Mold problem?

Victoria11

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Aprilmay

Where is this located because it looks like a mixture of lint from a dryer - I'm just trying to figure out where it is - is it a bathroom etc Where is it in the house??

catch me if you can

Is it anywhere else in the house? and how long have you been living in the house?
Its defo Mould and mould is dangerous .
But is it just in this one isolated area?
how are your wardrobes and clothes?
ceilings?

Victoria11

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Victoria11

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conorhal

That doesn't look like mould to me, that just looks like filth, of the fluffy dusty variety that collects in bathroom extractor fans and around air vents which periodically need a good dusting. You mention that it's around a closed up chimney brest so it's likely that you are getting a bit of air flow through the gaps and all the dust and lint in the kitchen are getting sucked uin there and gathering, nothing to worry about.

Use the hoover ya filthy animal!

BostonB

I'm no expert, but it doesn't look like mould to me. More like dust/lint you get out of a dryer, or a fan, computer etc, if it builds up over time. (or extractor) The timber doesn't look damp at all. You'd think if it was damp over a long time, the timber would so signs of damp. Considering its a extractor, its going to shifting steam all the time. Can you put a cowl on it to stop the rain?

catch me if you can

If its only one isolated area id say your ok.
My advice would be to clean the area.
is your breathing normal or are you having problems. Dust buildup can cause breathing problems as well.

Aprilmay

I though as much it didn't look like mould to me its a collection of dust etc mixed in with grease -if you don't clean behind these things you will get a build up -if you pull out the fridge you'll find the same thing - just hoover it up and wipe with a wet cloth every so often it will be fine.

BostonB

Victoria11 wrote: »

... also haven't been feeling well so I'm worried I've been affected by breathing this in. ....

Rather than guessing and worrying about it, you should go get checked out. Otherwise you might be guessing the wrong thing entirely.

Victoria11

Thanks for the replies. I'm relieved to hear it's probably not mould or fungus, though it looks pretty scary to me, maybe the photos don't show it very well.
Anyway I bought some pvc duct tape earlier and taped the whole area so it's sealed for now, because I can't think about moving for a few weeks at least.
Aprilmay, I keep the place very clean, but this is an area I cannot get to, it's just a badly designed area and no hoover would reach in there because it's just a narrow gap, the pictures I took were close ups of the area.

Aprilmay

Most cookers or fridges have some flexibility to move in or out to get to the connections- even integrated appliances can be moved I had to have work done on my built in oven and that was easily moved to get to the back of it. So you should be able to access it.

Dades

Don't eat it and you'll be fine. :pac:

I have plenty of experience with mould and that looks far too fluffy to be concerned about.