How to keep mildew at bay?
June 24, 2013 5:51 AM Subscribe
Is there a best practice for keeping my walls free of mildew?
I currently rent a house in Cape Town, South Africa. It is rainy here now and will be for another couple months, I'm told. Our house has no central air or heat and is not super-well insulated from the rain (when the wind blows, it blows rain into the house).
We have mildew that has begun appearing on the walls and ceilings, most notably in the bathroom, but also near windows and doors. Do I need dehumidifiers (assuming I could even find one here -- sidebar: I couldn't even find a raincoat today at the store), or is there another way to keep it at bay? Right now I'm just cleaning it with a sponge and mildew cleaner about once a week, which is fine but not really my favorite chore. Assume my landlord won't repaint the walls with Kilz or take other house-improvement measures.
I currently rent a house in Cape Town, South Africa. It is rainy here now and will be for another couple months, I'm told. Our house has no central air or heat and is not super-well insulated from the rain (when the wind blows, it blows rain into the house).
We have mildew that has begun appearing on the walls and ceilings, most notably in the bathroom, but also near windows and doors. Do I need dehumidifiers (assuming I could even find one here -- sidebar: I couldn't even find a raincoat today at the store), or is there another way to keep it at bay? Right now I'm just cleaning it with a sponge and mildew cleaner about once a week, which is fine but not really my favorite chore. Assume my landlord won't repaint the walls with Kilz or take other house-improvement measures.
If the wind blowing will make rain blow into your house, I'm guessing a dehumidifier won't do anything. You would want a sealed house or room in order for it do do anything substantial.
posted by sanka at 6:17 AM on June 24, 2013
posted by sanka at 6:17 AM on June 24, 2013
I agree with sanka, you could run a dehumidifier all day, all night and twice on Sunday and if your house if poorly insulated all you'll succeed in doing is making huge buckets of water.
There isn't enough Damp Rid to take care of this problem through out the entire house. Or if there is, it'll become really expensive to keep swapping it out.
Have you thought about using a garden sprayer to spray the anti-mildew solution on the walls? That might make the job easier. Just spray on and squeegie it off.
I had a similar problem in an apartment in Oakland. It was a Victorian Buildins and I had about 17 layers of plaster, piant, wallpaper, etc. Every day when I showered, my walls would weep rusty tears of old, decayed building material.
I washed them with a sponge mop.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:26 AM on June 24, 2013
There isn't enough Damp Rid to take care of this problem through out the entire house. Or if there is, it'll become really expensive to keep swapping it out.
Have you thought about using a garden sprayer to spray the anti-mildew solution on the walls? That might make the job easier. Just spray on and squeegie it off.
I had a similar problem in an apartment in Oakland. It was a Victorian Buildins and I had about 17 layers of plaster, piant, wallpaper, etc. Every day when I showered, my walls would weep rusty tears of old, decayed building material.
I washed them with a sponge mop.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:26 AM on June 24, 2013
Try spot-cleaning the walls with vinegar. I have found that not only does it remove the mildew, it also keep it away for a while.
Don't rinse with water, leave a thin film of vinegar on! Use a sponge or a cloth.
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:16 AM on June 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
Don't rinse with water, leave a thin film of vinegar on! Use a sponge or a cloth.
posted by Too-Ticky at 7:16 AM on June 24, 2013 [1 favorite]
Fans are cheap, so I'd try running a fan, pointing out, in the window when you shower. Squeegeeing the shower walls to reduce moisture might help, as well.
posted by theora55 at 8:26 AM on June 24, 2013
posted by theora55 at 8:26 AM on June 24, 2013
As Too-Ticky says, vinegar (distilled white vinegar probably) should help but you might also try gently scrubbing mildewy spots on the walls with baking soda or kosher salt on a damp sponge or cloth.
posted by homelystar at 11:15 AM on June 24, 2013
posted by homelystar at 11:15 AM on June 24, 2013
I spray the walls with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and a tiny bit of "clarifying shampoo." It kills bacteria and keeps it away for a good period of time. You may want to test for color-fastness if you have non-white paint.
posted by answergrape at 8:24 AM on June 25, 2013
posted by answergrape at 8:24 AM on June 25, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:11 AM on June 24, 2013