Advice on mildew

Press, 27 July 1989, Page 28

Advice on mildew

Winter sees many New Zealand homes affected by condensation and mildew. In some instances the problem is likely to be a reoccurring or prolonged one which, if not controlled, may cause costly damage to household surfaces.

During its many years of operation the Faculty of Consumer and Applied Sciences Information Service at the University of Otago has risen to the challenge of offering advice and information to the public in a changing world. Much of the advice sought is seasonal and one topic which reappears regularly each winter is the problem of condensation and mildew. With condensation, moisture is present in the air in the form of water vapour. The wanner the air temperature in a heated room the more water vapour is held before saturation point is reached.

When this point is reached — or the temperature drops — moisture condenses on to the coldest surface in the room. Usually this is the window, making curtain linings very vulnerable to mildew. In well-insulated, efficiently heated modern homes, a considerable amount of water vapour will be held in the air before condensation takes place. For this reason it is important to have a balance between heating and ventilation. The recommendation is to have several windows open a little to provide constant ventilation. Security catches can be fitted to keep your home

burglar-proof. However, windows should be opened wide whenever possible, particularly on dry days. Steam is produced in the kitchen, bathroom and laundry. When the doors from these areas can be closed and the steam vented to the outside via a window or an extraction fan, the amount of water vapour present in the house is reduced. This reduction means less condensation will appear on windows.

Mildew grows from the spores of a primitive form of fungi. For growth, these spores require moisture and humidity, hence they flourish in areas that are warm, damp and poorly ventilated. When unchecked mildew can cause considerable damage and give a musty smell to a house.

Household surfaces which are most likely to be attacked by mildew are wallpaper, window and shower curtains, ceilings, books, clothing and bedding. Completely removing mildew from some surfaces (particularly fabrics) is difficult but steps should be taken to stop the growth, plus finding the cause and preventing further growth. The faculty information service has available a publication “Condensation and Mildew” which costs $2 posted from the F.O.C.A.S. Information Service, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin. Information on prevention, and methods of removing mildew from a variety of household surfaces are included in ♦he publication.