Japanese mold is destroying my home life! What to do?

November 25, 2006 5:54 PM

I just moved into a new apartment just south of Tokyo. The mold is terrible, I cleaned, dehumidified, ect. I can't move, can't exactly explain the problem. If I simply give up on the mold itself, what can I do for me? Benadril, any holistic ideas, ?? any one else have these mold problems? P.S. I love you meta filter!
posted by nintendo to health (12 comments total)

Check this link. Mold is a tough thing to deal with as you know.
http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/110
posted by JayRwv at 6:06 PM on November 25, 2006

can't exactly explain the problem.

nintendo, can you say how large the mold problem is, and where is it specifically? I am usually not a germ phobe, but I feel for your safety living in this moldy dwelling. I have read that you can place plastic sheeting over mold to prevent the spread.

If I simply give up on the mold itself, what can I do for me?
I would say to keep your windows open as much as possible for ventilation.

I don't know anything about those home HEPA filters/air cleaners, but maybe that would help.
posted by LoriFLA at 6:15 PM on November 25, 2006

Did you clean with bleach? It's the only thing I've ever used that kills the mould, but it does work and generally isn't expensive. Something like one part household bleach to three parts warmish water, wet the area fairly liberally, leave for five-ten minutes, then wipe off with a clean cloth. You'll need old clothes and to cover furniture etc with plastic to prevent drips, and keep a window open if you can.

You might not be able to get rid of all of it but every bit you can kill will help reduce your reaction to it. And bleaching the areas will slow regrowth substantially. I've lived in some very damp, mouldy houses and bleaching twice per year keeps on top of it.
posted by shelleycat at 6:18 PM on November 25, 2006

Actually there is a pretty good product here called "kabe-killer" (mold-killer) which you can pick up at any supermarket. Keep attacking it with this for a while and you may see some progress.

Now is a good time to start because it's not humid. It will get much worse when it gets warmer.

Have you talked to your real estate agent about this problem? Your apartment should be throughly clean before you moved in.
posted by gomichild at 6:25 PM on November 25, 2006

Mold bothers me sometimes, especially in Japan and the Northwestern US (Seattle, ugh.)

Amen to bleach, and I definitely recommend the HEPA-type filters, which are the only machines that can make a bad room breathable -- it takes a day or two at first, but the room can maintain itself indefinitely after that. You can get these all over Tokyo at any of those appliance stores with the chicks-and-signs standing outside. Look for the HEPA mark.

IME, Loratadine is the best med. It's the effective ingredient in Claritin (the rest is just ephedrine, so drink a red bull), which is a $3/pill prescription in the US but about fifty-cents generic in most of the wider world, including Tokyo. I have bought some from that 'western-style' drug store just before the big Tokyu Hands in Shibuya. (Forget the name, sorry.)

(PS: Loratadine is impossible for a Japanese-speaker to say without sounding like George Jetson's dog, and "Claritin" is not much better. Don't laugh.)
posted by rokusan at 6:42 PM on November 25, 2006

Try a dehumidifier.
posted by JujuB at 7:18 PM on November 25, 2006

Dehumidifier running all the time.

Depending on type of mold, could cause serious upper respiratory problems.
posted by JujuB at 7:20 PM on November 25, 2006

From my experiences living in an old wooden house, I say that the only way of getting permanently rid of mold is to tear down the wood (or whatever it is in your case), and rebuild. If you're renting, that might be a problem.

It was a real problem for me, since I'm allergic, and very hard to get totally rid of.
posted by Zero Gravitas at 8:26 PM on November 25, 2006

UV lamp for several hours or days at a stretch is the only thing that will kill it. Obviously this only works for visible places, not inside the walls but it will work and more reliably than anything else. As a bonus it won't poison you!
posted by fshgrl at 10:15 PM on November 25, 2006

IME, Loratadine is the best med. It's the effective ingredient in Claritin, which is a $3/pill prescription in the US but about fifty-cents generic in most of the wider world

Loratadine is available OTC generic in the US now, too. Dirt cheap in any mass-market retail store. I'll second the recommendation; it got me through a few very wheezy weeks in South Korea (mold + burning rice fields). I still keep it on hand as backup for when my Singulair isn't doing the job.
posted by Cricket at 10:24 PM on November 25, 2006

Kabi-killer. It comes in a spray bottle with a red top, and the label is in katakana - カビキーラー.



kabe-killer would be 'wall killer', by the way. ^_^;
posted by emmling at 1:54 AM on November 26, 2006

I'll be the third person to suggest bleach. You'd have to be dealing with some pretty scary ass mold if bleach doesn't get rid of it.
posted by chunking express at 11:11 AM on November 27, 2006