Mold on clothes causing cough: DIY or call professional?« Back to Previous Page

The mold on your clothes is a likely cause for the persistent cough, especially in children who are more sensitive to airborne spores. The storage cupboard under the stairs in a Mirdif villa is a classic problem area; it's often poorly ventilated, and Dubai's high humidity, especially during summer nights, creates condensation that fuels mold growth on fabrics and walls.

For a small, contained area on clothes, you can attempt a DIY clean. Discard heavily infested, non-valuable items. For washable fabrics, use a stiff brush outdoors to remove dry spores, then wash them at the highest safe temperature with a mold-killing additive like white vinegar or borax. Sun-drying is highly effective. However, this only addresses the symptom, not the source inside the cupboard.

You must inspect the cupboard itself for mold growth on walls, ceilings, and stored items. The cough suggests spores are airborne, meaning the problem is active. If the visible mold covers more than one square meter, or if there's a musty odor or visible water staining, professional assessment is strongly recommended. DIY attempts on larger infestations can aerosolize a high volume of spores, worsening the air quality and health effects.

A professional inspection will identify the moisture source—often condensation from temperature differences or a minor leak—and the mold species' potential hazard. Remediation involves containing the area, using HEPA filtration to clean the air, and treating the surfaces with antimicrobial solutions. For health-related cases, post-remediation verification testing is advised to confirm the spore count has returned to safe levels. Addressing the root cause, often by improving ventilation or installing a dehumidifier in such storage spaces, is crucial to prevent recurrence.