Real Estate Matters | Handling humidity in your apartment. There’s no escaping the mould!

Juliet Risdon is a Director of JML Property and a property investor.
Having established the company in 1994, JML Property offers Investment Property & Homes. It specializes in managing properties for owners and investors, and providing attractive and comfortable homes for tenants.

We are all subject to the rise in humidity here in Macau, when walls and ceilings are suddenly turned into something resembling a wet market on cleaning day.
As the moisture appears, so does the mould (or ‘mold’ if you prefer the American spelling).
Mould thrives in moist environments. In Macau, it is most likely to occur in Winter and Spring, and especially during the change from Winter to Spring as the temperature varies.
Symptoms of mould in properties include:
• Dark patches appearing on walls and around window frames
• Damp smell throughout the apartment
• Beds and soft furnishings feeling damp
• Leather goods with moist patches

Rugs and carpets are particular vulnerable as they absorb the moisture, and turn into a perfect environment for mould spores to thrive.
Apart from the visual impact, mould can be a health hazard causing allergic and respiratory problems, and can affect people in a multiple of ways.
One very important point to note; These are problems associated with all apartments throughout Macau. No matter how new the apartment is, or how well it is maintained, you will still have to address the problem.
The only way to tackle mould permanently is to constantly remove the moisture from the air within the whole apartment.
Hence, apartments with permanent centralised air-conditioning running 24/7 are able to minimize the issue. But there are other ways of tackling the problem.

AIR-CON
Run the air con on the ‘de-humidify’ setting to remove moisture from the air. Leave on a low setting, and set the timer to come turn on and off at three hour intervals to help reduce utility costs and the environmental impact. In our article next week we take a closer look at Air Conditioners.
DEHUMIDIFIER
Free-standing de-humidifiers are more efficient and cost effective at removing moisture in the air, and during the late Winter and Spring months these can be left on 24 hours a day.
The typical cost of a de-humidifier is from MOP2,000 to MOP5,000 depending on the quality. A good source of second hand de-humidifiers is of course from those people who are leaving Macau, and units can often be purchased for MOP500.
CLEANING
To remove mould from walls, first wipe with a dry cloth to remove as much of the mould as possible, and then apply everyday white vinegar which should kill any remaining mould spores.
This process must be repeated throughout the Winter and Spring months
ANTI-MOULD FOR CLOTHES
Small plastic boxes containing granules can be purchased at supermarkets, and should be placed in wardrobes and cupboards to absorb moisture.
WHEN YOU ARE AWAY
It is also important at this time of year when many people leave Macau for holidays to ensure that you have something in place to reduce the humidity in your apartment for example someone visiting the apartment regularly and running the Air Conditioners or Dehumidifiers for a few hours.
Alternatively some people run a dehumidifier with an outlet to a drain so it does not need emptying. We suggest it is still a good idea to get a trusted friend or helper to check the property to ensure everything is ok.
No way to avoid the mould I’m afraid, we can only do our best to minimize it.

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