Latest / More Organised Less Clutter / 253. Storage mistakes causing mould (and How to fix them)
Transcript
- Narelle King: Welcome to More Organized Less Clutter, a podcast to empower individuals and neurodivergent families with practical, realistic tools to create a more organized, sensory-friendly, clutter-free, and intentional home that works with your lifestyle and brain, not against it. I'm Norelle King, a professional organizer and neurodivergent mum who understands the unique challenges of family life. I help people just like you simplify your space. Build sustainable organizational systems and create more breathing room physically and mentally. Every fortnight you'll hear solo episodes and guest conversations filled with practical strategies on decluttering, home organization, routines for neurodivergent families, mindful living, and how to build a home that feels safe, calm and functional. You'll walk away with actionable takeaways you can implement even if you only have 10 minutes to spare. What is the number one storage mistake that leads to mold? Most people think it's something complicated, but it actually comes down to one simple thing. Making sure things are put away that are actually truly dry. So in simple terms, moisture plus darkness, plus poor airflow and organic matter like fabric, paper, or dust is the perfect recipe for mold. In today's episode of More Organized, Less Clutter, I am going to be talking about everyday storage habits that actually can invite mold and also looking at hot spots in your home that actually is where mold might be found or more easily grow. I'll also unpack the biggest mistakes and share practical hacks to keep your storage items dry, breathable, and mold-free. And if you're ready to protect your closed linen and keepsakes for good, Then stick around for this episode of More Organized Less Clutter. Thanks for joining me for today's solo episode where I'll be sharing the storage mistakes that lead to mould and what you can do instead. So if you've ever opened a box from the garage or pulled out your spare bedding and you've smelt that musty smell or even spotted mould. black spots or dots on the actual fabric, you are then really, really heartbreaking. It can be really disheartened, especially if it's an item that had some significance and you can't replace. And I've seen this with some clients that the item was really special to them and it's been ruined by mold. And mold can trigger allergies. It ruins the fabric. You can't get it out of actual material. And it just might make you just feel really disgusting and gross because the mould is in your home. So if you've ever opened a box from, say, the garage, or maybe it's even in your wardrobe and pulled out spare bedding possibly, and then you've noticed the smell, maybe a musty smell, and also spotted those little black dots, which you know is mold. It's really heartbreaking, disappointing, especially if it's something that you know that you can't replace. And I've seen this with clients. They've been so disheartened that And really, really disappointed because the item has been ruined and it's material, so a fabric, and it can't be washed out. It just cannot be taken out of the actual material. It's ruined and it needs to be thrown away. It's really bad for our health, especially if you have allergies towards mold. You're gonna then have symptoms relating to mold. And these could be runny eyes, these could be a runny nose, this could be a rash all over your body. itchy feeling, maybe even problems with breathing, like your lungs, you can feel it in your lungs. I don't actually have allergies to mold, but one of my family members does, so I can I've seen the different types of symptoms that they actually have experienced when they've come in contact or there's been mold in the actual air as well. So today we're going to talk about mold and how to prevent it and storage that's going to help prevent the buildup of mold. So what causes mold, and especially when we have stored items, and the number one storage mistake I see from people and other s storage habits that could actually create mold. So we're going to go through all of those and then some simple hacks to avoid mold in any storage area that you're using. So let's just go through what causes mold in the first place. It is moisture plus mold darkness plus poor airflow and then some sort of organic material like a fabric and then this is the perfect conditions for mould to actually grow. So the organic matter, it could be like food obviously, paper, cardboard, leather, dust, and any of those things is going to increase the chances of mould growing on it if we have the moisture, poor airflow. as well as darkness. Now if you think about a storage container, a box, and maybe even your wardrobe, garages, sheds, under the bed, or even just boxes in spare bedrooms, they're usually dark and there's often not the best airflow. And usually those things are full of maybe fabrics or cardboard. So you really need the only one other ingredient and that's moisture. And then you're going to have mold. Growing. So moisture can come from items being put away that are slightly damp. Think of like linen, clothing, or maybe a tent when you've gone camping. Humid air with no circulation is also one of the biggest problems of having moisture. And then cold concrete floors and then the condensation from underneath boxes will come up and wet maybe the box, and then you're going to also have moisture. And then tiny spills or leaks that you maybe don't spot straight away. And after a while, that's when you realize, ⁓ my gosh, all these things have got mold on them because the moisture has leaked down into them. And I have seen this on numerous occasions in people's linen cupboards where moisture or there's been a leak in a roof that's come down into that area and then the items have all got wet and because they we're not realizing that there was water at the back, it's then produced mold onto those items. So these things are not things that are deliberate. It is accidental. It's when there's moisture that's added accidentally and we want to look at how can we decrease the risk of this happening. So the number one storage mistake leading to mold is when items are stored away damp and they're in an airtight container and it's a cramped space. So you know when you've got a load of washing and clothes at night and you hang them up and by the morning they feel mostly dry, but you think, ⁓ that'll do. Or you wash the guest bedding and it feels like it's fine outside, but once you get it inside and you fold it, it might be a tiny little bit feeling it might actually feel a little bit damp. Now if you put these in a container with a lid or a vacuum sealed bag, you're then going to be having that darkness and poor airflow, which is going to create the perfect environment for mold. Or even I find sometimes when I'm doing ⁓ washing and linen in people's homes, is sometimes the bath mats might still be that tiniest bit cold and heavier and they haven't quite dried as well. And then we're stacking them into maybe a linen cupboard where it's dark as well. So the second part of the problem is sealing. So when we're using airtight tubs, plastic bags, vacuum seal bags, which lots of people love when they've got so many things and they need to compact their items. And then just even overstuffed cupboards. When you have too much in your wardrobe, for example, there's not enough airflow getting through. And you may then find mould on some of your clothes, in particular like leather belts or leather shoes. It's almost like a greenhouse that you're creating with the moisture, the darkness, still air, and then obviously the material. So if you took a sealed tub and you placed it on a concrete floor in a garage or a shed, you're increasing the risk even more again. Concrete can pull moisture from the ground and the bottom of the tub gets cold and condensation can form inside the tub. And then the whole environment is more damp and that's when you will find mold maybe growing in it. So if we remember anything from today, it is moisture plus darkness plus poor airflow plus organic matter, like fabric, paper, dust, equals perfect mold conditions. I feel like you're getting the picture of where we're gonna find these mold hotspots, but I'm gonna go through a few of them. So wardrobes and cupboards. These are real classic mold zones because they're dark, they're usually overcrowded, they have minimal airflow, especially if they're packed right to the doors. And they're also maybe if they're against an external wall where the temperature change causes condensation on the inside in the home. That's especially what you'll find with a face with a south facing wall with like limited sun. And the wall stays really cold, but it's warm inside and then when the air hits it, you get that tiny amount of condensation over and over. Maybe it's behind furniture or inside the actual wardrobe that the moisture often goes unnoticed. It's maybe behind furniture, like it might be your bedhead or it might be in the wardrobe where you may not notice that moisture that is appearing. Another hot spot is garages and under house where you may store things. Now these spaces obviously may be on concrete or they may be just straight onto the dirt. They're usually more humid than the other parts of the house and they're usually not very insulated. So these are going to be your really high risk areas, especially if you're putting boxes and in particular cardboard boxes. directly onto concrete floors because we're then using our box is then made of organic material. Our third hot spot would be in linen cupboards and also bathrooms. So bathrooms there can be a lot of steam from the showers and it then builds up the condensation on the windows or maybe the walls, especially if there's not enough airflow in there. This is gonna make it a perfect condition for mold to grow. Like we said before, our linen cupboard is a little bit like our wardrobe where there's generally no windows in there, so it's quite dark, and there's not going to be usually a lot of airflow either. So I have four simple habits to help you avoid mold. The first one is always dry items completely before storing them. I know this sounds obvious, but I mean completely dry. So even if it feels a little bit damp. You need to make sure it's completely dry. You might use your dryer to do this. You may lay it out so the sun can get to it. Maybe you've got a heater that it can go on to dry out. But it needs to be the seams, the pockets, the folds, every part of it, the collar, cuffs, waistbands, and if it's a blanket, making sure that the outside is dry, even though it might feel it on the outside, but is the inside. So a rule of thumb that you could use if something has come off the line and out of the dryer. you plan to store it, leave it out for just a few hours or even overnight in a room with good airflow before you pack it away. And if you're using a dryer, do a quick cool down or that extra low tumble at the end because that helps to chase out any remaining moisture. Number two tip is allow the airflow in your storage space. Now this is a tricky one. Mold hates movement and circulation. So think about your cupboards and your wardrobes and shelving and you need to make sure that there is enough room on your shelves that it aren't full, pack to pack, aren't packed, completely full, that there's no airflow getting through. Like jamming clothes tight together on a rail and pushing items hard against walls in particular, like we talked about before with the condensation is going to lead to more mold. So instead Try to leave like small gaps between your boxes so the air can actually move. Avoid stacking things flat right up against the to the ceiling or against walls and leaving a little bit of a gap again for ventilation. And those wire shelving in the garage, which are made of metal or wire, are actually really great because they allow airflow to go around the boxes. So in your wardrobe, making sure you don't hang. too many items on the rail and giving each item of clothing a little bit of breathing room. Number three is keep things off the floor, especially if it's concrete, even tiled, is going to have that same effect of allowing the moisture to come up. When you put down cardboard boxes or plastic tubs directly on concrete, you're exposing them to the moisture wicking from the ground and you're increasing that chance of condensation forming underneath. And Creating cold, damp, microclimate for the mold to actually grow. So think about using a pallet or shelving or even just simple risers to lift boxes off the ground. I had a client yesterday who we would take some of her items out of a shed that she had moved while she was waiting for a house. And when we moved a couple of things, we placed them back. on the ground. I said, how about we'll get a piece of wood and just to lift it up so it's not going to be getting damp on the bottom. So it doesn't need to be anything fancy. It could be just two planks of wood, which is what we used yesterday, and this is going to be better than nothing at all. And then it's released not directly on the concrete. So you want to aim for at least a few centimeters of space between the box so that the air can move and moisture can evaporate. And number four is either using a dehumidifier Especially if you live in a humid condition. We actually have a portable one that we move around our house and when it's a humid day, it takes the moisture out of the air and then you can tip it out into the garden and our container will fill up really quickly on a really humid day. We can move this into our bathroom even in winter and again it'll be taking the moisture out. I'll also put it into our wardrobe every now and then. And just get any moisture that's maybe in the air. Something else that you can do that's inexpensive is also to use those moisture absorbers or the silicon products. There's also the refillable moisture absorbers that you can use. These are great for wardrobes. They're obviously not going to be the magic fix, but they're a way of actually giving you another layer of defense, especially valuable items in a paper. documents, photos, or maybe like a wedding dress, a special occasion piece of clothing that you are not using, so the moisture's just building up in there. So there's no airflow getting through because you're not getting it out and using it. Or maybe it's like seasonal clothing that you've put away, or it could be books and paperwork, or it could be sentimental items like baby clothing, which I have definitely seen with mold on it because it was put in a shed and over time the moisture's build up in the box. Also we what you can find is in summertime is if the box has is being hit by sun, the condensation can build up in the box and there's the moisture. You know, later on you've got the darkness and the shed and the no airflow and then you've got that mould also building up. So something that's really important is to check all your items and boxes regularly and just lift them out and make sure that you're replacing those absorbers and you're also just making sure that you're giving a bit of airflow through. So a great way is even labeling a box. Even just get grabbing some masking tape and writing the date of when you actually opened it last. So it's a reminder to go and check it. You could even just open it and have a smell. You're gonna be able to smell the mold or that musty smell over time. Dusty shelves Dust is really bad because dust also increases the chances of mold because mold loves dust. So if the dust is getting wet, that is going to then produce mold. So dusting our surfaces regularly is also going to help. And then that final one was, which I mentioned before, was fixing any leaks and any condensation. It might be your windows you're noticing that are constantly getting condensation and fixing that over time as well. It's always better. To address the source if you feel that there's damp or th something like that, rather than trying to instead of just having to do the mold, which is the symptom. So prevention is the opposite of what mold wants. So we want dryness, light, where possible, airflow, and elevation. So the best products to store clothes and bedding that aren't going to increase the chance of mold would be an old Duna cover pillowcases. Anything that's made from natural fibers like cotton or canvas that's going to be breathable and allow some airflow. They also though will protect from dust, but they don't lock in every bit of moisture and they're also really low cost and breathable solution. So plastic tubs, they're not the cause of mold, but what they do is they trap moisture. So as long as we're making sure that the things that are going in are not damp. And when we seal the lid it's not in a humid area and that there is we're checking on it regularly, then it's going to be all right to use a plastic tub. Then there are plastic bags and these are like, you know, your garbage bags, but these can also trap moisture just like the plastic tubs, but we just need to be again c consider it are we allowing condensation to build up in here depending where we're actually placing it. And then the last one are vacuum seal bags. So these are really popular. People love these to save space. But one of the big things for them is that they suck all the air out of it. So there's no airflow whatsoever. And so the mold can actually grow inside without you even realizing straight away until you've pulled the things out. And I've seen this so many times. I find that these are great in dry, you know, hot climate controlled. Homes where and just only used for a short amount of time, whereas a humid environment, humid climate is definitely not the solution for you and it is not a long-term solution. And another thing just to look out for are the synthetic fabric bags. Again, they don't breathe very well and they could trap moisture. So I've definitely seen these to use to store linen in. And then this is that chance that we could have moisture. Within it because the actual material is not breathable. A quick recap. Mold is more likely when there is slight moisture left in an item or it's placed in an area where condensation can build up easily. It's dark place or space, there's poor airflow, and it's material that the actual mold can eat. So make sure everything is completely Dry before you store it, especially those thicker fabrics and items of clothing. Allow airflow. Don't pack the shelves edge to edge and overstuff your wardrobe and overpack those vacuum seal bags. Make sure there's some gaps and keep things off the floor. And use those moisture absorbers as a backup, especially in your garage, sheds, and darker cupboards. And if you're listening to this and mentally now you're scanning your home going, ⁓ my gosh, I have got areas that I need to go check right now, just pick one area and start with that. Maybe it's the box of winter clothes in the garage, or maybe it's a tub of spare bedding in the cupboard, or maybe it's actually paperwork from when you were younger. And it's like those keepsakes or kids' paintings. Just open it up, check for dampness or that musty smell, and repack it. And then also maybe even add those moisture absorbers. Even giving things a little bit of a shake is going to increase the airflow. So your future self is really going to thank you for this. Thanks so much for listening to More Organized, Less Clutter. Do you have nothing to wear but a wardrobe full of clothes? Imagine mornings when you jump up, choose outfits that reflect your best self. A comprehensive guide walks you through each step to help you create a wardrobe that's both functional, organized, and full of clothes you love. Head to simply happy.com.au to the resources tab to get instant access today. I'd like to acknowledge the Wotherong people of the Kulin Nation on which this podcast is recorded as the traditional custodians of the land. I pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emergent.