Mildew In My Bedrooms.

[ROBINPATTAYA]

I have just returned from a few months in my home Country to find a minor disaster in my home.

The 3 beds, 6 pillows & doonas were covered in mildew.

The beds are on a raised box like structure that doesn't allow any ventilation under the beds, not sure if this is a factor or not.

I left the curtains up slightly to allow some heat in the room & left the doors open into the rest of the house, this was to help ventilate the room.

Has anyone else suffered this whilst away from home for an extended period.

I am now up for 3 new king beds & pillows at the least.

Where is a good competetive shop for beds etc. that a member can reccomend.

Thanks in anticipation.

[rmicheald]

INDEX Mall has High quality bedding. It is a bit more price-wise than other places, but the quality is great. I have a set that I received with the purchase of my mattress over 6 years ago and it is just now starting to be a little worn.

[TexasRanger]

We get this in our holiday home, all we do is pack bedding in plastic bags. The furniture still gets it a bit but it cleans off ok.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Thaivisa Connect App

[ROBINPATTAYA]

We get this in our holiday home, all we do is pack bedding in plastic bags. The furniture still gets it a bit but it cleans off ok.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Thaivisa Connect App

That sounds like a reasonable simple solution worth following.

Maybe I should stay in Pattaya permanently...555, a better solution.

[Semper]

Can you have someone run the air con a couple of hours once a week or so?

[Chao Lao Beach]

Ventilation and moisture control is the key. Both hard to do when you are away. Many air cons you can pre program though to run during the night for a bit. Put in a electric vent fan ASAP.

[bigwilly]

ROBINPATTAYA.

I had the same problems in a house in Central Park, it was mould and it was a nightmare, take great care when cleaning as the spores will spread, I tried every thing to clean the woodwork and cabinets, I tossed all the fabrics, after repeated attempts at cleaning with such things as, bleach 20% water mix, neat bleach, T Tree oil, expensive as you know, white vinegar neat solution, extra ventilation, running the aircons on a 2 hours a day moisture removal cycle or dehumidify, doors and windows open all day, nothing worked, I eventually gave up the furniture was rubberwood, top leather 3 piece suite, you have my sympathy, all the above was sent off to a local Auction house, nothing worked for more than a few weeks, I sold the house and live in a high floor condo now, doors open, new furniture from Index is certified as Mould resistant, no guarantee I suppose, but touch wood no sign of anything yet.

BW

Edited January 1, 2013 by bigwilly

[Phil Conners]

If you run the aircon for some hours before leaving and then close the room up good, the humidity shouldn't change that much. Also make sure you clean all surfaces with bleach to kill off mildew spores.

[BookMan]

No idea about a shop, however..

You can spray any fabric or clothes with a mixture of oil of cloves and water. (add about 10 drops of oil of cloves to water and use a fine mist sprayer). The Clove oil will kill the mould spores and not damage your fabrics. You might need to repeat the process a couple of times.

[ballbreaker]

After cleaning if possible set outside in sun to dry.

[PoodMaiDai]

You really need to keep the humidity levels under control while you are gone. As suggested before, put your airon on a timer and get a timer switch for a fan for each room to come on and blow for a few hours. Keeps the air circulating and the aircon will help keep the humidity down. Sure, it will cost you on your electric bill but it solves the problem.

[ROBINPATTAYA]

No idea about a shop, however..

You can spray any fabric or clothes with a mixture of oil of cloves and water. (add about 10 drops of oil of cloves to water and use a fine mist sprayer). The Clove oil will kill the mould spores and not damage your fabrics. You might need to repeat the process a couple of times.

I have been spraying Eucalyptus spray & leaving them outside in the sun all day.

The smell appears to have gone but the mattresses are stained in a brown colour.

I guess time will tell as to what happens next.

Thanks for the suggestions to date

[David006]

okay the horse has already bolted but....have to say there is no absolute solution though..it is moldy in the humid tropics!!

An easy way to reduce the chance of mildew is something that many boat owners know......leave a 100w incandescent light bulb on. You can get sophisticated and create a convection airflow by hanging/mounting inside an upright tube like a big coffee can or similar.

There are dehumidifier chemical crystal solutions but expensive and single use only a well as being extremely messy.

If you have aircon/dehumidifier perhaps an ordinary timer might be the answer? Not sure if this would work on electronic controlled units as may reset without power.?

Bedding and clothing, are as already stated, best in big zip lock bags,vacuum or kayaking type waterproof bags . Wash first ...soiled clothing etc is a mold magnet.

Having said all that .......is there a sure way to remove mold from doonas......kid left one in spin dryer for a few days ..forgot about it till muggins here found it......Tried bleach, toilet cleaner etc with limited success. Googling now...lol

[ROBINPATTAYA]

okay the horse has already bolted but....have to say there is no absolute solution though..it is moldy in the humid tropics!!

An easy way to reduce the chance of mildew is something that many boat owners know......leave a 100w incandescent light bulb on. You can get sophisticated and create a convection airflow by hanging/mounting inside an upright tube like a big coffee can or similar.

There are dehumidifier chemical crystal solutions but expensive and single use only a well as being extremely messy.

If you have aircon/dehumidifier perhaps an ordinary timer might be the answer? Not sure if this would work on electronic controlled units as may reset without power.?

Bedding and clothing, are as already stated, best in big zip lock bags,vacuum or kayaking type waterproof bags . Wash first ...soiled clothing etc is a mold magnet.

Having said all that .......is there a sure way to remove mold from doonas......kid left one in spin dryer for a few days ..forgot about it till muggins here found it......Tried bleach, toilet cleaner etc with limited success. Googling now...lol

I have the mattresses outside & have scrubbed them with a 30% bleach/water mixture. This appears to be doing the job as they are spotless.

The proof will be in a few weeks when they are back on the beds with covers, sheets etc.

I intend to leave them there for 2 days to get plenty of heat & sun onto them, turning every 4 hours.

I also wiped the bed base & surrounds with the same mixture.

All the bedding has gone to the laundry lady with specific instructions for a very hot wash.

Hopefully that will be the end of the drama whilst I am here, I will address the problem when I go away for any extended period.

All too hard to think about that now, really over the problem.

Edited January 2, 2013 by ROBINPATTAYA