Black fungal spots on wall. Is this damp?

I have a cupboard in the bedroom.
There is are black, fungas type spots at the bottom of the wall and rising. The cupboard when open stinks of a very musky smell which gives me the sneezes... Someone told me it was condensation as the cupboard was not getting enough air. I painted a damp proof coating thing onto the wall which hid it until now. Understandably at that time it was true that no air was getting to it but now i make sure it does. Is it too late and this is why the problem persists or is it something else??

I believe the plaster is now rotten and the only way to solve this is to hack of the plaster down to the brick and redo.

Any views please?

Dry it out, then clean off the mould with dilute bleach or a mould remover, then reassess it.

Damp on an external wall inside a cupboard is very likely condensation. Depends if there is a leaking gutter or drainpipe on the other side of the wall, or broken brickwork letting the rain in.

It you tape a piece of clear polythene tightly to the wall, see if the water forms on the room side or the wall side.

See also our Wiki/Building/Condensation.

JohnD said:

Dry it out, then clean off the mould with dilute bleach or a mould remover, then reassess it.

Damp on an external wall inside a cupboard is very likely condensation. Depends if there is a leaking gutter or drainpipe on the other side of the wall, or broken brickwork letting the rain in.

It you tape a piece of clear polythene tightly to the wall, see if the water forms on the room side or the wall side.

See also our Wiki/Building/Condensation.

Click to expand...

And this would determine whether its coming from outside the house or inside right??
The first time i cleaned it with sugar soap and it came off easily.

Yes. On the polythene the water will form on the wet side.

Bleach will kill the mildew or mould including the spores that are irritating your beathing passages.