uGGGG! Mold!

[windmorn]

I'm typing this quick as mom is ready to go to town and I NEED out of this house asap. I've got a chest cold and mom and dad's house may be the end of me. I'm supposed to stay here until the boys get done with their hike, but I'm afraid I'm not going to be able to for health reasons. I'm considering asking dad to open my grandmother's house for me it's so bad, but we'd still need to shower here. :/ The problem is they never open the house and it's damp and moldy/musty. I thought I might be able to cope until I opened the shower this morning and there's mold everywhere! Maybe the answer has already been posted, but is there anything to help this?!? I'm buying some clorox cleanup and some herbal drops that help build immunity to mold if I can find them. I've got some at home and forgot to bring them. My 34 yr old sis lives here as well and I'm appalled that she has let things get the way they are. She's got a degree in sports medicine for crying out loud and should know all this dampness and mold isn't healthy!!! Thanks for letting me vent and for any suggestions. Now that I'm setteled for a few days (maybe) I can check in more. If I go to my grandmother's, I'll be without tv and internet :/ but also the mold.

[Mother]

Windmorn, we were forced to leave our home because of mold and I am not a bad housekeeper. We did find it first in the bathroom and I deligently scrubbed and scrubbed to get rid of it. But as I became more and more ill (already was ill but this was worse) we finally started looking for it in other places. We found it inside walls and under floors even in the mattresses. None of these places were places a person could 'clean' regularly.

 

Our health department says it is a normal part of inside and outside life in certain amounts (which varies from area to area of the country and world actually) but in higher than normal levels Mold can be dangerous. It causes all sorts of illnesses depending on the type of mold. Everything from lung and allergy problems to neurological and physiological diseases and even is thought to be connected with dementia. We found it was not so much the mold we could see as the unseen mold that was problematic. If we had not moved out of our house voluntarily we could have been made to move by the health department. We have been out for a year and a half but I am still suffering from the allergic sensitivities that it escalated. Any time I come near mold (or perfumes/chemicals/etc.) I have terrible reactions.

 

Please, do NOT take this mold lightly and don't be to quick to blame your family as it's very difficult to contain. Sometimes the mold itself can make one apathetic (or too ill/weak) to want to clean it. Also, bleach alone does not destroy mold. And unless constant cleaning is carried on, it can return in just days. Be very careful in removing it as well. Perhaps wearing a mask and gloves while you do. Do not vacuum dry mold for that just spreads it further. If you use a dehumidifier to keep the dampness at bay, be sure to keep the appliance clean as well as mold can grow in it and be spread. And if the mold is also in the walls, it will take a major effort and renovations to remedy it. Depending on the type of mold (there are all sorts of different molds out there)and the concentrations your family could be at serious health risk with it. You might also want to rethink your Grandmother's house if it is in the same area. It could have hidden mold as well.

 

Another suggestion. You can get mold detector kits at Home Depot and I'm sure at other similar places. They are about ten dollars and will tell you if there is mold in other areas, especially hidden mold if it's free in the air. You will need one for each room/area you want to test. You can also send the test into the company (for an additional $30 though) to find out what type of mold you have. With that you will also find out if the mold is at dangerous levels as well. The tests alone might be anough to convince your family that they are living in a dangerous situation. Seeing those small and growing green/gray/black spots appear on the petri dish is pretty daunting.

 

Home Depot also has a mold inhibitor spray that is pretty effective if used after the area has been cleaned. We use it on anything we have cleaned thoroughly from the old house before bringing it into the new one but we are very careful not to bring anything that can't be properly cleaned (books, furniture, etc).

 

Good luck, and please don't stay in the mold any longer than you have to.

[Amishway Homesteaders]

.......................... remember while you are cleaning it up NOT to breathe any of it! Maybe a mash could help?

[windmorn]

Thanks for the advice. :AmishMichaelstraw:I'll have to look into a mash. I did get some primatene tablets after mom bought them for me. They have a rule at the local wal-mart that they can only sell products with ephedrine/psuedophed to county residents do to the high number of drug labs in the area. I guess you aren't supposed to get sick away from home. They seem to be helping. Nothing's helped the cough other than ginger tea though and I'm getting sick of it after 2 weeks because I was taking it in DC for motion sickness. :/