Storage that won't go mouldy or make the contents mouldy!!!

[mogs0]

I have major damp issues in my house which I don't seem to be able to fix anytime soon(will be sorted at some point but very slow process with landlady and workman).

In my kitchen I have a wooden shelf unit that sits in an alcove with various baskets and general clutter on it. I was trying to de-clutter it a bit yesterday and realised one of the wicker baskets was all mouldy as was the cool bag on the shelf above it. Then I noticed the cutlery tray had mould at the back of it even though it was only cleaned a couple of weeks ago.

As the shelves are open I'd like something that looks nice rather than the million Ikea plastic boxes I have everywhere else.

Any ideas for alternative storage or a way to prevent the mould growing back on my baskets/walls/bags etc, etc, etc.

The problem is more serious in my bedroom. I found mould on the bottom of a handbag that had only been in the room for about a week .

I am trying to get rid of as much as I can because it's just getting ruined sitting in cupboards in this house but there is only so much I can give away/sell. I still need damp-free solutions for the things I'd like to keep so any help/tips would be very much appreciated!

We have a bit of damp, I have found the following helps.

1. Ventilate, ventilate, ventilate. Open windows as much as you can, especially if showering, open the window and close the door when you leave the room, leave like this for an hour or so after showering. Cover pans when boiling water, and use your extractor fan if you've got one, and it is externally vented). Leaving an upstairs window slightly open overnight helps a lot too.

1. On shelves, leave a bit of space between objects and walls to let air circulate more.

1. In enclosed spaces, use the damp attracting box things you can get in DIY shops (must be inaccessible to children though).

Hope this helps a bit, and isn't too obvious (most of it didn't occur to me for quite a long time, and it has definitely helped)

Thanks for the reply! I try to keep windows open. Although, at the moment, I don't like to think of the warm air escaping outside so haven't had them open much. Good point about boiling water - the extractor fan isn't up to much so will open the kitchen window. I'll leave my bedroom window open tonight - I don't think it's cold enough for the heating to click on in the mornings yet so won't be wasting any heat!

The shelves are quite tightly packed due to having too much stuff and not enough space but I am thinning it out so will be better able to leave gaps! All furniture is away from the walls already.

Do you mean dehumidifiers (sp?) with silica gel/crystals? I bought a dozen of them off ebay ages ago and have them dotted around the place. The one in the living room window takes a few weeks to fill and the others haven't been out for very long but are started to fill already.

Hopefully, when my things are better organised the problem might not be so bad.

I know, there seems to be an ongoing conflict between insulation and damp prevention, seems you can't win. The demidifiers (yes, that was what I meant, just couldn't remember the word!) definitely help.

If you can avoid drying clothes indoors and using too much steam when ironing it all helps, I have a tumble dryer now but before when I had to dry stuff on racks it helped a lot to keep a window open a little bit, and I always open one when ironing. DH does moan a bit about the cold though. Good luck with getting the landlady sorting it.

Drying clothes is a bit of an issue as my garden is a fair way from my house (nothing in my life is strightforward!!) so they are always drying indoors now the rain is here! On the plus side, I only iron when absolutely neccessary, so that's one point for damp-prevention!!

I've had all the windows open this morning and it's quite chilly now but it's good to get some fresh air circulating around the place. My friend just popped round for a cuppa and kept her coat on though so I shut the windows!!

Landlady is my aunt and workman is my BIL!! Aunt is dithering about getting the guttering sorted (aswell as a fairly big job on her own house next door) and BIL won't commit to an exact date to start the work. I think she's going to have to find someone else to do it but is worried about offending BIL and so it goes on and my walls get worse!!