mold on north side of house

mold on the north side only..........happens to my house too, caused by moister and no sunlight, i use a vinyl wash with my pressure washer every fall and it seems to keep it from getting out of hand and getting ugly. if it rains and dont get a chance to really dry out, like with sunlight, and rains again, and never really dries out, it is a perfect environment for moss and mold to grow because it is always in the shade. the first time i cleaned it i used bleach water with a little dish soap and a scrub brush then rinsed it off with the garden hose, then every fall now, september or so, i use a vinyl wash and i no longer have to scrub it by hand. i only had to do it by hand once and that was 6 years ago when i bought the house. hope this helps and good luck...

Thanks; I was going to suggest the bleach but I read or heard somewhere that bleach is not to be used,even watered down, on mold. I may be wrong on this but its worth a try.

thanks.

oilcan13

Vrbarnett, I am sorry I didn't go to your suggested link first thing. Great job -- I highly advise all to check this out. Between that and Enviroman's great distinction between Mold, Moss and Lichen (well done also), we have scientifically tested facts to form the right responses to a growing problem.

Click the link. Here it is again: http://www.spore-tech.com/viewCategory.asp?idCategory=59

P.S (Parting Shot): Is this really a problem? Might not our children be better off being afflicted with and developing tolerances (or surviving) mold now, when they are young and have healthy immune systems? My personal fear of black mold is all based on one family and one low-budet documentary. It was a "public service program presented by the Media" who generally are comprised of non-scientific folk who would lose their jobs if their program failed to sew fear and doubt among the masses and thus increase viewer interest and advertising or sponsorship. The nuts of past centuries that wore signs claiming that the world would end in three days control much of our media. I never thought of it that way. Could this instead be early evidence of the success of the environmental movement? We are seeing more green instead of the blighted dessert landscapes we were in process of creating..

What I thought was a whimsical post to appreciate versus kill the "green stuff" really has me thinking..

MorePower

Wonder what the potential of this vegetation on walls is for carbon capture?

Genx, Anouther solution that can become a permanent cure for the problem is to plant shrubs or hedges or maybe trellisis that direct some air flow around that side of the house. And some short plants that help dry the ground along the problem wall that dosn't shade the area more. Even if you don't get enough air movement to dry the moisture completely you should certainly help slow the grouth somewhat. I had an east facing exsposed basement wall under a deck that after about ten years the wood siding had to be replaced. The installation of a cement wall along a bank on one side of the house and the growth of a White Oak tree on the other side seemed to direct even light breezes around to the problem area and this helped tremendously at keeping the area dry. It may take some time for the plants to have an effect but in the end its well worth the effort and time. You could also install gutters to help keep the water off of that wall and carry it to an area where it could dry rather than soaking the ground and maintaining the moisture feeding the growth of mold & moss in that area. I wish you patience & luck, J.Conway

What is wrong with me? I have mold on the south side of the house.

Perhaps here is your solution?

Mold on North Side of your house?

Want to never see it again? - Move to Australia - then it will happen on the southern side of your house! You'll never again see mould on the north side of the house! :)

My problem is with South facing walls, but I'm in the Southern hemisphere and the condensation/moisture answer above is usually correct.

Bleach will only kill the mould that is currently there. Spores will remain and grow a fresh crop of mould for you.

Two solutions.

A product "oil of cloves" applied after the surface is cleaned will provide longer lasting protection (Kills the spores) and is also suitable for inside poorly ventilated bathrooms and other areas where mould will grow. Non poisonous, modestly nice aroma and readily available.

Copper sulfate solution sponged on after the final rinse water for outside walls will provide longer protection against re-growth (10grams in 10 liters of water sponged on), but be careful with the quantity used, avoid splashes and there might be a slight blue tint remaining after the treatment. (We use this on porous and non-porous materials like shed walls, concrete retaining walls and brickwork.) (This is the same effect that is observed where copper wire on roofs have no mould growing on lower areas of the roof and it works because copper in enough concentration is poisonous.)

A little bit extra "tongue in cheek".

Is this a new phenomenon to your district? Maybe it's caused by the ever marching effects of global warming moving further North and affecting things that were previously immune to such effects due to the ambient cold, or maybe the mould is evolving to live in new places.

no its always been here but it seems to be getting worse over the years.

oilcan13

Where can you purchase "oil of cloves" in modest quantities? I dont imagine we can still get the stuff at the local chemical supply houses in the US due to EPA, OSHA and Homeland Security restrictions on chemical supplies. H**l, we even have restrictions on OTC drugs (no longer OTC) because you can make illegal drugs or bombs from them.

Probably not at Wally World, but Asian/Indian grocery stores, health food stores, herbal markets (both brick and on-line), probably some pharmacies. Or ask a dentist where he gets "eugenol" (fancy name for same). Last time I found it was for sale in a grocery store in South Dakota as a baker's flavoring. I suspect it would be fairly common in the Dakotas and Minnesota due to the high percentage of Scandiavians, their baked goods are heavy on cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. It's food-grade though, so don't expect it to be cheap, and since it's the real deal, not diluted, don't expect to find it by the liter, either. What I saw in SDak was probably less than an ounce.

Any chemist (pharmacist) in the UK will sell you some - but it'll be about enough for a couple of aching teeth, and won't go far on a siding. Suspect you'd get locked up if you tried to buy a pint or two.

Suspect you'd get locked up if you tried to buy a pint or two.

My point exactly.

Regarding "oil of cloves", the mix ratio is around 2 drops per liter of wash solution used, so you don't need very much.

And the homeland security issue has frustrated me since day 1. I'll put in another "off topic" reply to vent a little steam on that.

I found small bottles of Oil of Cloves at our local Amish market here in VA. Their name is 'The Cheese Shop', if that helps.

Hello oilcan13:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=50&hl=en&lr=&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=clean+algae+off+the+north+side+of+a+house&spell=1

This search site has all the 'recipes' you need to clean your north side and all sides!

It will be the same on all buildings. It also applies to trees in a wood and can be a useful way to find your bearing if you get lost.

It is that side which tends to get least sun and not much direct wind or rain, so this mold and small flora growth appears over time. The way to get rid of it is to get a ladder out and get a stiff bristled hand brush and brush it off. When it is mostly all off, you can rinse with a hose, or, use the hose and stiff brush to clean it.

Do not get too adventurous or you could find you may loosen the mortar. You can wash it down with a 1 in 10 house bleach. You can also add some TSP which de-greases and gets rid of mold as well. see below. Other names are:

Trisodium phosphate, Sodium phosphate tribasic, trisodium orthophosphate.

Hose any surface to be cleaned first and it will be easier to remove the crud.

When you get a nice day after cleaning, it will pay you to oil any woodwork like decking etc. As the TSP removes whatever oily protection there was on bare wood. It is just a plain ol' cleaning agent. Nothing to be scared of. If you are worried then just use bleach. and water. I always leave a layer of this cleaner on the brickwork and everywhere apart from decking and upvc windows. Just clean the window as you clean the wall and then wipe as you would normally. But leaving a residue on any surface with inhibit growth of other flora.

I hope this helps and the search site is really very good.

Also used to clean swimming pool polyester filter elements.

Phosphates promote algae grow and are not considered good for the environment. Many main stream laundry detergents have stopped using phosphates.

TSP is an excellent label remover for home wine makers and home brewers.

I was a builder and decorator and used this just as described below to to clean a surface which had bird droppings etc.

Take care and enjoy looking at your nice clean house!

Happy new year..............

Take care and enjoy your cleaning!

spray on that stuff that the commercial carwashers use for 'car polish'. wipe down the wall with linseed oil or some other biodegradeable emolient. treat the wall(s) with an herbicide/follow the instructions & desist if damages likely to paint/etc. use a heat lamp or high intensity light/use a timer for especially wet periods. Carlos-My father's son.

Having read some of the suggested links and ideas I still believe that Domestic bleach is the answer if the surfaces are non porous (masonry or painted).

Sodium Hypochlorite is supplied at around 3% active ingredient and is used at very low concentrations. After killing the algae it should be washed off with water any residue after this will lose its active chlorine content and the residue will be common salt (the reason for washing off). This could be a corrosive element if not removed but it is so soluble that it is removed immediately.

Here and in the UK there is domestic cleaner called DOMESTOS which is a detergent mixed with sodium hypochlorite which I recommend for such cases.

Hello hazman,

I see you have been reading a few labels?

This Domestos is in just about every supermarket and is the ideal stuff to clean the most, algae and mildew from the walls, gate posts or anything else.

Thank you for pointing it out. Using this instead of the dangerous sounds hydrated pure version is much easier. A GA to you sir.

Take care and happy new year...............

Thanks - labels is one of my things.

Trouble lies with old addage "if all else fails - read the label"

Once again an apperant problem is only that when viewed from the angle of mold on vinyl sideing being a problem...To me (not my wife)mold growing on any exterior surface is fascinating both at the gross normal vision level and at the hand lens and higher magnification level..A mold that grows on plastic is not to be snubbed and scorned in a quick mass extinction application of generally toxic to all life concentrations of whatever highly concentrated solution has been suggested..Imaggine the tenacity annd desire to make a life on those chemically virtually inert(but obviously sufficient for your particular mold/lichen varietys)surfaces..Breathtaking in time lapse no doubt.Stand back and watch that lively art on your exterior walls develope as time passes..Slow down..relax..life fades too quickly..Why speed it up.or go out of your way to kill it ?..Regards..a slow observer of a fast changeing landscape both human and not...Marty W.

Interesting viewpoint - thanks for the refreshing reminder.

I agree, moss is good. Unfortunately I have read some terrifying things about mold. I've spent a small fortune detoxifying my house since my wife (an otherwise fine person) developed alergies 7 years after we relocated from Upstate, NY to South-West Ohio. Apparently this is not unusual due to the warmer climb. The rate of aesthma and allergies is far higher here than most places in the country, we've learned. To compound that, the Tri-State area is experiencing increased moss AND mold outbreaks in places it did not used to be an issue, such as golf courses (don't react to that, I believe golf is an affront to God, Mother Nature, human intelligence and the community. But the moss/mold epidemic is real. Many blame global warming, but whether that is caused by underarm deoderant, God or a random change in sea currents, the real question is, 'Is it dangerous and, if so, what is the appropriate response'?

Here is my point. Mold spores get into one's house and lungs and they can kill. Black mold is very difficult to get rid of once it sets in and I believe that it really is dangerous. Once you 'catch it' it can do worse things for your property value than the even the media. It can kill your pets and your family or just silently and slowly debilitate them. To me, that is the material question here: Are we discussing aesthetics or life? For instance, I love planting moss and have become proficient at transplanting and nurturing it (mix fistfuls of the playful stuff with some milk and blend on low speed, then pour).

This is by no means conslusive, but never has moss beget mold that I know of. It would have had to follow me 500 miles to create the issue with my house. So I love moss and fear mold, all out of ignorance. I do think my house was a mold issue, since bleach didn't work, but that also is ignorant. I don't know. Does anyone here know how or where to get help identifying moss versus mold and good mold versus bad? I totally agree that spraying chemicals about is a detestable thing. Once I became green enough to stop trying to sterilize my private, wooded lot it became a haven for bats and woodpeckers and I not one member of my family has had a potentially virus-carrying moscito bite in months or years. If mold is attractive, safe and offers insulating value let's share that wealth of insight. If, alternatively, it is a harbinger of the dreaded 'black mold' and slow death by lung failure.. let's find ways to kill it in a humane and environmentally friendly way, such as Jomax (or arson).

I was not actually worried about my shrubs when I pointed out that the Jomax approach was safe enough to not have to cover one's shrubberies or even facial orifices. Rather, to me that was indication that I probably was not nuking the surrounding habitat.

Last point. You can always transplant some of the moss before you clean off the house. Yes, you will separate some spores from their brethren but, as MartyWolf so approapriately highlighted, there is virtue in conforming versus combatting nature, and this small act would make a profound impact on anyone who observed it, possibly leading to other random acts of kindness. Can't imagine anything being more random than preserving moss, now that I think about it. I obviously am smack in the middle of procastinating here.

Chow! (Green? Salad? Also beautiful in its ugliness?).

MorePower (clean and recycled power, actually, using massive flywheels comprised of compressed household refuse).

Mold in your house can prove problematic....However on exterior surfaces the action of mold is often the starting point for other life forms(lichens,mosses,etc.)i suspect in harsh to life environments(such as the surface of a polymer containing carbon,hydrogen,oxygen,chlorine in the case of vinyl siding,nitrogen,perhaps some sulphur) and soften this environment for later(passage of time and breakdown products of mold hyphae)development of more life forms ..Life is faculative when looked at as an individual organism...but when looked at as a symphony of interaction at an appropriate point of view i suppose..its really quite magical......Even in your house the mold is doing what it does best..Changeing the environment to suit itself and ultimately to pave the way for further life complexities ..Imagine what biomass would be available internally if the inhabitants were to succumb to the black mold spores quickly..The potential for a novel horror story i suspect..Again life is brief but incredibly fascinating....Marty W.

I hope I understood your questions well enough to answer them. Moss is a green plant, considered somewhat primitive, but bearing chlorophyll. Mold is a fungus, related to mushrooms and yeasts, and does not have chlorophyll. Lichen is a symbiotic combination of a fungal substrate that harbors green algae (which also has chlorophyll). All reproduce by spores, but most of the spores are not harmful. Only a few varieties seem to cause symptoms in people. Some people are more sensitive to "black mold" spores than others, and do suffer from allergic reactions. The symptoms often resemble a very bad cold that doesn't get better. I believe there are several species of mold that have similar appearances and growth habitats that get called "black mold". I do not know if they all are harmful to people. Hope this helps.

Hello EnviroMan:

Some people are more sensitive to "black mold" spores.

I always know it is time to change the bedding at this dark green to black colour!

On a similar note.......Do plant beds need sheets?.......Just a thought.....

Take care...........

Does anyone here know how or where to get help identifying moss versus mold and good mold versus bad?

The easy way to tell moss from mold: boldly spray on the water. moss is a plant, it loves water, it will sprig up and not lose its shape. mold is a fungus, it will not hold up under a spray of water it will collapse or form a slurry.

There's no easy way to tell good mold vs bad if you go via species identification. If you have the tech to test for specific toxins, that would be the most direct way to know if it is really harmless or not.

We did a 'household molds' lab when I did mycology. We took 'dust' from our homes and cultured it and did our best to identify what grew. The species of molds are not that well defined, and there are a lot a LOT! of them, apparently. My best guesses on 'good' or 'bad' ID for molds were based on traits of large families the specimens could be identified with. Penicilliums grow on birch logs like crazy so they were in my house dust. These blue and green molds are hell on your lungs IMO. Cedar oil or juniper oil are antifungals and can be diluted like the clove oil for mold cleanups: I've also used a few drops neat on a wire brush to get the #$%# penicilliums off the firewood before bringing indoors.

I also got the impression that some of the seriously toxic molds were actually bred by our zealous efforts to prevent them in the first place.. treatments for windows or other material which wiped out 'ordinary' relatively harmless molds and made an empty niche that killer molds - producers of nasty toxins - happened to thrive in.

Some of the antifungal wood treatments are way scarier than any mold IMO. Check out pentachlorophenol for example. It was hugely popular for a while. I got documents from Occupational health and safety, horror stories about babies that died from the skin contact absorption after their clothes were laundered with the work clothes from a treated wood operation. etc...

Whatever your neighbor chooses to use, ensure he understands that he should do a test on a hard-to-observe spot first. If the material selected is going to cause the siding to stain or fade, it's best to know beforehand!

Moss grows on the north side of everything in a moderately moist to wet climate in the Northern Hemisphere. One of the first things I learned in Boy Scouts was that, to find one's direction in the woods without a compass, one need only look at the tree trunks to see which side the moss is growing on - the north side.

It seems to me that this phenomenon could be considered a natural element of 'green' living (no pun intended) in that, if it is allowed to develop, it should provide some natural insulation, some attractive variety of color and texture in an otherwise drab view. After all, isn't it very similar to the highly-sought-after patinas that take years to develop on copper, bronze, and brass sculptures and fixtures? What about ivy-covered walls?

And you guys are getting it absolutely FREE!

More than likely it is moss not mold.

There are a number of products to apply to a roof which contain copper sulfate (some zinc sulfate, but I don't think they work as well) to combat moss (not mold).

Treating a roof isn't tough - sprinkle it on or spray it on and let it do it's thing. The side of a house is a different can of worms because whatever you put on it won't stay (for long).

Here in the North West every hardware store sells moss killers. You could do a pressure wash with a liquid moss killer added to the wash water. More than likely you'd remove all of the moss with the high pressure water and the residual copper sulfate may delay the onset of the next round of moss. It never ends here in the Pacific Northwest.

Out here it is not unusual to see roofs that are nothing more than a thick carpet of moss. It's probably not too bad - right up until the point where it all rots and falls apart.

Rots of Ruck.....

Travis

I've got the same thing on my house. Last fall we used a pressure washer with soap for decks and siding. Just the pressure/soap didn't do the trick though. The soap helped, but we had to use a brush while keeping the surface wet with soap. Our washer has a brush wand. For the roof pitch i had to get out a ladder. Dandgerous on a soapy aluminum ladder. :( Waiting game to see if it comes back.

Hello Guest,

Sorry to disappoint you but, nature being nature it will come back! All you can do is try to get at least some of the moss off so it does no damage to the pointing?

Take care and good luck.................

BB, I am not sure that I completely understand what you are saying should be done. Do I understand to carefully tar the north wall?. Could you please elaborate more on what you are suggesting be done to eliminate the question?

Hello Jerrell,

Sorry for the confusing terms I used.

'Tar' referred to the old English word for 'thank you'. As in 'tar mate'.......Thank you very much?

Take care and 'tar' for the post.

Lots of suggestions so far, some quite fascinating...even fantastic. However, without a more detailed description of the particular problem (such as a picture of that north wall, from roof to ground) any answer cannot go beyond mere speculation. The essence of solving your (neighbor's/neighbors') problem entails understanding that the house itself is virtually always "at fault." So show us the house so we can narrow down to the fix you need. Okay?

Hello 'Guest',

I am taking off my expert hat and am in street gear.........Hence der street talk init?

Hey dude, anyone tell ya you talk c-ap?

Back in my expert gear and hat now.

Look, a north wall is,....... a north wall is,....... a north wall. .......It will ALWAYS be a north wall! On any north facing surface you tend to get mold and moss growth.

To go with your phrasing .......such as a picture of that north wall, from roof to ground) any answer cannot go beyond mere speculation.

Why not ask the Original Poster to send you a photo of his front gate, because it may not be a gate........

I am not usually like this but your silly remarks just made me angry.

May we permit oilcan13 to be the judge of (1) whether he wants specific advise for his situation and (2) if he really wants an answer to the question he actually asked?

In the mean time, please don't be incensed, but just re-read and understand what the "offending post" actually meant...'cause it's apparent you misconstrued what you read. So be patient and, with oilcan13's help, you might gain further knowledge to fill your cap regarding the "north" thing you are presently so fixated upon - in addition to the moss/mold thing. Okay? Thanks.

Not many (tell me) ...and those who do almost always recant, the others being hopeless cases.

The reason these microbial growths return soon is that all aren't removed with one cleaning. A second cleaning should be done after the first wash has dried. An easy preventative is to apply a 10% solution of bleach & water and let dry every 6 months in humid areas or every 12 months in drier climates. It'll zap the emerging growths and leave a salt film that'll zap spores when they try to develope.

This works for me in East Texas!

Displaced Yanqui

Microbial?

How does bleach affect the paint or substrate? Are you taking chlorine or non-chlorine bleach. You seem to be describing not one corrective treatment, but possibly one corrective treatment followed by semi-perennial or perennial preventive treatments. But, if two treatments in close succession will remove (whatever), then how does one know that reinfestation will, or has, occurred without (waiting indefinitely and) seeing a reinfestation...which indicates that preventive and corrective are not really separate and distinctive processes/chores.

Dixie Escapee