Why mould loves Cairns homes
Mould needs three things: moisture, warmth, and a surface to grow on. Cairns supplies all three most of the year. When indoor humidity climbs above about 60 per cent — which is most of the wet season — mould spores settle and grow on painted walls, ceilings, leather, furniture, and even clothes in wardrobes.
Poor airflow makes it worse. A closed-up house with the air-con off, a bathroom without a working exhaust, or furniture pushed hard against outside walls all create the still, damp air mould loves. If you've got a slow leak or condensation forming, that's mould's dream.
Ventilation is your first defence
Before you reach for a spray bottle, look at airflow. Open windows on dry days to let the house breathe. Use exhaust fans in bathrooms, laundries and kitchens and run them for ten minutes after you finish — not just while you're showering. If an exhaust fan isn't working or isn't venting outside properly, that's a job for a licensed electrician or plumber, so call a licensed trade for the wiring or ducting.
Pull furniture a few centimetres away from outside walls so air can move behind it, and leave wardrobe doors ajar in the wet season. Cross-ventilation — opening windows on opposite sides of the house — is the cheapest mould fighter there is.
Dehumidifying and managing moisture
When it's too humid or too wet to open up, a dehumidifier or the dry cycle on your air conditioner pulls moisture out of the air. Aim for indoor humidity around 50 per cent. Empty dehumidifier water regularly and keep the filter clean so it keeps working.
Dry wet clothes outside or in a vented dryer, not on an indoor rack — that moisture all goes into your air. And fix any obvious water sources: a dripping tap, a leaking pipe, or water pooling under the house. Any plumbing repair is a licensed plumber's job, so call one in for those.
Cleaning methods that actually work (and why bleach isn't one)
Here's the thing most people get wrong: bleach doesn't kill mould on porous surfaces like painted plasterboard or timber. It bleaches the colour out so it looks gone, but the roots stay and it grows back in a week or two. That's why your mould keeps returning.
What works is a proper anti-mould treatment — a product that kills the spores at the root. I use a treatment that's applied, left to work, and then the dead mould is wiped away. For non-porous surfaces like tiles or glass, a vinegar or specialist mould spray does the job. Always wear gloves and a mask, open the windows, and don't mix products.
One more tip: clean mould before you paint over it. Painting straight over live mould traps the spores behind the paint and it shows back through in months. Treat the surface first, let it dry, then prime with a mould-resistant primer if the spot stays damp.
Outdoor mould on paths, walls and roofs
In Cairns the outside of your home gets mouldy too — green algae and black mould on paths, driveways, render and colorbond roofs. It's slippery, it looks terrible, and on a roof it can stop water shedding properly.
This is where pressure cleaning earns its keep. With the right pressure and nozzle for each surface I bring concrete, render and colorbond back to their original colour without damaging them. A clean roof and paths are safer and stay cleaner for longer once the spores are gone.
When to call in a professional clean
A patch of mould on a bathroom ceiling you can handle yourself. But if it's spread across multiple rooms, come back after you've cleaned it, got into carpets or furniture, or it's covering a large outdoor area, it's time to call me in. I do proper anti-mould treatment, pressure cleaning, and end-of-lease mould cleans across Cairns.
If anyone in the house has asthma or a mould allergy, don't muck around with a big infestation — get it treated properly. And remember, cleaning the mould only fixes the symptom; you still need to sort the moisture source or it comes back.