this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
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Explain Like I'm Five

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Can my apartment become moldy if I don't live in it? I don't understand the whole negative air pressure thing (lemmy.world)
submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by jlyndby@lemmy.world to c/explainlikeimfive@lemmy.world
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Is it bad if my apartment doesn't get any drafts in it? I want to block the front door gap, but my dad got mad and said this would cause mold issues.

How and why? I mean I don't live there so why would it become humid?

It's not really an option to keep it open cause I'm allergic to some of the stuff that comes in from the neighbours

Follow up question: is it true that turning the bathroom fan on won't do anything, if there isn't somewhere outside the apartment that air can be drawn from?

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[–] FeelzGoodMan420@eviltoast.org 14 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

All mold cares about is humidity. If relative humidity is over like 55-60% then mold will grow. That's it. Stale air and lack of airflow help to keep humidity high because air is not being circulated evenly. You can get pockets of high humidity in certain areas. So that will add to the chances of mold.

[–] AbouBenAdhem@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Technically it’s a combination of absolute humidity and temperature. Bathrooms can be prone to mold even if they’re not any more humid than the rest of the house, because metal plumbing can conduct heat out of the room into the ground—causing the room to get cold enough for moisture to condense even if the water fixtures in the room aren’t in use.

[–] FeelzGoodMan420@eviltoast.org 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Yeah, for sure. Relative humidity is influenced heavily by temperature so i kinda baked that into my answer haha.