Is it a plane, is it a bird, no it's...

.... it's mildew folks. Inside my house. Again.

This is very weird for someone like me, who comes from a country where even the slightest sign of mildew inside a building sends off an alarm and suddenly you have 20 scientists inside your house discussing the reason for the mishap and a mildew-dog called Spot sniffing around to determine the size of the problem. In the mean time you go live with your parents or take a long vacation, because it's too dangerous to live inside the house. They'll also call the neighbors to do a check up, and if you're (un)lucky, they'll go on that vacation with you.

Here, it's a bit different. Usually the answer I've gotten has been:
a) oh, that's normal, just keep the windows open a bit more often and it'll go away
b) oh, that's normal, just clean the surface with some bleach and it'll go away
c) oh, no, what have you done you foreign girl, it's your fault it's too humid inside, you've dried your clothes inside the house. Now I'll make you pay

And here's my come back:
a) it's fucking winter, I'm not going to first pay a fortune for heating up the place to a ridiculous 18 degrees and then keep the windows open for hours
b) the mildew comes from within the wall, so if I only clean the surface part with bleach, the mildew will come back within 7 days
c) yes you're right, it's my fault. I called the International House of Mildew and asked them for a wall full of black shit. And for the record, I had to dry my clothes inside because the super-convenient "thing" you had built in the back yard for drying clothes was a complete disaster, and that one time I did put something there to dry, it got stolen.        

Fortunately, this time I got a different answer from my landlord. "Oh, no, I'm really sorry, I'll come by and check it out". Then a few days later I got a message "The moisture comes from the roof. In a few days time I'll come by with a handy man, we'll fix the wall inside and also outside". Gots to love my current landlord, he's awesome.

This is mildew on the inside corner of the wall...

I still wonder about the attitude of people towards mildew. An Italian friend of mine said that she also has mildew inside the house, but it doesn't really worry her that much. It was only when she flipped over her mattress and found out that the bottom side was full of mildew that she decided to wash the mattress really well and spray it with some anti-mildew-product. I would've thrown out the mattress and burned it in some pagan ritual, cursing it to the lowest depths of hell, but that's just me.

Here in Italy mildew is an everyday thing. The buildings are old and the humidity in the air is very high, so it's almost a miracle if you don't have mildew inside. Here nobody talks about the dangers of mildew, nor do they get sick by living in a house full of mildew, so I'm beginning to wonder how dangerous it really is. Time to consult the oracle that knows it all. Google.

Found this.
Click to know more about mold and mildew

A direct quote:
"Although a small amount of mold and mildew won’t hurt most of us, it begins to become a big problem when the mold spores get out of hand. When quantity does get out of hand, or when individuals who are highly sensitive to toxic mold, breathe it in, it can present a serious health hazard. Mold and mildew are known to cause respiratory problems, common allergic reaction symptoms, nervous-system disorders and depression."

Well, there you have it folks. Mildew is indeed dangerous. In fact, I think it's causing my bad mood and occasional suicidal thoughts. (Mom, that was a joke, there's no need to call me and ask me if I really want to kill myself. I don't)

... and this is just some dirt.
Learn to know the difference.

I'm thinking that there must be some middle ground between being hysterical about mildew and it's dangers, and a total lack of interest even though it's practically taking over your house and your bed. Obviously mildew isn't something you should have inside, and it's obvious that you'll get sick if you breathe in the spores for months on end. I think mildew is something you need to take care of, and fix your house in a way that there is none, but don't call Spot the mildew-sniffing-dog every time you have something black on the wall. It might also be regular dirt you know.

Wishing you all a mildew-free weekend. Breath it easy folks!