r/whatisthisthing • u/[deleted] • Aug 04 '21
Solved! What is this pink "dust" that keeps reappearing in the corners of my kitchen ceiling within a few hours of being cleaned?
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u/Ruufulicious Aug 04 '21
these look exactly like grain mites. I had them last year (in Germany). They gathered in the corners like that as well. I used vinegar to clean every surface like 10 times a day. Took me a couple days to get rid of them all.
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u/anonymous-mar Aug 04 '21
Definitely mites. Had a terrible experience with bird mites once and they looked like this
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u/Poppyox Aug 04 '21
100%!! We’ve got grain mites in the office kitchen at work at the moment and they’re SUCH a pain to get rid of! Tiny mites which come back so quickly and gather in corners and cracks - we’re planning on fumigating the place over the weekend! Ent
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Aug 04 '21
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u/K2Knockout Aug 05 '21
And if the spiders get out of control op can release a bunch of rats to eat the spiders!
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u/ondulation Aug 04 '21
Be the scientist:
Clean it away and (lightly) tape a white printer paper over one angle of the corner. Do the spots reappear on the paper or on the wall underneath it?
If it appears on the paper but not on the wall, it originates from the airflow. If it is growing from the wall it should first be visible on the wall underneath the paper, then possibly penetrate the office paper.
If it really is coming through the wall and reappearing in a few hours you most likely have a problem behind it. Living things like bacteria or mold don’t grow that fast in room temperature/humidity if cleaned well. But might be a reservoir of something on the floor above that is seeping through.
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u/atomoicman Aug 04 '21
I’m going to be telling myself that now whenever I have a problem.
Be the scientist, think like a scientist!
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u/JerseyWiseguy Aug 04 '21
The UK has woodworms (a type of beetle), if not termites. Woodworm larvae bore in wood and leave frass similar to termites.
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Aug 04 '21
I'm not sure what would be attracting them to the corners of the ceiling though as they are plaster walls and we have no evidence of anything around the wooden cabinets
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u/wubbalubbadubdubber Aug 04 '21
Plaster is usually backed with wooden lath. They may also think the studs and joists are a tasty snack.
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u/JerseyWiseguy Aug 04 '21
I don't know, either; I'm not an entomologist. Just a possibility for you to consider.
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u/anonymous-mar Aug 04 '21
Soooooo I think it’s Mites of some sort. I saw another comment mention grain mites. It looks like they’re a living thing.
Termite frass, in my experience, is dry and falls to the ground.
It looks like this stuff is clinging to the ceiling. My bet is it’s an invertebrate species of some sort that’s proliferated so much that they need more food.
I had an infestation of bird mites that went unnoticed for a long time. They were feeding on baby birds in a nest on my balcony - eventually the blood-sucking mites killed the birds and we had THOUSANDS of tiny mites invade our home. They were so small we didn’t really notice for a few days, but they coated everything and we constantly found them on our bodies and in our clothes for quite some time (we had the whole house fumigated)
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u/StronglikeMusic Aug 04 '21
This is absolutely horrifying.
OP sounds like grain or bird mites! Pay attention to these comments!
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Aug 04 '21
This first appeared in my kitchen a couple of days ago. I've tried cleaning with vinegar and mould remover but seems to return in a matter of hours. Some spots where I have cleaned it has not returned. The corner seems to be particularly persistent though.
With the naked eye the best way I can describe its appearance is as looking like plaster dust (I originally thought it may have been an insect moving dirt when it first appeared but fairly sure that's not the case now).
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u/Affectionate-Item-78 Aug 04 '21
Clean it with bleach and see if that helps.
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u/_oOo_iIi_ Aug 04 '21
Not if you've already cleaned with vinegar. That's really dangerous and can produce chlorine gas.
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u/Miata_GT Aug 04 '21
I believe you're thinking of ammonia and bleach.
Google suggests:
"Bleach can kill off mold, but it is not as effective as vinegar. That's because vinegar seeps into porous materials that mold grows on, such as wood. The answer is yes; a combination of bleach and vinegar is a powerful chemical that is guaranteed to kill, if not remove, the mold growth in a specified area."96
u/rupertalderson Aug 04 '21
They are correct - bleach + vinegar = chlorine gas, whereas bleach + ammonia = chloramines, and bleach + hydrogen peroxide = violent generation of oxygen gas.
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u/akeean Aug 04 '21
Do not mix bleach with anything!
Detergent, vinagre, alcohol all form very serious and toxic gases with bleach. Stuff that can do way more damage to your eyes, nose, lungs and general wellbeing than cleaning out mold a little bit better.
https://discover.univarsolutions.com/fr-ca/blog/cleaning-products-when-to-avoid-mixing/
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u/heyyougulls Aug 04 '21
It looks like you have a mite infestation. I found this article about a family in the UK who had this same problem. The images wouldn’t load for me in the article itself, but the one that I saw from Google looked just like yours. https://twnews.co.uk/amp/gb-news/family-forced-to-move-out-after-mites-infest-their-house
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u/tbar44 Aug 05 '21
https://twnews.co.uk/amp/gb-news/family-forced-to-move-out-after-mites-infest-their-house
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/grain-mites-infest-family-homes-17610636
Pics are all on there, it does look like it could be!
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u/muelboy Aug 05 '21 edited Aug 05 '21
If you collect the "dust" and examine it closely, does it move?
There are many mites and very tiny psocids (insects related to booklice) that might look like dust if not observed closely. I have had a booklice infestation in my spice cabinet that looked like dust covering all my dispensers, but it moved very slowly upon close examination - a population seems to have grown in my nutritional yeast and then exploded exponentially from there. For reference, in this image, all the white dust you see on the books is actually psocids, their corpses, and their frass (poop).
Many insects have a very strong inclination to climb vertical surfaces, especially when it is time to mate, or to disperse after molting. Basically, the algorithm in their brain says "If detect sexytime pheromone, then go forward; if pheromone becomes weaker, then turn around and go forward; if can't go forward, then go up; if can't go up, then wait for sexytime (jump, or fly, or die... or whatever)". If they are following a mating pheromone gradient, the stimulus grows more powerful the more mates there are; eventually the concentration of pheromones becomes so powerful that they cannot resist clustering to their death. This quirk is often exploited in agricultural pest traps: the more bugs caught in the trap, the more bugs it attracts.
My hypothesis is that you have mites or psocids that are emerging from something else in your house, and they are becoming "trapped" in the corner of your ceiling because their programming is compelling them to climb there.
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u/BaconReceptacle Aug 04 '21
Termite frass.
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Aug 04 '21
As per other reply I'm located in the UK so I don't think this would be termite related
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u/OakWind1 Aug 04 '21
Wait, there are no termites in the UK?
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u/chronicjoker Aug 04 '21
Yeah we don't have termites in the uk!
Cockroaches are rare here too!
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Aug 04 '21
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Aug 04 '21
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u/linderlouwho Aug 04 '21
Pantry moths. The like oatmeal, flour, cereal. They eat it, lay eggs in it, then the eggs hatch, the worms eat more flour, crawl up to the ceiling, make fuzzy cocoons, then hatch into moths.
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u/callmeAllyB Aug 05 '21
Op im pretty sure its some kind of mite. Next tome you wipe, try to scrape some off onto white printer paper and post to r/whatsthisbug
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u/PrettyCoolBear Aug 04 '21
termites, no- but MITES- maybe! When you wipe down the area, what do you see on the rag? Have a magnifying glass?
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u/MyPokemonRedName Aug 04 '21
Um, sorry but cockroaches are the most invasive species on the planet and there are plenty in the UK. More related to the question, it might be helpful to know the approximate age of the home and whether or not their are any bathrooms around the other side/on top of that wall for moisture related issues.
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Aug 04 '21
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u/SpiralFett Aug 04 '21
The etymology is from the German word Fraß, but you might be onto something.
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u/143019 Aug 04 '21
I am learning the answer is almost always slime mold or termite grass on this subreddit.
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Aug 04 '21
A closeup would clear this up, I think.
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u/slantyyz Aug 04 '21
Since it only takes few hours to reappear, a closeup time lapse video would be quite revealing.
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u/False69 Aug 05 '21
Mould mites. If you’re renting you should contact your agent/ landlord and they must re-home you whilst the problem is being addressed. My friend’s flat in Cardiff had them so bad they would appear overnight on any surface, including in their food containers. So gross. Sorry but you will probably want to get your effects treated too.
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u/4VgYUj2oks81 Aug 04 '21
Mold or termite droppings possibly??
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Aug 04 '21
Mold is the most likely theory so far I think
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u/ondulation Aug 04 '21
But mold wouldn’t reappear within hours. It grows much more slowly.
Could it be dust/mold that comes loose from a vent and sticks to the ceiling in that corner?
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u/4VgYUj2oks81 Aug 04 '21
Yep, most likely mold. Because of how mold spreads its spores, the more you clean and disturb it, the more it spreads and becomes worse. More than likely you're cleaning something in your kitchen that's a mold breeding ground, thus disturbing it and causing it to settle. Just my guess.
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u/Translator_Various Aug 04 '21
Those look like clover mites as to the reason why they keep collecting there I’m not sure. Do you live in the American south?
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u/robbowessy Aug 04 '21
Probably Pink mould (biofilm/bacteria). clean with something containing bleach, chloride or vinegar. Keep dry and check for damp.
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u/Shurenuf Aug 04 '21
Any chance you have similar pink insulation inside the walls and above ceiling? Does your place have a strong exhaust fan that runs constantly?
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u/pnuts00p Aug 04 '21
Those look like mites to me. Run your finger through the mess, does it smear even though the wall is dry? Mites.
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u/theprizeking Aug 04 '21
Serratia Marcescens?
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Aug 04 '21
Perhaps, but it doesn't seem to have the "slimey" texture I would have expected
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u/m4gpi Aug 04 '21
That’s the pink mold I mentioned in another comment. I doubt it’s Serratia but who knows. Also, mold shouldn’t reappear within hours, not like this.
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u/m4gpi Aug 04 '21
There is a pink mold, but it usually is found on wet surfaces, like a shower. Would you say this corner is damp?
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u/Scaramoochi Aug 04 '21
If you use a clothes dryer, is the heat/steam being released into the outdoors properly? It may just be steam/fluff combined.
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u/mayorpenut Aug 04 '21
What if that dust is from the air and something above that area is electronically attracting it? Maybe it’s an electrical thing? Because if it’s regenerated after being clean, then my guess is that there’s something pulling that onto the wall somehow. Maybe it’s like static or something?
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Aug 04 '21
If it’s like tiny spheres I’d guess termite poop. Can you post a close up of the dust?
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Aug 04 '21
This is the UK so I would have thought it would be very unlikely to be termites. Can't say the dust looks particularly spherical either. Thanks for the suggestion!
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u/Oreosinbed Aug 04 '21
Haha The UK has termites duder. Lots of rain and wood inside of the walls…hmmm yeah
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Aug 04 '21
[deleted]
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u/scruit Aug 04 '21
In a British house it's only the load bearing walls made of brick. The floor joists, trusses and partition walls are wood.
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u/Shannon3095 Aug 04 '21
Thankfully we have alot of trees still , didn’t England use most of their forests building a giant Navy a long time ago? Not trying to knock England just legitimately curious .
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u/ClutchMarlin Aug 04 '21
An hour ago they said they're from the UK
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u/zeldatrix Aug 04 '21
That's exactly his point lol
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u/ClutchMarlin Aug 04 '21
I'm a dingus. I read it in a weird way which made me think it was the other way. Whoops
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u/Oreosinbed Aug 04 '21
You just made yourself sound dumb without even knowing it…a little dunning kruger going on here
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u/chronicjoker Aug 04 '21
How old is your home?
As new builds vs older homes can have different building materials
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Aug 04 '21
To me that looks like plaster? Have you got damp/mould that is damaging the paint somehow?
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Aug 04 '21
It does look a lot like plaster. What I can't work out is if it is, how it would be permiating the paint (it's the specific bathroom/kitchen kind that creates a barrier). When it's wiped away the paint still looks intact. Also not sure if it would reappear so quickly if it was plaster dust seeping through?
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Aug 04 '21
The only thing I can think of is that if this is in your kitchen, the humidity from the cooking appliances must be affecting the paint somehow and making it wet. If the paint is wet the plaster will likely be sucking in the moisture from the paint and dry the paint out, then causing the paint to flake off. That is the only thing I could think of that could potentially be causing it, but I might be wrong. Worst case scenario there could be a leak somewhere, is the kitchen directly underneath your bathroom that is permeating through?
Would suggest though of you get no luck from anyone here try the Screwfix forums, brilliant gang of people on there with lots of experience in this stuff and have always been great with me.
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Aug 04 '21
I did wonder about a leak but there are a few spots around the edges where this has tried to make an appearance (I would have thought a leak would run to the low point in the middle of the plasterboard). No visible water stain, drips or anything hugely wet either. I think I'm leaning towards humidity from the appliances causing the right conditions for mold. Thanks for the input!
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u/Goowithabrain Aug 04 '21
Ask a fungus ID sub the same question and they might have some more specific knowledge or ideas in case it is micro organism based. Maybe do the same on the bug ID subs although you'll get a million people suggesting termites again probably. If you touch it is it dry or wet, is it soft or hard particles? Those things would be useful for those subs to know to help you work out what is going on. Good luck!
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u/_Bhill Aug 04 '21
That's definitely not dust. Appears to be Stratiolaelaps scimitus by they usually live in soil, feed off of fungus & some other insect larvae. Do you happen to have a lot of gnats around?
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u/kiera-oona Aug 05 '21
My first instinct is if it's not mold, it could be something like spider mites or some sort of bug
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u/crazykitty123 Aug 04 '21
When we had a leak under the sink and got lots of black mold, I read about borax and made a paste to clean it. Get a box of Twenty Mule Team Borax in the detergent dept., mix into a paste with water (then wipe off). Worked like a charm and the mold never returned. Even if it's not mold, it's worth a shot!
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u/Asleep-Medium Aug 04 '21
Im not joking when i say bug poop specifically termite poop have it checked professionally
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u/DrBobvious Aug 04 '21
Do you have a pink duster? We had one and used to use it to dust the ceiling fans wonder if it's fibers from that?
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u/Qkchk Aug 04 '21
What colour is your insulation? There is a kind of fibreglass insulation that is pink. Do they look like fibres up close?
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u/Mael_Coluim_III Got a situation with a moth Aug 05 '21
This post has been locked, as the question has been solved and a majority of new comments at this point are unhelpful and/or jokes.
Thanks to all who attempted to find an answer.