Mildew

Here's one of my biggest faults. I really don't like to clean. I could say I'm not that mobile, it's hard for me to get into all those areas or that it takes me a long time, but first and foremost- I really don't like it. I only get to it when there's something much more pressing and boring for me to do. But I do like having a clean apartment. That's why  have somebody who comes in and does it for me and I do a pretty good job maintaining the apartment between appointments. Restoring it a reasonable condition was something I was looking forward to ever since I returned from Munich, so when my cleaning lady fina lly came on Monday I was really excited. It was also a good excuse to take care of my luggage and clothing I brought in that had no business being in my living room. I may me that lazy but I like being able to just leave the house for a few hours and come back to a world that smells fresh, looks clean and organized. This time however the cleaner made a very unwelcome discovery. When she moved the dresser, she found that the carpet behind is covered in mildew. Black and brown smelly substance that you can scrape with your finger if you wanted to. Any piece of furniture that was standing on the carpet had it too as well as severe signs of water damage. Bottom drawers ruined. Boxes I had standing in that corner- still soaked - with things inside now useless, we had to throw out. Shelves that were resting against the wall waiting for us to hang them- wet and stained as well. The bottom layer of the carpet acting like a sponge and the water coming up to the middle section of the room. I only left two weeks ago and although it is harder for me to inspect every corner, the moldy drawers I would have seen. I was only gone two weeks, my bedroom has significant damage with no visible signs of a leak. I've had flooding in my apartment before, but it was typically in living area by the kitchen or bathroom either from a leaky toilet or dishwasher with water coming towards the carpet. This was my bedroom's corner by the window. I had no idea if a leak was still going on, as everything still felt wet. The emergency after hours maintenance service for my community determined that the water was soaked in from the outside, through the cement, as the grounds around the outside of my air conditioning united shifted. The regular staff that came in the next day decided that the water leaks into the wall by an opening near the window or the roof. For the last two days I've had fans and dehumidifiers in my room running 24/7, so I've been sleeping in my living room. Today I demanded that if they are so determined to have that carpet saved it needs to steam cleaned. So, with everything in the middle of the room my apartment yet again feels like a construction area. This is something that had to had been going on for a while with water collecting over time. . Now I know where the musty smell and feel of this place is coming from. I used to think it's simply an old apartment, but now I know why I've been plagued by allergies and cough every time I  was home longer. A perfect epilogue to my European adventure..