Tips on how to deal with mold & mildew

[Beachboy]

Having grown up on the westside of the islands all my life moving to Puna offered many new experiences. Not always good either! My wife has been complaining lately about bags & clothes starting to mold. These are items in our walkin closet,and no ventilation of course.

We live in HPP down on 3rd Ave. I figured living so close to the beach that mold wouldn't be a problem?

Handle every situation like a dog,If you can't eat it or hump it,piss on it and walk away...

[Andrew]

There was a thread some time ago about using an item called a closet warmer which some claimed to help the problem. Do a Search for mold & mildew and see if it comes up.

Andrew

Here's past threads I found:

http://www.punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2490&FORUM_ID=2&CAT_ID=1&Topic_Title=Mold&Forum_Title=A+Punaweb+Forum

http://www.punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=4298&FORUM_ID=2&CAT_ID=1&Topic_Title=Mold&Forum_Title=A+Punaweb+Forum

http://www.punaweb.org/Forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1579&FORUM_ID=2&CAT_ID=1&Topic_Title=De%2Dhumidifier&Forum_Title=A+Punaweb+Forum

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Edited by - Andrew on 11/09/2007 21:33:02

[Bullwinkle]

http://www.goldenroddehumidifiers.com/

[PunaLover]

sears has closet dehumidyfiers with the bucket that collects distilled water, for a few bills. I got one in 98-99, been runnin ever since.

[lquade]

ace hardware carries closet rods, they work just fine... or if you are building currently, put a lite bulb in the closet...

[mella l]

Luquade, that is a good idea about the light bulb in the closet! Do you use this method? How many hours a day would the light need to be left on is what I wonder.

mella l

[janeadams]

Folks, I have two of those closet rods -- they are about 3' long, have little feet to keep them off the floor, and emit a small amount of warmth. They worked well in our walk-in closet in Maui, but haven't used them here 'cuz of the off-grid thing. They use a small amount of electricity, but constantly. If anyone want's 'em, you're welcome -- they are just gathering dust.

Jane

[Andrew]

Jane i sent you an email. I would love to get those warmers.

Andrew

quote:

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Folks, I have two of those closet rods -- they are about 3' long, have little feet to keep them off the floor, and emit a small amount of warmth. They worked well in our walk-in closet in Maui, but haven't used them here 'cuz of the off-grid thing. They use a small amount of electricity, but constantly. If anyone want's 'em, you're welcome -- they are just gathering dust.

Jane

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[PunaLover]

the closet rods, won't work in most places in puna because it's just wet all the time. Even with a medium size dehumidifier like I have you'll still get some mold. Leathers just need to be "worked" every so often and if you have so many clothes they're getting moldy between uses, maybe you have too many clothes? One thing lots of people do is bring all their clothes with them when they move here, and realize no need, but! they store em just in case, they gonna move back to the mainland.
Fung Shui

[missydog1]

quote:

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These are items in our walkin closet,and no ventilation of course.

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I'd say #1 issue with closets is lack of ventilation. I leave my closets open. I looked at a nice new house on 1st Ave in HPP -- where the owner had no doors on the closets, instead used curtains.

I have a couple closet rods but don't use them. Even though they don't get too hot, I'm leary of fire (having had more than my share), and of creating a situation where someone could push clothing up against the rod and get things overheated. That may be pure paranoia.

Damp-rid works well in closets and cupboards that must be closed. It's easy to find -- try Ace hardware. You do have to check it and pour out the water, but it really sucks the moisture.

Lastly, make sure the inside of your closet is painted with mildew-inhibiting paint -- but as your house is new, I imagine that's done.

I have a dehumidifier but only use it when things get extreme. It puts out a lot of heat. I got mine at Sears a few years ago, for $200 and change, and it WILL dry out a room ...

my issue with dehumidifiers is they are pointless to run if your windows are open, and I never close my windows. This is why I prefer to deal with closets by ventilating and by circulating air.