Friday 17 March 2023

sooty moulds and the black mould menace

Winter is black mould season in the estates up and down the UK. We tolerate it, then snap at it, we bleach it off, we dry it out, we run our dehumidifiers and hope our lungs will take the strain. 

Here are some of the things that can make your black mould worse:

  • Owning stuff that produces or absorbs moisture, like books, clothes, plants and pets
  • Preparing and eating food, turning on taps, washing anything and drinking hot drinks
  • Keeping your house warmer than the outside world in winter
As you may have gathered, most of the things that make a house a house can also cause black mould. 

My mould garden is waiting my attention at the moment. I have a couple of spray bottles of mould killer waiting, and I'll be right on it, any moment now.

Things could be worse.


Nine years ago I took apart my last mould garden, excavating down through the layers of failed anti-mould measures, finding mould in every one of them. 

This blocked ventilation brick, ironically was one of the least mouldy spaces in the room. Emboldened by that, I cleared it out and reinstated it. 

newspaper under the plaster

I see now why it was blocked; cold, damp air comes in through the block and instantly brings the mould to the space around it, in from the outside. 

Time to get busy with the bleach and the paint.

No comments:

Post a Comment