Wow. I think you need a pro.

Question that needs to be answered: what is above the room? I would be suspicious of a leak somewhere (roof, vent, pipe etc) that is allowing moisture repeatedly onto and into the ceiling, then tracking down the walls. Have you investigated the space above the bath?

Treating the surface of the ceiling/walls with bleach will remove the mold/mildew on the surface temporarily, but it will come back if there is a moisture source that is allowing the drywall to be damp - and if that is the case, the mold is also probably within the drywall.

The non-functioning fan doesn't help the situation, but unless you are using the bath like a steam room for extended periods (to where the walls/ceiling are getting saturated with moisture), I wouldn't think it is the cause. There are many older homes without bath fans that don't develop such a problem.

Hey, @raee_gw zone 5b-6a Ohio thanks so much for the response!

Above our bathroom is the attic and the only thing up there besides random storage is our entire central AC system. One of the cooling vents from our central AC system leads to the inside of our bathroom to blow cool air in the summer. The system was put in I believe 15 years ago.

I'm guessing there is a possibility that there could be mold inside that vent as well.

As far as investigating the space above, we haven't check it out, but I do know the system is directly above the bathroom.

Hey @PPF. thanks for the response! There is a link to the photos above but I can link them here as well! Please click this link >> Bathroom Photos

Flamethrower. 100% gut and redo with a knowledgeable Pro. The ventilation and every surface and behind the surface all has to be redone. Or you’ll end up exactly where you are. It’s a health hazard.

https://www.ceramictilefoundation.org/homeowners-guide-to-hiring-qualified-tile-installer

Hey @live_wire_oak, thanks so much for the reply!

There is a vent inside the bathrooms that leads to our Central AC system directly above. Would we have to get that system redone entirely as well? We got the system put in 15 years ago I believe.

Also, how much of a health hazard is this situation? Others in the house don't think its a health risk and I have no proof to relay to them that it is other than the fact that the bathroom looks as bad as it does.

I‘m talking exhaust vent. To get rid of moisture. Not a HVAC supply vent. But if the attic is inadequately insulated, and you have moisture condensing against the ceiling or inadequately insulated supply vent? All of that will need redone as well.

That much mold isn’t going to kill anyone unkess they have a compromised customer mine system. But it will elevate the allergen response and make for a miserable sickly bronchial existence.

Exit: autoimmune for customer mine

@live_wire_oak Oh okay. Yeah I'm guessing it could possibly be inadequately insulated. My father mentioned that he tried to do something to fix the exhaust ventilation a couple of years ago but I'm not sure if it did anything.

The bathroom has looked like this for a few years now so I'm worried what we will find behind the drywall and above the ceiling.

the system is directly above the bathroom.

Check the condensate drain for that air conditioner (and the 90+% efficiency condensing furnace, if you have one up there).

compromised customer mine system

Do you mean a compromised immune system? If so, you must have the world's weirdest spelling checker. If not, maybe you could clarify........

I'm guessing talk to text error.

Also, those pictures will haunt me for a long time. I can't believe someone lives like that voluntarily.

OMG you are living in that house with a bathroom like that. I hope you dont have little children, and they are breathing in all that. Definitely get some pros in there to get it cleaned and find out where the moisture is coming from. I suspect, it is coming from the AC above the bathroom. I know in some areas, those units are put into an attic, but, I would never want one in my attic. Outside in a nice central location at the back of the house is a much better option.

@DavidR thanks for the response. I will check out the condensate drain.

Yes, auto predictive text is wired. Which is to say weird when slowing down to get every letter exactly hit on the center. Autoimmune also has suggestions of aluminum, innumerable, and alumni event if you get one letter wrong while typing on a small keyboard. Which wants to be key ordered.

I thought the same thing about the condenser unit. An air conditioner makes the air cold by running it over refrigerated coils and the result is that humidity in the air comes out and has to be drained away. Air conditioners have a hose that should lead to a drain. Your hose or drain may be plugged.

You are going to need a contractor to take out the drywall in this room, possibly finding molding or rotting ceiling rafters underneath the ceiling once it is removed. I do not know what qualifies something to need mold remediation, but this may need to be removed carefully in accordance with mold remediation rules so that the spores are contained and are not blown all over your house and the workers are going to need respirators and disposable overalls, I would think. You are going down to the house framing, possibly reframing bad wood, and building up from there.

We had a house with a previous leak in one room. I knew about it because a man who previously rented the home saw me raking the leaves and stopped to talk to me about it. He said that they had garbage cans in that room to catch the leaks. I do not know if the seller had re-drywalled the room before I bought it. Our drywall was in good condition from inside the room. We had developed some mold at the floor level on the outer walls, though, following some ice dams that caused big leaks. I had the builder remove the drywall on those walls. I told him to take off the drywall until it was clean and had no mold. I came home to a room open to the roof. With rotting rafters. Some were almost eaten away and my builder had to sister about six of them. He also tore off the roof and put ice and water shield over the entire room (it was a former porch with a shed roof coming off the main roof) and re-roofed it.

I am wondering if your air conditioning unit is going to come through your ceiling due to rotten rafters.

There is a product that I did not know about then that contractors on this forum have recommended as the proper thing to use for mold. Concrobium is what you use, not bleach. Bleach is not able to kill the mold as well.

Once you rebuild the room, you need a bathroom vent fan that vents out through the roof. Get one that operates on a humidistat or a motion sensor and you will not need everyone to remember to turn it on before they start to shower.

@Nancy in Mich wow, thank you so much for you detailed response! Its very much appreciated.

I will definitely check the surrounding area of the Central AC unit to see if there is any noticeable deterioration. It didn't occur to me at all that the issue could be coming from the AC unit above the bathroom until I read the responses in this thread.

I will absolutely be looking into hiring a mold remediation professional and having them come out to take a look. This has been an issue for awhile and we let it go on for farrrrr too long.

Thanks again for the reply!

@moldhelp,

I recommend you seek a local contractor that can look at all of the existing conditions, make an assessment of root cause of the mold and a recommendation for eliminating it.

Best of luck with your project.

@charles Ross homes, thanks so much for the reply. I will definitely look into doing that!

@moldhelp,
I agree with many of the others on their solution to call a pro. As for the cause of the mold in your bathroom it appears to be a lack of ventilation. Not saying that the drain to the condensate drain from your A/C unit may not be adding to the situation but it looks like a text book ventilation issue. In Michigan, by code you are required to have a exhaust fan that exits through the roof or a window that can be opened to vent the hot humid air from a hot shower. With time and constant applications of condensation on ceiling and wall surfaces you get the results you have. A pro should be able to explain this as well and suggest materials that will resist the growth of mold for this remodel. Attached below is and article explains why ventilation in the bathroom is a necessity. There is plenty of other helpful information out there to help you choose material and solutions to your issue. Best of luck!

https://www.ncconsumer.org/news-articles-eg/many-people-underestimate-the-important-of-proper-ventilation-in-humid-bathrooms.html

First things first: you have to find out where the moisture is coming from.

If it turns out to be just condensation from showers and baths, then about all I can suggest, without wanting to sound snarky because that's not what I mean, is that maybe you just need to clean your bathroom walls and ceiling more often.

I've never paid a remediation company to clean my bathroom for me. I just mix up a bleach solution, about 4 parts water to 1 part bleach, by guess or by gosh, adding more bleach if that doesn't work. Then I put on extra long cuffed nitrile gloves, open a window, and have at it.

Of course if you have known allergies to such stuff, that's a different matter.

The modern solution is to have a good, strong exhaust fan, and to use it when you shower or bathe. I have yet to meet an old house that was originally built with such, not to say such things don't exist, and somehow the fanless owners survived until some more recent owner put one in (or not). Presumably they opened the bathroom door and/or window after a bath or shower. That's what I do.

Another likely factor is that the idea of everyone in the family taking a bath or shower daily is a relatively modern one. A house built in the 50s or before, maybe even into the 60s, might have been built to suit the notion of the good old Saturday night bath.

Hi, I worked in public housing and I ran into this problem very often. We know moister is the problem. I preformed an experiment at home some years ago. I turned on my bathroom fan closed the door and took a hot shower. I then looked at the bathroom mirror, as expected it was covered with moisture. The next night I took a hot shower, Turned on the fan and opened the door when done I looked at the mirror and no moisture. The conclusion I came to was you need an exhaust fan and an air intake.

If you have a 100 cfm fan and you only 10 cfm intake from under the door. That's as good as it gets, 10cfm .My solution was I installed a louvered door and put the fan on a timer. Problem cured. As far as your problem with the mold and ceiling it rely depends on your skill set.

Good Luck Woodbutcher