Damp Patch

Darlings you just can't imagine how difficult it is to live in the tropics.  I know you folk in Europe sit there in your centrally heated homes and look outside at the rain and sleet and snow and are full of longing for the sunshine and heat like wot we have here in Honkers.

But how wrong you would be to assume such a thing.  The sun does not shine all the time and although you might look at the weather reports and see that the temperature today is around 21C it doesn't mean its a nice day.  The relative humidity is 95%.  That is almost like swimming!  It is Grey, misty and claggy.  The humidity is a never ending problem all through the year.  In the summer it makes you sweat buckets and steams up your glasses but in the winter a never ending battle against dampness starts.

It lingers and lurks in every nook and cranny of the house and is particularly nasty in the back of wardrobes and behind furniture.  The bed, the towels, the cushions all have a cold damp feel to them.  And because of the dampness and coolness (yes its all relative) the result is mold.  Black or green mold tends to grow in areas that are not ventilated enough.  Clothes and shoes which are not worn regularly  and stored away start to grow mold.  I know, its quite disturbing to think about rootling about in the back of the wardrobe looking for that top you need for that lovely party only to find it has a streak of mold growing up the sleeve.

How to win the battle against the humidity is the big question.  We have dehumidifying units that look like darleks around the house which help, a bit.  We have small dehumidifying tubs of chemicals which sit in wardrobes and supposedly suck the water out of the air thus keeping the clothes crisp. The help a tiny bit.   I have even heard tell of small heaters for cupboards which keep the clothes from growing mold although where to get them from and how they work is still a mystery.

The only solution to the mold and damp inside the house is to wait until the temperatures go up and although there will still be high humidity the cold, claggy dampness will be pushed away until at least next January.  The weather will change next weekend.  It always does.  I know that because its the Hong Kong Rugby 7s.  That is Hong Kong folk lore.

Comments

[John]

I find it's best (during this period - march/april is always like this) to keep all windows closed whenever possible and leave the de-humidifiers on and/or air conditioners: try getting them on at least once a day in each room for a bit. As a result I don't get any mold... But naturally as soon as the weather turns good I open up the windows if there's a breeze :-)