After much discussion and a very bad event - will explain later - my wife and I are back in Connecticut. The home we are renting (whilst looking to buy) has a distinct smell in the basement. Upon closer inspection I see mold. I do not think it is in the dry wall, but I can see it between some of the insulation in the floor boards. My allergies along with my wifes, have been going apeshit. Will running a dehumidifier help that much? What else can I do? HELP!!!
try some mold killer, or anti-mold products.
Good ideas. I would also recommend an anti-mold agent.
As someone with really bad mold allergies, my advice to you is to look for another house that doesn’t have this problem. You’re renting. Consider it a gift from Og that you found this out now before you bought the house.
You may eliminate the mold, but will you be able to fully address what made the house vulnerable to that problem to begin with?
Whatever this house has going for it, it’s not worth your health. It *might * be worth the money to fix, but not worth ongoing health problems.
I agree. But we are not buying this house…just renting it from a relative until we find a house to buy or build.
Mold in Basement veteran:
I run a most Energy efficient De-Humidifier I could find.
I used lots of rags and spray bleach. I bleach cleaned walls, rafters and furniture.
**It was a lot of work. **
I used a small window fan to exhaust the air out of the basement while I was working.
I have aggressively attacked the leaks in my basement with Pipe Repairs. (Done)
Waterproof where the Cinder Block and Cement floor come together.
I use a Hydraulic cement and Dry-Loc water proofing paint.
My basement is much better than it was.
Cleaning the rafters was a nasty job but needed.
**It was a lot of work. **
Bleach is a great and cheap mold killer.
**It was a lot of work. **
Jim
As I read it again, may be it isn’t this house you are looking to buy. Still, mold can be a serious problem and is probably something your landlord is accountable to fix. It may even be a reason for you to break your lease. Look into what your state has to say from a landlord/tenant/building code perspective.
Any mold that you would kill would be visable only–what about the mold that you can’t see? I’m not trying to contribute to paranoia, but there’s been some disturbing media reports on the hazards of mold.
Personally, I’d bow out of the rental asap.
And now I see you’re renting from a relative. So I change my advice to, they better let you out of that lease!
But if you do decide to get this cleaned up, don’t have the mold-allergic people (you) do the cleaning, and ask a professional how long you should stay out of the house. Because the cleaning process stirs up the mold into the air. You could get really sick.
Another short-term alternative might be to find a way to seal off the affected areas. Can you close the doors and any ventilation to affected rooms? If it’s something like the whole downstairs, though, this is probably not realistic.
Does anyone else think that while Mold is a problem, the current frenzy over it is over the top?
Some hard work and a good de-humidifier should rectify the situation. If renting, I would discuss it with the landlord and see if they will compensate you in reduced rent for the clean up.
If you are allergic, it’s not over the top. You really shouldn’t be living around it. My mother and I have both gotten very sick from this on separate occasions, she had to be hospitalized. Sure, like everything for some people this is the “disease of the week.” But the OP is talking visible mold and allergic people who are already experiencing symptoms. I for one think he should take it seriously. Seriously as in move his family out, not sue the relative or burn the house down.
My house has moderate mold problems, but we are able to keep on top of it. IMO, there are three keys…
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Humidity. This is by far the worst culprit. A dehumidifier works wonders, and uses very little electricity. Weatherizing your windows and walls so they don’t sweat in cold weather and contribute to humidity is also important.
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Heat. Room temperature an above, mold doesn’t seem to like. But when rooms get colder, our mold rate increases. Insulate and heat your basement.
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Light. Dark places (behind bookcases, inside closets, behind picture frames) promote mold. This has caused us to double our big spring cleanings, and rearranging the furniture a couple of times a year, which has helped enormously.
When fighting mold, remember that it was here first and doesn’t like us very much. Basically, mold will grow wherever it’s warm, wet and it has food.
**Warm ** - not too hot and not too cold. If you’re comfortable, odds are that the mold is too. So this isn’t going to be easy to stop.
**Wet ** - without a water source, mold will not grow. Here in Alabama, humidity alone makes it very hard to fight mold.
**Food ** - mostly cellulose. The paper backing on most drywall? Perfect for mold. Leaves, lint, whatever? Mold digs it all.
So to fight mold, you have to kill the mold and control the moisture. Borax works well (1 teaspoon to 2 cups hot water in a spray bottle). Bleach and vinegar also work. Humidity should be kept below 60% to inhibit mold growth.
From the Connecticut Department of Public Health… - Lots of links for more help.
[QUOTE=DeVena]
Bleach and vinegar also work.
I think that should read bleach OR vinegar. Combining bleach AND vinegar produces toxic gas (similar to bleach and ammonia). Don’t do it.