Humidity in house
Will a dehumidifier cure mold / damp on bedroom wall?
Our bedroom wall is north facing and gets no sun. It's covered in mold and is often damp. Will a dehumidifier help cure the mold or get rid of the humidity in the house?
Answer from Green Energy Efficient Homes
The mold is caused by the damp. The damp on the wall is probably caused by lack of insulation or by cold air getting in from outside, since this is probably the heating season where you live. During cold weather, a wall with poor or no insulation, or with air leaks to the outside, will get cold on the inside; the humidity in the house (water vapor from your breathing, your plants breathing, your cooking, taking showers, etc.) will condense on the cold wall, and the mold or mildew then has a great source of moisture to grow in.
A dehumidifier is one way to slow down the spread of the mold, and to cut the humidity in house. But it's far better to find the cause of the condensation - as I said, lack of insulation or too much air leakage are the most likely culprits. That way you solve the problem once and for all, don't have to buy a cheap, energy- wasting dehumidifier, or an expensive, energy efficient dehumidifier, and don't have to pay to run the thing every winter for months on end. Also you won't have to listen to the dehumidifier running at night when you're trying to sleep (and it makes kind of an expensive white noise generator!).
Whatever you do, you still have that mold on the wall, and you should get rid of that, as more and more research is suggesting that a whole range of allergies and illnesses are caused by damp induced molds growing in our homes. I've also heard, as another responder has, that treating the affected areas with bleach helps, but bleach is environmentally pretty toxic. I'd suggest scrubbing thoroughly with TSP instead - it's used by painters to prep walls and I believe it would be toxic to mold, but doesn't have chlorine in it. You could also try hydrogen peroxide.
If you find after trying to solve the humidity problem that you do need a dehumidifier, make sure you buy an ENERGY STAR dehumidifier, and one that is appropriately sized for your home. Be sure to check my main dehumidifiers article for more tips on controlling humidity in your house and on selecting the most energy efficient dehumidifier for your needs.
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