Topic: Yikes!! Just moved and found BLACK mold all over my closet!!
lymielauren28
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 13742
posted
Uuugh! I just want to scream. My Fiance and I just moved into the cutest little old cabin (we're renting).
I was immediatly drawn to it's charm...two plus acres surrounded by water and 200 year old live oaks everywhere.
The cabin was originally a camper and the man that previously owned it built a house around it. It's unique to say the least.
When we looked at the house I noticed it had a really musty odor, but I thought it was because it had been unoccupied for so long. I couldn't get a really detailed look at the place because there was no power...
To make a long story short we fell in love with it and signed a lease. We've been here for a little over a week. Yesterday I finally got around to putting our clothes in the closet, which is huge and I found black mold all over an entire panel of one wall and it's spreading to the second wall.
The closet also has a horribly moldy, musty smell. It starts at the floor and has creeped almost up to the ceiling. I cannot believe I didn't notice this before!
I stupidly went ahead and hung all our clothes up anyways b/c I was sick of looking at them all over my floor.
Let me say also that I have been feeling wonderful the last couple of months...well this morning I go in the closet and get dressed and within an hour I feel like death!!
My lungs have been burning all day and I feel like I have the flu. What should we do? Can we remediate? Should we move again? If I take my clothes out now ands wash them all will they be okay?
Lauren
-------------------- "The only way out is through" Posts: 1434 | From mississippi | Registered: Nov 2007
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posted
OMG!! You must get out!!! The lease should be null and void if there's dangerous mold in the house!!
The clothes are probably NOT OK! and neither is anything else in the house.
Oh, you poor thing!!!!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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lymielauren28
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Member # 13742
posted
That's what I was afaraid of...
My Dad is the one who bought the house and rented it to us so I know he'll let me out of the lease, but he's going to think I'm being my usual "overreactive hypochondriac" self...and so will everyone else in my family
-------------------- "The only way out is through" Posts: 1434 | From mississippi | Registered: Nov 2007
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SForsgren
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posted
Agree - best to leave. All the clothes need to be cleaned professionally or with borax and vinegar possibly. Sofas, pillows, mattresses, etc. all best to toss.
I just had this happen as well. Sorry to hear about that.
-------------------- Be well, Scott Posts: 4617 | From San Jose, CA | Registered: Jul 2005
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glm1111
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posted
Sooo Sorry,
I would take pictures and call an atty. Also you can either get a test kit on line for mold or have the owners take care of it.
You should also be reimbersed for any damage to your clothes etc. Hopefully this is not stachybotrus which can be very harmful.
The owner of this cabin was blatently irresponsible. Please consider getting out of there ASAP!!
Good Luck
-------------------- PARASITES/WORMS ARE NOW RECOGNIZED AS THE NUMBER 1 CO-INFECTION IN LYME DISEASE BY ILADS* Posts: 6418 | From philadelphia pa | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
If you want to try to stay there, you should spray the black mold thoroughly with bleach. Let it sit for a while then wipe it off w/paper towels and throw away.
If you don't want to deal w/it, let the owner know and get out. Actually you should probably let the owner know asap in either case. It's really the owner's obligation to remediate the situation.
You should probably leave, because there are fungal spores in the air all over, but mostly concentrated around the closet. Even after the mold has been killed, the spores will still be there.
Agree w/Scott that you should have your clothes, etc. cleaned thoroughly.
Posts: 975 | From California | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
Trailers leak. Always bad news when they're old.
What a horrible mess! I'm so sorry this has happened to you!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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lymeloco
Unregistered
posted
Listen to lymetoo. She knows what she's talking about! get out Fast!!!!
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lymeloco
Unregistered
posted
Actually, if you drink her mangosteen juice, you might be saved! Good luck!
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DebAz
Unregistered
posted
you may want to be drinking cholestrymine suggested by Dr S for binding the to any spores ending up in your system and help them flush out instead of get absorbed into your system through your digestive system... I had mold issues after opening up a shower wall and broke out in horrible spore Sores painful huge ones on my back and hips... I take the choletrymine still during my cleaning and rebuiding process..' It has helped me as well as helps in herxing while on abx. Just an idea.. but if you need to get out.. that is best ifits an option at least until it gets figured out
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
LAUREN,
oh NO!! yes, get out of there! i've not been thru it; just read the HORROR stories of members here with it and side effects!
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posted
I have a question: I have used TKO Orange against any mold that forms in the bathroom, and it's instantly gone. I also used it on my walls after the fire, and it completely removed all fire smell. So, am wondering what its action might be in this case...
Specificly, it means spraying the h*** out of the walls and then wiping it off later. Probaly have to wear a mask around that kind of mold clean-up.
Posts: 13117 | From San Francisco | Registered: May 2006
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posted
Could you find a place to live temporarily until your Dad could clean the place up? He is going to need to do this whoever lives in it.
Here is a book I am reading because my rented house has mold too. It might give him some ideas on how to remediate the situation.
"The Mold Survival Guide for your home and for your health" by Jeffrey C. May. 2004.
There are probably other books too in your library.
Posts: 8430 | From Not available | Registered: Oct 2000
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lymielauren28
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Member # 13742
posted
Yeah, I'm still debating what to do. I've been reading up on mold remedeation and there's a LOT involved.
First you have to find the source of the moisture, wether it be a leaky roof, faulty pipes,etc. and fix that. Then you have to tear down any and all siding, flooring,ceiling, roof, etc that has been damaged and have it replaced. Then you have to treat all surrounding areas with a mold killer. All carpets and padding in home would need to be replaced.
What a pain. And a lot of money. My Dad wants to spray it with bleach and then paint it with Kilz, but that's not the right way to do it...you're only temporarily covering up the problem, not fixing it.
My Fiance wants to do the remediation himself in exchange for rent, but I still worry about sreading spores all over the place when he starts tearing stuff down.
Thnaks everyone for all your replies and I'll keep you posted when I decide what to do!
Lauren
-------------------- "The only way out is through" Posts: 1434 | From mississippi | Registered: Nov 2007
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TerryK
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 8552
posted
Laurin, Good for you for doing the research and understanding that remediation is a long and difficult process.
You cannot effectively remediate walls or anything porous with bleach. As you say, the walls need to be replaced. All the carpeting and pads also need to be replaced.
It is dangerous to remediate yourself if you are sensitive to mold and you clearly are. Also, you need someone who understands how to do it correctly and there are many pitfalls. You MUST wear a mask but also handle everything very carefully so as to keep the spores from spreading around. The room has to be sealed off etc. etc. etc....
It is the mycotoxins that make us sick and they are difficult if not impossible to remove.
Some of us do not make the antibodies to remove mycotoxins from our body. My sisters and I have had the HLA genetic tests and we cannot remove mycostoxins or borrelia toxins.
This can cause permenant problems because I personally don't think that even cholestyramine does the job 100%. Once you have the toxins in your body you may need to try a lot of things to get rid of them and there is no guarantee that you will be able to get rid of them 100%.
From what I've read, mold exposure means that you will have great difficulty getting better on lyme treatment. Some will simply not get better until they are away from the mold and mycotoxins.
Please join this group and avail yourself of some of the literature from their archives. You may want to print out some of it for your father to show him that yes indeed, mold can cause severe illness. http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/sickbuildings/
You may want to get the book "Mold Warriors". You may also want to ask your lyme doctor to test your genetics.
I would move out since you clearly know that mold affects you very badly. Be careful what you take with you.
My herbalist uses muscle testing and she developed a program for me using essential oils and diffusers to get rid of the mycotoxins. If you want it, PM me and I will send it.
You remove them AFTER you have killed the mold. It is not cheap and won't get rid of all of the mycotoxins. I'm just finishing up the program and feel better myself so it does seem to work.
I'm glad to see that you are taking this seriously because mold + lyme = catastrophic health issues.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Call your local AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION.
I once moved into a place that had mold and they were VERY helpful with specific advise and offered referrals for professional testing, etc.
posted
This is a small area so it can be either fix by the owner or by any hired contractor.
The wall in the closet needs to be open and proper insulation and vapor barrier installed.
Posts: 54 | From Canada | Registered: Feb 2007
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TerryK
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posted
Artur wrote: This is a small area so it can be either fix by the owner or by any hired contractor.
I want to reiterate that you need someone who understands mold removal. A specialist. Not just any contractor will do.
Done incorrectly, without proper removal techniques and you can contaminate your whole house and all your belongings.
Once you start to disturb the mold, it easily becomes airborne. The mycotoxins also get stirred up and you can breath them in. They are very difficult for some people's body's to deal with.
I was told by one contracter that he just uses bleach. He cleans up lots of houses with mold. He was sick and getting sicker every year himself but was completly unaware of the implications of mold on his own health.
He said he would often have to go back and clean up the same area again. Still he continued to do it the same way.
You must educate yourself so that you know what is appropriate. Don't hire just anyone. Make sure they really know what they are doing.
Since I have the genetics that don't allow me to get rid of the toxins, I have done the research. You must educate yourself so that you don't damage your health permenantly.
Terry I'm not a doctor.
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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sutherngrl
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I have to admit that I know much about mold. We do have one spot on our ceiling in our bedroom that is molded because after Katrina our roof leaked a little. It is a spot about 8 inches across. Got the roof replaced and painted over the mold. It has never spread. No one in our house has had any adverse affects from it, so either we are not mold sensitive or it is a different kind of mold; non-hazardous.
Sounds like you are sensitive to mold or else it is a certain kind that is hazardous. What if you just had your dad replace the walls in the closet and you left for a few days until it was done? I wonder if that would be enough?
Like I said I haven't researched the mold thing; but think about it sometimes since I have that one spot in my house. I feel that it isn't hazardous since it hasn't spread.
I hope you can get this problem rectified soon!
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
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Keebler
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posted
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I would not want someone whom I loved working on mold, even if a small space. Even someone whom I might like, I would not want doing it.
Mold spore shoot like rockets and explode with intense force even if we don't see it.
A highly trained professional in necessary to do the work or, at least to specifically outline a plan.
Certain molds can be deadly to anyone who is not educated in the specific type and who has the tools and techniques with which to address it. Mold is toxic to nerves. It can have long term damage that can be permanent.
sutherngrl
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Member # 16270
posted
This mold thing is very interesting and I wouldn't mind knowing more; but I have personally never heard of anyone dying from mold exposure.
Mold is everywhere. You can't always see it. It is in your window seals, bathrooms of course and damp areas like garages, especially here in the south. I wonder if the mold issue gets blown out of proportion.
Just don't want to scare Lymielauren to death.
Posts: 4035 | From Mississippi | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
Mold is everywhere. You can't always see it. It is in your window seals, bathrooms of course and damp areas like garages, especially here in the south. I wonder if the mold issue gets blown out of proportion. >
That is also my opinion. If all your walls are in molds you are in trouble. Large job? Yes, definitely hire a knowledgeable contractor who knows how to protect himself. It is very expensive. Small stuff do yourself. Wear a mask, provide a lot of ventilation during work, but you can do it yourself. Find and eliminate the source of water. It may be a leak or condensation on cold surfaces. Bleach doesn't kill molds. It is an illusion many people believe in. Bleach just bleach black molds, they become invisible but they remain very much alive. There are some specific solutions to buy eg. in Home Depot that are very effective in killing molds. They will NOT kill molds sitting deep in wall. Nothing will. The contaminated building material has to be removed.
Posts: 54 | From Canada | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
my daughters apt bedroom and a bad leak for over a year..she keep tell her landlord and he did nothing...then the black mold came...she started getting sick...he finally had some one chop out the plaster (very old house) and patch it...well 2 years and 3 surgery in her nasal passages and she still is having problems..fungas is very hard to treat...(boy does that sound like i heard it before)now she is back home and i've have seen how sick it can make you ... please be careful...like others have said its real bad...take care
-------------------- madgen Posts: 342 | From newjersey | Registered: Oct 2007
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Hi I was just going to write in about mold and I read your article. My son is very ill with Lyme D. I kept suspecting the house was making him ill too. Had it tested by a company in Texas with Petrie (Sp?) dished. Found out it had severe levels of Aspergillus Niger . There is mold everywhere which many people will tell you, although, some are toxic and cannot be removed with a good cleaner. May want to test for the specific type to let you know what you are dealing with.
Posts: 38 | From Seattle | Registered: Nov 2008
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TerryK
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sutherngrl wrote: but I have personally never heard of anyone dying from mold exposure.
Unfortunately there are many documented cases of death caused by mold.
http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=14352835 Specific diagnostic methods are still limited as are the possibilities of therapeutic intervention, leading to the disappointing fact that invasive aspergillosis is still associated with a high mortality rate that ranges from 30% to 90%.
This is an area that is not taken seriously enough and where there is not a lot of investigation except for known lethal molds.
Mold exposure could eventually be deadly in those of us with the inability to elimate the toxins. It can cause all kinds of illnesses, including cancer but it won't be shown as a death caused by mold on any death certificate.
Those who have asthma and allergies to mold can die from mold exposure.
My brother watched a documentary where mold caused a fungus in a person and 1/2 of his face was eaten away from it. I'd been telling him for several years that mold is dangerous. He finally took me seriously.
Yes, there are molds everywhere. Outside they have other competitors that typically keep the deadly molds from growing out of control. Indoors, with few competitors, that is not the case and we can end up with a huge population of deadly mold.
Anyway, there is lots of information out there for anyone who spends a few minutes looking.
I don't think prolonged, indoor mold exposure is good for anyone. While mold by itself might not be too bad for some people, add lyme and our system is burdened even more making our recovery more difficult and for some people impossible.
Our immune system is already very depressed making fungal infections more likely and causing more difficulty in getting rid of biotoxins (mold and borrelia).
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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lymielauren28
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Hey all, well here is my verdict: We're moving!!
All furniture is outside in a storage shed except for our bed and we have sealed the bedroom off. We have a seperate entrance into the bedroom from the rest of the house so we don't even have to walk through the main house.
We have just decided that my health is too important to risk all the gains I've made in the last couple of months to mold exposure...it's just not worth the chance.
I really have to Thank God for my fiance b/c he's so undersatnding about everything. The mold isn't bothering him a bit, but since it's bothering me he knows we have to go - and he hasn't even batted an eye! And he's the one that gets stuck with all the heavy lifting, bless his heart!
Thanks for all the replies and to Terry especially for all the great info!
Lauren
-------------------- "The only way out is through" Posts: 1434 | From mississippi | Registered: Nov 2007
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TerryK
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posted
Lauren, I'm so glad to hear that you are moving. Fantastic that you have such a supportive and understanding fiance!!
I wish I had taken mold more seriously previously. I really think I would not be as sick as I am if I had.
My sister actually had to stop working because the mold in her office building made her so sick.
I hope you recover from this quickly. If not, consider binders to help get rid of the toxins.
Terry
Posts: 6286 | From Oregon | Registered: Jan 2006
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just don
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Member # 1129
posted
My mold story,,,,
I USED to work at an office that had a large return air vent in concrete that was always wet and moldy,,,every heating and air season I got real sick the first week it was on,,,
fast forward,,,after that I lived in a house that had water 'standing' in the basement 30-40% of the time. I was sick most all the time I was there which was 18 years.
I moved to another OLD house and swear its here too.
I was working in a bathroom at a house a few months ago,,,the faucet broke and was real moldy in there.
I thought I could walk in and take out the leaky faucet in a couple minutes without a mask on if I didnt disturb the mold areas.
WRONG,,,spent 10 minutes in there and QUICKLY got sick as a dog with the worst cold type within an HOUR.
Couldnt do anything for a week cause too sick. AFTERWARDS I only entered bathroom with mask on,,,everything was okay then!!!
sprayed whole area with bleach a couple times,,,was told to just gut the room and tore out all drywall throwing it in trash cans and carrying it outside to dump them.
NOW I can walk in and spend hours in there without a mask,,,apparently the mold is gone now
BUT am going to spray all studs and cabinets etc with a mold fix spray from Mennards.
MOLD Is VERY bad for you and causes immediate respitory issues. Bleach IS helpful. Mold lives INSIDE drywall or other surfaces and comes out later.
we DO have mold everywhere,,,where would we be without penicillin etc???
IF it makes you sick,get out of there,,,if it doesnt make you sick,,,dont bother!!!
Many times too little has been made of mold,,,many times TOO much has been made of mold,,,being in the middle,informed and reasonable healthy is the way to go,,,IMHO,,,do what works for YOU!!!
I have always been bothered by moldy musty smells so,,,,,,,,,i remain--just don--
-------------------- just don Posts: 4548 | From Middle of midwest | Registered: May 2001
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lymeHerx001
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A horror story so bad I cant believe its non-fiction!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I dont know whats worse,
Living with yourself knowing you signed the lease for something made of logs and moldy,
Losing all that money on the cabin,
Your current health.
Posts: 2905 | From New England | Registered: Sep 2004
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lymeHerx001
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posted
I hate mold.
Posts: 2905 | From New England | Registered: Sep 2004
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