Preventing Mold During the Rainy Season

Tea Tree oil is a pale yellow substance extracted from the leaves of the Melaleuca alternifolia. It's an amazing substance that has antiseptic, antifungal and antiviral properties.

Karyn Saunders of PlayaCommunity.com recently published a very useful article about using natural treatments to prevent and get rid of the mold that sometimes appears during the rainy season. Here it is:

The Moldy Season

Written by Karyn Saunders
Wednesday, 04 May 2011 09:38

The rain is coming and soon we will be amidst green grasses, lush flora, gentle sea breezes and great afternoon storms. The only downside of this season is the unwanted house guest: MOLD. It is a silent house guest, but annoying. By following some simple steps your guest will not stay for long. The following tips and tricks are quite simple and for the most part environmentally friendly.


1. If you own leather, give it away. I am really only half kidding. Leather purses, belts, jackets and untreated leather sofas will become green before your eyes. If you do own leather, get it into an airtight garment bag or in a very well ventilated room. Keeping it in a room that has an air conditioner running every so often, will help keep your leather mold free.

2. Vinegar and Water. Keep a spray bottle with 1 part vinegar 5 parts water handy at all times. Using this in your bathrooms, kitchen and even on your floors. A quick spray around your shoes or in the dark corners of your home, is not only nontoxic but is one of the best mold deterrents on the market, and it is a great alternative to bleach.

3. For those rooms that store a lot of your clothes or linens and may not get a lot of light or ventilation, turning your air conditioner on the dry setting for an hour a day will help to keep the humidity at bay.

4. Never use vinegar and bleach together. However vinegar and baking soda mixes well. Make a paste with the vinegar baking soda mix and gently scrub out mold spots on beds, clothing, shoes and furniture.

5. Tea tree oil is a very important extract to have in your home. Not only does it help in keeping your pets tics at bay, but it can also be used in a spray bottle with water to soak and rid mold from furniture, clothing etc. 15-20 drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle is all you need.

6. Eucalyptus or any fruit seed extract is great as a mold killer. Not only does it kill the mold but it smells great as well. Five drops in a spray bottle and you can spray as little or as much as you want.

7. Borax and Dishwashing liquid. Combine a little of each of these products and use it as a past, like you would comet or ajax. While Borax is earth friendly, it still has some health effects in large dosages.

Mold can be deadly if not kept in check. Many of the products we use can be equally as harmful to our health. It might take a little more spraying or scrubbing. It will also take educating your cleaning lady on the harmful effects that bleach has on pets, humans and the environment. By using the nontoxic remedies as listed above, you can sleep easy knowing you have killed the unwanted guest and you have done your part in keeping your home free from harmful chemicals.

Retirement in El Valle? - Questions from a Reader

I received an email from a reader named Rick with some questions about life in El Valle. Here are his questions and my answers in blue:

"Hi Wael, Thanks for all the information on your website. I have a few questions regarding year-round living (i.e. retirement) in el valle de anton:

(1) What is the low temperature and the high temperature on a typical day in El Valle?"

Answer: Temperatures in El Valle are extremely comfortable. The wet season (April to December, approximately) is warm, rainy and humid; dry season (January to March) is slightly cooler, windy and dry. Heating is never needed and AC is rarely used. You will often run a fan on a warm day. If you go out in the evening, you might sometimes need a light jacket, but mostly not. I'd say the lows to highs during the day are 65 to 85, and at night 55 to 70.

The humidity of course is high. In the beginning this can be quite uncomfortable, but eventually your body adjusts and you don't feel it anymore, except maybe when it rains on a warm day. The high humidity presents many other challenges when it comes to storing and caring for food, clothing, electronic equipment, etc, but that's a different subject.

Weather in El Valle is mostly lovely and perfectly attuned to human comfort, but at times it can be dramatic. Crashing thunderstorms, heavy downpours, lightning shows... the dry season is also very windy in El Valle - I mean, at times it sounds like it will tear your roof off - and that takes some getting used to.

(2) "Are there any houses to RENT on a long-term basis, or must I buy a house if I want to live there?"

Answer: The rental market in El Valle is always tight, but there are usually a few houses available. They range from "typical" Panamanian homes with small windows, no AC and primitive kitchens, to newer, more upscale houses. Rent could be anywhere between $400 and $1500 or more, depending on the house. In fact my house will probably be available for rent in May. I saw a recent posting on the El Valle forum regarding a house for rent and you should contact Larry and Becky from the Golden Frog Inn about it.

(3) "Since the juice of the green (young) coconut seems to help my kidney problem, I'd like to know if fresh green coconuts are readily available in El Valle - or do I have to go down into the lowlands to buy them?"

Answer: Coconuts grow everywhere in El Valle. You can buy them at the mercado or climb a tree with a ladder and cut them down with a machete. "Coconut water" is also sold in all the stores.

(4) "How long is the ride (by bus or motor scooter) from El Valle to nice beaches with very clean seawater for swimming?"

Answer: It is a 45 minute drive down the mountain to nice beaches such as Santa Clara beach. The bus might take a little longer.

(5) "Are the any freshwater options (rivers, lakes, waterfalls) near El Valle that are clean enough and warm enough for bathing and swimming?"

Answer: There are streams in the hills around El Valle with natural pools (in the photo at top you see a local waterfall called Chorro El Macho). The water would be slightly on the chilly side. I have often seen locals swimming in them, but never ex-pats or tourists. If you hike up the La India Dormida trail, you'll see some natural pools. I don't see any reason why you could not swim in them. There is also the thermal hot springs in El Valle, which charges (last I checked) $1.50 for admittance. Also, a few local hotels have swimming pools and will let you swim for a nominal fee.

Thank you!

Rick

You're welcome.

Frogs; First Rain; Weighted Walks; Rosa

We had a few light rains last week and the toads and frogs have come out in force. Some are quite large and must have been hibernating all summer long. They are everywhere in the road. Yesterday evening driving home from dinner with Cleo and his son Caliler, I stopped the car four times to shoo the frogs out of the road, so as not to run over them.

We had our first long, heavy rain this afternoon. Looks like we're easing into the rainy season, or perhaps we are already there. I checked the entire house for leaks and so far just the same minor leaks in the foyer area and the center of the living room that we had last year. We meant to have those patched but never got around to it. Now it'll have to wait until next summer.

I did another of my 30 minute "weighted walks" this evening, wearing a pack holding two 30 lb dumbbells. I would have liked to go longer but the strap was really cutting into my chest. I need to figure out some way to carry the weight more comfortably, maybe by padding the straps with something. I enjoy walking at night, and with the weight it's the equivalent of a one hour fast march.

I managed to get Rosa all booked up six days a week, out of which I will employ her two days. I needed to cut her hours back to save money, but I wanted to find other work for her first, and I'm happy that I was able to do that.

Laura tells me that Salma has learned the word "heavy" - more or less - and now everything she carries is "heawy, heawy!" She's been having some long crying fits and nothing comforts her. I know she is missing everything and everyone she has grown up with (except her Mama, of course). I may return to California to be near her later this year, in which case I will most likely rent out this house in El Valle. I will not sell it. This is one of the beautiful, peaceful places of the world and I hope this house will one day be passed on to Salma, who is a Panamanian citizen as well as an American, Egyptian, German, Muslim.

Here Comes the Rain; La Estancia; Darién

Invasion of the Bugs

Well, we're gearing up for another rainy season. The humidity has already kicked in, and the insect population is burgeoning as it always does at this time of year. The house is full of flying brown beetles, and small moths, and out in the yard the cicadas are stuttering and droning like little air raid sirens. Fireflies appear at this time as well. Sometimes a firefly gets into the living room and I can see its glowing eyes milling about at night. Last but not least, the sugar ants are making their first forays into the house, sending out scouting parties into every room.

We returned our friends Gillian and Elliot, who had been visiting us from California, to the airport last Friday and saw them off. We enjoyed their visit and I think they enjoyed themselves as well. They're preparing for a marathon and they spent their days running or hiking in the mornings. One morning they ran the dirt road behind Hotel Campestre that goes to Mata Ahogado and Altos del Maria. I believe they ran all the way to Altos and back. Afterwards they'd sleep or sit in front of the fan eating pineapple, watermelon and papaya, and reading magazines. Gillian would walk over to the market every day and buy the fruits herself, then cut them up for us all to enjoy.

La Estancia

Their flight was very early Friday morning so we actually went back to Panama on Thursday and spent the night at La Estancia. It's listed as an "author's choice" hotel in the 2006 Lonely Planet guide to Panama, but it was not what I expected. True, it's on the side of the forested Cerro Ancon, but it's basically a former apartment building in a row of other apartment buildings. Not exactly the forest hideaway I imagined. The hotel is hard to find, the rooms are quite small, and they could not provide us with a cot or small bed for Salma, so Laura created a makeshift crib out of two chairs and a pile of blankets.

On the other hand, the place has a homey feel to it. There's a common area with magazines on the table, Kuna molas on the walls, a piano, coffee and tea, an internet terminal for guests to use, and a balcony with a nice view of the Bridge of the Americas. In fact, each room has a good view of the bridge, which is lovely at night when it's lit up and glowing. In the morning the owners lead a 6 am hike up to the top of Cerro Ancon, where you may be lucky enough to spot some wildlife. G&E naturally went on this hike, and I naturally did not - not because it's an especially difficult hike, but because it's at 6 am, for goodness sake.

The kitchen staff makes breakfast to order, and Mi Pueblito is just down a trail.

I might stay there again sometime.

The Darién

I've become increasingly fascinated with the Darien, both the province and the forest. I've spent a lot of time looking at maps of Lago Bayano (technically in Panama province, but on the way to Darien), the little towns along the InterAmerican, La Palma, and some of the more obscure small towns along the Pacific Coast near La Palma, like Garachiné and Playa de Muerto (the Beach of Death).

Nico has been saying that he wants to make a trip to Darien to buy crafts from the Embera and W ounan Indians who inhabit that area. I may go with him.