I had the exact same problem in my apartment. I know de-humidifiers can be expensive but it was the absolute best money I spent. It takes care of the moisture issue and gets rid of the smell. You don't have to plug it in in the area you are having the problem. If your apartment is small enough you can put it in another room and it will still be helpful.

I second the dehumidifier. In our first place, I spent several hours a month standing on a ladder in the bathtub scrubbing mold / mildew spots off of the ceiling with a toothbrush and a bowl of bleach water. Once we got the dehumidifier, that problem went away.

Before you invest in fixing this, have you tried taking photos of the buildup at its worst and sending them to your landlord?

Excessive moisture can warp wood, mar paint and wallpaper, and encourage toxic mold growth. If it's already smelling musty, you may already have mold somewhere. Look around and see if you can spot any to take a photo of as well.

Ask your landlord if he would consider installing bathroom ventilation and/or an oven hood because you're unable to curb the moisture in the winter months and are afraid it will cause damage to the property. If there is mold, he has certain legal responsibilities.

Even if you're sure he'll say no, put this request in writing and keep a copy. That way, if there is any damage due to the moisture, if you have a dated copy of your notification of the problem, you can prove that you gave him a reasonable amount of time to fix it and protect your security deposit upon move out.

There's a product called Damp Rid that may help. It absorbs excess moisture in places like basements, attics, bathrooms. It's sold in supermarkets, home supply and hardware stores.

http://www.damprid.com/

I second akay's suggestion to talk to you landlord.

Also, take a look at your local housing laws. In many jurisdictions it's illegal not to have some sort of ventilation in a bathroom. If the law is on your side, your landlord will have to install some sort of fan for you.

You might also try putting a small fan someplace in the apartment (on top of the refrigerator?) and plugging it into an automatic timer that has 1/2 hour increments. It won't run all the time, but enough to keep air moving throughout your apartment. We have done this and while it won't make moisture go away it will keep it from concentrating in certain areas. Also, if you can possibly swing it, a dehumidifier would be a good investment.

A small space heater turned on for a few hours each day, around shower time and/or cooking hours, would help as well. Space heaters are not terribly expensive. Just don't leave it on when you aren't home.

I have a similar problem in my bathroom. No vent. Tiny bathroom. Sub basement so opening the windows, even in summer, is not optimal for my safety or privacy. I stick a space heater in the bathroom before, during and after my shower. I leave it on till I leave for the day. It has made a big difference and I got it on sale for about $40.

Oh, and check craigslist for used dehumidifiers. I wouldn't get a used heater for any reason, but dehumidifiers are a pretty safe bet and people leaving town or leaving a humid home do sell them.

i've had the moisture problem. my kitchen wall molded. i'm sure a window pain molded once. the windows just ran water all winter long.

I'm probably alone here, but a fairly humid apartment in the winter sounds amazing. I live in a dry climate and at a high altitude, so winter is brutal. My throat, eyes, skin, hair, etc is ridiculously dry all winter long and humidifiers do not help whatsoever!

I also don't have bathroom or kitchen exhaust but my living space is larger than yours.

I agree with the pro humidifier people. It was some money, but it was the best thing I bought when moving into my new place, and it takes care of the off smell. I can tell that I need to run it when I come home sometimes because the house smells different. Maybe you can ask for it as a gift of some sort, or just put some money aside for it, or even get it at home depot on their credit and you can pay it off in 6 months with no interest. I know credit cards aren't always good solutions, but if you think you and your partner can afford 20/month for it, you would pay it off in time.

And I also second mentioning to your landlord... maybe s/he would install a bathroom exhaust fan.

Akay is absolutely on target!

Living in a tropical climate, I deal with moisture problems all the time...year round.
Musty smells can often mean mold which You MUST get rid of. The smell is the least of your problems once mold sets in. Make sure to clean thoroughly with Clorox, or any number of mold inhibitors or killers...which will help.

As for Damprid, it is a GREAT product...I keep it in my closets which have bad ventilation....but it gets expensive to keep replacing. The more moisture you have, the more frequently they will need to be replaced. For what the damprid will cost over time, you are better off saving for a dehumidifier...

Akay is smart in telling you to contact the landlord and make him aware of this, as well as giving him the chance to correct it. I would just make sure that if/when you need to send a letter, Make Sure It is Sent either certified, or registered, Return Receipt Requested, very important! It costs a bit more, but it is worth its weight in gold...trust me!

Good luck!

de-humidifier, most definitely. my southeastern home is very humid, and when the AC is not on, i turn on my de-HMDFR, and close my bedroom door.

i've also used it to speed up paint drying, and it dries and warms my bedroom on cool, damp nights.

i spent enough on damp-rid to buy a de-humidifier, but still put one in my car during the rainy season (just make certain it's placed in a plastic box, on the car floor, to prevent tips and spills).

There are dehumifiers that just collect water in buckets or bags that come all assembled--and do not plug in to anything. You can get them at Target, some are built on hangers as well (perfect for closets).

* Also, there is no such thing as "toxic" mold. Mold is mold, it isn't healthy, but there isn't a certain kind or what not that is considered "toxic".

@Hollyconda,

You're splitting hairs, and incorrectly to boot.

"Mold is mold, it isn't healthy"
Nope. There are thousands of species of mold, and some of them are beneficial to humans, such as antibiotics or even a nice, tasty blue cheese.

"there isn't a certain kind or what not that is considered 'toxic'"
Nope again. Based on your quotes around the word, it seems as if you're interpreting the word toxic differently than I do, but I take it to mean something that adversely affects your health, and species of mold that proliferate indoors can certainly adversely affect your health.

According to the Center for Disease Control, "...exposure to molds can cause symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing, or skin irritation.... Severe reactions may include fever and shortness of breath. Some people with chronic lung illnesses, such as obstructive lung disease, may develop mold infections in their lungs."

"Also, take a look at your local housing laws. In many jurisdictions it's illegal not to have some sort of ventilation in a bathroom. If the law is on your side, your landlord will have to install some sort of fan for you."

Contrary to popular belief by many readers here, building code laws are not retroactive to existing/older buildings until such time that permits are drawn for the building to be renovated or added to - in which case items such as these would have to be brought up to code and inspected for compliance with the code.

Since the landlord is clearly not renovating or adding to the building, there's no code violation - furthermore, many jurisdictions view an operable window in a bathroom as sufficient ventilation.

Does anybody have any recommendations for dehumidifiers? Or features to look for? I just moved in to a 1,300 sf house and sometimes the windows are covered in water. I've run the heater but it doesn't really seem to help. Also, the bathroom is always wet...no matter how long I run the fan or if I leave the door open while showering. There's already mold forming on the ceiling!

bepsf, I think it varies depending upon safety issues, but that you're right; this won't be a building code issue. In my 60ish-year-old building, insufficient lighting in the staircases meant that the building was not up to code. So did an old gate that was built decades ago too close to an outside door. My landlord's attorney agreed that the door's lack of clearance and the poor lighting were fire hazards and fixed them, but bathroom ventilation is not really a safety issue.

Buuuut I agree with akay that you should notify your landlord. Just because it's not a legal obligation doesn't mean it's not in his best interest to install a fan. He might decide that it's less costly to him to prevent the damage now.

And, of course all mold isn't unhealthy -- hooray for penicillin! But boo to black mold -- I think it is scientifically correct to call it toxic, isn't it? Technically, I think penicillin is some kind of toxin, too. Either way, hollyconda, I'm not sure how all mold is unhealthy but no mold is toxic.

We keep our bathroom window open a crack even in winter, and we're in the midwest. You don't have to open it very wide to reduce the moisture level. Just remember to close it after 30 minutes or so, and keep the bathroom door shut.

i lived in a moldy apartment in san francisco, and it made me sick. i got bronchitis twice, and a sinus infection, all within the first 5 months of living there. it sucked.

i live in a building now where moisture is a problem. i'm in portland, in a 1920's building, and it's made of concrete. the interior walls are plaster. there is no insulation between the exterior and interior walls.

since i'm paranoid about mold based on what happened before, i did buy a dehumidifier. it helps a lot. i don't have to use it in the summer when the windows are open.

if the landlord won't install a vent, maybe he would buy the dehumidifier or help pay for one, with the understanding that you leave it when you go.

i keep mine in the closet and then leave the closet door open when i leave so that it can capture the moisture.

Tiffany,

Before jumping the gun, you must first determine if your problem even includes mold. IF, (big IF) but IF it does, you need to check your state laws on that. Mold has been a hot topic for years now...especially in southern states, although no state is immune to it. Although bepsf is correct on retro active code laws, defaultname is also correct in that mold might be the exception, depending on your state laws. Some states do consider mold a health violation, regardless of the age of a building.

First thing first....I suggest you talk to your landlord, and clear up the moisture problems.
If the smell continues, then you can look further into the matter.

Sometimes mold is in between your drywall and the building wall...hence the smell, even though you can't see it. I had mold problems between the walls that resulted in all drywall needing to be replaced in one bathroom and two bedrooms...others have to have mold remediation, which requires most or all walls to be replaced.
You can usually get rid of any visible mold with a simple clorox solution.
There are many different types of mold, one being called "black mold" or "toxic mold"....they are "toxic" only in the respect that they produce toxins......how sensitive you are to those toxins will determine how or if you are effected.
You can google "mold" or "toxic molds" to read more...

Mold can be pretty serious if you're sensitive to it. I found the following article from the NYTimes Magazine pretty striking when I read it a number of years back.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/12/magazine/haunted-by-mold.html

@VioletVeil -- After reading reviews and doing a crapload of research, I finally bought a 50-pint Frigidaire dehumidifier (also comes in 25- and 75-pint sizes). I've had it about a month now, and so far so good. Apparently many (many, many) dehumidifiers have problems with longevity -- at least reviewers indicate they do -- and tend to conveniently die at the close of their 12-month warranties. The Frigidaire inspired less hate than most other brands and was a decent price (which seems to have gone up, unfortunately), so I went for it. As I said, it's doing great... so far. Whichever brand you choose, I'd suggest buying from a brick-and-mortar store rather than an online outlet, since warranties don't cover shipping charges if it needs repairs. Happy hunting!

A small dish of apple cider vinegar will absorb most odors including those from even fish and cabbage. The additional advantage is it also kills any airborne mold spores.

VioletVeil - I have a 45 pint LG (purchased from Home Depot) that's been going for over four years now, despite my not-so-great upkeep on it. Who knew dehumidifiers should be taken apart and cleaned? I thought it was dying until my boyfriend did that and it worked like new again.

It's in my basement and definitely makes a difference. I like being able to hook up a hose and have it drain because otherwise it needs to be emptied daily.

My only complaint is that after taking the bucket out, it can be a pain to get it back and not knock the drain hose off.