Mildew!

[DogNo1]

Is anybody else having bad problems with mildew? This is the first time I've stayed in the country during the hot season (except for 1983 in Chiang Mai.) I'm taking antihistamines, keeping my carpeted bedroom cool and spraying everything with alcohol but the mildew still bites me. It almost feels like an insect bite and the only thing that relieves it is applying alcohol to the affected part. It's worst around water sources like my bathroom and kitchen sinks. In Tokyo, I have two industrial-strength dehumidifiers that I use during the humid summer when it's more humid than here. In the future, I'm going to get a room with only wooden or tile floors. Any tips about how to deal with this mildew will be appreciated.

[Sheryl]

Get some bleach (any grocery store, near the laundry detergent, brand name something beginning with an H and comes in blue and pink bottles). Dilute it about 1:1 and, wearing rubber gloves, apply liberally all around the bathroom, will kill off the mildew very well. Fumes will be strong so keep the door open and fan on while you do this. If there is a shower curtain be sure to include that (a spray bottle with 1:1 bleach water solution is good, just spray on & let it dry). And be sure to get all the crevices in corners and around the shower/tub.

But I suspect that in addition to mildew there may be mites in that carpet. If the carpet is removable, it could be washed with detergent and then a little bleach in the rinse water (very dilute so as not to remove the color, but enough there that it can be faintly smelled/tasted and in the final rinse water so some residue remains on the carpet) and then dry in the sun.

If it is not removable, much harder as you risk it not drying if you wash it. Maybe try a professional carpet cleaning service.If you google "carpet cleaning Bangkok" you'll find many.

During the day when you are out, try leaving the a/c on at the dehumidify setting. Most a/cs have a mode for this.

[puuchai299]

Name for the bleach is Haiter,yellow blue and pink bottles..

[samuijimmy]

I think there are two problems here... Mold and possibly sand flies...

White Vinegar can also help, with mildew.... spray surfaces full strength and wipe down .... it's supposed to be more effective than bleach on some types of mold...

Tesco, Big C, etc have Vinegar in 3 litre containers.

The "H" Sheryl referred too is Haiter Bleach, some are scented, hence the different colours of the bottles... Yellow, Pink or Blue... I think the blue, is just straight bleach. (?)

With bedding, add some vinegar to wash water or spray when hanging to dry... (the smell soon goes) The Carpet would also benefit from be hung out to "sun dry" occasionally too, if possible, or get rid of the carpet all together ...(I also use bleach)

I find the black mold on pillows is hardest to get rid of, either by using bleach or vinegar .... they need to be replaced about once a year, I find.... Setting them in the sun as often as possible seems to help a bit...

I suspect these bites you are getting is fleas or sand flies.... I have same problem at certain times of the year, here, and have not found a solution to that .... (I think sand flies, they get under the skin and cause small open irritating itchy wounds.... they can drive you crazy !

The sand flies, you might be picking up when you are out side.... it's a hard one to determine as you never see them (aka "No See ems" in north America at least)

Antihistamines, help relieve the itching, but tend to knock you out...depending on type.... Some are not good when driving etc!

Hope that helps...

This is what the bites look like, on my legs... (that pink stuff is Calamine lotion, which helps a little too...)

Edited April 30, 2014 by samuijimmy

[DogNo1]

Thanks for all of the helpful comments. I know that I don't have fleas or sand flies because there are no bite marks. I live in a serviced apartment where the maid vacuums the carpet thoroughly every day and I believe that she is removing the feces of the mites in the carpet. It's the feces that I'm allergic to. Taking Atarax 10mg three times a day is helping me to feel much better. Also, the floor housekeeper found a dehumidifier that she installed in my bedroom early in the afternoon. It has already pulled a liter of water out of the air. There's still a little mildew in the room but it's not biting into my skin anymore so I should sleep well tonight. Your suggestion to put just a little vinegar in the wash water is interesting. I'll be spending the summer in Tokyo where the humidity is much worse than here. I have to wash my bedding in cold water since there is no hot water supply to my washing machine as is the case in many Japanese houses, so maybe adding a little white vinegar to the rinse cycle will help to remove any mildew. I converted all of my floors to imitation wood vinyl last year so there is no carpet or tatami for mites to breed in. All of my pillows and my mattress are covered with anti-allergenic covers but they still seem to produce mildew or SOMETHING! I've been spraying them with alcohol every evening but that doesn't seem to knock back the mildew for very long. This summer, I'm going to try spraying or wiping them with the weak bleach solution that you suggest. I'm planning to move to Bangkok permanently this winter. I'll be sure to get an apartment that has tile or wooden floors. Your tips have been very helpful. Thanks!

[samuijimmy]

Thanks for all of the helpful comments. I know that I don't have fleas or sand flies because there are no bite marks. I live in a serviced apartment where the maid vacuums the carpet thoroughly every day and I believe that she is removing the feces of the mites in the carpet. It's the feces that I'm allergic to. Taking Atarax 10mg three times a day is helping me to feel much better. Also, the floor housekeeper found a dehumidifier that she installed in my bedroom early in the afternoon. It has already pulled a liter of water out of the air. There's still a little mildew in the room but it's not biting into my skin anymore so I should sleep well tonight. Your suggestion to put just a little vinegar in the wash water is interesting. I'll be spending the summer in Tokyo where the humidity is much worse than here. I have to wash my bedding in cold water since there is no hot water supply to my washing machine as is the case in many Japanese houses, so maybe adding a little white vinegar to the rinse cycle will help to remove any mildew. I converted all of my floors to imitation wood vinyl last year so there is no carpet or tatami for mites to breed in. All of my pillows and my mattress are covered with anti-allergenic covers but they still seem to produce mildew or SOMETHING! I've been spraying them with alcohol every evening but that doesn't seem to knock back the mildew for very long. This summer, I'm going to try spraying or wiping them with the weak bleach solution that you suggest. I'm planning to move to Bangkok permanently this winter. I'll be sure to get an apartment that has tile or wooden floors. Your tips have been very helpful. Thanks!

Pleased you don't have sand flies and get those open itchy wounds! ..... it is really only a theory I have that it is sand flies....that cause that with me, and only in the last year, since I moved house/ garden ... lots more sand here! .... not that they only live in only sandy areas..... but been here over six years now, without the problem.

Docs don't seem to know or not able to give a good answer in English... I have just concluded that from things I have read....

With the Vinegar, the amount you put in with the wash rinse, probably should not be too little... It's hard to say what quantity as washing machine capacity is different.... so you may need to experiment... I would say at least one cup to start... 3 litres of white vinegar is just over 60 baht (Tesco, Big C etc) ....

I am not sure if I would spray bleach, on bedding, the fumes are probably not good during sleep.... the smell does tend to linger ... perhaps Guru Sheryl would comment on that....?

I try to put my pillows out side in the sun, and spray them with vinegar (full strength) that smell dissipates quite quickly... and it seems to help... although not so easy to do in rainy season! I admit not tried alcohol, might give that a try!

Interesting you found a dehumidifier.... not seen in Thailand or did you bring from HK?

I think if you have a choice of flooring go for tiles!

Good luck with sorting it all!

[DogNo1]

I asked housekeeping and they produced a 1L capacity dehumidifier that looks to be a couple of years old.

I'll be sure to add a generous amount of white vinegar to my rinse water. I understand that bleach may leave an unhealthy residue on my pillows and mattress. I'm just wondering whether wiping with a very diluted mixture of bleach and water might not kill the mildew spores a little more effectively than alcohol. I'll try it with a spare pillow first.

Fortunately, there now tiles that look just like wood. I saw them on the floor of a hotel room in Hanoi. Surely they must be used in some newer hotels here. Thanks for the comments. I'm going to kill that mildew somehow!