Is this mold?

[hillview]

We live in a very old house. It is from the 1890s. We put a new roof on it, new gutters and painted the outside porch ceiling. All has been done in the last 12 months. The ceiling of the outside porch appears to have mold on it (or mildew?). It looks like dirt but it does not wipe off. It is ALL OVER the ceiling. The ceiling is maybe 5 feet by 30 feet around the front of the house.

1) does this sound like mold or mildew?
2) any ideas on what I can do about this?

Thanks!
/hillary

[ThreeofUs]

Sounds like mold/mildew in a pretty normal spot. I'd call my friendly, local paint store and see what they recommend. If that doesn't suit, try washing with straight white vinegar or dilute bleach (test on a corner first, to make sure it won't affect the paint).

[infomama]

Don't use bleach of you think it's mold. I learned about this when we thought we had mold in our camper (we did not). Bleach solutions only work on moldy surfaces if they are hard and basically non porous materials (wood is porous, of course). http://www.spore-tech.com/viewCategory.asp?idCategory=78
Have it tested and then find someone who specializes in removing mold from building materials/wood. If it's a painted surface, maybe you can powerwash the old paint off, clean the wood and repaint. Good luck.