This happened a couple of years ago but I think about it every winter. As a preface, I’m generally really tidy and clean regularly, which is why this was so surprising – and gross.
I never had problems with mold for the first two places I lived in. Then in my last apartment, one day I took a book off the shelf and noticed a tiny bit of white fluff on the corner. I took another book out and it was the same. I took them all off the shelf and could see a line of furry mold along the back wall where it meets the shelf. So I pulled the shelving unit out and the back of it [looked like this](https://imgur.com/a/KQ8H3nt) 🤢
Then I checked my wardrobe and everything looked fine. But when I pulled out the bag which was leaning against the wall, [groooosssss](https://imgur.com/SygTT9y)
Basically that apartment was at the end of the building, so one wall was the room next door, and the other was outside. Furniture or anything which was pressed against the always-cold north facing external wall was trapping cold, damp air in-between. The perfect breeding ground for mold. This was fueled by poor ventilation and drying clothes inside – never again!
Anyway, I dumped the bookcase immediately and thankfully managed to save the bag. I went to Daiso and picked up 20 bottles of vinegar, and soaked it in a bath for a few days 😅. It’s been years now and the mold’s never come back.
So yeah, why not profit from my misfortune and take a minute to get up and look around with a torch, behind furniture, in wardrobes, etc. Never know what you might find…
12 comments
One thing I learned for the bedroom where closets are is just to leave the aircon on the dry function in summer. Never had trouble with mold getting on clothes or anything.
ETA also leave the closet doors open most the day
Wait where’s the vinegar in Daiso ?? I can’t find it !
I got a moldy water bottle and I was told vinegar is best for it.
Whenever possible, always open everything: windows, wardrobes, doors, etc.
I have gone through a similar situation like yours because I never really had to deal with mold until I moved to Tokyo.
Ventilation is key. I really don’t understand people that live in cramped apartments.
Your PSA is appreciated.
My first year in Japan I put my beloved suede patchwork coat in the closet for the summer and….well, you can guess what happened.
I’m so sorry, patchwork coat-chan. I just didn’t know!
I have an older air-conditioner unit, the year before they decided to put humidity function into the new ones, don’t have your probs.
Make sure the sun is hitting most things in your room.
I leave my room at 21.5-22 Celsius, I know this is blasphemous for some of you from warmer countries, but if you want your shit to survive, that’s the temp to leave it on. (21.5 being for the hotter days, and for the air conditioner to keep up with the typical Japanese summer heatwave)
I know some of the girls are worried about their skin cracking under dry conditions, but I have been in Japan for almost a decade, and haven’t had one wrinkle form, I am also a heavy drinker, and smoker. Japan is a naturally humid place, even using the air conditioner to offset the humidity won’t eliminate its pervasiveness.
Moreover, typically when moldings occurs, the people with molded furni offload them at home-off, eco-off, house-off, or some other recycle store.
You buy their molded shit second-hand, think about that for a second.
Of course, they wipe it down, but it’s still gross.
Instead of trying to save 500-1000 yen for a bookshelf, just buy it off amazon new, and assemble it yourself.
Personally never had this happen to me. I vent once every few days. My place is usually super super dry and my humidifier can barely keep up.
If you have a small place, leave the above-stove fan on all winter. In a place I used to live, that and that alone meant the difference between no mold and something much, much worse than your photos.
What foreigners think of when they hear Japan — Ninjas, Sushi
What foreigners who’ve lived in Japan for a while think of when they hear the word Japan — Mold, Fax Machines
Thank you so much for the warning! I can’t stand the mold, it’s disgusting… Always check my bathroom and the sink catcher especially.
Take the bath panel off once in a while …. It’s not a pretty sight if not maintained well.
I legit have 3 dark square patches on my living room wall now where I had photos hanging up. Wife took them down to find a tonne of mold behind it… I couldn’t believe it…
Okinawa is awful for mold, I have to have the air conditioners on all day long even when I’m not in the room to make sure mold doesn’t just turn up within a few days.
カビã‚ラー you can buy in any supermarket, it’s amazing. Gets rid of mold in a few seconds. I also avoid buying furniture with that porous wood in the back. Mold seems to love growing there.
Went full plastic after my first 2 years when all my Nitori furniture decided it wanted to be in a The Thing remake. If you move a lot, buy open, unbacked stuff from IKEA. If you’re settled, solid and finished wood or metal. Mold is only going to get worse as Japan gets warmer and more humid, so buy accordingly.