Mold
 

Has anyone ever had mold removed from their house? For those who don't know, I recently moved back to my own house after six years at my mother's. As I'm cleaning and unpacking (thank heavens I haven't gotten far on the repacking!), I've found two definite patches of mold.

One was under a windowsill, and the window is going to be replaced soon. Should I try to get rid of the mold prior to having the new window installed, or see if there's more first?

The other patch is pretty small, about 3 inches square, but in my pantry. It's gotta go NOW!

I have Killz paint, but I think I still want to somehow get it out first. Just to make things fun, mold & mildew is one of my bigger allergies, and now I know why I haven't been able to shake a virus for the past two months!

Help!!

I'd have a thorough examination done of your entire house. Has it sat unattended? Better to check now and see how much you have, than to treat only what see now and have to do a lot more work later.

Good luck. That stuff is insidious.

^^^I would have it inspected. They will use a meter to determine how much contamination is in the air. Often, there is more that one is visable and you won't know unless a professional comes in. She found this out only after she had recurring illnesses which have since cleared up since her place was decontaminated.

Ugh. Since I'm having some windows replaced, they told me to leave it alone (!) until they come. I'm moving anything that could pick up mildew out of the room, and am putting a tarp over that window (it's in an alcove).

In the pantry, I've taken all ove the boxed stuff out, and just left the canned goods or that which is in Tupperware. I feel besieged.

I agree about a professional inspection. I've had mold in rentals and it made me move, but since you're an owner that option isn't so easy. Definitely make sure it is all found and can be eradicated as I had a friend who grew up in a mold home and her whole family had to move out and leave everything behind, and she had health problems for years. It can also affect Buffy (your Bichon, right?) and your ability to sell or rent the home later.

If it wasn't for insidious mold I never would have realized my old apartment was the source of a lot of my health problems. The mold finally got bad enough we could see it on the wall after a Lady MacBeth out damn spot cleaning session, but it had come under the walls from a crap foundation and was under all the floors and carpets and up inside the walls. Sad thing was it was maybe three years old when I moved out and the management and owners did nothing about it.

The mold under the window is due to the fact that the window almost certainly had a leak. If you replace the window, be sure to remove the drywall at the time you're having the window done, and look behind the area where the drywall was to determine the extent of the mold. If you don't treat the mold, you'll only continue to have a problem, despite the fact that your window is no longer leaking. It may be on the wood framing the window, or on whatever it is that's behind that drywall.

A good cleaning of the area with a strong bleach mixture and letting it dry thoroughly before putting up new drywall. I'm not talking the entire room, just a piece that goes under that window.

The one in the pantry could be from plumbing behind the wall - is there a bathroom above the pantry?

I'm from Florida. We KNOW mold. We don't get excited and we know that not all mold is "black mold". Heck, there are some days in July when we GROW mold between showers. On our own bodies. :)

blech! :p

This is a house which is actually plastered, not drywalled. I'm dreading the costs (I'm coughing at the thought of it), but when that window comes out, so does all mold! There is a gable just above the window which has leaked (yes, I need some roofing, too), and I think that's what caused the mold.

I want to bring this house completely up to code, because I can feel a condo in my future. Hopefully, the near future! It's a great small house, about 1,000 sq feet on one floor, hardwood floors, an almost finished basement below, on 3/4 of an acre. I'm fairly handy, if I know what to do (my daddy & I rebuilt the kitchen), but alone, I'm time-poor.

Are you putting in a double paned window?

In my dream world my windows will be double paned with blinds inside the class to cut down on dust and cats attempting to use the blinds, and be double hung so I can open the top as well as the bottom.

I can't believe I just saw this thread... I'm having issues right now...

Long story short, I live in a 2-year-old place and my husband and I are just starting to have serious headaches. I thought it was sinus issues, but it's only pain that I'm dealing with. I know that I am allergic to mold. I've had a really bad sinus headache for 3 weeks now, and my husband just started to get debilitating headaches and nausea 2 days ago. Our mechanical room flooded a couple of months ago, and while it is kind of underneath our place, that is where our hot water heater and HVAC system is. We have changed out our air filter, had the HVAC system fixed and the water removed, and cleaned the room as best as we can with bleach. But the headaches continue.

Has anyone else had this issue? I mean, I know we had that little flooding problem (literally, half an inch of water in a smallish room in the underground garage) but the place is fairly new. And I'm just super frustrated right now.

LOL - that's the type of windows we had in my high school.

All the windows are thermal paned, double hung windows. But, I went with a lowish bid, and one of the panes in that particular window cracked last winter (when I wasn't there). Washing the curtains and hanging them wet probably didn't help. I'm just so glad I found it - no wonder I was picking up one virus after another!

HC, have it inspected. If you need my guy's name PM me - I don't know if he does fullout mold inspection but anyone he would rec I would go with.

Honeychile, I'm an Extension Agent and answer questions about mold in homes on an almost daily basis. I recommend you call your local Extension office if your state still has one. Research based information is available from epa.gov. if you don't have an Extension service.
We DO NOT recommend testing for mold variety. It does not matter what kind it is, it needs to be cleaned up. To make a long story short, you will only have mold if you have water. Spend the money that would be used for testing, and fix the water problem, then clean-up the mold.
In the Ohio river valley where I live, this is a constant problem. Good luck, your problem appears fixable, and you are on the right track.

Mold is a common issue in the PacNW, especially around windows. If your windows aren't well insulated or there is moisture coming through them, you're going to get mold. Previous advice here to use a strong bleach solution on the window area mold will probably do the trick. However, I would be concerned about the pantry mold, which is in an area that should be dry.

Thanks, 33!

I'm south of Pittsburgh. Should I get the window fixed first, so they can see if it's in the wall? And about how much does this cost?

My out-laws live south of Seattle. They claim that mold is Washington's state flower!

Have your contractor determine why your window frame has rotted. More than likely the roof issue you mentioned. Plaster doesn't support mold growth like sheet rock does, but mold can grow on the surface in the paint and dirt if it is present. I would do all the remediation when the window is replaced, but be sure to address the water problem or you are wasting your money. Having a house closed for 6 years could contribute to the mold growth. Running your air conditioner and central heat is one way to remove moisture for the air. I always recommend a dehumidifier in humid climates. The one at my house runs constantly.

If you have the mold levels tested, be aware of 2 things:
1)There is no standard for an acceptable level of mold. Everyone is affected differently, just like other allergens in the home.
2) the testing company should test indoor and outdoor air. If levels are higher outdoors, you may not have that bad of issue indoors.

On another note, high humidity contributes to the growth of dust mites, which are a high allergy trigger for many people. Also cock roaches (gross) love high humidity and water. They are a known asthma trigger.

These 2 biological contaminants can cause health problems as well as mold can.

Good luck, Honeychile