Furniture gets mould on it, when placed against external wall.

it happens in all damp houses

deleted57959

I have had a few houses and only my bathroom in one house has a mold … I have had a few houses and only my bathroom in one house has a mold issue. the rest were all well ventilated.Read lessRead more

When we moved here last year damp/mould in the bathroom was an issue, however that was down to the "intelligence" of the previous occupier as they had in their wisdom decided wallpaper in a bathroom was a good idea and then made it worse by having overlaps of about 4 inches that wasn't pasted down so this wicked the water behind the paper which couldn't evaporate as it was a vinyl, you can imagine the fun of stripping that off and revealing what lay hidden. Once stripped though the walls was lovely and smooth underneath.

mould can be deadly so you need it sorted.

extractor fan

If it is rendered and has had a damp course put in then I would imagine the damp is coming from underneath the foundations, maybe something to look into?

But then again, mould is normally down to bad air flow, check the air bricks, if they are blocked then that could be the cause.
(edited)

What about moving the furniture away from the wall slightly and putting one of those dehumidifier boxes you can buy in pound stores with the granules behind the furniture and see if any water gets collected.

PeachyPie321

The house was really damp when we first moved in, we have improved it … The house was really damp when we first moved in, we have improved it loads. Will look at air bricks, that might be the reason. It tends to be worse in the warm months when the heating isn't on. Thanks NEtech!Read lessRead more

open a window when its warm

Condensation? We sometimes get mould on the walls in the corners of the room throught the winter - it leads off the kitchen and so gets steam etc, This has actually been better since we had an extractor fan fitted in kitchen,

kensington143

Condensation? We sometimes get mould on the walls in the corners of the … Condensation? We sometimes get mould on the walls in the corners of the room throught the winter - it leads off the kitchen and so gets steam etc, This has actually been better since we had an extractor fan fitted in kitchen,Read lessRead more

its the steam that's causing the mould if its trapped in the house, so of course its better with a extractor fan fitted

probably condensation due to lack of air movement behind the furniture, move it away from the wall a bit to allow airflow, also, if the house has been damp it can take a long time for the walls to dry thoroughly so make sure it is well ventilated

Agree with the lack of air circulation - I live in a barn conversion from 1800 and there have been many damp issues. We leave the windows on vent all the time and open them whenever we're in and it's not freezing! Also, use a dehumidifier if you ever dry washing inside, as that creates masses of damp air throughout the house, which just makes the issue worse.

I live in a damp area (houses built on old flood plain) so we suffer a lot with damp, condensation etc

Replace your dehumidifier is a priority (once damp is in it's more difficult to remove
When taking showers use extractror fan or open window
When using tumble dryers make sure it's vented outside
During warm weather open a window or use extractor fan to circulate the air (remember heat and steam (hot moist air will rise)
Then during the autumn/winter months use you dehumidifier a few hours each day

We never stopped the condensation because of the location but we did stop mold

Trust me I know about this for a long time I lived in a badly converted chapel with a leaky roof
I have all my furniture 4 inches from the wall
treat with mould killer
http://www.screwfix.com/p/de-solv-it-anti-mould-mildew-spray-500ml/95861
as above keep well ventilated
Use your central heating no matter how broke you think you are 15 minutes twice a day minimum

It's condensation.

You're trapping warm moist air next to a cold external wall, causing water to condense and providing an ideal environment for mould growth.

My mate works in local authority property Dept and he said to open your windows for at least a hour every day, ideally in the morning to let air flow through the house. Helps to combat damp, condensation etc.

The house was really damp when we first moved in, we have improved it loads. Will look at air bricks, that might be the reason. It tends to be worse in the warm months when the heating isn't on. Thanks NEtech!

We did use a dehumidifier a few years ago, it collected loads of water until it broke! We tend to avoid putting stuff against the external walls but obviously it is a bit limiting. I asked really because we are going to move to a newer house and wondered if we would have the same issues!

PeachyPie321

We did use a dehumidifier a few years ago, it collected loads of water … We did use a dehumidifier a few years ago, it collected loads of water until it broke! We tend to avoid putting stuff against the external walls but obviously it is a bit limiting. I asked really because we are going to move to a newer house and wondered if we would have the same issues!Read lessRead more

so rather than replace the dehumidifier you thought lets live with the mould instead
a new house will/should be better ventilated but if that ventilation is blocked you will get the same problems

Thank you all. We had 2 dehumidifiers over time, but after they broke we changed the way we dried clothes, kept windows open and even used open fire in the summer so we thought that should solve the need for another one!

Thanks for the advice, will see if I can borrow a dehumidifier for a bit!

Sounds like render sucking water up the wall. Is the render chipped off at the bottom, or does it go all the way to the ground?
If you have damp ground the render sucks up the water and makes the walls wet, a simple solution is chipping the render off at floor level (look at other houses, I bet lots will have been done!)

I live in a 20s terrace and I have air bricks in every room and an air vent in the loft hatch. Try cracking the loft hatch open as that will create quite a strong airflow in the house, in a room with very dry air, and also leave a downstairs window cracked. DIY no money dehumidifier (edited)

Open a window when it's warm and when it's cold. The Germans do it by turning the heating off, opening all the windows for 10-15 mins to clearout the moist air, then closing and heating on again.
Damp tends to come down, not up. Check the guttering isn't blocked or running behind the render.
You can get a waterproof treatment sprayed/painted onto the render if it is porous.
Don't dry clothes indoors. If you must use a dehumidifier in a warm room.