3FatCats Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 :ssign14: OK, this is not a moan, just looking for practical advice. I am into my first Autumn/Winter season here in Oz, Sydney to be precise, and would like to get some good tips or words of advice on heating and solutions for damp & mould. We live in an older property which isn't well insulated and has no ducted air system in place. At the moment I have noticed mould appearing on the wooden floors in some places, as a blue/grey patina which just sits on top of the boards. It isn't in obvious places either, ie. not just inside cupboards or wardrbobes, as I found some in the living room in an open space. I have cleaned everywhere with a bleach solution and dried out with fan and this tends to keep things at bay. What annoys me most is the feeling that clothes, sofa and things like paper feel "wet" and shoes are going mouldy. Any tips???? We will be looking to move in August when the lease runs out, just need to cope these last few months. I have an electric heater per room, God knows what the bills will be like.... and electric blanket on the bed. Again any tips on helping to keep the place warm(er) and drier would be most appreciated. Ta folks :wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pintpot Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Speak to the agent and at least get someone round to have a look and see what can be done. We have similar issues but not so bad, no one should be expected to live in a damp house Most of the damp problems in our place are due to wet ground underneath the house - with no vapour barrier and minimal insulation between the air under the house and the floorboards, the moisture tends to rise. I suspect it's a problem that's particularly apparent at the moment because it has been so wet over the past few months. When we build it will be on a properly insulated and damp-proofed concrete slab! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 Thanks Pintpot, I don't think they will be able to do anything really that wouldn't involve some major work, and we plan on leaving in August anyway. What I may do is use this as a good reason to get out of the house sooner rather than later, and I don't think they should/would have a problem with that... In the meantime I just have to keep looking for a better house and find short-term solutions for dealing with the saving of my wardrobe!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest VickyMel Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Poor you - it reminds me of my bedsit Uni days! Sorry not much help other than sympathy - bleach and vinegar were my tools. I'm begining to wonder if we are making a mistake (feeling under pressure to extend the lease in August) just the one gas heater in the flat (and electric heaters to top it up) and it is beginning to get cold in the flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 We have the same problem, as do most of my friends. It seems to be a peculiarity of living here. We had to buy a new mattress because the old one got some mildew on the bottom. I have also had problems with that fine mildew type mould on shoes, bags, the back of furniture and things like that. The built in wardrobes in our bedroom are particularly bad, and I know exactly what you mean about things feeling kind of damp. To be honest I haven't found any more of a solution than using diluted bleach to wash/wipe with and making sure that I open the windows every day to air the rooms. you can apparently get some water absorbing crystals which might help. I find that some things are worse affected than others. I keep a box of silk fabric for work, and that has been fine, but my rucksack which is stored in the same cupboard had some mildew on it the other day. I think that maybe storing artificial fibres (like what my rucksack is made from) in a more airy place would be better. We are built on a concrete slab, but we live down hill from the road (if you know what I mean), so I guess there may always be an element of dampness to the front of the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tisme Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 I am assuming as you have floor boards that the house is raised. Make sure any vents to the under part of the house are clear, so air can pass freely under the house, this may help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabo Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 Most houses in Sydney are damp at the moment. Wet summer and all. Very little ventilation. Even folks with ducted air systems are finding mould/mildew in their wardrobes/walls/floors. We have been using diluted white vinegar to kill any moould/mildew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petals Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 The damp stuff you get in Bunnings is good, just put the container in the wardrobe and when its full of water replace, it keeps the damp down. We are not as bothered with it here in Melbourne but my son's bedroom used to have a bit of mildew. All his sports stuff I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest haunted1234 Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 i live in Cairns....mould city in wet season ) use Oil of cloves in a spray bottle with water...just a few drops! this actually kills the mould spores, bleach just bleaches them and makes them go white. Oil of cloves is one of the few things that actually kills it...smells a bit but works on everything including leather sofas! You can get oil of cloves in your local pharmacy ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 You could try a dehumidifier, not sure how much they cost though, might be able to get the landlord to pay for one. If you do want to use this for leaving rental sooner rather than later, make sure you keep all your corespondance in writing (email is fine). Have a good read of the NSW rental laws: http://www.tenants.org.au/publish/factsheet-06-repairs-maintenance/index.php is for repairs etc, which this might fall under, but the rest of the website should also be useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted May 8, 2012 Share Posted May 8, 2012 http://www.tenants.org.au/publish/factsheet-24-mould/index.php here's one specifically for mould issues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FatCats Posted May 8, 2012 Author Share Posted May 8, 2012 Thanks to everyone for all the great replies!!! Really appreciate it :wubclub: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frostie Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Thanks to everyone for all the great replies!!! Really appreciate it :wubclub: Hi, just wondered if you got anywhere with your agents? We have just moved into our rental 2 weeks ago, have now noticed that my sons room has yellow spots appearing all over the outside wall....looked outside and the wall is damp. Dosent help that there is a soil flower bed built against the wall. Anyway when we moved in we noticed they had put the plug in air wicks in every single plug socket, I guess this was to cover the damp musty smell so presume they had an idea how damp it was and how smelly!!! we have mentioned the smell and some old mould stains in both daughters rooms in the inventory but just noticed our sons. Plus my son developed a chest infection after living here for just a few days, so thats pretty worrying. We have ducted air conditioning and heating and we have the heating running all the time so not sure what else we can do? Did you manage to move out early? If they can't sort the problem out I'm wondering if it's possible to break the lease, although if this is the norm in properties not sure it's even worth trying?? just don't want any health impact on my family, now I'm rattling on! Any advice?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tisme Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 A lot of people overlook the gutters and downpipes, if the water can't escape quick enough then it will flood into the eaves, making a house damp. Might be worth checking them, not only leaves will block them but also sand, which can build up over time if your near the coast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 You could try a dehumidifier, not sure how much they cost though, might be able to get the landlord to pay for one. You may be able to rent a dehumidifer from pharmacies or medical/health supply shops. And I endorse the oil of cloves: just a quarter teaspoon in a 1 litre spray bottle is enough to kill the spores. Also as much airflow as you can through rooms (which is not so easy, I know, in the cooler weather). You can buy the moisture absorber kits in Coles and Woolies in the cleaning section. They are good for small enclosed spaces such as cupboards. Hippo and DampRid are the two brand names which come to mind. Humidity has always been a problem in Sydney over the summer but it is obviously worse this year because of the higher than average rainfall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.