Mould

[laura_seabrook]

My brother Mark and his wife Dee dropped in Tuesday evening. We sat in my study chatting and Dee pointed out that I had mould on the ceiling above my PC. In fact, it looks like this:

Now I had until then thought that mould was only a problem for the building, and didn't really affect the inhabitants (which is why I haven't done much about it). However, according to Dee it can cause respiratory problems, exacerbate asthma, and induce depression. All of which I've had in abundance of late.

It was never this large before but there's been a fair chunk of wet weather in the last year. And, though this is the worst patch, it's also spread throughout the house. On Wednesday I bought a container of bleach and a squeegee mop and over the weekend will see about removing some of this. It's a big job, but I guess it's got to be done.

Comments

Getting rid of mould

[sistercrow.livejournal.com]

Put a mixture of bleach, dish detergent, and water in a spray bottle. Spray the areas (use a painter's mask or something to cover your airways), let it sit. It does a better job than bleach alone. I think the proportions are about 1/3 bleach, 2/3 water, and a good healthy squeeze of dish soap.

Just a note - do not leave the mixture sit in a plaxtic bottle for long - transfer any leftovers to a glass bottle. It will eventually eat through plastic.

My stepmother has used this for years, and so have I. It really works.

Re: Getting rid of mould

[laura-seabrook.livejournal.com]

But if I spray this up to the ceiling, won't it all drop down underneath? I bought a cheap drop cover just in case.

Re: Getting rid of mould

[sistercrow.livejournal.com]

Stand on something to raise you up high enough that you can spray it at a slight angle.

[zeldajean.livejournal.com]

A doctor I had recommended spraying any rooms where it tended to be wet, including carpets, walls, and ceilings, with Lysol (a disinfectant spray here in the US) at least once per week to keep mold at bay. Including the mold that you can't see yet. Hopefully this will help - I'm sure the bleach will. Also, white vinegar, straight or diluted 1:4 (vinegar:water) sprayed on helps also (and, at least here, this is much cheaper than buying mass amounts of lysol).

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

A thought stikes me, Laura. Is that a roof void above? You could have damp in the roof space causing this mould

[traci7may.livejournal.com]

You can buy a small tub of stuff that you mix into paint & it will stop the mould growing on the ceiling. We used it at out house in Newcastle & it worked really well.

I would not be surprised if you find your health improves once you have cleaned it off.