Mouldy Bungalow

[keestha]

I am running a small resort close to the beach, which mainly consists of freestanding bungalows.

One bungalow seems to have a problem that I cant figure out. The problem seems to be there only for a small minority of the people though. Many people have stayed in this bungalow, also for extended periods, without having any complaints.

But I guess about 10% of the guests who are shown this bungalow or stay in it for just one night, say that there is something in the air which makes them feel unwell, they cant breath properly and so on. They always blame the problem on mould, though the bungalow doesn't look mouldy at all. I am trying to maintain my property well. True this bungalow has a problem with termites, but so have many of my other bungalows.

It happened quite a few times that I showed a guest this bungalow, and right away they seemed to smell something most people cannot smell, and they asked to be shown a different bungalow, or they discovered they had a problem after being in the room for half an hour or so, or during the first night sleeping there. Again, the vast majority of the guests doesn't have any problem with this bungalow, the last high season at least 4 people stayed in there for over 2 weeks.

Now I am thinking about putting laquer on all the woodwork and furniture in the bungalow, but is there maybe something else I could do?

Last of all maybe I should mention the only thing that makes this bungalow different from its neighbours, is that the ceiling is less high, and thus slopes down at a lower angle, which might make it a bit more humid.

[krading]

Have the termites been 'treated' and if so what poison was used?

[keestha]

Rentokill sprayed against termites several times, plus I regularly replace damaged woodwork. A termite problem you cannot 100% solve I believe, you can only keep it in check. Wouldn't know what poison they sprayed though.

[LeungKen]

Perhaps Glen 20, which is an Anti-bacterial surface spray disinfectant if it is available where you are, if not try something similar. Try Googling for similar.

Cheers & Good Luck

[Macx]

Can you describe the bungalow's construction material and furniture? Or do you mean that everything is wood?

One big culprit is the aircon. Some places, the moment you turn on the aircon, the stink of mildew is instant. In one place, I spent 800baht for a professional guy to come and clean/wash out the unit, but the smell only got reduced by about 3/4th of what it was.

If your bungalow is brick and concrete, the mildew could be coming out of the wall. In some condos/apts., the bathrooms of the upper floor units were not properly sealed, and so once the water got thru the floor tile, the concrete got wet and mildewed.

[t.s]

I have had quite a bit of experience with termites in bungalows, and at certain times when they go on the move the emit a very oily musky smell which makes me feel quite ill.

i also become slightly light headed, naseous and headachy when mosquito coils are being burned nearby.

some people are very sensitive to smells, that might be the cause

[splitlid]

check your sinks plumbing, many times the fitting from your sink is not the same size as the pipe coming out of the wall, if this is so then the smell will be coming from the gap between the 2 fittings, get some silicone and fill the gap, this will solve the problem.

[bojo]

Regarding termites, not that they might be the cause of the smell... wrap old rags drenched in used engine oil around any posts that support the bungalow. Termites already in the bungalow will not be able to return home and die of water starvation after a few weeks and those following the trail will not be able to climb up. Replenish oil as needed.

How about some bowls of salt in the rooms, this will help with the humidity. The salt will harden with moisture and need to be replaced.

Stating the obvious maybe..... keep the windows open where weather permits and put air fresheners around the room.

regards Bojo

[nikster]

Is the bungalow on stilts, off the ground? Needs to be otherwise will have mold problem.

Didn't think termites are a problem as long as you use Teak to build. Termites don't eat teak.

An air filter might help - maid once nearly burned the house down leaving something on the stove for a few hours, and the air filter was the only thing that could get rid of the burning stench. Prior to that we had washed all the walls, furniture, and every other conceivable surface, to no avail. Air filter ran for 2 hours and the smell was gone. We then had to run it another 4 weeks before the smell was gone for good.

But the main issue, I think, is that you can't smell it yourself. How can you fix a problem you can't see for yourself, so to speak? Therefore I'd recommend getting somebody to help you who _can_ smell the smell.

[wolfmanjack]

Is the bungalow on stilts, off the ground? Needs to be otherwise will have mold problem.

Didn't think termites are a problem as long as you use Teak to build. Termites don't eat teak.

Yes they do. if it is the only food around.