Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pkang0202]

I got a serious mold problem behind the wall paper around one of my windows. I'm guessing the window wasn't sealed properly and the water kept getting.

First,

What's the best way to take off the wallpaper so that I can get to the mold with some bleach+water?

Secondly,

If there was mold surrounding your window, what would you do?

[Goku]

Bathroom mold remover will work quite well on wallpaper, one would imagine it wouldn't but my entire wall was black and i just sprayed 2-3 times all over and it came out white as paper. I was amazed.

I would assume bleach would work better though

as for the mold around windows, I would do the same thing, a bleach covered rag and just wipe it over.

[richardlang]

Did you wear a suit?

[Big Mac]

If the mold is behind your wallpaper, I would imagine your landlord will have to take the wallpaper down and clean the mold before putting new wallpaper up.

I had a very severe problem like this in one of my apartments. I moved to an apartment downstairs and realized a couple of weeks later when I went back up to my old apartment how bad the smell really was. You get used to it and you don't realize how bad it smells.

I think that apartment has a mold problem to this day. They've never been able to solve it. My old school moved its teachers out of the building and the landlord rented it to another foreigner. No Korean would ever live in something like that!

[Bibbitybop]

Call a professional. There are construction companies/handymen who specialize in mold removal. Make sure it is taken off rent and not out of your pocket.

[MrRogers]

what would I do?

MOVE

and if the school won't deal with another place to live - quit

[Dances With Wolves]

Same exact problem, but it is all over my back wall. Landlord pretty much said it was my problem.....Anyone got any ideas hot to deal with this situation? If i put bleach on the wallpaper it will surely mess it up, and I do not wanna be charged for ruining the wallpaper...Should I just not pay my monthly 50,000 fee?

[bassexpander]

You have little choice than to either:

Tear off the wallpaper where the mold is, scrub the mold with a solution of bleach and water (or use Homestar bathroom cleaner -- worked for me). Then replace the wallpaper.

Or you can clean it constantly and live with it (not healthy). Mold develops spores that grow around different areas of your apartment and will get worse. Very unhealthy.

I also suggest purchasing a dehumidifier to remove excess moisture from your air. The cheapest models help very little. I'd pay at least 150,000 or so to get one that removes more water. They are rated based on liters or milliliters per day of water removal. Pay close attention to how much they actually remove.

If you have no choice, I would either move out or get the landlord to pay for the wallpaper replacement. Technically, unless the law has changed, they are supposed to pay for new paper and flooring if the apartment needs it when you move in. I'd rather have ripped wallpaper and a clean wall than moldy wallpaper. Replacing one small room (all walls) will run you in the 150,000 to 200,000 won range, I'd bet. Just one wall might be less.

[dharma bum]

[ulsanchris]

if the window isn't sealed properly you should get it fixed. it will only leak again and cause more mold.
the traditional korean method is to just wall paper over it so don't rely on a korean to clean it. show the landlord the problem remove the wall paper yourself and clean it and have the whole wall re-wallpapered.

[losing_touch]

I have been informed that this stuff might do the trick. I have the same problem. Does anyone know what it is?

http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a250/smileplur/?action=view&current=Photo23.jpg

[dharma bum]

[pkang0202]

My wallpaper won't peel off. What is a good way to remove it?

I figure I'll just do the job myself. I was going to peel the wallpaper off til I got to the bare wall. Clean it real good with mold cleaner, bleach, and whatever else I can throw at it.

Put my dehumidifier in there, leave it on and shut the door for an entire day. Then I was going to silicone the inside and ouside of the window frame.

After that, repaper that wall.

[aphase]

[ulsanchris]

steam is good way. we had this problem and we had this steaming cleaning tool that we used to steam the wall and then peel the paper off.