Black mould on walls

This is a very common problem and a growing issue as we insulate our homes more and more.

If you have discovered black mould on your walls, firstly do not fret.  There are four typical reasons why you are seeing black mould on your walls:

• Excess moisture in the form of condensation
• High humidity and poor ventilation
• Water leaking into the property
• Other damp related issue such as penetrating damp

From the list above, the two leading causes of black mould appearing on or behind your walls are condensation and a lack of adequate air ventilation in the property. Everyday activities like showering, cooking and drying clothes release damp air into the atmosphere that is unable to disperse outside due to a lack of sufficient air ventilation. Once this moisture laden air condenses and lands on a cold surface such as your walls it has the potential to create the damp, moist environment that black mould requires to germinate and thrive.

With regarding to the other two reasons, plumbing defects and burst water pipes can lead to a build up of moisture and high humidity behind the walls . In terms of other types of damp being the possible cause, issues with penetrating damp from sources such as burst downpipes can lead to moisture penetrating through to the inner wall and causing black mould to grow on the wall.

If you believe that you have identified the appearance of black mould on your walls then we would urge you to firstly try and establish the source of the problem.  If you are at all uncertain, then feel free to contact us at Peter Cox on 0800 633 5712, find your local branch or contact us online.

Signs that you may have black mould on your walls (in front or behind) include:

• The appearance of a black or very dark green slimy mould on the wall.
• A musky earthy smell often accompanies black mould growth on walls
• If you notice that problems associated with allergies such as sneezing or skin irritation seem to improve when you are outside of the home, then you may have a mould infestation in your walls

If the affected wall is made of non-porous material then the black mould will appear on the surface, making it quite easy to spot and identify, however, it is often the case that black mould has grown in the cavities behind the wall itself or behind wallpaper, this is difficult to see without conducting a disruptive survey such as a borescope survey.

For fairly minor black mould problems, it is perfectly possible to attempt to remove black mould from your walls by yourself.  What you need to do is as follows:
 

• Wear some old or protective clothing
• Use a certified black mould removal products such as our black mould cleaner to neutralise and sterilise the affected black mould area.  We suggest repeating the process ensuring you also sterilise a minimum of 0.5m around the main boundary
• Once sterilised, if you are considering redecorating, consider paints resistant to moisture or more specialised paints such as our Warmerwall anti condensation paint

It is important to note however, that without removing or reducing the source of the condensation or moisture that facilitated the growth of the black mould then it will likely return to the property.  If you are unsure how to correctly identify the source of moisture, you can always request a survey from one of our professional and friendly surveyors to help you out.

At Peter Cox we have a range of black mould solutions ranging from a mould cleaning service to cleans and sterilises the surface damage, to surveys to identify the source of the the moisture and if necessary, mechanical solutions such as positive pressure ventilation and heat recovery ventilation to ventilate the excess moisture.

To find out more, visit our web pages on black mould removal, and condensation solutions.

Once the removal has been conducted our highly trained and qualified experts will provide an after care service utilising  their unrivalled experience and knowledge to recommend the most effective and suitable ways to prevent the problem from returning. Our processes have been approved and ratified by the bodies that govern out industry such as the PCA, Which? And TrustMark amongst others signalling that Peter Cox is the name to trust when it comes to removing black mould.

We understand the worry and concern you will feel if you have identified black mould on the walls of your property, that is why we have a team of fully trained and accredited specialists waiting to help you diagnose, treat, and prevent black mould from appearing on your walls again. If you would like to discuss how we can get your walls back to their best then give us a call on 0800 633 5712 or fill out the online contact form below.