Mould and damp in Varna — find the cause first, then dry and fix it

Mould is a symptom: the three causes of damp

Mould only grows where there's a steady supply of moisture. Anti-mould paint covers the spots, but if the water keeps coming, they're back within weeks. So the first job is always to find where the water comes from. In practice it's one of three things — and each needs a different fix.

The thermal camera tells them apart. A leak shows as a cold patch with a source; a cold spot (thermal bridge) shows as a cold band along a corner or a slab edge; rising damp shows as a level line low on the wall. The moisture meter then confirms how wet the material actually is.

Why flats on the coast go mouldy over the winter

If you own a holiday flat in Varna, Golden Sands, St. Constantine and Helena or Byala and only use it in summer, this will sound familiar: you open the door in spring and the flat smells musty, there are black spots in the bedroom corners and the wardrobe, sometimes on the curtains and the sofa.

• Sea air is humid, and a closed, unheated flat cools down below the dew point on its outside walls.
• Nobody ventilates, so moisture that gets in — through the air, a small leak or a damp wall — stays in.
• Furniture against outside walls and closed wardrobes create cold, still pockets where mould starts first.
• Dry traps let drain smells into the flat, which people often mistake for mould.

Before you leave for the winter: leave interior doors and wardrobe doors open, pull furniture a few centimetres away from outside walls, and arrange for someone to air the flat now and then. A property check while you're away covers exactly this, and spots a leak before it turns into mould.

How our mould and damp inspection works

1. You send us what you see. Where the mould is, since when, whether it's worse in winter or after rain, and whether the flat is lived in. Photos help.
2. Thermal scan. We scan the walls, ceilings and corners. The pattern on the thermal image shows whether it's a leak, a cold spot or rising damp.
3. Moisture readings. The moisture meter shows how wet the plaster, concrete or plasterboard is, and how far the damp goes.
4. What to do next. You get the cause and the recommended fix: repair the leak, dry, improve ventilation or waterproof. If you're abroad, you get it by email with the thermal images.

A thermal camera inspection costs €52 for the first flat and €26 for each further flat; moisture readings start from €30. If you need the readings for a neighbour, landlord or insurer, ask for a written report.

Drying after a leak: dehumidifier hire or drying as a service

Once the source is fixed, walls and floors still hold water for weeks. Paint or new flooring on a wet wall traps the moisture and the mould comes back. Drying is done with condensation dehumidifiers that are rated at up to 50 litres of water a day, plus drying fans for floors and walls.

If you're not in Bulgaria, the drying service is the practical option: we set up the equipment, check the readings and tell you when the walls are dry enough to repaint. Hire needs a contract, an ID document and the deposit, so it suits people who are on site.

Mould removal — after the cause is fixed

Removing the mould from walls, ceilings and grout makes sense once the moisture is under control; before that, it comes back. The price depends on the number of rooms and the area, whether a thermal inspection is needed, whether you want a report and a follow-up measurement, and where the property is. We give you the price on request, after a short description and a few photos.

Three things you can check yourself

1. When does it appear? Only in the cold months points to condensation. After rain points to the roof, a terrace or the facade. All year round in the same spot points to a leak.
2. What does a hygrometer say? A cheap room hygrometer is very telling. If it stays above 60 % for long periods in winter, most of the water comes from the air — cooking, showers, drying laundry indoors.
3. The plastic sheet test. Tape a 30 × 30 cm piece of plastic sheet over the damp spot and leave it for a day. Droplets on the room side mean condensation; droplets on the wall side mean the water is coming from inside the wall.

If the clues point in different directions, or you need figures for a neighbour, landlord or insurer, that's when a thermal scan and moisture readings pay for themselves.

If you're not in Bulgaria right now

A letting agent or cleaner tells you there's mould, or you see it in photos from guests. From abroad, the steps are the same as for any job: email us the address and who can let us in, we inspect and send you the cause and the recommended fix with thermal images, and you decide. Drying can run while you're away; we check the readings and tell you when it's done. Payment by bank transfer after the job, with an invoice on request.