Moisture Check For Pleasant Interior

HOME items such as leather settees, carpets, rugs and curtains sometimes get discoloured and experience some growth especially during the rainy season. If not controlled, the entire house or room may begin to have odour or musty smell.

With leather, a few days’ trip outside the home with all the windows shut is enough to make sofas bring out powdery substances. This is more noticeable with not too properly treated leather products.

Window treatments can also be affected during rainfall in the absence of good water shedding exteriors. The curtains may become damp and heavy.

Improperly constructed concrete floor slabs, especially homes built in marshy area can create this kind of problem of not being able to prevent ground moisture movement through the concrete. Without a barrier built into the floor, moisture will penetrate and affect floor adhesives and cause mustiness in carpets.

A musty odour sometimes is present because damp air migrates to places such as closets or room corners with no ventilation.
Certain approaches can be adopted to help curb the problem. Increase in ventilation should be done. Open windows and drapes from time to time to allow free movement of air. Heavy window coverings restrict the flow of air through the windows. Operate fans to improve air circulation.

Chemicals can be useful. The use of silica gel and calcium chloride can absorb moisture. Silica gel and calcium are not harmful to fabrics. They can be put in small paper containers and hung with clothes or pot in drawers or chests. They can also be put in pans and placed on the floor or on shelves in closets. Be sure the container or closet is closed tightly or that moisture from outside will not filter into the area.

To get rid of musty odours on concrete floors and tiled walls, scrub with a diluted solution of sodium hypochlorite to one cup of bleach to a gallon of water. Rinse with clear water and wipe as dry as possible. Take precaution to work quickly and carefully on plastic and asphalt tile to avoid spotting the surface.

If dark grey or black spots appear on walls, behind curtains, under rugs or other damp places, remove them by scrubbing thoroughly with a solution of household bleach, detergent and water.