Mould Patrol

Busy Days & A Birthday

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Posted on August 7, 2011

Yesterday was The Duke’s birthday so we had a celebration lunch today. Belle, her Man, Miss O and Izz came for lunch. Missy had intended to come, however, she has succumbed to a nasty cold and decided that she would be better off at home in bed. I think that was a wise decision.

It was a lovely, sunny day and we had a BBQ lunch outdoors. The salad included coleslaw which I made using the very first of our home-grown cabbages. Special request from The Duke was apple pie and ice-cream for dessert.

Over at Simple Savings, ClutterCath’s challenge for the week was “Journey to Forgotten Places” in order to encourage cleaning and organising the spots in our home that slip through the cracks.

Yesterday I stripped the bed and in the spirit of the challenge, The Duke and I removed the mattress and base from our bed so that I could clean behind the bed. I did the windowsill, skirting board, bedframe and also vacuumed as the bedbase is so low I cannot get the vacuum underneath it.

Here is the photo to prove that I did it.

The other day I bought a small chest of drawers on Gumtree for $15. They are chipboard but quite sturdy and unpainted. So, this afternoon I painted them with undercoat. I will finish them with 2 coats of gloss white paint.

And the drawers.

When they are finished they will go in the sewing room which doubles as a guest bedroom for Miss O and Izz. I have also dismantled a pine-framed mirror and am painting the frame of that white as well. This will then make a small dressing table and mirror for the girls and I can store some of my sewing things in the drawers.

I have continued sorting, re-organising and decluttering things from wardrobe in the sewing room. I moved the bags and suitcases into the wardrobe in the guest room.

Now my ironing board can be put away in the sewing room when I am not using it. I also moved the small drawer unit from beside the doorway into this space. The cutting mat, ruler and various measuring guides also fit in here.

Just so you don’t think everything is that tidy, here is a shot of some of the rest of that room.

This is some of the stuff that I am gradually sorting my way through. The chest of drawers will go in the corner where the red box is at the moment.

One day I will be finished and will show you the whole room in all its glory but that is a little way off yet.

Clove Oil

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Posted on August 4, 2011

I have mentioned clove oil a couple of times in posts, particularly in regard to eliminating mould from your home.

In response to a question from African Aussie after my post about the disinfectant disaster and cleaning I have decided to put all of the information together in one post.

As people who have been following my blog posts will know, we live in an area which has high humidity and rainfall for at least 6 months of the year. Last summer was particularly bad with our hygrometer consistently measuring the humidity in our living area at above 85% for about 5 months. The only time I could reduce it was by running the portable dehumidifier. It was so bad that I slipped and fell because our vinyl flooring was so wet, the sheets felt damp when we got into bed and mould grew on everything that was not constantly moving – ceiling, walls,furniture, clothes, shoes, belts and bags.

I do not generally use toxic cleaners and I had tried vinegar and even bleach and although the appearance improved the mould would be back again in next to no time.

I had heard of clove oil but was unsure of how effective it would be. A work colleague who had similar problems had researched where to buy clove oil and found that the best option was Oil of Cloves. Check the site for all of the information on clove oil and its mould inhibiting properties. We bought it in 1 litre quantities and split the cost between several people. This is a good option if you are interested because if you are having problems with mould, it is almost inevitable that your neighbours are as well.

I bought 200ml which I think will be plenty for a considerable length of time for me. I decided that $70 was a small price to pay to see if I could get rid of the mould. I am pleased to say it has been very effective. I cleaned all of my shoes using the recommended dilution and the other day I took a pair of shoes from my cupboard that had not been worn for 6 months, yet there was no sign of any mould on them. Previously any shoes that were left in the cupboard for more than a fortnight would start to be affected.

If you are serious about getting rid of the mould I would also recommend a dehumidifier and also these eggs which are excellent for small, enclosed spaces such as wardrobes and linen cupboards. They are readily available. Mould cannot grow in a humidity of less than 60%.

I hope this information is beneficial to you as the health risks of mould in your home make it definitely worth doing everything you can to eliminate it.

I am interested to hear other people’s experiences with clove oil, dehumidifiers and battling mould.

Disinfectant Disaster & Other Cleaning Tales

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Posted on August 2, 2011

On the weekend I was picking up a couple of things at the local supermarket and I noticed that they had small bottles of disinfectant concentrate. My current bottle (that I have had for a few years) is nearly finished so I decided to buy some more. I do not routinely use disinfectant but I usually use a couple of drops when I am cleaning the compost bucket and the kitchen bin.

I was putting the new bottle away in the laundry cupboard and managed to drop it with catastrophic consequences. The hard plastic bottle cracked when it hit the tiled floor and quickly began to leak. I grabbed the bottle and put it in the bowl I use for handwashing, which happened to be on the laundry bench. Nevertheless, there was an amount of disinfectant concentrate on the laundry floor.

Rather than waste it, I got a bucket of very hot water and decided to mop the floor of the laundry and toilet . The fumes were dreadful, the floor ended up spotless and I had a debilitating headache for 48 hours. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

I decanted the remaining disinfectant from the bowl into the almost empty bottle so I have enough for another few years but I know I will be VERY careful when I am handling it.

I was reading this post on Frugal Downunder yesterday and noticed that the first comment mentioned using tea tree oil. Why didn’t I think of that? In the future that is what I will be using instead of disinfectant.

Most of my cleaning consists of bicarbonate of soda and vinegar. I buy the cleaning vinegar from the supermarket and put 1 litre in in a 2 litre bottle then top-up with water and allow to stand for a couple of weeks. This way you get twice as much for the price. I found this savings tip on Simple Savings. The bicarb is bought in bulk from Simply Good so no packaging is generated.

I have a selection of re-usable cloths, some are microfibre and some are cotton.

I use beeswax furniture polish which I buy locally at a market.

The main problem we have is mould as we live in a high rainfall area with very high humidity during the summer months. Clove oil kills the mould spores and I was able to buy some this year in bulk. It is expensive but you need very little (5mls in 500ml of water) in a spray bottle. I am gradually treating all of the walls, ceilings, furniture and even shoes and it certainly has made a huge difference. The syringe is so that I can accurately measure out 5ml.

I do not have a lot of chemicals and the disinfectant disaster reminded me of the reasons why we are better off without these chemicals in our homes. In almost all cases there is a less toxic option.