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I had this problem in an apartment I used to live in. It was on the ground floor and the air was always very humid inside, which led to mold forming on the walls. You need to have a de-humidifier running in your house AT LEAST whenever you have laundry hung up to dry. I would leave it running all the time and it would turn on whenever the humidity was over 50%. Another thing you have to do is be extremely diligent about keeping ALL walls clear of mold. I would have to clean the walls with a bleach solution every other week or so. Those mold spores come in different varieties some of which are NASTY, you can get asthma and other diseases from them.

In any case Ross, it's a solvable problem. Leaving the country seems like a pretty radical solution, no?

Good luck!

PS. I remember you talking about this some time ago on the monthly chat stream, how did you solve it then?

Literally the best option is to leave before the mushroom people invasion. You've already smelled the presence of the infernal mold people, summoning the demonic mushrooms.

The most basic solution is kinda what you're doing Ross, find a new apartment(+ waiting for that resident permit of yours). It might take a while, depending on if you find the right apartment.

If you wanna do things faster(maybe) you could search for places looking for tenants. Not sure if Poland has this, but I know Sweden have a few apartment-searching websites that let people put up an ad they searching for a apartment/house someone atm lives in, stating how much they can pay each month and other details. So you kinda need to present yourself your a nice pair to live with. Kinda like Tinder, but more commitment.

If you're moving away to a different country, can't help you there. I'll just say "Move to Sweden. It's a great place" and might end up more expensive to live in. But hey, you decide if you're actually doing the extreme move to another country.

You could also see if a Ross Scott fan would let you live in their home. But that would be creepy.

But hopefully you'll escape from the mushroom people infestation, because THEY ARE IN THE GOD DAMN WALLS! *shock face*

I'm not an expert, but I think you should check out trying to get a dehumidifier. Especially if you're drying clothes indoors, that generates a lot of extra humidity, and you're already having problems with mold. If you can get the humidity down, that might prevent the mold from coming back or kill what's already there.

In addition to that, I don't know the city you live in or if this is even available there, but you could try and find some co-working areas or recording studios for you to work in that's outside your apartment. That might be a bit costly, but it would allow you to get work done and keep the money flowing, even if you can't work at home.

Your wife was tweeting about some of this.

Hm, you're definitely right about US being more expensive than Poland. In fact, I think there are not very many countries that are cheaper But I believe you once said you live in Gdansk? If you considering a move, you may want to look for smaller towns, maybe even a village. You workplace is your computer, and if the clear air is all you need you might be better there. It'll also cut your price.

As a somebody living in eastern Europe in USSR style buildings and in a humid environment outside, i have a few things to say:

1) fighting mold is a neverending fight. The only way to get rid of it is to fix the cause of it. In most cases mold is growing because of a faulty ventilation. This can be common in older buildings - the ventilation shafts are often broken, full of dirt and other stuff, sometimes closed off by illegal renovation of appartments etc. It also can start growing when you tear out old windows (the really bad ones, where you can feel the wind coming in) and replace them. In such a case the bad windows actually give some ventilation.

2)3 days to dry your clothes? It seems you are living in very humid appartment. Probably 80+% on a daily basis. Living in such humid place is also bad for your health. 40-50% is optimal.

3) dehumidifiers work very well but this brings us back to point 1 - unless you can fix the issue, you will have to use the machine every day, multiple times a day to have a good climate.

Think of this as a boat that has sprung a leak. The best way would be to fix the boat or get a better boat. Using a pump to get rid of the water in your boat is only a temporary solution that doesn't guarantee anything in the future.

A dehumidifier will help you in the short term, as it'll just keep the moisture/mould at a lower level for now (and probably dry your clothes faster). However, it won't solve the issue at all, only a complete refit of the ventilation system (new fans, ducting, insulation), and potentially new roofing and cladding will solve it. If the landlord is working on the cheap you won't get that at all. At work I sell these sorts of things to tradesmen and landlords, and you can immediately tell a poor landlord by the quality of what he wants to buy; quick fixes are only that. The longer it takes to solve the problem, the worse it will get. Mould will spread faster than you'll notice and a dehumidifier will not remove it, only slow it down.

As soon as your residents permit comes, get out of there. Even if a certain apartment isn't 100% ideal, it's better than one you can't live in. Mould contains allergens, toxins and irritants and you will get ill. (I've been there)

Best of luck Ross, I hope it works out.

As a somebody living in eastern Europe in USSR style buildings and in a humid environment outside, i have a few things to say:

1) fighting mold is a neverending fight. The only way to get rid of it is to fix the cause of it. In most cases mold is growing because of a faulty ventilation. This can be common in older buildings - the ventilation shafts are often broken, full of dirt and other stuff, sometimes closed off by illegal renovation of appartments etc. It also can start growing when you tear out old windows (the really bad ones, where you can feel the wind coming in) and replace them. In such a case the bad windows actually give some ventilation.

 

2)3 days to dry your clothes? It seems you are living in very humid appartment. Probably 80+% on a daily basis. Living in such humid place is also bad for your health. 40-50% is optimal.

 

3) dehumidifiers work very well but this brings us back to point 1 - unless you can fix the issue, you will have to use the machine every day, multiple times a day to have a good climate.

 

Think of this as a boat that has sprung a leak. The best way would be to fix the boat or get a better boat. Using a pump to get rid of the water in your boat is only a temporary solution that doesn't guarantee anything in the future.

Very good post, 100% correct.

Mold and a fucked electrical system?

Sounds like you probably live in a building that leaks more than the FBI's documents, and the leaking has compromised the electrical system.

I have no advice here, but moving whenever you can is probably a good idea.

I'm ignorant about this topic, but perhaps there's a place with cheap rehearsal booths nearby? You probably don't need an equipped studio, but just a practice booth.

I wish you'd stop resisting smartphones. One would help you right now. Even an old smartphone can handle all your basic computing needs, especially in Europe which has a reputation for inexpensive carriers. Buy a used Note 5, a chromecast or similar, and cheap bluetooth keyboard+mouse. ~$200

A homeless looking man talking about finding mushrooms huh? Seems legit.

I think a big dehumidifier and an air purifier would go a long way to solving the short-term problem, until you can get the hell out of there. Drying clothes in the house just makes the air wet! Are there no laundromats in Poland? (Seriously, I don't know).

Get a dehumidifier with a configurable set point.

The out side of the buildings it's fine, that's what happens in a humid climate.

If it is just the light bulb in the bathroom, replace it. If something else is wrong with the lights have the landlord fix it.

Curtains usually are not the landlords responsibility, fix them yourself if you care.

The crack is probably not a problem unless it starts changing colors.

Get a dehumidifier, get a dehumidifier, get a dehumidifier.

Seems like workers didnt do good job or shoddy materials were used indeed. Apartments shouldnt look like this, even from outside- although, some streaks are common enough to not worry too much (but that was way much).

but i agree with one of previous posters- 3 days to dry your clothes indoors is long time, even if you want them to be bone dry. In my apartment, its usually a day and half for bone dry, a day for closet dry. And that should be normal for average humidity. 3 days is quite normal for outdoors in winter.

of course this might be all you are already aware of, so heres few hints. First off, let wind go trough apartment for couple of hours straight, especially when theres prettier weather. Like open all windows- sheer ventilation helps a lot. After that, you might try to (if flats are still being heated in Poland- from what i can hear it can be summer there already) turn heating up higher than normal. Or better yet, if you happen to have some sort of fireplace or anything heated with with wood or something like that (i.e NOT electric heating or normal radiator), that is perfect for getting humidity out. In fact that is one big advantage wood heating has. I often use it to get humidity out even in mid-summer (and it works best if you do it after letting fresh air in)

its not perfect, but it would be good start to contain it at least

I saw a video on making a cheap home air filter. Possible stopgap for the problem?

I see a lot of posts about dehumidifiers, but since Ross hasn't got air conditioning, wouldn't an ac unit be a more logical thing to try? I know mine has a dehumidify mode.

I know it doesn't allow voice recording, but a high quality paint mask would allow you to breathe for extended periods of time while using the computer and wearing glasses.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Paint-Project-Respirator-Large/dp/B0009F5KDS/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1524889344&sr=1-1&keywords=3m+air+mask+large

I use one like this all the time, sometimes for hours at a time. Don't over tighten the straps, as it can make it press against the bridge of your nose and will get sore over time. The "organic vapor cartridges", which is the pair of filters on the sides of your face when wearing it, are pretty amazing. Don't be tempted by the cheaper, round pink filters... pretty useless against anything smaller than saw dust (which mold spores are). The one annoyance I have is that condensation inside the mask sometimes drips out... keep a towel on your lap, and don't lean over the keyboard too much.

If you can find a pair of these locally at a hardware or painting supply store, you and your wife will at least be able to work and relax without the constant distraction of bad smells.

I would also like to support the use of dehumidifiers, even if they are expensive to run. Mold hates being dry, and loves being moist.

Best of luck!

Ross, if you end up having to move (or even if you don't), it may be worth making a recording booth. It doesn't have to be expensive or even a permanent part of the room. For instance, if you pick a corner of a room and put some sort of sound dampening material on the walls, ceiling, and maybe the floor if you can't get a ground floor apartment, you could then close the booth either with two removable panels with sound dampening material, or a frame that can be used to hang blankets. If done right, it should solve the problem of annoying the neighbors, minimize background noises when recording, and make noise concerns a non-issue when apartment hunting.

If you have a bunch of blankets, it may be worth experimenting with the idea at your current apartment. That way you'll know in advance whether or not the idea will make apartment hunting any easier, and even if you don't move it may help your recording. For a really improvised experiment, you can just lie on a bed with some blankets piled on top of your head, yell at whatever your maximum recording volume is likely to be, and have Magda listen in from a different room or maybe outside the apartment to report how well the sound blocking attempt works. If you can muffle your voice that way without too much difficulty, then perhaps making a recording booth with a similar material thickness could allow you to record without disturbing the neighbors.

This building really need some basic renovation, outside fassade and and inside ventilation systems.

Unfortunately there is no fast solution to the entire set of problems exept of finding a better place in Gdansk or surroundings.

I hope your visa will come soon. If you move it maybe can redirected to your new place you hopefully will find.

Anyway I would start searching a new appartement and stay outside in fresh air, as often as possible.

This maybe can have a nice side effect:

Ross' videos of Gdansk, polish supermarkets and DIY shops

Just a weird idea.