Getting rid of mould

Living in a house with mould is bad for your health. Living in a house with mould stains - where you’ve cleaned the mould, but it’s left really annoying black marks behind, is also irritating, not to mention embarrassing. The tenant(s) who lived in The Lodge before we did must have had cast iron lungs. And no shame.

Corners of the Lodge were covered with black mould (including a small amount of the really toxic variety) and stains, and I started wheezing on the survey day after spending more than an hour inside without a mask. 

So although stripping the wallpaper is high on the to-do list, killing the mould spores before we managed to shake them into the atmosphere was a number one priority, and one we wanted done sharpish. Plus, getting rid of evidence of mould before the mortgage valuation seemed like a sensible thing to do.

Enter my new favourite product: HG Mould Spray.

I'd found this after searching the internet for recommendations when a previous home had condensation problems, and from that search it appears I’m not alone in thinking it’s a bit awesome. 

The spray not only kills mould, it also obliterates the stains that mould so often irritatingly leaves behind, handy when a mortgage survey is due to take place! You can buy it online or from various DIY-type shops – we got ours from our local B&Q for a fiver.

To apply, I squirted a liberal dose on all the mouldy areas in the Lodge (there were a lot), threw open all the windows, and went outside to partake in some fresh air. 

Before...

After half an hour I headed back inside and wiped the walls down. I found that on purely painted surfaces every single trace of mould and stain completely disappeared. 

On the wallpapered surfaces some minor marks were left behind. I could have treated these a second time, but as we're removing the wallpaper, there wasn't much point - the mould itself is gone and I'm happy with that.

...After

This recommendation comes with a warning though – this is one of those products where you should pay serious attention to the label. When it says don’t get it on metal, it means it – the first time I used it I was wearing a silver ring while spraying it, and the spray started eating it away. Wear old clothes too – I also managed to get a bleach mark on the top I was wearing. (I am known for being clumsy!)

I also strongly recommend wearing a mask and opening windows, it’s not exactly lung-friendly stuff.