I've noticed a problem in my apartment that returns every winter – I get mold around the windows. This year the cold weather came earlier than usual and the mold appeared quickly in great amounts, so I am looking for a way to at least reduce the thickness of it.
My guess that the molds cause is the humid air would be the fact that very often I can see a condensation on the window, and, since the windows are plastic ones, I guess they don't "breathe" like the wooden ones would.
I've heard about putting bowls of salt around by the windows that would attract the moisture, but some suggest other substances like silica gel since they absorb the moisture better. Problems I see with getting silica gel are that I'm not sure where to get it for starters, am not sure about the price – whether it wouldn't be too pricy and, since I own a cat, I don't want the little adventurer to try out new things to eat – how would I store it so it would do it's job and not harm my pet.
I mentioned "without a dehumidifier" in my question title because buying one just isn't in my budget at the moment, so I'm looking for some temporary solutions right now.
Any tips gladly appreciated.
Best Answer
You can purhcase products such as DampRid. It is availabe in various size packages and will work to passively dehumidify a space.
You do not want to use a fan or any active air mover to attempt to dry the window space. This can enable the mold to spread to other areas.
Mold is dangerous to your health and this issue should be handled soon. One point of concern is that the mold may be in the drywall surrounding the window. The mold issue should be brought up to your building manager. If they do not take corrective actions, you should speak to the local public health department.