Mold on Ceiling in Bathroom

Mrs D in May

I really need the help of  you intelligent people.

DH and I own a duplex and the renters are moving out this weekend (after living there for 3 years).  And we just found out last night - there is mold on the ceiling in the bathroom.  I am guessing that either the ceiling fan in the bathroom isn't working properly, or they never turned it on. 

We will need to paint the whole duplex, but can someone PLEASE tell me how to get rid of the mold, and make sure it doesn't come back?

Thank you so much - in advance.

abvernon

We are in the process of moving out of our apt and we had the same problem. DH mixed a solution of warm water and oxy clean and then use a new mop to wipe it down. It worked.

Be sure to wear a hat, gloves and a mask as that stuff can drip down.

mandapanda18

You will need to use something that states that it will get rid of mold, ie bleach and the like! after it is cleaned, paint the ceiling and other bathroom surfaces with kilz primer. Make sure you paint a gloss/semi-gloss paint in the bathroom and other moisture ridden areas.

MNVegas

mandapanda18:

You will need to use something that states that it will get rid of mold, ie bleach and the like! after it is cleaned, paint the ceiling and other bathroom surfaces with kilz primer. Make sure you paint a gloss/semi-gloss paint in the bathroom and other moisture ridden areas.

Agree, use bleach mixture to kill mold. Get some Kilz and then paint. Make sure you check to see if fan is working and properly vented. Just because you have a fan does not mean it is vented correctly. GL.

grja

Before you cover it just make sure its only on the ceiling. We had spots on our ceiling that we cleaned and then covered up. They came back again. Turns out there was a small drip behind the wall and mold was growing everywhere behind the bathroom walls. We had to rip everything out.

The mold removal guy told us that its a common problem - when mold shows up on the ceiling, most of the time there's mold some other place that you can't see.

jen5-03

Bleach is not recommended on porous surfaces(like drywall) . Google "bleach to kill mold" and read about it.

The EPA has info on it too.

The only way it is not coming back is if the area stays dry. Make sure the fan works. Consider putting it on a switch with the light so that it comes on all the time, or on a timer switch so they can hit a button and it will run for 30min and shut itself off.

Life&Gwen

Is the ceiling drywall or plaster?  If just dry wall, I'd cut out the whole area and replace it.  It's like a 4 hr project, then you paint it.  That way you can look behind it at the support and see if the mold has gone all the way through.  I'd also withhold any security deposit you have from the couple, because they should have turned on the fan, reported it was broken, or at least told you when they first noticed the mold, not when they're about to move out.  It could be a couple hundred to repair.