The most common maintenance issue: Mould.

 

Being a tenant means there is a small proportion of maintenance that is your responsibility. This brief guide will give useful tips for the most common maintenance issue of all – mould.

Mould is caused by condensation (moist air). This can occur in any property and at any time of year. This mould is known to appear most commonly in bathrooms. You may also find mould on windows, ceilings, bottoms of doors & especially in corners of rooms. Moist air is produced by day to day living, such as hanging up wet clothes to dry, cooking, showering etc. A single person can produce up to 2-4 litres of condensation from breathing alone. Generally speaking, this is caused by failure to ventilate the property efficiently. So, how do we prevent it from happening?

  1. Open your windows.

 

Simple yet effective. Opening your windows for an hour or up to two hours a day can contribute towards preventing mould growth. This allows air movement throughout the property. This is essential after showers & especially when cooking. If you do not regularly circulate the air throughout your property, you will eventually see some form of mould growth.

 

  1. Regularly maintain your extraction fans & use them.

Although some extraction fans can be noisy, they are there for a purpose. Extraction fans are designed to take out the moisture from the air when you are showering or cooking. These can often become blocked & ineffective over the course of time. The easiest way to maintain your extraction fan is to hoover out any dust or particles that may be blocking the vents. To test that this clean was successful, you can turn the extraction fan on & place a piece of paper against it. If the paper does not stick, your extraction fan is only taking around 10-15% of the moisture out of the air.

  1. DO NOT block ventilator bricks – especially with clutter!

Much like extraction fans, ventilator bricks allow the air to move around. When you cover these up or stack clutter against them, this can cause moisture to settle on a surface & promote mould growth over a prolonged period of time. Over time you may then discover a plethora of mould growth.

 

Finally, if you are already experiencing mould growth, deal with it right away.

You can remove mould & prevent the spread of it with some diluted bleach wiped over the affected area up to 3-4 times a week. The high street also stocks solutions specifically to get rid of mildew & mould growth. This will prevent any leftover spores from reproducing & eventually kill off the source. Needless to say, you also need to maintain the air circulation to prevent it from coming back.