People who make preparations for the winter know that it is best to store them in the cellar. A properly arranged room without additional means maintains optimal temperature and humidity so that food does not spoil for a very long time. However, condensation can appear and fungus can develop in the cellar due to a violation of ventilation or other reasons. In this case, mold can spoil all the products. Consequently, you need to start fighting the problem as soon as you notice the first signs of it.

How to get rid of fungus in the cellar? You can do it yourself. OBOZREVATEL has collected all the most effective lifehacks.

The reasons for humidity and fungus in the room for storage can be:

• impaired ventilation;
• moisture seepage from the soil;
• rising groundwater levels or simply a high water level that was not taken into account when the cellar was built.

The first step is to identify the root cause. Next, it should be eliminated accordingly. This can be cleaning vents, closing cracks in the walls and floor, installing a drainage system to drain excess moisture, etc.

Be sure to wash and dry all shelves, racks and containers that were in the cellar. To do this, take them out, wash, treat with suitable means if neccessary and dry. For wooden objects, it is best to use a concentrated solution of potassium permanganate or 10% copper sulfate solution. These means will kill the fungus and destroy its spores. All mold stains need to be thoroughly scrubbed with a brush. Placing furniture, baskets, crates and boxes back in the underground room will be possible only after the appropriate treatment.

What is better to treat the cellar with? Here you can use a solution of acetic or boric acid in the proportion of 20 ml per 1 liter of water. The resulting liquid is sprayed on the floors, walls and ceiling of the cellar. If there are wooden surfaces in the room, they need to be treated with a 10% solution of copper sulfate. For brick walls, a 5% solution of the same substance works best. After treatment, the cellar is left to dry out until the excess moisture disappears.

To protect the vault from the reappearance of mold, it can be prophylactically treated with lime. It absorbs excess moisture. Calcium chloride also has hygroscopic properties. Place a bowl with the substance in the cellar for a day and it will absorb water from the air.

When the cellar will be ready for the storage again, it can be further shielded from rising humidity levels by placing containers with salt, soda or ashes, while the floor should be sprinkled with dry sawdust. You can also lay out cardboards. They will absorb moisture, but have to be replaced from time to time.

Earlier OBOZREVATEL shared how to rid of the smell of paint in the house quickly during repair.

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