# How should I handle this landlord situation? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 1, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109 "2010-11-01T18:25:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109/21 "2010-11-02T02:04:01Z")
One other thing that would help is to get a squeegy, and use it to wipe the water off the shower walls at the end of the shower, then off the floor and down the drain. Less water on the walls and floor means less water in the air to be dehumidified or vented out. They make squeegies for just this purpose. Get one with soft rubber, and a foot wide if you can. We had a shorter, stiffer one, and it didn’t work as well (might have been OK on tile, but we have fiberglass). ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109/22 "2010-11-03T13:28:06Z")
Good suggestions, all. I’m thinking hard about removing the door and storing it until I move. The landlord will never be the wiser. The problem is that this is a century-old rowhome, and I imagine I would have to have a door custom-made to fit the frame. Would reporting the bathroom to the health department pretty much cause my landlord to end my lease as soon as he could? ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109/23 "2010-11-03T14:54:39Z")
Of course the other option is just start sleeping with your roommate so you can leave the door open when you shower. [Or get a hippie/medical professional/budhhist roommate who’s cool with naked human bodies. But that’s not as interesting]. Not recommending, just pointing it out as an option… ---
**Author:** ![Time\_Like\_Tears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/df705f/32.png) [@Time\_Like\_Tears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Time_Like_Tears)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109/24 "2010-11-03T17:32:18Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Good suggestions, all. I’m thinking hard about removing the door and storing it until I move. The landlord will never be the wiser. The problem is that this is a century-old rowhome, and I imagine I would have to have a door custom-made to fit the frame. > > Would reporting the bathroom to the health department pretty much cause my landlord to end my lease as soon as he could? You can have your temporary door cut to fit pretty easily. While they’re at it, have them cut a hole in it in which to install a small exhaust fan. This is what I am considering here now, because my bathroom has the same problem except there is a window (too cold to open it now!). Even a regular electric fan placed to pull air out of the room, coupled with a vent on the bottom of the door, would do wonders for the dampness. All that moisture is certainly doing damage that no one can see. There was a vent system installed in the first place for a reason. Your landlord will likely find all sorts of fun issues later on down the line, not least being rotten floors, studs, and support beams. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109/25 "2010-11-03T18:41:12Z")
Open the door. I have the same bathroom, and I get your hesitation, but it’s the most direct and easiest fix. It will help tremendously. Towel off in the tub and wear a bathrobe once you’re out. ---
**Author:** ![Caveat\_lector\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@Caveat\_lector\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caveat_lector_1)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109/26 "2010-11-03T18:53:54Z")
Could leave the door open and put up a curtain with some kind of tension rod. That’d let the steam out and keep it somewhat private. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109/27 "2010-11-03T19:04:19Z")
Corner doroway fan. [http://www.smarthome.com/3008/Entr-eAir-Doorway-Booster-Fan-RR100/p.aspx](http://www.smarthome.com/3008/Entr-eAir-Doorway-Booster-Fan-RR100/p.aspx) You could turn it on as soona s you get out and open the door. With a little creativity, you should be able to attach it to the door jamb with brackets and still be able to close the door. “Door Jamb” appears to be my word of the week. Don’t know why. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109/28 "2010-11-03T19:21:40Z")
> [@sugar\_and\_spice](#): > > You could get a tension rod curtain, then you don’t even have to take the door down. Just put that up in the doorway when someone is in the shower, with maybe a foot or so of space at the top, and leave the bathroom door open. It should be passable for a few weeks, you could try that and it it helps then you can think about something more permanent involving a different door. A curtain rod is actually a pretty good solution. Nothing is hacked up or moved and it’s economical. Is there a window in this bathroom? What is the situation behind opening it and putting a fan there? You could bring the top window down and put an exhaust fan there. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109/29 "2010-11-05T17:29:55Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Good suggestions, all. I’m thinking hard about removing the door and storing it until I move. The landlord will never be the wiser. The problem is that this is a century-old rowhome, and I imagine I would have to have a door custom-made to fit the frame. At the risk of being glaringly obvious, why not just commit to opening the door after showering and then leaving it open until someone needs privacy? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2010, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109/30 "2010-11-05T23:40:42Z")
I like the curtain idea. That way there’s a door still there for guests and for smelly private moments. A fan installed through the door or doorway would vent smelliness and sounds as if there were no door… ---
**Author:** ![MarkD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@MarkD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarkD)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109/31 "2010-11-07T13:03:53Z")
Take a bath instead. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-handle-this-landlord-situation/559109.md?page=1)