Keep those mouldy spots at bay

If you’ve ever burrowed down the back of your wardrobe for something you haven’t worn for ages, beware, there’s a very good chance there’s mould on it.

While we think of bathrooms as being the prime candidates for mouldy spots – all those hot showers and baths, all that condensation – wardrobes are just as likely to host it, it just won’t be so obvious till you go looking.

The trick, according to Deirdre and Colm Farrelly of Mould Solutions, is not to pack your wardrobe too full. Ditch items you haven't worn in years because they are unlikely to see the light of day again but are an open invitation to mould.

“What happens is we come in from the outside and leave our wet shoes in the bottom of our wardrobe. That moisture has to go somewhere,” says Deirdre.

Bedrooms are another area where mould spots can appear. “During the night bedrooms build up a lot of moisture,” she says.

Mould loves three things, cold, dust and moisture. When all three meet – and every house has cold spots, she says – that is where it thrives.

“Anywhere there is clutter, or furniture up against walls, can cause the problem. Twice a year at least you should pull back beside lockers and headboards and anything else that’s up against walls to dust behind them. Mould feeds on the dust so that’s where you’ll find it.”

The best way to avoid mould is to let fresh air into your house and then keep it warm. In the mornings after a cold night, for example, many windows will have condensation on them. Simply opening a window and airing the room will make it harder for mould to take hold.

“It’s about getting the right balance between ventilated and warm. We recommend everyone should open every window in the house for 20 minutes every morning to get a draught going through,” she says.

Opening the windows after a bath or shower is particularly important. Don’t take it for granted that your extractor fan will work either, she says. Among the many remedies Mould Solutions offers is replacement extractor fans, reducting of extractor fans and the insertion of ventilation tiles in rooves.

“We see that in many cases extractor fans were put in as part of a house’s fit out which are actually too weak to make any difference, or which simply bring the condensation into the attic, which can cause problems up there,” she says.