36 replies to this topic

[TheCG]

I have issues with mold. We already know this.

We had a plumbing issue. It involved raw sewage flowing under the wall of our house from the base of the toilet all the way to the outside. The plumbing issue is (we hope!) fixed. I poured bleach under the wall in hopes that it would kill anything that was growing in there.

Apparently it didn't. Our bathroom constantly has mold growing on the walls of the shower. I end up scrubbing it down every time I'm in the shower.

I've been getting very nauseated and tired at home. I get heartburn almost every night. I don't get much done because I'm exhausted.

I went to help my bosses set up their new office, which involved me being out of town for 4 days.

I didn't have any problems, even though we were eating out and eating crap the entire time.

I came back...and had heartburn that night and have been nauseated and tired all day.

We can't afford to take the wall down right now.

I plan on getting an air filtration system or 2, and putting one in my bedroom and one in the living room (the bathroom is off our bedroom, and shares a wall with the living room).

Is there anything else I can do? I don't want to be sick the entire time I'm at home!

[CrabGrassAcres]

Can you ventilate that bathroom better?

[Philbe]

CGA this is indeed a very dangerous issue and NOT to be toyed with. Mountain Man ran into alot of mold problems when he did repairs & maintenance on vacated homes...and the "law" said if it was more than 100 continuous sq.ft. he couldn't touch it, and they'd have to call in professional mold remediators. Then, we had a friend that had a ballroom where we used to go dance. The building caught fire and the fire department dosed it with water and the basement started to mold shortly thereafter...not to mention he had a leaky roof that caused some other places to start molding. We cautioned him that he needed to shut the place down for "repairs" and not allow unknowing people to sit there every weekend for hours. He admitted that even he had been ill...weak, dizzy, and lots of other issues. I am pretty sensitive to mold smells so I knew and told him I just couldn't be around it because even just a good sniff and I'd wake up with a headache and sinus congestion the next morning. MM also had reactions to it. He did the "bleach job" instead of pulling out the damaged sheetrock (like MM told him needed to be done) so we just don't go there any more. We even printed out online materials for him to show him the danger he was putting other people in, and he convinced himself that it was just minute, and that bleaching would take care of it. I'm not trying to frighten you, but I'm concerned for your health. Yank that darned sheetrock out, get the moisture dried out (it can't dry if it's covered up) and put some moisture resistant rock up....asap! Besides that...if you ever decide to sell your place, some states (our included) have a "sellers disclosure" that you'll have to sign when you list, asking you if you've had any moisture problems OR mold problems...and how you solved them. Don't mean to sound like a know it all, but both MM and I have worked in the real estate field for over 30 years and have seen alot of damages to houses. Katrina people suffered as much from the mold as they did from other stuff. Don't be angry with me, like I said...I'm really concerned for you. Hugs...

[lumabean]

Even if it looks unsightly for awhile, would you be able to just take the wall/sheetrock down and then wait until you could afford to replace it later? Based on your symptoms, and Philbe's experience in the field, it sounds very dangerous, and seemingly could spread and cause more damage that would be more expensive to fix down the line.

I'm sorry you have to deal with this and the health and monetary expense it poses to you.

[TheCG]

The problem is that the wall behind the toilet and shower backs up to the living room. We'd be basically ripping out a wall that would let people see from our living room into our shower. We do have the window in the bathroom open now and the door into the bathroom from the bedroom closed, trying to keep more of it out of the bedroom. By the end of the year, we might be able to rip it out and get it fixed, but I'm not sure if we'll be able to afford it by then. We may have to rip out the carpet in the living room as well. I'll just keep working in my office for the moment, and run the air filters as much as we can.

[Annarchy]

I believe Mother had an issue with mold. Horrible consequences. See her post here: http://mrssurvival.c...=1

Bleach and Lysol are temporary fixes.

CDC Info: http://www.cdc.gov/mold/stachy.htm

Wiki: http://en.wikipedia....ki/Stachybotrys

[CrabGrassAcres]

You can tack up a curtain for privacy. I'd rip the wall out if it were me.
Put a fan in that window to blow the air out while you are getting something more definitive done.

We went thru a flood just enough to wet the insulation under the mobile. I couldn't get anybody else to help me and had to make multiple trips crawling under there to rip out the wet insulation. It took me several months because I couldn't do much at a time and it kept raining. I couldn't crawl around in mud too well, let me tell you. I had major mold problems till the insulation was out.

[TheCG]

I'll talk to my husband and see what we can do when, since he'll be the one who will have to do most of the work. I woke up this morning with a sore throat and itchy eyes. I just got over pink eye (for the third time since we moved into this house), so NOT happy.

[TheCG]

He estimated that it would take us 4 days to take the wall down because of all the plumbing and electric that is in it.

We can't do that right now, so maybe by the end of the year.

[themartianchick]

We have a rental property where someone broke in and stole all of the copper pipes in the middle of winter. Though hubby realized the theft very quickly, the entire basement floor was soaked. Though we left the heaton to help dry things out, we still had an issue with mold on the first floor. So... we bought a dehumidifier. It worked really well and helped us to eliminate the damp conditions that caused the mold. A dehumidifier might help you too. Since the issue is just in one room, you might be able to get away with a small unit. We bought one that (I think) cost about $130. We still use it when getting a property ready because it helps paint, floor finish and other things dry more quickly. It also doesn't use much electricity as it extracts the water from the air. Once the water pan is full, the unit shuts off until you empty it.

[TheCG]

TMC - We live in a desert. I actually run humidifiers during the winter because it's so dry out here. The problem isn't that the area is humid, it's that the stuff is probably trapped in the wall.

I now have an air purifier running in our bedroom, and I plan to spray down the walls in the bathroom and living room with vinegar and tea tree oil on Monday as soon as my husband goes to work (the smell of vinegar makes him sick).

Hopefully that will minimize the effects until we are able to tear the wall out.

[Philbe]

We have a rental property where someone broke in and stole all of the copper pipes in the middle of winter. Though hubby realized the theft very quickly, the entire basement floor was soaked. Though we left the heaton to help dry things out, we still had an issue with mold on the first floor. So... we bought a dehumidifier. It worked really well and helped us to eliminate the damp conditions that caused the mold. A dehumidifier might help you too. Since the issue is just in one room, you might be able to get away with a small unit. We bought one that (I think) cost about $130. We still use it when getting a property ready because it helps paint, floor finish and other things dry more quickly. It also doesn't use much electricity as it extracts the water from the air. Once the water pan is full, the unit shuts off until you empty it.

From Philbe...MM has used a dehumidifier several times when cleaning mold surfaces...and he attaches a garden hose to the back of the unit (most have them) and runs it outside...that way it doesn't fill up.

[Philbe]

I'd probably try to avoid adding any additional moisture to the area. Bleach may do some killing for awhile, but it will lose it's strength and you'll still be dealing with wet sheetrock and probably wet insulation etc. Is there any way you can remove the wet materials and just use black milar on the timbers, leaving about 3 inches of floor space to allow dryer and warmer air to circulate?

[CrabGrassAcres]

There shouldn't be insulation between the bath and the livingroom. You may not have to remove wood, I'd rip out the wall covering on the bathroom side if possible and have a look. If there is plumbing in that wall, you may have an ongoing leak. I once had a pin size leak in a fitting that eventually caused a mold problem. Had to rip out the wall and by then it had seeped under the floor covering and that had to come out too.

[Andrea]

(((CG))) Rip out the wall and live with it being unsightly for a few months. It beats being sick for the next several months and with sensitivities, oftentimes the toxicity builds up in your body and problems escalate. It may get to the point where you can't stay in your house at all if you continue to wait. At the very least, have your husband cut a square foot section out of the wall and investigate. You could easily tape it back in place and hang a picture over it. Take care of yourself.

[TheCG]

We plan to cut a hole in it and figure out our game plan over Thanksgiving, since my husband should have more days off than usual and be able to recover from work in time to do something.

Although I am wondering if maybe that's part of the reason why he's so tired when he comes home every day.

[TheCG]

There shouldn't be insulation between the bath and the livingroom. You may not have to remove wood, I'd rip out the wall covering on the bathroom side if possible and have a look. If there is plumbing in that wall, you may have an ongoing leak. I once had a pin size leak in a fitting that eventually caused a mold problem. Had to rip out the wall and by then it had seeped under the floor covering and that had to come out too.

Part of the bathroom wall is along the living room, the other part is an outside wall. I am a bit worried that it's seeped under the carpet in the living room, but as hubby says, that's the easiest part to get rid of!

[CrabGrassAcres]

I have so much trouble with dust and mold allergies that I will NOT have carpet in the house. I have one small area rug that can be move outside to clean and the floor under it mopped. Otherwise I have tile and sheet vinyl. SO much cleaner.

[Philbe]

So glad you're going to start on this project. Have a friend who shared with us last summer when we learned of the ballroom having issues, that when her mother-in-law passed on and the family began to clear out the house, they found mold everywhere! Talked to her doctors and they said "Yes, definitely, they could attribute her demise to the effects of mold...lethargic, snotty nosed, difficulty in breathing, dementia-type behavior" and lots of other serious effects. When they started pulling sheetrock off they were mortified at the destruction behind the walls. Ended up costing them several thousand dollars to have it fixed so they could settle the estate and sell the house. Toxic mold is a really BAD thing!

[TheCG]

I have so much trouble with dust and mold allergies that I will NOT have carpet in the house. I have one small area rug that can be move outside to clean and the floor under it mopped. Otherwise I have tile and sheet vinyl. SO much cleaner.

We're planning on putting in fake hardwood floors once we get some stuff paid off. I hate carpet, and am seriously considering just living with concrete floors until that happens!