Moving to Kauai: Calling all recent transplants and ilong time residents! (new house, mold)

[Mar0]

The rain is notorious for both mauka and makai areas of Kalaheo....anywhere past Ele'ele is dry.

I have really bad mold over here. It creeps up on my lanai, door, fridge, and all of my beautiful leather bags...The best way to get rid of it is scrubbing/wiping it with a rag dipped in a half water/half alcohol mixture. The mold really bothers my allergies.

I know this message is repeated over and over, but it is a really bad time for the islands, Kauai included. With the economy the way it is, people are having difficulty find jobs and generally the jobs would go to locals over an outsider. If you can secure a good job, then kudos and go for it...

Kauai is very rural. If you want nightlife or accessibility to shopping, Kauai isn't for you.

[HankDfrmSD]

Originally Posted by SkyBob

If anybody else has any comments on how they deal with the mold I would love to hear about it.

Bob

We have mold problems on Oahu (Kailua), too.

The biggest problems we have had is when we close off part of the house, rent the rest, and go back to the mainland every year for six months. The first year, we came back and found all sorts of things in the closets had mold on them. Leather items in particular - shoes, belts.

The solution seems to be air circulation. Now we take many things out of the closets before we leave, and put them around the room in places where there is likely to be more air circulation.

Also, while we are there, we try to store things with more "open-ness", such as putting shoes on a wire rack in the closets, and not packing clothes too tightly on the poles.

Good luck.

Hank

[bresdo]

I have been here since the beginning of August living farther North then Sweetbeet and have not seen any mold as of yet. I always have all the windows and closets open so that is why. I was very shocked at my first electric bill and now try to keep everything off in the house. I follow my two girls around turning off lights, constantly. I am renting a house that basically cost the same as my little one bedroom apartment. About every 10 days I make a trip to town to Costco, Wall Mart and Cost U Less to do my major shopping. I found the prices comparable to LA and try to avoid the regular markets because prices are to high. Bugs have not been much of a problem a few ants and a cocaroach here or there. The exterminator came and sprayed last week and have not seen anything lately.

My girls ride their bikes to school everyday and we go to the beach 3-4 times a week. The neighborhood is great and there are tons of kids that congregate around my house mostly. Me being single again have not met to many people, but that is fine.

We are cooking at home almost every night and rarely go out to eat. I think mostly because the restaurants are not very good and again way over priced.

I really don't miss the mainland at all...except for some food items you can't get here like salami or good Italian foods. And that is perfectly fine with me I would not change a thing here. But a good business idea is to have a fine foods market, it could be small and it would do a ton of business especially with all the wealthy people up here on the North Shore.

Hint....Hint

[paniclan]

Bresdo,
I assume you're in Princeville or Hanalei? You mention the kid-friendly neighborhood and that is really what I'm looking for. Ive got four kids running the gamut from 13 all the way down to a 4-year old. This issue is really key for us and it's the one aspect of Kauai life that has made me very very cautious as we consider the option to move. It may actually be the deal breaker, but I'll continue to talk to people and find out more.

To be perfectly open, a specialty food store on the north shore was one early consideration for me. I still like the idea.

Thanks for the info!

[Sweetbeet]

We have all our windows and closets open too. Still doesn't stop the mold. But we've got it under control for now. It's really not so bad if you catch it early. We're waiting to see how the hydrogen peroxide works as a preventative (or at least a way to get it all off, to delay the regrowth).

[kani-lehua]

Originally Posted by Sweetbeet

We have all our windows and closets open too. Still doesn't stop the mold. But we've got it under control for now. It's really not so bad if you catch it early. We're waiting to see how the hydrogen peroxide works as a preventative (or at least a way to get it all off, to delay the regrowth).

how are you using it, the peroxide? make sure it does not get on clothing as it is a bleaching agent.

[Sweetbeet]

So far I've used it to scrub chairs (it didn't bleach the dark green upholstery on my folding chairs at all), wipe down stuff like backpacks, a leather bag and shoes, wash off a wooden table and a couple of wooden rockers. Haven't had any problem with it bleaching anything. So far no mold has come back to anything I've wiped down with the peroxide, but it hasn't really been long enough.

The mold tends to start in spots where there might be some food or grease residue, so I'm hoping that just cleaning stuff will get off not only the mold but whatever it's feeding on, and keep it from recurring. I thought peroxide would be less 'bleaching' than bleach, which was the other thing that had been recommended. I guess the stuff I'm using is relatively diluted, but thanks for the warning!

[kani-lehua]

if peroxide is left on material for a period of time, it can bleach. doesn't oxyclean contain peroxide? i soaked a designer top in it overnight and it got ruined. also, i believe that anthropologists use peroxide to bleach bones. that's how they get 'em so white.

yes, diluted is the best.

[Mar0]

I use isopropyl alcohol and water, 1:1 ratio and it works well!

[bresdo]

I live in Kilauea it is about 5 miles before you hit Princeville. It is loaded with families and kids everywhere.