[BenderBends]

We live in Park Island (32/F sea view).
We moved into the apartment last November (2006). At that time, the apartment was freshly cleaned.

Since December I have been having difficulties breathing and have had an "on and off" severe cough.

I noticed recently that the walls and ceiling have been collecting what I thought was dust (although I thought it was odd because I have never had to dust the walls and ceiling before - only shelves and floors and such).

It was collecting a lot to the point where the walls looked grey instead of white. I wiped them clean with a solution and rag, and found that the "dust" was a black color with green tint.

Do you think this is pollen, mold, mildew or just dust? I am wondering, cause I think it is the cause of my cough, as I have been to the doctor numerous times with no results.

[sunniefaith]

Originally Posted by mattstewart

We live in Park Island (32/F sea view).
We moved into the apartment last November (2006). At that time, the apartment was freshly cleaned.

Since December I have been having difficulties breathing and have had an "on and off" severe cough.

I noticed recently that the walls and ceiling have been collecting what I thought was dust (although I thought it was odd because I have never had to dust the walls and ceiling before - only shelves and floors and such).

It was collecting a lot to the point where the walls looked grey instead of white. I wiped them clean with a solution and rag, and found that the "dust" was a black color with green tint.

Do you think this is pollen, mold, mildew or just dust? I am wondering, cause I think it is the cause of my cough, as I have been to the doctor numerous times with no results.

It's mould! I've the same prob with my apartment as well. I've had a cough as well and had sneezing fits and it seemed a little better now that's I've wiped the mould away. Going to get a dehumidifier tomorrow or the day after.

[nina_70]

It's mould...it's mould!!! My brother lived in Park Island for 2 years and had EXACTLY the same problem. He also developed a bad cough & sneezing fits. You need to get rid of this stuff immediately. Use bleach water and scrub that stuff off. Scrub again every week for the next few weeks just to be sure you've got everything. Then, start running your aircon regularly and/or buy a dehmidifier.

[sunniefaith]

And Matt, the stupid P & S on Park Island does not sell dehumidifier. I went to Tsingyi to have a look. The cheapest is HKD799 from Pricerite and it's 150 to deliver as well.

[BenderBends]

i have a dehumidifier i got from fortress thats good and all....but i would need to run it 24/7 in-order to use it in all the rooms (5 hours 1 room, 5 hours next room, and so on)


how often are you suppose to clean it? every month? every few months?

[PDLM]

The filter needs rinsing out whenever it starts to look clogged. Other than that I don't clean mine.

In my apartment (about 900sq.ft) one dehumidifier running 24/7 with all the doors open and all the windows closed seems to do the job.

[nina_70]

Matt - a combo of running dehumidifier and/or aircon will work fine, so you don't need to worry so much about moving the dehumidifier around all the time. We have one dehumidifier for our whole flat and run it when we do laundry (with inside doors open, outside windows/doors shut just like PDLM). Then, rest of the time I usually just run the aircon in the living room for a couple of hours/day (especially as it gets hotter). Aircon also has a dehumidifying action.

Your flat doesn't need to be obsessively dry, just somewhat dry(er). Another alternative is to leave the dehumidifier running during the day when you're not there, and then turn on aircon for a few hours in the evening when you get home.

For your case put the dehumidifer in the room where you have the most mould (after you've cleaned the mould off of course). It's probably the room w/ the highest humidty. And, leave doors open inside the flat.

[BenderBends]

if i leave my dehumidifier on during day....its filled within a few hours and shuts off....well before i get home

i will try that method though...and see if it helps
first i need to clean walls with bleach tonight

[sunniefaith]

Just wondering if bleach will ruin the walls? And sorry, to ask a real dumb question....how do you wipe the ceiling with bleach? Do you try to climb up a chair and pray and hope that you won't come crashing down? The last time, I used the magic mop thingy with a wet wipe to wipe the ceiling.

[nina_70]

Originally Posted by sunniefaith

Just wondering if bleach will ruin the walls? And sorry, to ask a real dumb question....how do you wipe the ceiling with bleach? Do you try to climb up a chair and pray and hope that you won't come crashing down? The last time, I used the magic mop thingy with a wet wipe to wipe the ceiling.

Well, definitely don't use pure bleach. Use water with bleach in it (so, a diluted version). If you're worried try a little corner of the wall to see if anything happens. We used diluted bleach for the entire ceiling of my Bro's Park Island flat and it was fine.

No real magic for doing the ceiling...we used a ladder, plastic gloves, sponge and ALOT of time (the things I do for my brother!)....I guess one of those wipes/mops will work fine too. Just need to make sure you can wipe hard enough to get the mould off (and get into the corners!)

Oh, and last piece of advice...use the soft part of the sponge (not the hard, scrubbing part if you have one of those 2-type sponges). You want to wipe off the mould, not scrape off the paint. Good luck!!