Home generalWhite horse in the bedroom - what to do?

White horse in the bedroom - what to do?

  • General information about mold
  • Fight mold in the bedroom
    • Remove mold
  • Prevent mold in the bedroom
    • Further preventive measures
  • Conclusion

He is an unpleasant guest, but more common than you think: mold in the bedroom. At the latest, when there are obvious stains on the wall and musty odor, you realize that you are dealing with the unhealthy fungus. Then fast action is needed before diseases are triggered by the mold. Really helpful tips for removing and preventing mold in the bedroom can be found in this guide!

Mold in the bedroom can cause serious health problems. On average, you stay in the room for the longest time, even if you are unaware of it most of the time because you are traveling in (hopefully) beautiful dream realms. Nevertheless, your body is exposed to all the influences in the room - including the white horse. You breathe, your skin can absorb pollutants and your nervous system is vulnerable. Studies show that there is a significant relationship between exposure to mold and respiratory problems - just as an example of possible consequences. We will show you how to combat mold in your bedroom and how to efficiently prevent the dangerous fungal attack!

General information about mold

In order to grow, the mold spore needs three things:

  • Nutrients, such as those in carpets, wallpaper, clothing, etc. are present
  • Temperatures from 6 ° C, which are almost always exceeded in the living environment
  • Moisture from 80% rel., Which creates the mold a real feel-good climate

While you can usually not change the first two parameters, you have the option of influencing the relative humidity present in the bedroom positively, ie in favor of a mold-free room. Concrete tips can be found in our third large section on appropriate preventive measures.

For now, let's answer the question of how moisture can get into the bedroom. The most common sources are:

  • People:
    • They sweat while they sleep.
    • per person, up to 1.5 liters of sweat (= moisture) can enter the room air
  • Open doors:
    • The doors in the apartment are often left open to indirectly convey heat from the adjoining rooms to the bedroom.
    • as a result, for example, the warm, humid air from the bathroom penetrates into the cooler bedroom.
  • Summer moisture entry:
    • Climate change ensures that there is hardly a summer left that is constantly dry. Instead, heat and humidity alternate almost regularly with heavy rain and cold summer days.
    • This affects (negatively) the climatic conditions in the bedroom.

Other possible causes or benefits for mold growth in the bedroom:

  • Clothes horse / aquarium provide additional humidity
  • insufficient ventilation and / or heating
  • Beds are often covered right after getting up, so that the moisture can not escape and remains in the mattresses
  • by leaked tap water
  • due to structural defects, such as cold spots or improper installation of windows

Now let's briefly focus on the many health-related consequences of mold attack before providing you with practical tips on how to combat the fungus:

  • Allergic reactions: irritating cough, runny nose, atopic dermatitis, asthma
  • Irritant / toxic effects: flu-like symptoms, skin and mucous membrane irritation
  • Fungal attack of the lungs: a possible consequence especially in immunocompromised individuals

Fight mold in the bedroom

Once the mold is there, it should be removed as soon as possible. Unfortunately, it is only useful for a very slight mold, only to edit the surface with a mold remover. In the case of a stronger infestation, the mold penetrates deep into the plaster and the wall behind it. Then the visible part of the white horse is just the tip of the iceberg.

Note: If the mold has affected a larger area with more than a few square centimeters in area, the wallpaper must be removed and disposed of over a large area.

First, wipe off the visible mold in the bedroom with high-percentage ethyl alcohol or hydrogen peroxide solution (from the pharmacy). This is important in order to minimize the spore load in the room when tearing off the wallpaper.

Clean the wall behind the wallpaper turn with one of the above means - proceed thoroughly!

Tip: In case of particularly intensive infestation, you should heat the plaster with hot air or a gas burner so strongly that no living mycelia can hide even in the deeper layers.

Remove mold

We strongly advise you not to carry out the following background treatment of the plaster with chemical pollutants with depot effect. Often such remedies long-term poisons poisons in the room. That so no good room climate in the sleeping area arises, you can certainly think. Remove mold in the bedroom and then have chemistry in the room air ">

But first some hints, what you should consider when removing the mold:

  • Protect yourself with protective clothing (gloves, breathing mask, work glasses)
  • Be sure to work with low dust
  • ventilate the bedroom before, during and after your assignment extensively.
  • Keep the bedroom door closed during mold removal.
  • never wipe the mold dry. Otherwise, the spores are whirled up to strain the room air.
  • Wet the wallpaper before peeling - or better still: Apply adhesive tape to the affected areas.
  • consult a specialist company if you are unsure and / or need a particularly large-scale renovation. This is done with a special vacuum cleaner against the accumulating dust and mold spores.

Tip: Asthma and other allergic people, people with weakened immune systems and children and pregnant women should not perform mold control and at best not be in the room during this action.

Prevent mold in the bedroom

If the mold in the bedroom is removed, you must take the correct measures to prevent re-infestation. The most important measure in this context is ventilation, especially forced ventilation. It is best to ventilate several times a day - at least in the morning and in the evening - for 5 to 10 minutes each.

If possible, cross-ventilate. This means opening opposite windows at the same time so that a draft is guaranteed. If you have only one window in the bedroom, you can also open the window in the adjacent room and the connecting door (s).

airing

Be careful not to air too long. Otherwise, the walls threaten to overcool. In short, the goal is always to ventilate just as long that the humid air can escape but the walls do not cool down. This can be realized with our above statement.

Incidentally, mildew occurs especially in the cold season. For this reason, it is important to ventilate properly in the winter months, to prevent mold in the bedroom. In this time, however, a five-minute shock or cross-ventilation twice a day is enough. Due to the short ventilation time you do not have to worry about the walls cooling down.

Tip: Cold air can not absorb as much moisture as warm air - this is a generally valid fact. In this respect, you should get cold air in the apartment to prevent mold in the bedroom.

Avoid tilting when possible. Due to this type of ventilation, only insufficient air can be exchanged so that the walls would cool down due to the extended ventilation time.

Further preventive measures

In addition to airing and a mold prevention serving installation of the furniture is advisable. Place the bed, cabinet etc. about 5 to 10 centimeters from the outside walls. In this way, when airing the walls located behind the furniture parts are sufficiently ventilated and removed moisture from the walls of the room. This reduces the mold risk considerably.

Be sure to keep the relative humidity in the bedroom within a good range. The optimum values ​​are around 40 to 60 percent.

Tip: The relative humidity can be measured with a so-called hygrometer. If the humidity in your bedroom is permanently very high, you can use a dehumidifier. However, such devices are not exactly cheap to buy.

Remove condensation

Room temperature is also an important factor in preventing mold in the bedroom. Because it has an influence on the temperature of the walls. Note: The colder the wall is, the more likely it is for the moisture to condense on top of it, making the wall wet. A room temperature of 18 to 20 degrees Celsius is ideal for the bedroom - in both the warmer and cooler seasons.

Furthermore, it is advisable to set up in the bedroom no or only a few plants. They could increase the humidity in the air.

If present, you should wipe condensation on the windows after the night.

Conclusion

If you implement these tips not just in the short term, but in the long term, it will be much harder for a house mold to gain a foothold in the bedroom (or other rooms). If despite the observance of our measures described mold in the bedroom, you should check (let), if not structural defects are responsible for the infestation. For example, as we mentioned earlier, windows could be leaking. Maybe the heat insulation has a defect on the outside or is dirty, so cold spots have been created. Leaky water pipes or rain gutters that could have led moisture into the walls would also be conceivable.

Tip: Talk to your landlord, should you be in a rented apartment at home and have the suspicion that something might be in trouble. For construction defects cause ever greater remediation costs, the longer they persist. Thus, it is always in the interest of the landlord, the mold to get to the bottom and eliminate the problem.

Mold in the bedroom can seriously endanger your health. For this reason, it is essential to thoroughly eliminate an existing infestation and then take the necessary precautionary measures to prevent re-mold formation in the most private room of the home!

Tips for quick readers:

  • Mold in the bedroom is hazardous to health
  • high humidity promotes mold growth
  • Treat the infestation with suitable means into the wall
  • if possible do not use chemicals (pollutants for the body)
  • In case of uncertainty, hire a specialist company
  • regular ventilation as the most important preventive measure
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