Hi, I recently moved into an 85 year old house that turned out to have 'White Spot Mould' on the rafters. At first I thought it was Wet Rot from looking at pictures on google, but on inspection by a reputable company I was told it was white spot mould. The rafters are a little soft but on prodding with a screwdriver it appears to be very superficial. I can only prod in by about 1mm.
I blame the loft hatch as it appears to be the loft hatch side of the loft that is affected the most, and I've seen lots of condensation building up on the tiles after we've had the heating on high.
The company we had take a look quoted £350 to treat the mould and said we need need to be out of the house for one hour while they treat. This seems a bit overkill, but I do want to sort the mould out and protect the rafters.
This might seem a bit nuts, but I was thinking i could just
1) use some household mould and mildew remover that we would normally use on the bathroom tiles. The mould seems to come away easily with tissue. (I assume bleach would be a big no-no as it would damage the wood?)
2) Then wipe the beams down with a dry cloth.
3) Put the dehumidifyer up there to get rid of the moisture and dry the rafters.
4) Treat all the wood in the loft with something that would help protect it in the future. I just have no idea what though. Can you varnish rafters or use any kind of wood hardner, or even paint them with with wood gloss?
I will be sorting out the cause of the condensation build up, but would be really grateful for advice on the above. With the rafters playing such an important role I look after the wood properly.
I'd be really grateful for any advice anyone could offer on this.
I blame the loft hatch as it appears to be the loft hatch side of the loft that is affected the most, and I've seen lots of condensation building up on the tiles after we've had the heating on high.
The company we had take a look quoted £350 to treat the mould and said we need need to be out of the house for one hour while they treat. This seems a bit overkill, but I do want to sort the mould out and protect the rafters.
This might seem a bit nuts, but I was thinking i could just
1) use some household mould and mildew remover that we would normally use on the bathroom tiles. The mould seems to come away easily with tissue. (I assume bleach would be a big no-no as it would damage the wood?)
2) Then wipe the beams down with a dry cloth.
3) Put the dehumidifyer up there to get rid of the moisture and dry the rafters.
4) Treat all the wood in the loft with something that would help protect it in the future. I just have no idea what though. Can you varnish rafters or use any kind of wood hardner, or even paint them with with wood gloss?
I will be sorting out the cause of the condensation build up, but would be really grateful for advice on the above. With the rafters playing such an important role I look after the wood properly.
I'd be really grateful for any advice anyone could offer on this.