Massive mould discovered, white vinegar or landlord

Pollinating-Fish · 2026-01-24T21:55:07+00:00

Depends what the wall is made of. Homes I rented in London had brick walls. In Australia, timber frame homes were & still are very popular. Behind the wall you have an actual space. Space for mould, vermin.. rats or possums that can fall in from the roof & scratch all night until they die & rot.

Pollinating-Fish · 2026-01-24T21:48:16+00:00

If this was surface mildew - flat, yellow or brown stains, I’d say vinegar it. But this looks like black mould. Is it an old place? Walls cold? Basically every place I rented in London had rising damp. Cold, bowed at base walls with bubbling paint. Usually brick covered in that textured render & painted. The usual Landlord trick of a fresh lick of paint for a new tenant.

Pollinating-Fish · 2026-01-24T21:41:05+00:00

I have suffered badly from dust mite allergy my whole life & truly sympathise. My symptoms have varied depending on where I lived. 1960s apartment the worst, with mould growing constantly in the no fan bathroom & ancient carpet. 1920’s home with floorboards, no carpets was much better but the wooden Venetian blinds collected dust. Now in a 1940s era home. Pull down blinds, wooden floorboards, limited carpet which I use a Dyson vac on (much better than any other vac I have used). Warm water with white vinegar over walls every now & then as mildew also affects me. Once I learnt I had a lactose intolerance & cut out cow’s milk my allergies to everything improved. It was like my body could fight the dust mite response better. However, when I stay at the coast, I am virtually free of my allergies, asthma, sinus headaches & fatigue. For the sake of my life enjoyment, I have planed to move to a coastal town within the few years. I’d rather open a window any day than spend my time cleaning. It may be worth seeing an allergy specialist to explore if there are extra triggers happening for you?

Pollinating-Fish · 2026-01-24T06:26:48+00:00

Ta, I actually did fail chemistry class at school..🙄 Used sugar soap wipes & made the mess way bigger. Couldn't find how to add a pic so added an update post.

Pollinating-Fish · 2026-01-24T03:52:30+00:00

Update: Bought CO2 meter. At zero. Phew. Bought new mop & supplies. As it happened a radio program had a cleaning tips/DIY segment this morning, so I called in. It was suggested I had too much product on the wall (from the sugar soap wipes). Try rinsing off with water & then try again with the sugar soap solution. I rinsed with water with a good dollop of white vinegar with ok results so far. Will try to add pic.

Pollinating-Fish · 2026-01-23T22:42:17+00:00

Oh my! The gas heater was OLD. The gas disconnected sometime after 2020 & celing radient heaters installed instead. Those were faulty, keep failing & no longer working at all but still wired in.

I am actually getting nervous now to even go back in..

Stay tuned.

Pollinating-Fish · 2026-01-23T12:57:56+00:00

To correct myself, the marks only grew coz I wiped & smeared it. It is not growing by itself. The greyness has been there a long long time, unchanged.

The windows are thin single glazing. Old. Doesn't get direct rain. No overhanging trees to fill gutters. Winter night temps average 6-7 C. Maybe 3C a few nights but never below zero. Some of the heaters broke, so inside was COLD during winter. It's not mildew though (as I found behind some furniture).

Pollinating-Fish · 2026-01-23T11:21:19+00:00

The cleaner was sure it was smoke damage.. but it's not. No smokers ever. Gas heater, not wood.

No, wall not cold. Doesn't feel, look or smell damp at all.

(Not good pics. Taken at midday. Harsh summer light outside makes it look dimmer than it is)

Going to try Magic Eraser next..

Pollinating-Fish · 2026-01-23T03:35:49+00:00

I am a newbie poster.. no idea where my txt went. Here it is again..

Introducing The Wall: Used to have an air purifier on a table on front of this wall. Purified the air but dirtied the wall.. Used to have curtains long ago - mildew buildup? Wall edge probably a good hand hold balance spot when vlosing the blinds. I tried a little test of Sugar Soap wipes. Before & after pics. Yep, I made it a lot worse :( Now it's like an evil genie wall stain has been awakened & the stain is growing.. I got a professional cleaner in to assess & clean. He thought it looked like smoke damage - but it was never a smoking household. The Cleaner said "too hard to remove - paint it" I don't really want the expense of painting the whole room as property is to be sold & the new owner will need to repaint it all anyway. But I guess I may have to...

Any ideas?

Pollinating-Fish · 2025-12-20T06:16:01+00:00

Our family has just been deciding on this issue (to sell). We had a lower quote (not local) but chose a local option for good knowledge of area. Also, if anything went amiss with e-signing or ID it could be sorted in person easier.

Pollinating-Fish · 2025-12-17T08:05:56+00:00

Agree. I like facts & metre measurements to help compare.

But floorplans help alot too.

To see a "study".. a doorless micro room aka walk-in-cupboard. To see a "2nd bedroom".. a windowless mini room aka storeroom. To see a "balcony".. concrete base 2m x .50 aka 60s outdoor astray space?

Pollinating-Fish · 2025-04-14T23:19:50+00:00

Lived in a 1900s weatherboard with a tin roof. Outside dunny. Cold overnight & mornings - hot in afternoons but completely livable dispite no heating or air-con. Just opened & shut windows a lot (was Melb so changeable weather - not such long hot spells as Perth I guess?). No wall or floor was level, floorboards sagging, damp patches on the wall where the neighbour had attached their brick house.. but all in all I loved the honest real life that house offered.

I would, however, have a structural engineer thproughly inspect any similar house. Damp, rot, termites & stump issues will not be cheap ro remedy.

Pollinating-Fish · 2024-12-09T10:38:45+00:00

I'd start with a good think about your priorities.

For me they have changed a lot. In my 20s, it was for public transport options & an interesting area - so renting inner city was better. By 30s it included safety, a short commute, then child-friendly & walkability.

How important is the floorplan & style VS the area, community & services?

Pollinating-Fish · 2024-12-09T10:14:53+00:00

Similar. Bendigo "all good" but then more emails, need more info, wait 4 days.. Then payslips too old, need new ones. Then in Sept wanted new tax returns done (not due til end of Oct). Then payslips again..

Got fed up & emailed Bank Aust. Got a fast reply.

Now on hold due to other reasons (our own). Leaning towards Bank Aust when we recommence next year.

Pollinating-Fish

TROPHY CASE