Here are few small but effective household items that can help reduce the possibility of mould growth in damp places around the house such as kitchen and bathroom.

Did you know? Mould tends to flourish rapidly in areas above 55 percent humidity level that are damp and away from direct sunlight.

Last week, I wrote about my experience in dealing with mould growing on the silicon sealant in my bathroom. To tell the truth, I’m a little over-particular about mould and the last thing I want is to have any signs of mould infestation in my home.

Having mould growing in your house is not only making the place looks dirty and unpleasant, it is also dangerous to your health. Spores from mould that growth on a surface can be released into the air where they can be easily inhaled. Exposure to mould can lead to various health problems such as allergies, irritation, and asthma.

Unfortunately, during summer or if you live in a place with high humidity level like Singapore, mould can grow very easily. They tend to flourish rapidly in areas above 55 percent humidity level that are damp and away from direct sunlight. Places like kitchen and bathroom that often get wet or any areas with inadequate ventilation or poor cleaning schedule will give rise to mould growing.

Thankfully, there are plenty smart gadgets that you can use to make your battle against mould less fussy. These are several items that I have been using which I found super helpful in preventing or slowing down the mould from growing. Most of these items are also inexpensive and pretty easy to find. You just need to look around the next time you shop in any home improvement stores or you can also find them online.

Let’s start with kitchen.

Kitchen sink is one area in the house that often get wet in daily basis. When I was still living in my parents house, my Mom used to leave the dish soap bottle and kitchen sponge on a tray that has holes on the bottom to drain excess water. It’s a pretty common solution to organising kitchen sink area. However, even with many holes, limescale and mould can still grow on the tray and the awkward spaces between it as well as the bottom of the dish bottle.

In my kitchen sink, I hang my dish and hand soap bottle on the splash back wall to keep the surface around the sink area easy to clean and avoid limescale build up that also lead to mould growing.

I do the same thing with my kitchen sponge. Every time I’m done with doing dishes, I will rinse the kitchen sponge and then squeeze the excess water first before hanging it to speed up the drying time.

I place dehumidifier pack in all drawers and cabinets where I keep tableware, cutlery and cooking utensils. Even if you keep the items after you wipe them dry, sometimes traces of dampness is not visible. Mould can then build up when the items are left in a dark and non-airy space like drawer or cabinet making them sticky and may also spoil them. The dehumidifier pack will act as a moisture absorber that help keep them dry.

I also place dehumidifier pack inside the dish drainer cabinet on top of my kitchen sink. I open this cabinet as much as possible during the day but even so, the space can still be damp. Extra dehumidifier pack can help reduce moisture level inside.

I usually replace the dehumidifier packs every 1 to 2 month or whenever the balls turned into liquid.

The next place that needs attention is bathroom.

My number one rule to prevent mould in the bathroom is to keep everything off of the bathroom floor! I always hang bathroom stool or bucket when not in use and let them drip dry. The water in the shower room floor should be flowing to the drain seamlessly too so they don’t become stagnant on some spots that can cause mould growing on the tile grouts.

Another thing to note is the brushing teeth area. How do your family keep their toothbrushes? If you put them in a cup, you are just inviting the mould to come and stay, even if there are holes on the bottom. Just like in the kitchen sink, mould can grow even in awkward tiny spaces as long as it’s damp.

I use UV toothbrush holder that can help sanitise the toothbrushes and hang the cup for brushing teeth on the wall. I like this suction cup from Daiso that has slope design that can help drip the extra drop of water out and keep the cup dry.

It is a good idea to install some hygrometers around the house especially bathroom if you have problem with mould growing fast in your home. It will tell you the current humidity level in the air so you can do necessary treatment when the humidity level is high such as opening the window to air the room.

You can also get dehumidifier device that can further absorb moisture faster and efficiently. I place dehumidifier in my pantry a.k.a household shelter because it is a little difficult to air that room in my apartment. The device will help keep the humidity level low so the stuff I put there stay dry and fresh.

It is definitely better to prevent than clean! However, even if you have all of these gadgets, you still need to regularly clean your kitchen and bathroom properly to avoid mould growing and spreading.