Mold in the bedroom - How to get rid of mold

Mold in the bedroom, its occurrence, prevention and removal

Mold is more common in the bedroom than you might think - but not all infections are immediately recognisable. Most of the time, it becomes clear to residents that it is mold only when obvious stains and a musty smell appear.

If mold has been detected in the bedroom, immediate action must be taken against it and the causes must be eliminated before diseases caused by mold appear.

How does mold develop in the bedroom?

Mold spores are everywhere. Thus, the right environment must first be created for mold to form. The following conditions have a favorable effect on this:

Most people like to sleep in a cool place - so the bedroom is not heated most of the time, the room temperature is around 16-18°.
If there is a clothes dryer or an aquarium in the bedroom, both result in extra air humidity.
Inadequate ventilation of living rooms and bedrooms.
Most bedrooms have a large wardrobe. For space-saving reasons, this is usually next to the outer wall. The lack of air movement favors the growth of mold.
For the sake of order, the beds are often covered immediately after getting up - so the moisture cannot escape and stays in the mattresses.
Architectural deficiencies, such as thermal bridges or unprofessional window installation.
Damage caused by leaking mains water.

Health consequences

Mold in the bedroom is particularly stressful for the body. The reason is obvious: we stay in this room for an average of 8 hours at a time. The consequence can be various:

Allergic reactions: the most well-known effect is the root cause of various allergies: runny nose, irritating cough, dermatitis, asthma.
Irritant or toxic effect: symptoms of the disease include flu-like symptoms and skin and mucous membrane irritation. However, this requires an extremely high spore load, which rarely occurs in the bedroom.
Fungal infection of human lungs: People with weak immune systems, such as cancer patients, can get fungal infections in their lungs after chemotherapy.

How to avoid mold in the bedroom?

THERE ARE SOME BASIC RULES TO AVOID MOLD:

Ventilation, especially sudden ventilation!
There should be no potted plants, aquariums, or humidifiers in the bedroom.
Place the cabinets at a distance of at least 10 cm from the external walls or the walls bordering the staircase.
Folding up bed covers, airing the bed.
Leave the door to the cooler bedroom closed - otherwise the warmer air coming in will condense.
Recognition and elimination of construction deficiencies.
Allowing air to flow behind the furniture to prevent mold from forming in the wardrobe.

Removal of mold

Once the mold has appeared, it must be removed again as quickly as possible! However, the various mold removal sprays for home use should be handled with care. Many of these mold removal sprays remove mold from the surface, but the fungal threads remain in the plaster and walls and soon multiply on the surface again. Therefore, it is better to entrust mold removal to a professional. Mold removal sprays should only be used as a kind of "first aid". Anti-mold paint can also help in some cases.

In most cases, large-surface disinfection of infected areas is carried out first. In some cases, the plaster is knocked off and the chemicals are injected directly into the masonry. Although these measures may seem excessive, they can ensure that the mold does not appear again. However, this also requires that the cause of the mold infection be eliminated. These measures are especially important for maintaining health in the bedroom. One more tip: hydrogen peroxide can also be used specifically against mold.

Delivery of rent in case of mold

Regardless of whether the mold occurs in the basement or the bedroom, in some cases a legitimate reduction of the rent is established. In principle, the right to reduce the rental fee is only established if the mold in the bedroom (as certified by an architect expert) was caused by the building or construction defects. In case of legal questions, tenants' associations provide assistance. In the event of an unclear legal situation, it is absolutely recommended to seek advice.

Summary:

Prevention against mold, such as regular ventilation, is the most important thing, because if the mold has already appeared in the bedroom, it is very difficult to get rid of it again.