Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cayce23]

This is my first fall in Korea, and I'm developing a problem. There is a severe lack of ventilation in my bathroom, and mildew is quickly becoming a problem. I have to scrub my bathroom every week anyway. Now, the lack of ventilation isn't really true. However, the only window takes up most of the wall, and if I opened it, would bring the temperature of my apartment down significantly. I don't want to have to pay high gas bills for heating. Along with this, every morning the windows are dripping with condensation, further increasing the moisture content.

Similarly, I hang my clothes in the kitchen and they're not drying well either with the window closed. The window is the same, huge and freezing.

Anyone have any experience with this and any advice?

[Bailsibub]

Korea is humid...all year round. Get a dehumidifier and run it all the time. If your place already has an 'aircon' it might already be equipped with a 제습기 (Jae-sub-ki...dehumidifier). I run mine 24-7 because I have allergies, and I probably spend an extra 1,000 won a month on electricity for it.

Keep the bathroom door open and let the moisture get picked up by the dehumidifier. You can also set up a small fan in front of the bathroom to help move the moisture out....

By the way, you don't really have to scrub the bathroom down. Just use a mixture of bleach and water wipe it everywhere and let it sit for 15-30 minutes. That'll kill anything around. Spray it off and wipe the surfaces off with a towel.

[Kimchifart]

[potblackettle]

Vinegar and water work great... without all the harshness of bleach.

I keep a spray bottle with one part vinegar/one part water in my bathroom. At the end of my shower I spray the entire place down with it. Let it sit for a couple of minutes and then hose it off. I also set a fan up blowing into the bathroom for a few minutes. Mold free!

As for drying clothes... you may have to turn a fan on them. Sometimes it's just too humid or there's just not enough air circulating.

[balzor]

Kinda relating to the topic, I left a sack of potatoes on the top shelf and forgot about them. There are some cool looking growths on them.

[jonpurdy]

[Son Deureo!]

[potblackettle]

[Hope]

Get a shower squeegee or wipe it down after you have a shower. Leave the door open as well. Too remove mold...use bleach and very hot water.

[nathanrutledge]

I don't remember the word for bleach, but the bottles look just like Clorox bottles back home, and i know the word on there ends with "ox."

It's really easy to get the stuff dry. Open the window.

Yeah, I know, it's cold out. BUT if you use a dehumidifier, you're going to be paying more in electricity than you're paying for the gas to heat the place. As long as you keep the door shut to the bathroom, your apt isn't going to drop a huge temperature. I keep my bathroom window open 24/7 EXCEPT when I'm using it. My apt is always a comfortable temperature.

Using a fan helps too, especially if it's a low pressure system. Ever notice how sometimes the wind blows and other times it sucks? If the pressure is low, then air is being pulled from your apartment, like a chimney. If the pressure is high, it's pushed in. Either way, get a fan, run the fan, the air circulates a LOT better and your clothes AND bathroom will dry quick.

[Weigookin74]

Ah sparkling Korea!

[nathanrutledge]

[AsiaESLbound]

[Bailsibub]

[coralreefer_1]

Agreed. All you need is some bleach and water in a spray bottle. I dont use quite as much as the quoted post, maybe just a third of an ounce of bleach in an 8 ounce spray bottle. That is plenty strong to kill anything mold related, and yet not so strong you have to wash it off. Its just about perfect to kill the mold, prevent it from returning, and keeping the tiles clean and a nice clean smell in the bathroom without overpowering bleach smell. I spray down after each shower..(only takes about 20 seconds in my tiny bathroom)...and never see the mold.