Korean Job Discussion Forums

[teachingld2004]

OK, leaving this apartment in 2 weeks, but.....
MOLD. I just did a search, and could not find anything, and I know people have this problem.

Leaving this apartment in 2 weeks, but in the meanwhile.... all this mold.

I am washing all my clothes in detergetnt plus bleach, but what do i do with the non bleachables>?

I have to throw out my bed, and various other items.

The walls and ceilings are covered, the floor, forget it!

I am just in the apartment since the beginnig of May. It was a garbage dump of a basement, and they put new paper and new flooring over the old crap. What else is new. Anyway, came back from a weekend away and I almost puked. Apartment always stunk, and now I know why.

So, now im tryng to save what ever I can. The mold is getting worse every day. Thank God I have friends I can leave stuff with (after I clean it all, or corse) but what do I do now?

thanks one and all

[Demophobe]

Burn everything then learn to clean.

[krats1976]

Oh yeah, I have problems with mold. Ick. Last year it was my hardcover Harry Potter books that were hit first!! No way I was throwing those out so I did some googling to find solutions:

I washed "non-bleachables" with just regular detergent and it worked OK.

As for other stuff you want to save, get some rubbing alcohol and wipe the mold off with that and then let them dry thoroughly (if you can, place them in the direct sunlight for a few hours first to kill the spores).

For walls and other surfaces (fridge, microwave, etc.), wipe them down with a strong bleach/water solution. It'll make your place liveable for the short term.

Good luck.

[nrvs]

Also, get a dehumidifier. It's "je seup gi" in Korean.

I got a little one for W55,000. Honestly, if I was staying for another year I'd get a bigger model (W200,000+), but it seems to be doing the trick for now. I live in a basement apartment too. There's a bit of a musty odor that wasn't present during the winter, but no visible mold -- I've checked.

Also, the aircon seems to dry the air out a little bit. I've been running it continuously at 26 degrees when I'm not at work. I think it's worth it despite the electric bill I'm going to get next month.

[teachingld2004]

One problem is, the apartment was filthy when I first saw it. They said they would put new wall paper on, and put new floors down. Problem is, they just slapped the new stuff over the moldy stuff. Brilliant, huh? Well, getting a release letter from the job this week, and getting out of the apartment beginning of August.

Washed my clothes, and a friend is torng the clothes, sheets, towels, and some other stuff.

I have been cleaning with bleach. Works for a day or 2 and then the mold just comes back.

I will try and clean sort of beffore I leave the job, but as you guys know, some hogwons put us in housing that at home we would just walk away from.

By the way, the cleanest people can get mold, so by learning to clean at times makes no difference, does it?

[jlb]

I also had the mold problem in my brand-new apartment. The repair people came in, ripped down the old wall-paper and put up new stuff. Did absolutely nothing, the mold was back within a few days! I tried bleach but that didn't really get rid of it. If I stayed longer, I would have gotten a de-humidifier, that would have solved the root of the problem.

[Flossie]

Do you have an air conditioner? If so, look on the remote for a button called ��������. This is supposed to remove moisture from the air. If you run it for a few days non-stop that should help a little. (Bit expensive but might help)

[Tiberious aka Sparkles]

[teachingld2004]

The good news is I have a new job starting the end of August, but they have gotten me an apartment for August 1st. The bad news, but not so bad, is I have to pay the rent for the month of August. Thats ok, they did that because I asked.

I have one more week at this job, and that is one week too many.

I have tried my best to get rid of the mold. I have washed the apartment with clorox. I have put the heat on full blast. Nothing worked, and the mold never left.

the floor is wet. The apartment smells . I can't take a shower because the drains are clogged. thank God I have friends.

One thing about Korean apartments, that is different then the apartments in N.Y., is "what u see is what u get". When we move into apartments we are provided with clean ones. Fresh floors and wall paper, screens (screnes? sorry, spelling) and repairs made.

Here people move out (mostly) and we move into filthy places, and we have to clean.

I really do love Korea, I am into year 5.

Let's just hope this job and apartment are better. The apartment is new, and in an apartment building. Not in a basement.

[Derrek]

[canuck in Ansan]

I have mold too, in a basement appartment (go figure). Has anyone made it a full year in a moldy appartment? the smell i can get used to, washing the walls i guess i'll have to just do it, but once my clothes started molding i got pissed off.
I haven't been sick yet either (been here a month), but still keeping my fingers crossed that it will be ok.
I don't have an air conditioner, so i wonder if a dehumidifier will help by itself?
If the school gives me the option of moving I think i will take it (provided the new apt is mold free).

[sistersarah]

[Derrek]

Your best chance of fighting off mold is getting a Chae-Soup-Ghee... or Dehumidifier, as we say in English. You can buy them for about 120,000 won and up online, if memory serves. You can also find them in Youngsan. DO NOT buy from one of those Samsung or LG boutique stores... they're double-priced, as are most things there.

Or you might get lucky and get a used one somewhere.

Yeah, scrub off that mold with a mixture of bleach and water (check on google for exact mixture). The spores will grow fast and float around your room.. get in your clothes, etc.

You should also invest in some of those plastic "hippo" things, which you can buy at any grocery store and some convenience stores. They work like a dehumidifier for your wardrobe. You can buy smaller individual ones for your drawers.

As far as I'm concerned, if you live in a basement apartment, the above mentioned things are an absolute must.