mold phuket

[theonetrueaussie]

Just rented a new apartment and it's great except the bedroom has a earthy/mildew smell. Had the agent send in some cleaners and clean it and it went away for a few days but is coming back again now. Does anyone know of anyone in south phuket that does mold inspection? has UV lights or other devices to see where the mold is if there is any. Want to get a professional to come in and inspect so I can know for sure if there is a problem or not.

[KhunLA]

Tropics, 60-80% RH all day, everyday.  And that's not even rainy season.  Sounds like you'll need a dehumidifier or 3.  Along with running the AC, even if just on dehumidifier setting.

 

Daughter had that problem in one of the condos she stayed at.  Bought her a dehumidifier, and she was pulling 1/2 liter a day out of the air. ????  Moved to another unit is same bldg, and was much better.

 

Spray / wipe everything down with a bleach solution may give you a 'fresh' start.  If your apt. is adjacent to a common wet wall, that could be an issue.  Also if furnished with the cheap pressed particle board, that could be a problem area.  Hard to get rid of once in, and be careful with hanging clothes them, as will get in them also.

 

Good Luck

Edited October 9, 2021 by KhunLA

[johng]

It's very possible that there is a water leak somewhere  either from roof,windows or a water pipe buried in the floor or wall  if the apartment has neighbours it could even be a leak in their apartment causing the problem.. even the aircon  overflow pipe could be leaking into the wall not draining properly..if apartment is on the ground floor it could even be "rising damp"   from the earth.

Another more unlikely cause could be the mattress/bed was "cleaned"  but not dried out thoroughly but I would imagine most people would track down the culprit  pretty quickly in that case.

[ChipButty]

If it's as bad as you say you will need to wipe everything down, inside the wordrobes and drawers I suggest you use vinegar, it might even be in the curtains.

For get all these sprays, buy some Pandan leaves its a Thai herbal plants you can buy from makro and its cheap and does the trick we put in our condo and at home in the bathrooms.

Edited October 9, 2021 by ChipButty

[LosLobo]

UV light is only good for body fluids. ????

On Phuket, you need windows open and fans going 24/7 to stop mould (unless you use A/C and/or dehumidifier).

Yes, wipe everything down with fermented vinegar/water 50/50.

Any bare porous wood like particle board needs sealing with lacquer.

Wash curtains with vinegar added to final rinse and dry in sun.

Check under pillow and cushion covers and replace if necessary.

Wardrobes need ventilation and a globe heater to stop clothes and inside of cupboard from going mouldy.

If you still have problem, you may need to get a new mattress.

Pandan leaf (bai toey) is really great (a lot of taxi-meters use it) but only hides the problem.
 

Edited October 9, 2021 by LosLobo

[eezergood]

no doubt the condo has sat empty for several months, dehumidifier as many others have suggested

[xylophone]

3 hours ago, eezergood said:

no doubt the condo has sat empty for several months, dehumidifier as many others have suggested

Yep.....can run the aircon unit on the "dehumidifier" setting and that may also help.

[DrDave]

A dehumidifier or AC running to take the moisture out of the air is your best bet.

But...as mentioned before, if the apartment has any furniture of the thin laminate over particle board or MDF variety, the mold/mildew odor will likely remain as long as the furniture remains.

[K2938]

On 11/2/2021 at 8:55 AM, eezergood said:

no doubt the condo has sat empty for several months, dehumidifier as many others have suggested

So that means when renting an apartment in Phuket long-term it would be difficult to leave it unattended for a month or two while traveling outside Thailand?

[Tropicalevo]

22 minutes ago, K2938 said:

So that means when renting an apartment in Phuket long-term it would be difficult to leave it unattended for a month or two while traveling outside Thailand?

If you do nothing, there will be mold.

Here on Samui we run fans in every room, 24/7 and we also put one of these in every wardrobe and cupboard and leave the doors open when the villa is empty.

 

 

(Cheaper running costs!!!)

[K2938]

3 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

If you do nothing, there will be mold.

Here on Samui we run fans in every room, 24/7 and we also put one of these in every wardrobe and cupboard and leave the doors open when the villa is empty.

Thank you.  And what do you do if you for example were to visit your home country for a couple of months so you could not do this?  Really then either live with the mold or have somebody come into your place for ventilation regularly I assume (which for privacy reasons I would not really like)?