Washer111
I can offer a different explanation for the musty smells and frequent colds.
When I moved here, I came from places where people usually had either central heating and/or central airconditioning. Homes were toasty in winter and cool in summer with few or no significant temperature fluctuations during the day or night. Indoor humidity levels were low as a result and I never saw mildew/mold problems to the extent that I have observed them here.
In Sydney and much of Australia a lot of homes have neither. I've noticed that musty smells in closets and houses here is not uncommon as a result, especially older homes. It does get cold and humid/damp in Sydney and I've often wondered why other peoples' clothes and towels had that musty smell about them. I also reckon that clothes are not properly dry when they come off the line and are put away. BTW and to clarify, when I am at other peoples' places, I am there as an invited guest and not as someone who goes there to intentionally smell their towels and clothes.
Not having central heating in winter many households are unevenly heated leaving a lot of cold spaces, especially the bedrooms where the closets are. Because energy is expensive, heaters are only turned on in the evening for a few hours. Homes never have a chance to really warm up and retain that warmth to drive out the damp. This is particularly noticable in older houses with poor insulation.
Our temperate climate encourages germ growth, because we don't have the freezing temperatures that kill pathogens in winter, as it happens in many places where it snows. Airconditioning is widely used in public buildings and one of the most effective ways to spread colds and flus. I've also noticed that when there are kids and frequent visits to medical centers one tends to catch flus and colds more often.
Even when clothes are washed in cold water, when they are rinsed and dried properly, they don't smell musty.
On the issue of cold and warm, I've actually felt colder living in Sydney than I ever did when I lived in the northern hemisphere. In places where it snows and temperatures fall below zero for several months in the year everything is centrally heated, including public transport. Winter clothes are warm, not like the stuff they sell here. Unless you go to Katmandu and spend hundreds of dollars the winter clothes they sell at Kmart, Target or anywnhere else are pathetic. It's as if Sydney people pretend that winter doesn't exist and it never gets cold.
I can offer a different explanation for the musty smells and frequent colds.
When I moved here, I came from places where people usually had either central heating and/or central airconditioning. Homes were toasty in winter and cool in summer with few or no significant temperature fluctuations during the day or night. Indoor humidity levels were low as a result and I never saw mildew/mold problems to the extent that I have observed them here.
In Sydney and much of Australia a lot of homes have neither. I've noticed that musty smells in closets and houses here is not uncommon as a result, especially older homes. It does get cold and humid/damp in Sydney and I've often wondered why other peoples' clothes and towels had that musty smell about them. I also reckon that clothes are not properly dry when they come off the line and are put away. BTW and to clarify, when I am at other peoples' places, I am there as an invited guest and not as someone who goes there to intentionally smell their towels and clothes.
Not having central heating in winter many households are unevenly heated leaving a lot of cold spaces, especially the bedrooms where the closets are. Because energy is expensive, heaters are only turned on in the evening for a few hours. Homes never have a chance to really warm up and retain that warmth to drive out the damp. This is particularly noticable in older houses with poor insulation.
Our temperate climate encourages germ growth, because we don't have the freezing temperatures that kill pathogens in winter, as it happens in many places where it snows. Airconditioning is widely used in public buildings and one of the most effective ways to spread colds and flus. I've also noticed that when there are kids and frequent visits to medical centers one tends to catch flus and colds more often.
Even when clothes are washed in cold water, when they are rinsed and dried properly, they don't smell musty.
On the issue of cold and warm, I've actually felt colder living in Sydney than I ever did when I lived in the northern hemisphere. In places where it snows and temperatures fall below zero for several months in the year everything is centrally heated, including public transport. Winter clothes are warm, not like the stuff they sell here. Unless you go to Katmandu and spend hundreds of dollars the winter clothes they sell at Kmart, Target or anywnhere else are pathetic. It's as if Sydney people pretend that winter doesn't exist and it never gets cold.
