I have a basement storage area that has a fridge in it. The area is usually humid and doesn't get much air circulation.
I noticed recently that there's some black mold growing on the side of the fridge, near the bottom. The area of the mold is about 1 foot in diameter.
Can anybody tell me what kind of mold this probably is? Should I get it tested before I attempt to clean it? How dangerous is it? How serious is this? Should I do some kind of an air quality test in that room?
Also, I've noticed for a while now that my eyes usually start to burn and I feel tired if I spend too much time in that room. But when I leave then my eyes feel better. I've noticed this BEFORE I ever saw the mold, and I never associated these symptoms with that room. I just thought it was random occurrences. Do you think my eyes were burning probably from the mold?
Thanks a lot for your help!! Because I'm trying to fight acute Lyme which is being persistent, I am taking these things seriously.
Posted by joalo (Member # 12752) on :
Up for input.....
Posted by Elaine G (Member # 20735) on :
There are all kinds of threads on here for mold. Search for it. Many helpful ideas.
Mold is a killer it is nothing to fool around with.
Posted by anonymiss (Member # 32018) on :
Can't say for sure what type of mold it is, but the most common mold (mildew) found on plastic-y types of surfaces is probably Aureobasidium.
Stachybotrys and Aspergillus are two of the infamous "toxic molds", but are generally found growing on porous, organic (or cellulose containing) surfaces. You wouldn't typically find them on rubber, plastic, or metal AFAIK.
Posted by anonymiss (Member # 32018) on :
I wouldn't recommend testing it. I'd clean it with a diluted bleach solution, let it dry, then repeat. After it dries completely, give it a spray with Lysol disinfectant spray. Give it three or four days and check to make sure there's no new growth.
Posted by momlyme (Member # 27775) on :
Bleach should NOT be used to clean mold!
If you do use bleach, you risk brain damage. The combination of bleach and mold createss a dangerous mycotoxin.
Bleach is still endorsed for cleaning mold by some govt. agencies (CDC is one) OSHA and many other experts on mold say that not only is bleach the wrong thing to use but ot actually makes the mold worse.
If you are OK with chemicals... it is better to use ammonia - 1 cup per gallon.
I posted a mold cleaning recipe that includes boric acid, vinegar, water and hydrogen peroxide. Search the forum for a recent post for the exact amounts.
Definitely get a dehumidifier.
Testing is not a bad idea either. We found out we have stachybotrys and yes, stachy prefers wood, paper and pther porous materials... but our washing machine gasket had stachy too. So it will grow on rubber/ plastic.
Posted by James1979 (Member # 31926) on :
Thanks a ton, everybody, for your replies!!
I started reading "Mold Warriors", but I got sidetracked by more pressing issues, so I haven't been able to continue it. I feel very overwhelmed by the mold information because I'm so new to it, so that's why I asked these types of questoins. I really didn't feel comfortable looking stuff up yet because I don't know where to start or who to trust.
Unfortunately, there are no windows in that basement room, and it is completely underground. I think I will eventually get it tested. I think I should read Dr. S's book first, though, and hopefully I'll have a better grip on which tests I should do.
I might consider putting an ozone generator in there, but I'm not sure about that yet.
From your replies, it looks like I don't necessarily have an emergency situation. I guess I'll just not clean off the mold yet, so that I don't lose my "evidence" for the tests. Hopefully I'll finish Dr. S's book and work from there.
Thanks everyone! Be well.
Posted by karenl (Member # 17753) on :
Do you have mold in your insurance policy? Black mold is serious and should be cleaned by professionals having the masks etc.
Posted by hiker53 (Member # 6046) on :
If you can run the blower on your furnace constantly even if you don't have the air or heat on. It helps circulate the air. My thermostat has a switch that allows this, but I don't know if all do.