Homemade moisture absorber?

Primrose

Can I ask another question? I have a relative who has just moved into a ground floor flat and after a few months all her clothes and even her furniture are showing signs of black mould growing on them so she obviously has a serious damp/condensation problem. What exactly are these products called that you are talking about and where do you buy them? I know she needs to locate the source of the dampness but in the meantime, would this product - or some large bowls of salt help draw the moisture out of the air? I'm trying to understand whether this product or salt absorbs large quantities of dampness, or just a little.

MushyPeas

Hiya Primrose, gosh your poor relative, is the flat rented or do they own it? If rented, maybe they could ask the landlord to pay for a dehumidifier? If not, it might be worth them investing in one. I've found that running mine and opening the windows to let air circulate really helps. Also, making sure air can circulate behind wardrobes etc. I think the DIY solutions work best for small places, such as the bottom of the staircase up to my flat.

JessandJon_3

Hi

I have a dehumidifier but as it runs in electric I've invested in some 'free to run' ones.
Got a pack of 2 from poundland. Just little clear plastic tubs filled with the crystals then some sort of meshing and a plastic cover with holes to fit over the mesh. They last about a 3-4 weeks in my house and its amazing how much water they collect. They only work out at 50p a go but wonder if cat litter would work out cheaper in the long run.
x

KenMcScrooge

Interesting... was just about to post on the "wanna buy.." board re: moisture absorbers - tried to get hold of some around town over the weekend without success. Will grab some extra salt later - need a supply for the kitchen anyway - and give this a try. Tiny bathroom and spare room next to it have been a nightmare recently.

allydowd

Primrose wrote: »

Can I ask another question? I have a relative who has just moved into a ground floor flat and after a few months all her clothes and even her furniture are showing signs of black mould growing on them so she obviously has a serious damp/condensation problem. What exactly are these products called that you are talking about and where do you buy them? I know she needs to locate the source of the dampness but in the meantime, would this product - or some large bowls of salt help draw the moisture out of the air? I'm trying to understand whether this product or salt absorbs large quantities of dampness, or just a little.

It sounds as though you are describing the black mould fungus Aspergillus niger. When you get this in a house it usually tries to penetrate the walls and plaster and feeds on the minerals within this.

The only reliable cure I know of for this is a penetrative fungicide that which actually get through the walls and plaster to the spores. I would suggest a single washing down of your walls with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate crystals. After this coat the walls with anaqueous solution of 10 per cent zinc sulphate. This should prevent the re-emergence of the fungus as long as the molecules of zinc sulphate are not cleaned off. The easiest way to get hold of these chemicals are to ask your chemist for them.

londonTiger

id like to try this. I had a leak in fluid pipe that goes through the inside of the car to the rear washer. Suffice to say the car has fluid inside the car - the leak has sopped but i think there is a build up of fluid absorbed by the sound proofing.

Normal cooking salt will probably be a waste of time. I've got a couple of bags of grit salt for the snow. I dont think it will snow much so I want to use that to dry out the car. Will it do the job? I 'll put in some cheap supoermarket own brand tupperware containers. probably cut slits at the top and then double side tape it down in the boot and under the seats.

MushyPeas

Hey londontiger don't know if it will work, but it's worth a try. Let us know how you get on.

londonTiger

MushyPeas wrote: »

Hey londontiger don't know if it will work, but it's worth a try. Let us know how you get on.

ending up jsut buying a "moisture absorber" from amazon. There are some realy expensive ones that are designed for cars.

But that's just the automotive markup there are damp traps designeed for home use that can be used in cars too which can be bought for a fiver or so.

Fitzmichael

This thread might be interesting: https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2327763

p00

We used to use table salt in our caravan. Buy the big really cheap bags.

I read a tip somewhere the other day that putting a small dehumidifier in your car stops the windscreen fogging up. Im going to try it with a bit of cat litter to see if it works.

xxp00