When mold began to spread in the old house on the outskirts of Schwerin where a young couple, Luisa and Thomas, lived, they had no idea what to do.
Air purifiers, special paints, vinegar, chemicals — nothing helped. In the mornings, the walls seemed to “cry,” and the air smelled of dampness.
“We live like in a basement,” Luisa complained.
One day, their elderly neighbor — Frau Marta, a short woman with a basket of fresh bread — stopped by.
Seeing Thomas scrubbing the walls with a brush, she only shook her head:
“You’re wasting your time, children. No paint can fix this.”
Luisa sighed:
“Then what should we do? We’ve tried everything.”
Frau Marta placed her basket on the table and calmly said:
“Do what our grandmothers used to do. I’ll show you.”
She walked to the window, took a fresh loaf of rye bread from the basket, and gently broke it into several small pieces.
Then, slowly — as if performing an old ritual — she placed the pieces in the corners of the windowsill.
“Just like that,” she said without looking at them. “Bread absorbs moisture and heavy air. Just don’t touch it until morning.”
Thomas smirked quietly, but out of respect, Luisa decided not to argue.
That night it rained. The air was thick and humid, but in the kitchen there was an unexpectedly pleasant scent — a mix of freshly baked bread and something warm, homely.
In the morning, Luisa was the first to wake. She walked into the kitchen — and froze.
There wasn’t a single drop of moisture on the windows. The air was dry, and the walls seemed to have “breathed out.”
“Thomas, come here!” she shouted.
Frau Marta came by later and simply smiled when she saw their astonishment.
“You see? I told you. Bread is alive. It doesn’t just feed — it protects.”
Since then, Luisa has crumbled fresh bread every week and carefully placed the pieces on the windowsills — just as Frau Marta showed her.
And the house truly never knew dampness again.
Neighbors wondered:
“Why does your house always smell so cozy — like at grandma’s in the countryside?”
And Luisa would smile:
“Because Frau Marta taught us a simple secret that almost everyone has forgotten.”
