# How did Floridians handle mold before air conditioning? (before c. 1960) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770 "2020-12-23T22:03:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/1 "2020-12-23T22:03:55Z")
So you’ve got a Cracker house with a big electric fan in the attic to help with airflow. Trees offer shade but don’t block the wind. What do you do about all the mold? That house isn’t going to cool all the way down to 72 in the summer and humidity outside might be 80% or more. All the walls and cabinets are made of wood, probably unpainted. The mold count is somewhere in the thousands. How did they do it? ~Max ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/2 "2020-12-23T22:12:16Z")
Curious to read any responses. My dad grew up in eastern North Carolina just as airconditioning became common. I’ve often wondered how his older family handled the miserable heat. My uncle has told me that he hated going downtown with his father when he was a small child, because his dad would stop and talk to friends - he was apparently very well-liked - and in the meantime, my uncle would be dancing around trying to keep the hot sidewalk from burning his bare feet. This would have been in the late 1940s. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2020, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/3 "2020-12-23T22:23:57Z")
I remember visiting my grandparents in Tampa in the days before AC. Although I was just a kid, I recall the answer to mildew and mold was lots of scrubbing, preferably with bleach. Even that was a losing battle. My mother used to complain that every trip to visit ended up with her trying to scrub into corners and crevices that my grandmother missed. As for human comfort, you dealt with it the best you could. ---
**Author:** ![md-2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/4 "2020-12-23T22:26:03Z")
I recall someone’s comment that air-conditioning destroyed the southern communities’ “community”. People used to sit on those covered (shaded) verandah’s outside; and chit-chat with neighbors. Windows were wide open and doors were wide open (with screens on) for the breeze. When air conditioning came along, everyone cranks up the air conditioning and stays inside with the windows and doors closed and so don’t interact with the neighbors Question from someone in a much cooler climate - is mold a big problem? I thought it was due to condensation from cold, particularly when you air condition in a humid environment. In ambient heat, how much mold do you get? ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/5 "2020-12-23T22:45:34Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > I recall someone’s comment that air-conditioning destroyed the southern communities’ “community”. People used to sit on those covered (shaded) verandah’s outside; and chit-chat with neighbors. Windows were wide open and doors were wide open (with screens on) for the breeze. When air conditioning came along, everyone cranks up the air conditioning and stays inside with the windows and doors closed and so don’t interact with the neighbors > > Question from someone in a much cooler climate - is mold a big problem? I thought it was due to condensation from cold, particularly when you air condition in a humid environment In ambient heat, how much mold do you get? Not sure about mold, but the heat was a huge issue for 19th century architects in Charleston, South Carolina. Being at sea level, on the confluence of two rivers with the ocean, Charleston has hot, wet summers. The city’s most iconic architecture is the [Charleston single house](https://www.dreamstime.com/historic-homes-charleston-sc-downtown-south-carolina-image143391090), a narrow but deep building with a long piazza running down the southern or western side of the second or third story, to take advantage of the breezes off the harbor. The houses usually overlooked a garden, bordered by a wall into which a door opened. Women of the house would often relax on the piazza in their petticoats. If the garden door was open, it meant that the owners were at home to visitors; but if the door was closed, looking up at the piazza (and anyone on it) was considered voyeurism. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2020, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/6 "2020-12-23T23:15:35Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > I recall someone’s comment that air-conditioning destroyed the southern communities’ “community”. People used to sit on those covered (shaded) verandah’s outside; and chit-chat with neighbors. I call baloney on this notion. People weren’t sitting outside to socialize - they were tolerating each other while avoiding the stifling heat indoors. Post AC, they ditched the busy-bodies and the stifling outdoor heat. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2020, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/7 "2020-12-23T23:43:44Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Question from someone in a much cooler climate - is mold a big problem? No, it’s not. You might get mold for something like leaky plumbing or maybe a leaky roof. But not from any normal set of circumstances. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2020, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/8 "2020-12-23T23:49:15Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Question from someone in a much cooler climate - is mold a big problem? We never had a problem with our building or clothes in Lae.PNG. The architecture has been described as ‘a tent’ because it didn’t separate you from the outside: a roof to keep the rain off, screen walls to keep the bugs out. Everything got a lot of indirect sunlight, and was well ventilated. On the other hand, it’s unbelievably fecund. You set down a piece of bread, turn around, and it’s growing mold. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/9 "2020-12-24T00:37:13Z")
Old-time Floridians knew not to leave unwashed dishes in the sink overnight. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/10 "2020-12-24T00:38:40Z")
I don’t know how Floridians did it, but when I was first assigned to Panama in the mid-70s, there was no aircon to speak of. If you left a pair of leather shoes or boots in a normal locker undisturbed for a week, you could count on them having a green patina that had to be cleaned off. We had “Hot” rooms in our barracks where unused clothing and other things that mold liked to grow on was kept. The room was kept at a high temperature using a heater. I don’t know if it was the high temp itself, or that the high temp caused lower humidity, but it worked great. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/11 "2020-12-24T00:55:31Z")
> [@MindsEye\_Watering](#): > > If you left a pair of leather shoes or boots in a normal locker undisturbed for a week, So this was part of how we handled it in Lae.PNG: Only 1 pair of shoes, which we didn’t leave in a dark closed place. Pretty much the same for clothes. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/12 "2020-12-24T02:25:07Z")
Lae.PNG? Military base, I’m guessing? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/13 "2020-12-24T03:22:45Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Military base, I’m guessing? Medical and Academic. Government housing. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/14 "2020-12-24T12:01:04Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > > [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > > > Military base, I’m guessing? > > Medical and Academic. Government housing Thank you, but I was wondering where that was? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/15 "2020-12-24T12:46:23Z")
My house has an attic fan. I used to run it a lot in early Spring and fall. Rainy days were a favorite time to use the attic fan. I started seeing mold on the baseboards and door frames. Running an attic fan pulls in too much moisture on rainy days. Lesson learned. I cleaned all the baseboards with water and a little bleach. I still occasionally like to use the attic fan on a early Spring evening. I stop when the pollen becomes a problem (late Spring). ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/16 "2020-12-24T15:59:08Z")
Mrs. Watering was born and raised in Florida without air-conditioning and she says it was all about keeping air moving throughout the house as much as possible. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/17 "2020-12-24T15:59:55Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > Thank you, but I was wondering where that was? I’m not him, but I bet he means the city of Lae in the country of PNG aka Papua New Guinea. > **[Lae](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lae)** > > Lae (/ˈlɑːeɪ, ˈleɪi/) is the capital of Morobe Province and is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located near the delta of the Markham River and at the start of the Highlands Highway, which is the main land transport corridor between the Highlands Region and the coast. Lae is the largest cargo port of the country and is the industrial hub of Papua New Guinea. The city is known as the Garden City and home of the University of Technology. > Lucas (1972) divides the history of Lae ... ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/18 "2020-12-24T17:27:41Z")
Thanks. You’re probably right. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/19 "2020-12-24T17:39:16Z")
Never had mold or mildew issues in our c1960 house in Hollywood Fl, it was cbs construction without A/C or even ceiling fans until much later. The soil was very sandy so great for drainage if that helped. Afaict no one ever had mildew issues. Termites, yes but never had to wage war against mold or mildew monsters. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770/20 "2020-12-24T17:47:28Z")
CBS= concrete block structure. Not stucco, that could be problematic FYI [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-floridians-handle-mold-before-air-conditioning-before-c-1960/928770.md?page=2)