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By Brenda Padilla
Orange blossoms in spring and the pungent scent of jasmine floating
in evening breezes are two of the most aromatic descriptions southern
Spain could have. And you can perfume your home with these scents
via your garden, thanks to the fact that it is warm enough to open
the house during much of the year.
Spanish homes are easy to keep fresh if you are willing to live
like the Spaniards. This includes sticking with hard, cold, easy
to clean tile instead of investing in wall to wall carpeting. Spaniards
do typically dress their homes in throw carpets during the winter
months, but these are beaten and aired frequently and then removed
and sent in for cleaning as soon as spring arrives.
Spanish housewives are also fanatical about airing their houses
at least once a day. And this is good advice especially in homes
with damp problems.
Damp is a very common problem in local buildings. This is because
the vast majority of homes are built strictly to keep out heat,
with little thought given to the rains that come every year in
late fall and early winter. From here, it is really the luck of
the draw. If a home happens to be built in the right conditions
- away from drainage areas or on a hill, for example - damp may
not be a problem.
Homes near the sea, or built in a hollow, or simply
built in rain water's natural path are not so fortunate. Damp
in these homes
can become continual problem - with the damage and terrible odours
it involves.
Unfortunately, correcting the root problems in a damp home is
usually too expensive once a home has been built. However, there
are many measures you can take to effectively treat the symptoms
and have your home smelling fresh once again:
Reduce Humidity
There are a variety of ways to reduce the amount of humidity in
your home. Start by sealing cracks and directing drainage waters
away from your home. If that is not sufficient - in the case
of ground water soaked up brick walls as if by a sponge, for
example - then you might need the help of a dehumidifier or an
air conditioning system that regulates humidity. Kitchen and
bathroom fans that properly evacuate moisture play an important
role as well. Local hardware stores also sell mineral crystals
that remove moisture from the air.
Fight Mould
Once mould spores have entered your home and infested your walls,
closets, clothing, curtains and furniture you must often take
aggressive measures to win back the fresh scents of home. Your
battle will have the following objectives: kill mould spores
and create conditions that discourage their growth.
Use a sponge to soak mouldy patches on walls with bleach to kill
all spores before painting over the dried surface with anti-mould
paint. Thoroughly clean all the contents of your closets and wash
surfaces with bleach before installing fans to keep air circulating,
thus reducing the likelihood of mould taking over again. In extreme
circumstances you might even try installing a weak light - taking
special care to avoid risk of fire - or you might try removing
the closet doors, and replacing any inner-closet drawers with the
handy wire basket systems sold in all major home improvement outlets.
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