Dundundun... MOLD

[carriej22]

So I have a problem.

It's kind of embarrassing; but I thought I should ask before I whip out the bleach.

Our house has always had a bit of a moisture issue. Ever since we bought it; to combat this we run two dehumidifiers (one on each level of the house). Anyway, we have been having crazy temp fluctuations and it causes two of our outside walls to sweat (our bedroom; and a spare room). Now there is MOLD on the ceiling! YUCK. The bedroom is very minimal. However the spare room has about 2 feet on the ceiling that is affected.

I can see it; and it's there. It's black in color. I want to wash it off but if it is going to invade my lungs with it's alien mold spores I don't want to. Obviously; we can't afford to rip the ceilings out else I would do that too. It's honestly not a ton of mold; but I am just weirded out majorly by it. We also can't really afford to have someone else come look at it. Nope; this is a job for us (aka, me) to tackle on my own.

I have prepared for my mold-killing extravaganza by purchasing every mold destroying product known to man. However I would like to make sure that I will be safe before attempting to annihilate the mold empire.

I plan to wear a mask and gloves; of course.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[pberggren1]

How thick is the mold in the thickest spot. Mold can be very hard to get off of most surfaces. Try to take some detailed pics.

I would ask professionals that clean up this stuff for a living. Maybe they will offer some tips. Search online as well.

[carriej22]

It's not thick at all. It's like flat?

Professionals want to charge you money!

Im getting my grandpa to come look at it on the weekend. He is a carpenter and know which ones are the "bad" ones or so he says.

[pberggren1]

Get as many opinions as you can.

[mishb]

Hi Carrie,

We had the same problem and it's relatively easy to get rid of - I think hubby should do it though

Do you have a product called sugar soap - it works wonders
My husband is a Commercial Cleaner and he said white vinegar.

But - one, you shouldn't be up a ladder or on a chair and reaching above your head to do that sort of thing and two, hubby should be doing it :mad1:

[Psyborg]

Get your grandpa's opinion, if it's not the dangerous kind then self cleanup will probably be fine. I would say though you must have an insulation/vapor barrier issue if you are getting water buildup inside the walls.

Or maybe I watch too much Holmes on Homes :D

[carriej22]

It's an insulation issue; which my grandpa told me. There was not enough insulation in the outside walls and it sort of fell down (or so pop says) and its letting the outside walls get too cold and sweat.

and LOL it takes a lot to motivate hubs. I'm going to try to get him to do it but that won't be easy; but we will see... I could threaten not to feed him LOL

[Jaha]

Carrie,

Mold could be very dangerous for you to clean up. The thing that tiggered my wegs, was ripping out a whole house of carpet(that my husband wouldn't do). Maybe you could also threaten him with no sex along with the feeding him. Good luck to you!:laugh:

Jana

[Dirty Don]

hmmmm, no food, no sex...guess I will go clean the mold...NOT! I can cook and I can...LMAO!

[Alysia]

Hi carrie,
I think you shouldnt clean it. I read that WG can start as a reaction to air polution so why take a risk ?
In fact I suspect my acute onset started after I cleaned my printer from a lot of dust of dry ink. The WG was already there but this "started" it.
your health is more important. find someone who will do it for you. maybe even pay for that.
you look great in that picture.

[ArlaMo]

Yep, agreeing with all the others - get someone (hubby!) to clean it. I really think that mold in our house after an ice dam on the roof (leaked down behind the fireplace and under the master bedroom carpet) is what triggered the onset of my Wegs.

[annekat]

Do be careful, Carrie. If you let hubby off the hook and do it yourself, try to get a well-fitting respirator, not just a dust mask. There are some semi-disposable ones with replaceable cartridges available from 3M company and they come in Small. A lot less expensive than really industrial respirators. Available on Amazon last I looked. I'm not up on the latest, do some research online. Of course, I would prefer, too, that you get hubby or someone else to do it!

[chrisTIn@]

Yep, agreeing with all the others -

Me too!
My Wegs was triggered I think by helping my hubby to renovate my daughter's appartment ( she has a student appartment in a beautifull but old building).
Especially the bathroom was tricky. There was mold too. :ohmy:

[Alysia]

Are we "catching" something ? I have mold in my house too.
Is there realy a relationship between mold and WG ?
:confused::confused:

[Dirty Don]

I don't know about the 'mold theory'...not to be a naysayer, anything is possible...but, I grew up & lived in Oregon for years...THE state of mold!!! Hey, it's wet there! Now I live in AZ...and unless I've had this disease for more years than thought (it's possible...some medical history suggests it), this is where it came to fruition (I know...crumby word for it!). It appears to me and to my rheumy and internist that a lot of my WG was caused by or lead to by stress...duh...now there's a killer. I don't hold much in anymore (hehe, sorry sometimes for that), and am so much more relaxed than I've ever been...go figure...

[annekat]

I grew up around a lot of mold, too, and for the last 20 years have spent a lot of time sitting at an open air farmers market where there are open drains, a lot of dampness, etc., etc. That combined with being a potter and exposed to silica dust. And having allergies to pollens and my dusty house and cats.... since allergies are an immune response, could there be any relationship? And stress, too, which I know aggravates the allergic reactions, too. I guess anyone anywhere can get Wegs and there are a variety of triggers.

[annekat]

Curious, Don, are there winds in Arizona that kick up dust from the desert? If so, it would undoubtedly contain silica dust, a known trigger for Wegs. Just sayin, never been to AZ and don't know the lay of the land.

[Dirty Don]

Curious, Don, are there winds in Arizona that kick up dust from the desert? If so, it would undoubtedly contain silica dust, a known trigger for Wegs. Just sayin, never been to AZ and don't know the lay of the land.

You mean the HABOOBs! Yeah, my thoughts too...docs, in fact, thought I had a serious case of 'valley fever' at first...shows up nearly the same in the lungs caused by a viral mite that lurks in the desert areas...it's a common disease of us desert people! Who knows...I've ingested/inhaled so many things over my lifetime, any one of them could be pinned for the WG start...

[annekat]

You mean the HABOOBs! Yeah, my thoughts too...docs, in fact, thought I had a serious case of 'valley fever' at first...shows up nearly the same in the lungs caused by a viral mite that lurks in the desert areas...it's a common disease of us desert people! Who knows...I've ingested/inhaled so many things over my lifetime, any one of them could be pinned for the WG start... I'd heard of the Haboobs and forgotten! It actually could be amazing that more people don't have Wegs, with all the things they've probably inhaled and ingested. Maybe they do and just don't know it yet!

[carriej22]

Haboob? lol

Well, good news.

It may not be mold. Pops said the best test is to sniff it (no I did not) and he did. He is 72 years old and was on a ladder sniffing my ceiling. He declared no-mold. He says mold has a smell; and that he is blind and almost deaf but he can smell stuff from a mile away (lol). He says that mold rarely grows on ceilings because it doesn't like light; and he said any mold you see is not the dangerous stuff. He said the bad stuff grows underneath things or between your walls, along the floor, etc. He just thinks it's discoloration from where it got wet.

He said he can cut that section out and replace it with new dry wall for me; but he said he thinks it could be washed off and repainted with a special paint.

I have no idea how scientific it is; but he was a carpenter since he was 18 years old so I'm hoping he knows a little something; lol.

[pberggren1]

I sure hope your dad is right. He makes sense.

[annekat]

I'm familiar with Kilz brand primer, which supposedly kills mildews and such at the same time as it primes the surface, and then you paint over it. I hope it is as simple as that!

[Sangye]

I'm sorry to tell you but your grandfather is not right about some stuff. Black mold can grow in places you can easily see. It's very dangerous. You need to have a contractor who works with mold repair come look at it and advise you. If you have mold, the spores are already in the air, the carpeting, bedding, etc.... Please don't mess with this yourself or have your husband mess with it. It's not worth it.

[pberggren1]

Yikes, this is scary. I worry about my house as well.

[drz]

I know some kinds of mold are serious. I have heard of houses that had to be destroyed due to some kind of mold infestation. I think there might be some type of building inspector in your area that might be able to help you assess the situation and suggest appropriate action for the problem.

We all know that Wegs makes us a lot more susceptible to infections, fungus, and other things so I am guessing that includes problems from mold so I would also suggest extra vigilance is warranted to assess and fix the situation.

[annekat]

Wow. It's always good policy to listen to Sangye (and drz, and Phil). Living in the damp Pacific Northwest, this is something I should think more about, too. It does sound like professional advice is the way to go.

[carriej22]

He brought a swab with him and it was sent away; wasn't any type of mold. They are not sure if it was just discoloration from where moisture leaked through and grabbed some black dust from the asphalt shingles, or what.

I was about to LOSE it if it was mold because we had our entire roof replaced not even 2 years ago and treated... They would be coming back to fix that LOL

It washed right off. I didn't do it.. no worries, LOL

[pberggren1]

Good to hear for sure.

[Jaha]

Great news!

[jola57]

Good news Carrie, but for future info to all about mold. When our company rental tenants experience mild to moderate mold on ceilings or walls the contractors we hire use Microban(c) to spray the affected areas after first thoroughly cleaning them first, then use Kilz to prime and paint. It seems to work quite well.

[pberggren1]

What is Microban and Kilz Jolanta?

[carriej22]

Good to know. I wonder if it would be a good preventative? Now mold is another thing on my list to worry about!

[Pete]

Hey Phil,

Kilz is a brand of paint usually used as a primer to either cover or seal a surface prior to applying the final color. It's also used to soften the gloss of a glossy enamel surface so that the next coat of paint will be easier to apply. According to google, microban is a disinfectant.