Mould glorious Mould...

We live in a 2 bed fairly new unit in Sydney & are having major issues with mound! It's on our clothes, shoes, bags etc & is even showing up on wooden items like the legs on furniture! Admittedly we don't have air con which I'm guessing during the humid summer months could be what's causing the issue but having now completed a year in our property & all four seasons we've seen no improvement!

The unit is well ventilated with us always leaving doors & windows open. Wardrobe doors are never closed. Clothes never hung away when damp etc. The unit is also full of fans & damp rid boxes but nothing seems to work!

Does anybody have any good suggestions or perhaps any idea what we're doing wrong & how we can rectify this problem please? Thanks!

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We live in a 2 bed fairly new unit in Sydney & are having major issues with mound! It's on our clothes, shoes, bags etc & is even showing up on wooden items like the legs on furniture! Admittedly we don't have air con which I'm guessing during the humid summer months could be what's causing the issue but having now completed a year in our property & all four seasons we've seen no improvement!

 

The unit is well ventilated with us always leaving doors & windows open. Wardrobe doors are never closed. Clothes never hung away when damp etc. The unit is also full of fans & damp rid boxes but nothing seems to work!

 

Does anybody have any good suggestions or perhaps any idea what we're doing wrong & how we can rectify this problem please? Thanks!

 

 

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We rented a unit when we first came to Australia with a mould problem. I don't know why some places have it so badly and other don't have it at all. We couldn't move out of the place fast enough as it's also bad for your health. We haven't had any problems with mould in any of the other places we've lived in. Sorry I haven't any ideas on how to get rid of it.

We rented a unit when we first came to Australia with a mould problem. I don't know why some places have it so badly and other don't have it at all. We couldn't move out of the place fast enough as it's also bad for your health. We haven't had any problems with mould in any of the other places we've lived in. Sorry I haven't any ideas on how to get rid of it.

I've got a cousin who lives in QLD where it's presumably hotter & more humid than Sydney, she has no air con & has never had an issue with Mould so I suspect it could be something to do with the actual unit we live in! There isn't any Mould on the walls or ceilings, literally just items within the unit! Very odd. Agreed it's no good for your health. I'd been waking up in the night coughing & discovered it was down to mould on the wooden bed frame!

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I've got a cousin who lives in QLD where it's presumably hotter & more humid than Sydney, she has no air con & has never had an issue with Mould so I suspect it could be something to do with the actual unit we live in! There isn't any Mould on the walls or ceilings, literally just items within the unit! Very odd. Agreed it's no good for your health. I'd been waking up in the night coughing & discovered it was down to mould on the wooden bed frame!

 

 

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Move! It is your unit. We were in Sydney, no aircon, never had any mould.

Move! It is your unit. We were in Sydney, no aircon, never had any mould.

Stuck in the lease for another 3 months sadly & then we're home to the UK for 1 month almost immediately after that so would be 4 months before we 'can' move. Have spoke to the real estate numerous times & get nothing back from them, just comments of "the previous tenants never complained of this problem".

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Stuck in the lease for another 3 months sadly & then we're home to the UK for 1 month almost immediately after that so would be 4 months before we 'can' move. Have spoke to the real estate numerous times & get nothing back from them, just comments of "the previous tenants never complained of this problem".

 

 

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Not an acceptable response from the REA. They aren't the ones living in the unit.

Was the mould there when you moved in? Or was it smelling suspiciously of new paint?

Time to give the REA a demand for some sort of action.

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Not an acceptable response from the REA. They aren't the ones living in the unit.

 

Was the mould there when you moved in? Or was it smelling suspiciously of new paint?

 

Time to give the REA a demand for some sort of action.

 

 

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The apartment was freshly painted throughout & new flooring when we moved in, but the people in there before us were there for 6 years so I'm guessing it just needed sprucing g up but could be to disguise the mould problems! Few cracks starting to show in bedroom walls but no signs of mould yet...definitely makes me wonder?!

I've given up speaking to our REA, the lady we deal with is a nightmare. Ive emailed numerous times explaining the measures we're taking to try & rectify the problem & I get stupid replies like "I think the problem is being caused by you not opening your windows" - it's like banging my head against a brick wall!!

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It's too easy for them to rebuke an email. Not so easy when you shirt-front them face to face.

There may be other serious underlying conditions which they are ignoring. The property owner may be unaware, and the property manager isn't really helping.

Are your neighbours having similar problems?

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It's too easy for them to rebuke an email. Not so easy when you shirt-front them face to face.

 

There may be other serious underlying conditions which they are ignoring. The property owner may be unaware, and the property manager isn't really helping.

 

Are your neighbours having similar problems?

 

 

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I've spoken to 3 out of 7 of the other units in our block & nobody else has the same issue. I believe the landlord used to live in the property before deciding to rent it & is probably more than aware of the problem! Drives me up the wall trying to communicate with our REA contact, perhaps s visit into the place is the way forward?!

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May be time to bring in some reinforcements. :wink:

http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/ftw/About_us/Our_services/Resolving_issues/Residential_tenancy_complaints.page?

http://www.tenants.org.au/ They can put you in touch with their local Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service.

http://www.tenants.org.au/need-advice

In the short term....you could try wiping everything with white vinegar. Or spray with a quarter tspn of clove oil in a litre spray bottle of water.

But you need to do something: besides being unsightly, it can make you ill.

May be time to bring in some reinforcements. :wink:

 

http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/ftw/About_us/Our_services/Resolving_issues/Residential_tenancy_complaints.page?

 

http://www.tenants.org.au/ They can put you in touch with their local Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service.

http://www.tenants.org.au/need-advice

 

In the short term....you could try wiping everything with white vinegar. Or spray with a quarter tspn of clove oil in a litre spray bottle of water.

 

But you need to do something: besides being unsightly, it can make you ill.

This is fantastic thank you so much!!!!

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Do you live near water? We have found two properties we have lived in near a stream to be terrible for mould. Our current place is crazy with mould...landlord doesn't care either.

What we do apart from keeping windows open and making sure no clothes are damp or put on radiators are: we have brought a de-humidifier which helps a little. We also have mould spray in Britain which is a bleach based product which we spray and leave for 5 minutes and it wipes the mould straight off.

Not to long till you can move. If you find any other solutions let me know

Do you live near water? We have found two properties we have lived in near a stream to be terrible for mould. Our current place is crazy with mould...landlord doesn't care either.

 

What we do apart from keeping windows open and making sure no clothes are damp or put on radiators are: we have brought a de-humidifier which helps a little. We also have mould spray in Britain which is a bleach based product which we spray and leave for 5 minutes and it wipes the mould straight off.

 

Not to long till you can move. If you find any other solutions let me know

We're about 2km from the ocean but not near any other water. I did wonder if it's got anything to do its how close we live to the ocean? Thanks for your advice I'll keep my eyes open for some Mould remover! Absolute nightmare isn't it!

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I've spoken to 3 out of 7 of the other units in our block & nobody else has the same issue. I believe the landlord used to live in the property before deciding to rent it & is probably more than aware of the problem! Drives me up the wall trying to communicate with our REA contact, perhaps s visit into the place is the way forward?!

 

 

Report them to Fair Trading. Insist that the agent comes in and looks at the problem, and take photos of it. If there are cracks, it may be a rising damp issue.

I think I would give notice that I will stop paying all or some of my rent until sorted.

I think I would give notice that I will stop paying all or some of my rent until sorted.

I tried that when we went 3 days with absolutely no hot water at all. There was a fault that our REA kept failing to report despite promising me she had, and on calling plumbers & gas people myself they wouldn't come to look at the job without authorisation from the REA. Threatening to deduct some money for the 3 days we couldn't shower / wash up etc without boiling the kettle resulted in her threatening to evict us! We've had nothing but problems since we've moved in sadly!

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I tried that when we went 3 days with absolutely no hot water at all. There was a fault that our REA kept failing to report despite promising me she had, and on calling plumbers & gas people myself they wouldn't come to look at the job without authorisation from the REA. Threatening to deduct some money for the 3 days we couldn't shower / wash up etc without boiling the kettle resulted in her threatening to evict us! We've had nothing but problems since we've moved in sadly!

 

 

The threat to report them to Fair Trading is likely to have more effect than threatening to withhold rent, which could result in you being in breach of your lease.

Washing everything down with white wine vinegar does work, put it in a spray bottle, spray on and scrub off. Tea tree oil is extremely effective, 2 or 3 teaspoons in a spray bottle and spray on (but watch out, don't leave unused solution in the bottle as tea tree oil will eat through plastic).

I assume you've bought those Damprid things for the wardrobes?

https://www.bunnings.com.au/our-range/storage-cleaning/laundry/equipment/moisture-absorber

P.S. Never be tempted to mix bleach and vinegar to clean the mould - very dangerous fumes!

We're about 2km from the ocean but not near any other water. I did wonder if it's got anything to do its how close we live to the ocean? Thanks for your advice I'll keep my eyes open for some Mould remover! Absolute nightmare isn't it!

 

 

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No it's got nothing to do with being near ocean. We were on Northern Beaches and much closer to the ocean than you, a few minutes walk if that, no air con as I mentioned earlier and no mould.

Bleach doesn't get rid of mould. Use the vinegar solution.

REMOVING MOULD• Eradicate mould when it occurs. It is hard to remove when it has been there a while;• Do not dry brush the area. This could release spores into the air which can spread the mould furtheras well as cause an allergic reaction in some people; and• There are several treatments for mould:o Tea Tree Oil is effective. A 3% solution or 2 teaspoons in a spray bottle with 2 cups of water willsuffice. Shake well before each use;o Kill mould from surfaces with an 80% white fermented vinegar solution(available from supermarkets). After applying the mixture, leave for atleast 20 minutes and then lightly sponge with clean water;o Remove the mould physically. Killing, but not removing the mould mayallow it to grow back; ando Don’t use bleach. Bleach has a high pH which makes it ineffective tokill mould. It simply bleaches it, so it looks like it has disappeared.

REMEMBER: The only lasting cure for mould is to reduce the dampness!

May be time to bring in some reinforcements. :wink:

 

http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/ftw/About_us/Our_services/Resolving_issues/Residential_tenancy_complaints.page?

 

http://www.tenants.org.au/ They can put you in touch with their local Tenants Advice and Advocacy Service.

http://www.tenants.org.au/need-advice

 

In the short term....you could try wiping everything with white vinegar. Or spray with a quarter tspn of clove oil in a litre spray bottle of water.

 

But you need to do something: besides being unsightly, it can make you ill.

Specifically: http://www.tenants.org.au/factsheet-24-mould

A very long time ago I had exactly the problems you are describing when living in a UK property. It turned out to be an undetected leak from a bathroom pipe that was seeping into the floor boards and up the wall. I eventually found the source when the mould got really bad (on all my stuff etc, and on wood furniture - just like you describe). I moved a wardrobe and felt the wall, and then demanded a further investigation was taken because the wall was wet. It was an internal wall. I suspect the problem had been going on for months when I saw the damage as things were stripped back. Maybe have a hunt around...

I tend to agree with Tickled Pink. Somewhere you have a problem, need to find it.

We had a huge problem with mould but we did live in Cairns. We couldn't even leave bread out for a day without it turning green. Spray all your walls with white vinegar and water. Bleach doesn't actually kill the spores it just dyes them so you can't see.

Get the humidity pots from Bunnings put them all over the house and in the wardrobes ect.

I am really surprised you have such a huge problem in Sydney it does sound to be something to do with the house rather than the climate.

What type of construction is the house ?

have seen this problem on a number of homes down in Sydney

Every room in the apartment had new laminate wood flooring laid 12 months ago when we moved in & most of it has lifted / bubbled. Do you think this has something to do with damp too? Or just a badly laid floor?

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