Mold??? Deal with??

[Derya]

Umm I'm not speaking of mold on my person or my food I'm referring to in my house. Most specifically problems with recent growth mold in the basement, which is a totally finished and furnished apt. mostly above ground. Just the back half is below ground as the property is on an incline. I don't get the recent rampant growth. Have utilized this part of the house for full living quarters for years and never had this even when there has been leaking or flooding in past (and that's years ago not recent). FYI already use a dehumidifior all warm months and it fills like every day or so.

Anyone dealt with this much? Best way to clean? Safety factors? I began looking at websites. Any suggestions on best website info? I found some information on cleaning methods, but any thoughts on how to judge when its a job not just for cleaning but for a professional to take a look at? Suggestions for knowing how to make a good decision on hiring someone qualified from the outside? This is all a bit new to me and there are individuals in my home who are at an increased health risk because of lung disease so it needs to be addressed and they don't need to be in the area of the extensive mold.

I've always found such a wide variety of experience at Lit on all topics not just sexual...so thanks for your input.

 

[yoshimitsu]

To just kill what's easilly acessable bleach works the best as long as the surface can take it.
You mix the bleach with water (I don't remember how much) wipe it on and let it dry. A little while later scrub it off.

I am guessing the part that's molding is the part underground. If it's cinderblock or concrete it's not waterproof so it probably has some sort of waterproofing paint on it. This paint may be getting old and not working as well. You may have to get more and repaint it. It's a special paint you will have to look for specifically designed for sealing that material.
The water is getting in from somewhere so the first step is to try and find the source.

 

[curioushorny]

I'm sure this will be no help at all but...

Its interesting to see how somebody else tackled the problem.

http://www.anapsid.org/slugcleaner.html

For me, I'd rather stick with mold.

 

[red_jane_doe]

I live in a basement apt which is partly above ground but I do have mold/mildew issues too. I don't have a lot of advice other than the dehumidifiers, maybe you need one per room, esp if it's filling up once a day. I also clean with bleach. I have a couple of closets that are worse than others so everything in those closets are stored in rubbermaid containers to keep them safe. I also make sure there is air circulating all the time. I have ceiling fans on and I had the air set to run for two hours during the hottest part of the day. When possible, I open windows and doors (although I don't have many) to keep fresh air coming in.

 

[naughtynips]

To just kill what's easilly acessable bleach works the best as long as the surface can take it.
You mix the bleach with water (I don't remember how much) wipe it on and let it dry. A little while later scrub it off.

I am guessing the part that's molding is the part underground. If it's cinderblock or concrete it's not waterproof so it probably has some sort of waterproofing paint on it. This paint may be getting old and not working as well. You may have to get more and repaint it. It's a special paint you will have to look for specifically designed for sealing that material.
The water is getting in from somewhere so the first step is to try and find the source.

Totally agree with this....... it is so important to find the source, and also kill off the spores, before the repaint. You can buy a prepared solution from the paintshop, but I have used say 500 ml bleach to 2 litreswater, and stick some safety glasses on, grab a big paintbrush, and put it on that way. Have plenty of ventilation while doing this eh. If you can, use a non water based paint, as any lurking spores can regrow as they can 'breathe' thru w.b paint. and it will pop the paint off, pretty quickly.
NN

 

[yoshimitsu]

Have plenty of ventilation while doing this eh.

OMG yes I almost killed myself cleaning my bathroom one time. I was so sick I couldn't get out of bed for days.

 

[Derya]

This is overwhelming

Thank you all so far for the comments...I am learning so much. You would think one should know some of these things but you don't think about mold until you have it. I've got a bad situation regarding how dispersed it is and how it has gotten out of control without more attention. Most probably we are looking at having to use some professional help ($$$$ ) and I hate that cost but I have senior parents living in the same dwelling and one of them is already compromised health wise and the prevalence of this and this being their home I can't be careless with the cleanup. Unfortunately I'm sure I've already worsened things trying to do some cleaning but then learned its a whole lot more places than I thought. Oh well any continued experience or knowledge is helpful...even just to my emotions which as I said are on overload right now. I'll keep you posted too!!

 

[Guest]

 

[Lynxie]

My hubby and I just had to treat a mold problem in our attic. We shopped around, and decided it was far too expensive to have it done professionally. We figured we'd try it ourselves, first. We treated it about 3 weeks ago, and there's no sign of it coming back.

The product we used is called Shockwave, and it's manufactured by Fiberlock Technologies, Inc. It's basically an antifungal/disinfectant liquid concentrate. It's easy to find by the gallon, but we were lucky to find a website that sold it in 10 oz bottles (PM me if you need the site...I'll have to check with my husband). You only need a small amount, as 1 oz. dilutes into 1 gallon of the solution. Pour into hand-pump sprayer and presto! No more mold.

It's a great little product, and is safe enough to use in your home. I guess it's pretty common in hospitals. After we sprayed down our attic, we did our entire basement as well. There was no mold visible, but we definitely have a moisture problem down there. After you've gotten rid of your existing mold problem, I'd recommend dehumidifiers to keep the space dry.

 

[dragon_gurl]

IF it is black mold then you should just hire a professional since it is very toxic, when pro's clean up black mold they look like a haz mat crew, for a good reason. If you chose the dyi route you might consider a clean up consultant so you at least know what you are dealing with and how to protect yourself from the underlying problems it could cause.

 

[HoldenMcCrank]

Ok so here is my suggestion

Mold needs water. Dehumidifiers are band aids not cures. You will need to find the source of water. Weather it is a downspout that isn't diverting water away from the foundation or something else. To cure the problem you will need to find the source. Good luck.

Holden

 

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

 

[Lynxie]

Lynxie, you might want to monitor the amount of condensation you get in your attic. If condensation is constantly present, check to see what kind of ventilation presently exists (soffit vents, ridge vents, gable vents or roof vents) and look for ways to add ventilation (any windows that can be opened or installing a combination of these vents.) Also check to make sure any bathroom/kitchen vents or fans are not venting into your attic. They MUST vent outdoors.

It's also a good idea to check the underside of the roof during winter months, since excessive moisture will result in frost (at least for your locale.) If you get this condition, its possible that moisture from hot showers is making its way to the attic, or if you are running a humidifier the setting is too high.

Its great to be a happy homeowner!

Thanks Scaly, but we know what the problem is. The bathroom isn't vented (just has a window), so moisture works its way up into the attic and sits there. Sometime this fall we'll be installing a bathroom vent/fan that will vent through our soffit vents (woo, 3 vents in one sentence!). We'll spray again after we do that, and replace the bathroom floor as well. We already had to replace the tub surroud... you should have seen the crap growing behind there! Mold's gross.

Another point: There are all different kinds of mold. The black stuff is generally poisonous and IS best dealt with by professionals. If you do it yourself and don't get it all, you're putting your health at risk, as well as the wood in your home. If it's greenish or greyish-white, there's a 99.99% chance that it's not poisonous, but it can still aggrevate allergies and asthma. It's a bit safer to treat on your own (see my above post), but be careful... mold can quickly spread into the walls and under floors in your home.

 

[Guest]

 

[Lynxie]

I'm glad you know what the source is. About the only thing worse than mold is cat piss on carpet.

We had to deal with that, too. We ripped out and refinished the floors in 3 rooms. Yay!

 

[JohnnyA]

i concur with bleach