Advice please on dealing with Humidity when leaving a property for a time.

When leaving a property the temperature variations can cause dampness and a mouldy smell - It is normal  - I have learnt from experience and some of the follwing may help.

Always leave all room & wardrobe doors open to allow air to circulate around the house. Also pull beds / sofas slightly away from walls, so they are not touching the wall, for the same reason. 

We leave the beds made up but put a bed cover right across the bed so the sheets/pillows do not get mould on. The bedcover cab be washed and/or aired on arrival. Some people use large old sheet's for this purpose..put over the bed and bed cover as they are easier to wash and feshen up. We have taken the bedding off at times ( still putting the cover over the mattress though!) but it's nice not to have to make beds on arrival.

Don't be tempted to keep any linen in plastic bags ( like the zipped bags that blankets come in) though...we did once and they sweat badly and cause a mouldy smell. Those large plastic storage boxes with snap on lids are good for keeping linen in and if short on space they can be slid under the beds.

We put ant powder or Oro spray along door threshholds and around the edges of the kitchen when leaving the house - it doesn't matter how bleach clean the floors are the insects may still find a way in!

When we first moved in, I bought some insect/mosquito netting on line and cut it to size and stuck it with sticky Velcro over every air vent in the house (you can get this in the Ferreteria hardware stores now though) - There is generally a vent in each bathroom and the kitchen. We haven't had much problem with insects so hopefully the netting has helped. We also have mosquito netting on the windows which helps too. Easy to fit from the DIY stores but it can be done professionally if preferred. 

We always empty the fridge and freezer, clean it and leave the doors open (important to keep the fridge/freezer fresh!). Some people leave theirs on but it depends how long you are gone for and we prefer not to chance it, in case of power cuts.

Try to put indoors all sun-chairs and tables as they really do weather & bleach badly in the Spanish heat. They last much longer if brought indoors on leaving property. Sofas and chairs are best covered with throws which can be washed as they can smell musty if left without covers while the house is shut up.

Hope this helps.

Jan

Massive help Jan, thanks for those useful tips, we'll definitely try them.

Hi we do the same as Jan but we also put the little plastic dehumidifier things around the apartment, you can get them at the Chinese bazaars or Domti for around 75c or alternatively just buy the dehumidifier salt and put it on saucers. Our apartment was once left for 20 months as due to circumstances we couldn't get over, the dehumidifier things were full of water and all the salt crystals had gone but no mould or musty smell. 

Good post. 

Yes forgot about that. We've been using washed ice cream cartons half full of salt in the corners of each room and in the wardrobes too, with the doors open. They are often wet or full of water in the winter after the house has been shut up.

Jan

Thanks very much I think I know the ones you mean so will get some of those too.

I was about to give some tips until I read Jan's post, excellent advice and I have learnt something new.

Hi

we have just bought a top floor apartment in December last year and we have been told to leave windows open slightly with the shutters down, all doors to bedrooms, bathrooms ect open to allow air to circulate when we are not there, even in the winter, can someone tell me if this is the correct thing to do as I thought the cold in the winter will dampen the rooms and will have condensation on the walls and ceiling.

thanks 

John 

That sounds about right. If security is not a  issue, as with a top floor apartment, then leaving the windows open slightly and shutters down is a good idea. Property needs ventilation and with the fluctuations in temperature in Spain, especially in Winter, it is good to keep the place well ventilated  We had friends staying once and they left after we had gone and closed all doors in the house and when we came back there was awful musty smells, particularly in the bathroom. If it had been closed up like that for longer I feel we would have had mould in places.

Also don't forget to leave wardrobe doors slightly open plus drawers as they need the air to circulate as well.

Jan

Many thanks Jan this has helped a lot