Mold

I'm a total clean freak who has lived in about 4 different apartments and 1 dorm room in Japan and they all have/had mold problems. The apartment I'm in now is terrible in this respect. I'm an American though, and I never dealt with mold problems when living in America. It's not the climate either. I'm from an area of Louisiana that's on average more hot and humid than where I live in Japan.

What is it about Japanese buildings that make them so prone to mold to the point that it's accepted as a fact of life. My [Japanese] husband didn't believe me when I said the bathroom in my parents' house never had mold problems.

Please help me come up with some ideas, thank you.

I recommend getting dry-pots (little tubs with beads that soak up atmospheric moisture) and sticking them at strategic points around the house.

For the bathroom, ventilate it well and use Kabi-killer spray on a semi-regular basis.

I can get rid of it with regular cleaning and using the things you suggested (though I hate using those dry pots becuase they're gross) but I'm wondering about some of the root causes of mold in so many places.

I've only had mould problems in my bath area. Where else do you get mould?

I fully understand your frustration. I used to live in NY and NJ for many years and I had no mold problems whatsoever (even during the humid summer season) there. In Tokyo, I noticed those black molds sprouting out in the bathroom.

If you go to the drug stores or supermarket, you will see several cleaners against molds. I bought one of those and spray it to the mold-prone spots in the bathroom and sink. You need to apply those cleaners periodically as molds will come back.

I do use kabi-killer whenever I clean the mold prone spots, but...yeah it just comes back. In addition to the bath and toilet areas, I get in in the [kitchen] sink area, around the windows, behind the washing machine, around the refrigerator and just recently lost a futon because of the cushion flooring in the place I just moved to. The old place had natural wood flooring which was much better. But I did some research and cushion flooring doesn't breathe, so underneath your futon it gets wet. I bought a new futon and elevated it on wood slats and hang it out every day that it's not raining (it's raining now though so I have it hanging inside)...well I think it will survive for a while.

My last apartment was about 11 years old, and it was obviously remodeled a little in one room (tatami room). I suspect it was because of mold behind the walls. Neighbors upstairs had similar problems, so it wasn't the fact that we were on the ground floor where cement foundations might lead to mold.

I think tenants don't say much because they may be out soon (2-year leases, and businessmen transfers, and all), or just because Japanese people "gaman suru" and tolerate things (shoganai) more than we do.

My apartment had serious mold growing up from the floorboards in one bedroom and the living room. Ten inches up! Despite running a dehumidifier almost constantly, the humidity was never below 60% and usually 80-95% year round. We cleaned the floorboards 3 times daily and still ended up with mold there and behind many pieces of furniture.

My wife refused to complain, and I was livid.

We got back all of our damage deposit, but I still say the problem was horrible and uncalled for. We never got rid of it.

You can try kabi-killer, vinegar, plain old soap and water, whatever. Rags or brushes. It just doesn't help because it's in the walls or floorboards, where (I believe in my heart) there is little to no insulation, and that THAT may be the chief cause). People talk about ventilation (raising boxes in your closets, for example) and using those boxes of gel to absorb moisture, but none of that helped us. We threw away clothes that hung in the open and that were in boxes, even though we had the closet doors open all the time and the dehumidifier running next to the closet.

My only question is, why isn't there mold in the storage lockers? Perhaps less warmth/humidity from the apartment life (cooking, shower vapors, body heat). One can't live in a storage locker, though.