The first thing you need to know about owning a holiday home, is that when you stay for a holiday – it’s never really a holiday. There are always things to do and people to see and you’re always looking for ways you can make things better.
Today I had noticed a tiny black mark on my bedroom wall. Hmm I tutted to myself – don’t tell me I’ve even got condensation in my Canarian property!
So the thing is (and I won’t bang on about this too much) but fresh air and ventilation is really bloody critical to a property keeping nice!
Having already had a vent fitted a few years back, I decided to install another. As much as I can advise people to open windows – I cannot force them – hence the installation of another vent helps me.
Moving the furniture to check on the level of black dot stains I decided I would wash the walls now to nip any future issues in the bud. Chatting to the maintenance guy, he told me to go to the hardware store in town where they sell a really good product that would sort it.
Not wishing him to think me an amateur, I didn’t like to confess I usually just use bleach. So off I go in search of this miracle product.
Arriving at the store I try and explain in Spanglish what I’m after. When that doesn’t work I try to mime. Obviously a charade of condensation was never going to be anything more than a charade and they gave me their computer so I could use Google translate.
“Ah!” they said in recognition of my flailing arms and puffed out breath when they read the Spanish of what I was after.
“No, we don’t have anything”. Was what they said, but in the Spanish version which involved a lot of head shaking and shrugging of shoulders.
And so I go to the next hardware store which is so mega busy they run a ticketing system. I try and check out the shelf of products to see if they have anything suitable, but alas I’m stumped, and grab a ticket instead and wait in line for advice. Twenty minutes later and no further down the line I decide to quit the wait and go elsewhere.
Success! I have a product which even has the black damp spore pictures on it and having checked with the sales assistant on my choice, I make the purchase.
Back at the house I proudly produce my miracle product to the maintenance guy’s son.
He looks at the bottle and mehs.
“Have I got the wrong thing?” I ask, bothered by his despondency.
“No, looks ok,” he shrugs and turns the bottle over in his hands, “it’s just we always use bleach and that does the best job.”
I smile at him sweetly and take back my overpriced miracle product I’ve spent the morning buying.
Next time, I’ll not worry about being an amateur and just grab the bleach!