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I am living in a single room-appartment that has one window, a kitchen unit with no steam outlet/exhaust hood, and a bathroom with no windows but an (albeit small) ventilated outlet above the shower. Several spots inside my room display mold characteristics, which combined with the obvious ventilation problems of the appartment lead me to the assumption they are mold.

Here are some Pictures for reference: enter image description here enter image description here

In addition, part of my furniture and filing folders stored inside display white spots that spread above surfaces: enter image description here

The majority of the appartment floor is covered by carpet on top of PVC flooring. The carpetting was done by the previous occupant, so I have no idea what the floor looks like underneath (not sure if I wanna take a peak). From outside, the walls of this appartment building show dark spots on most appartments, which also makes me think that there is some problem with the building itself.

My Questions are:

1) Is this problem solveable by using home remedies and readily available treatments and wall paint, at least in the short term (1-2 years-ish)?

2) If so, how can I tackle it? If not, how and where do I get help?

More pictures can be provided if necessary.

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Yes that is mold and it's very common bathrooms.

Yes you can try to remove it yourself.

  1. Make a bleach solution with 1 tablespoon bleach and 1 cup warm water with 1-2 drops of soap. Dish washing soap is fine.
  2. Put on eye protection.
  3. Use an old toothbrush to scrub at the mold to remove it. The soap should help remove the mold and the bleach will help kill it but keep in mind mold often stains things.

Source: I get this mold all the time in the bathroom and I've tried various ways to fix it. Sometimes I just have to remove the old caulk and add new caulk. The best way is prevention with good ventilation.

Some more tips:

  1. If you or the landlord paints over this, add mold inhibitor to the paint. It will help on painted surfaces.
  2. I've found mold living on painted aluminum window frames. So there must be something there in the paint for it to eat. This mold can grow in unexpected places.
  3. If you are a renter, this might be a health code violation and that means you can get the landlord to fix it. Look into a renter's association in your area for advice.
  4. Or make a deal with the landlord. If he buys the paint with mold inhibitor, you can paint the bathroom for free.
  5. You can buy buckets of moisture absorber, which is essentially calcium chloride, sold as non-salt ice melt in the winter. This stuff is also sold as moisture absorber at the Dollar Tree, but only in the small buckets. Online the big buckets are more expensive. DT link. Link to product image.
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    I prefer a 3% hydrogen peroxide and water mix, it doesn’t stink like bleach. I would get a dehumidifier, since it is a small place a small unit should reduce the moisture and may stop the growth. Without moisture the mold will go dormant. Many paints with the inhibitors are for outside use only. If a paint is used to cover it make sure it is safe indoors some are toxic.
    – Ed Beal
    Commented Sep 13, 2019 at 14:12

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