Mould (Schimmel) – Prevention & repair

People who are living for a few years in Germany or any other cold countries may know that there are few household issues, which we have to overcome during winter. One of the most common issues is the mould issue.

What is mould?

Mould is a type of fungus that grows well in damp and poorly ventilated areas. Moulds can grow in and on any materials like walls, paper, woods, pipes, foods, furniture, carpets, etc. Actually, the cold season like winter is the ideal environment for the moulds to grow in the home. Almost many of the people who are living in Germany might know that mould is one of the big issues.

Reason

• Moisture inside the house due to less ventilation
• Not using the heaters, especially when it’s not available in the bathroom.
• Water vapours from the dishwasher

How to find it

The common signs of mould are often a damp smell (musty smell) and stains on walls, furniture, pipes, etc. The moulds can also be in one of the below-mentioned colours.

• Green mould
• Black mould
• Red mould
• White mould

Places where it happens on the house

• Top edge corner in the bathroom
• Top edge corner in the kitchen
• Top edge corner in the living room
• Top edge corner in the bedroom
• Back to the sofa, if it’s close to the wall
• Back to the bed, if it’s close to the wall
• Back to the cupboard, if it’s close to the wall
• Water leakage
• In a room where the wet or washed clothes are placed to dry

Precautionary measures

To control the mould is it is necessary to control the moisture. So, it is necessary to open the window as much as possible and let the fresh air circulate inside the house. It doesn’t mean that you should open the house for hours and let the house gets too cold. But the optimal ventilation is necessary. It is good to ventilate 4 to 5 times a day for approximately 5 minutes per time.

Using humidifier

You can use the dehumidifier to prevent the formation of moulds. Especially in the kitchen and bathroom where there are high possibilities to get moulds due to the high water usage.

Hygrometer

You can also use the hygrometer to find the amount of water vapour in the air in your house. It can be used to measure humidity. You can keep the hygrometer where there is a humidity symptom. Keep it also in your house where your family spends most of their time. Hygrometers are small so they can be moved around in your house.

Find the reason

If you have found moulds at your house, it is important to know that how it is spread and find the cause. The reason behind the find the cause is to eliminate it and make sure that it doesn’t happen again and also prevent the formation of new moulds.

Remedy for mould

If the moulds not spread inside the wall, then you can solve these issues very easily. If it is spread inside the wall or if the mould is due to leakage and also because of the humidity due to that leak then it is necessary to approach the experts to solve this issue.

There is also insurance available for the mould caused due to the water leakage. Kindly search on the internet for more details.

An important factor to know before repairing

It is very important to know that the house construction and the materials which are used to construct the house in Germany is totally different in Germany. So if there is mould on the wall, then do not try to remove the layer in the wall or clean it hard with any tools. It creates a big issue and leads to more damage to the wall. If you don’t know what to do, you can consult with your house owner or consult with the experts who are working on this.

The term which I mean as a basic mould is that the mould which had occurred only on the surface of any material and also only in a small area. That means the moulds which had just started growing or appearing. In this case, you can carry out the mould remediation by yourself.

Repairing the basic moulds

• Do not work on the moulds if there are kids are in the room.
• Before you start to remove the mould, it is important to open the windows of the affected room and close the doors to other rooms
• Cover all the furniture which are in the room. See the below links for suitable covers.
• It is necessary to dry out the moulded place.
• You can use the mould cleaner. The process is explained below.
• Dispose of the mould infected parts properly so that they could do not spread to other areas of the house.

Your health is very important, so it is better to use the protective clothings and equipments.

The above-mentioned protective masks and glasses are quite good. You can also use the below protective equipments.

How to use mould cleaner (Schimmelentferner)

Before buying the schimmelentferner (mould cleaner), it is important to know the mould colour. You should buy the mould cleaner based on that.

You can also buy the mould remover (schimmelentferner) in almost all the supermarkets and also the in the hardware store (Baumarkt) in Germany.

• Wipe off the mould with a damp cloth.
• Dry the place for some time.
• Spray the undiluted mould spray on the affected areas.
• Let it for approximately 15 to 30 minutes.
• Clean the surface with a cloth or soft sponge.
• Once the moulds are cleaned completely, you can use the paint to cover that place.
  • Paints for repair purpose are available in the market.

It is better to use good paint rather than cheap paints. There will not be too much difference in the cost but there is too much difference in the quality.

Note

• Do not try to use any types of brushes or any other material to remove the mould from the wall. Do not even rub the wall with any brushes. It will damage the wall and it might be costlier to repair.
• Kindly read the product information (Schimmelentferner) on the pack before using it.

How to dry out during the cold season?

It is quite difficult to dry out the places which are affected by the moulds. If the area is less, then you can use the hairdryer to dry out the place. In case, if you don’t have a hairdryer at home, you can also buy one. It will be anyways useful in the future.

After cleaning

After cleaning the moulds, make sure that you wash the body well and also change the dress. Do not use the mask, gloves again. Dispose of it in a proper way. Clean the glasses for further use. If possible do not mix the clothes with other clothes and wash those clothes separately.

I hope that this post had helped you. If you find this post interesting, feel free to let me know your opinion. Share this post with your friends which will be also helpsful to them.

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