is there a way if I can tell whether the previous tenant has just painted over some mould rather than clean it down first then paint the room, or, if the mould is new? Obviously I have suspicion that in a mad rush to get it ready for me, the walls have just been hurriedly painted over and the damp is now coming back through that coat of paint. All and any help appreciated thank you.
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
Hi, unfortunately without investigating mouldy areas its hard to say. Bleach and any other cleaning staff wont help in long term. Have a look for any pipe work behind walls or if external walls, see outside
We specialise in solving mould and other indoor air quality problems, which is what you are describing.
As long as there is a low level heating on in the property, an empty property will not have the conditions for mould growth.
Since you have moved in, you have created the condition and the chances are those conditions applied when the previous occupiers were in residence.
As you describe, there is fresh surface growth you can wipe off but it is perfectly possible there was mould under the paintwork as well. This will have become dormant when vacant but the new conditions have saturated the paintwork and germinated the mould underneath so the chances are you are seeing both.
As the other reply correctly says, fungicides won't work long term (never use bleach), similarly anti-fungicidal paint in this situation is not a long-term solution.
You need suitable extraction, almost certainly a constant running unit, as a minimum. A standard extraction unit is likely to be a waste of money.
If you feel mould is an endemic and long term problem with the bathroom or property as a whole it is clear, simple cleaning to cure it won't work. There are more fundamental issues, with the fabric and services affecting the building like lack of insulation, ventilation and the issues surrounding living habits.
Cobalt Carbon Free
Painting will not fix the problem. You need to fit / upgrade your extractor fan to a humidity sensing fan. For example when the humidity reaches a certain level it kicks in and extracts moisture from the air and lowers the humidity in the room. This will reduce condensation and should fix the issue.
