I am pulling my hair out this weekend about a mold problem that I thought I killed months ago! So far I have had to throw out suitcases and clothes I have had for 20 years, towels, sheets, and bedding, unfinished paintings, and furniture! I am very unhappy right now! I have scrubbed down a wall and a closet with bleach until I got sick and then sprayed all surfaces with disinfectant spray. Other than this, I don't know what to do.

The mold smell has even landed on my bedspread, which it never did before. I have lived in this apartment for 15 years and never had any mold problem until a year ago and I thought I licked it! I checked on getting a mold remediation service but they seem to be outside my price range...and I also have a landlord who doesn't like to fix things! I can't move right now because of finances... Other than bleach and disinfectant spray and scrubbing all surfaces...what else can I do?!! Could really use some expert org advice here! Just sign me--at wit's end!

Maybe you can buy a cheap or used dehumidifier? It's usually abnormally high levels of humidity in the air that causes the mold in the first place.

UGH!

I used to live in a ground floor apartment with mouldy walls and ceilings

my landlord never did anything about it except to buy a bottle of Exit Mould for us

Measure your indoor humidity level with a hygrometer and keep the humidity at around 50% in the summer, and 30% in the winter. If necessary, you can use a dehumidifier to reduce the relative humidity.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ew...er-eng.php

The most effective way of getting rid of damp and dirty air is to ventilate your apartment. Creating a cross-draught for about five minutes will ensure your apartment is adequately aired.

http://www.sssb.se/index....lation_eng

Damp is caused by poor circulation of air. Apartment dwellers typically leave their windows closed all day and all night and come home in the evening to turn on the heating, the washing machine, cook and take a shower. Combine this with the greatly improved standards of insulation currently in use and a damp problem inevitably prevails… So while the builders can be let off the hook in most cases, the problem of damp is likely to prevail in many cases given the lifestyle may occupiers lead being absent all day and not having the option to leave windows open for security reasons.

http://www.dampstore.ie/C...sation.php

dunno if these are any help, you've probably tried all this stuff

Thanks for the advice about a humidifier--but this problem is way beyond that. I have mold spores that have infiltrated every area in the bedroom. It has not spread to other rooms yet...but I am taking this very seriously. A ventilator at this point won't help. Right now it is my right arm, my son, friends, a load of bleach and disinfectant, and drafting a letter to my landlord about things I cannot control anymore! Emergency! S.O.S.

purplethunder3121 said:

Thanks for the advice about a humidifier--but this problem is way beyond that. I have mold spores that have infiltrated every area in the bedroom. It has not spread to other rooms yet...but I am taking this very seriously. A ventilator at this point won't help. Right now it is my right arm, my son, friends, a load of bleach and disinfectant, and drafting a letter to my landlord about things I cannot control anymore! Emergency! S.O.S.

I'm not talking about a simple ventilator and certainly not about a humidifier. I'm talking about a dehumidifier. Don't write it off so quickly. I understand that there's a great need for scrubbing right now but once that's done, your main focus should be to take care of the root of the problem and that's where the dehumidifier comes in very handy.

Move.

That sounds flip, but I'm serious. Unless the landlord does something about the leak that's causing the moisture that's causing the mold (because there is water coming in somewhere if this is an ongoing problem), it's never going away. You're just seeing the surface mold. There's also mold inside the walls. And the ceiling, too - probably.

By the way, you should take inventory and tally up the value of everything you had to throw away (I hope you took pictures) - and think about suing the landlord in small claims court for the loss of your property.

And you'd better make sure you have renter's insurance. Because something tells me that one of these days, there's going to be a flood in your place - and you're going to lose a heck of a lot more stuff.

Genesia said:

Move.

That sounds flip, but I'm serious. Unless the landlord does something about the leak that's causing the moisture that's causing the mold (because there is water coming in somewhere if this is an ongoing problem), it's never going away. You're just seeing the surface mold. There's also mold inside the walls. And the ceiling, too - probably.

By the way, you should take inventory and tally up the value of everything you had to throw away (I hope you took pictures) - and think about suing the landlord in small claims court for the loss of your property.

And you'd better make sure you have renter's insurance. Because something tells me that one of these days, there's going to be a flood in your place - and you're going to lose a heck of a lot more stuff.

Yup, to all of it.

I totally agree with Genesia. This isn't a mere inconvenience, but a potential health issue -- and often darned tough or impossible to correct. You should look to move out.

Because you may not have the financial wherewithal to move right now, though, you should in the meantime contact your local housing court and/or landlord-tenant association to see if your landlord's failure to handle the problem (assuming you have given him/her reasonable, documented notice and time to correct it) constitutes a constructive eviction in your jurisdiction. If it does, your landlord will be considered to have broken the lease, allowing you to vacate without penalty and possibly to retain rental payments during the process. You wouldn't just stop paying rent (your landlord typically can sue you for this), but the housing court (or whatever body has similar authority where you are) would essentially hold onto what would be your monthly rent until the situation is remedied one way or the other. They'd then hand those funds back over to you should you ultimately need to move out or to the landlord if he/she adequately corrects the situation by the ordered time.

And yes, be sure to keep EVERYTHING -- repair and replacement receipts, the value of things you throw out, all communications with your landlord about this issue, records of related visits to a doctor, even photos of moldy walls -- somewhere in safe keeping. All these things will support whatever litigation you may need to initiate.

[Edited 10/23/10 9:41am]

Genesia said:

Move.

That sounds flip, but I'm serious. Unless the landlord does something about the leak that's causing the moisture that's causing the mold (because there is water coming in somewhere if this is an ongoing problem), it's never going away. You're just seeing the surface mold. There's also mold inside the walls. And the ceiling, too - probably.

By the way, you should take inventory and tally up the value of everything you had to throw away (I hope you took pictures) - and think about suing the landlord in small claims court for the loss of your property.

And you'd better make sure you have renter's insurance. Because something tells me that one of these days, there's going to be a flood in your place - and you're going to lose a heck of a lot more stuff.

I agree. I had a moldy apartment. I got respitory infections and headaches in that damn place all the time. I bought an air purifier...didn't work. I moved. Simple as that. That apartment people did NOTHING. A closet full of old boots and shoes were gone from the mold that was all over them! I have NO idea what they did. I called over and over. NOTHING. I literally just had to move! That mold is so BAD for your health get out of there as soon as you are able!!!

purplethunder3121 said:

I can't move right now because of finances..

Move as soon as you can. Genesia is right about the mold being beyond the surface.

Genesia said:

Move.

That sounds flip, but I'm serious. Unless the landlord does something about the leak that's causing the moisture that's causing the mold (because there is water coming in somewhere if this is an ongoing problem), it's never going away. You're just seeing the surface mold. There's also mold inside the walls. And the ceiling, too - probably.

By the way, you should take inventory and tally up the value of everything you had to throw away (I hope you took pictures) - and think about suing the landlord in small claims court for the loss of your property.

And you'd better make sure you have renter's insurance. Because something tells me that one of these days, there's going to be a flood in your place - and you're going to lose a heck of a lot more stuff.

:yeah that:

If what you can see is that bad, what you cannot see is astronomical. Mold wont just make you sick, it is deadly to the point where the professionals, on site, will often run out of a place that shows signs of mold.

I know it costs a lot, but follow Lammistade's advice and Genesia. If your landlord cannot fix it in a reasonable amount of time, the court could possibly order that the landlord cover the cost of some type of emergency housing. Also, many of your personal belongings, although they may look okay, may not be safe to continue using, no matter how much you clean them. Many homes with serious mold problems have been basically burned to the ground because they are not salvagable, with the belongings still inside of them. I do not know what type of mold you are experiencing, but some mold is incredibly toxic to humans and should not be inhaled under any circumstances.

Take the landlord to court, and be sure to request that some tests are run to find out what type of mold you are dealing with.

retina said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Thanks for the advice about a humidifier--but this problem is way beyond that. I have mold spores that have infiltrated every area in the bedroom. It has not spread to other rooms yet...but I am taking this very seriously. A ventilator at this point won't help. Right now it is my right arm, my son, friends, a load of bleach and disinfectant, and drafting a letter to my landlord about things I cannot control anymore! Emergency! S.O.S.

I'm not talking about a simple ventilator and certainly not about a humidifier. I'm talking about a dehumidifier. Don't write it off so quickly. I understand that there's a great need for scrubbing right now but once that's done, your main focus should be to take care of the root of the problem and that's where the dehumidifier comes in very handy.

I looked into it--seems like some really good advice. The hardware stores have a big one for around $100. I'm also calling a mold remediation service on Monday as well as my landlord. Thanks!

StillGotIt said:

Genesia said:

Move.

That sounds flip, but I'm serious. Unless the landlord does something about the leak that's causing the moisture that's causing the mold (because there is water coming in somewhere if this is an ongoing problem), it's never going away. You're just seeing the surface mold. There's also mold inside the walls. And the ceiling, too - probably.

By the way, you should take inventory and tally up the value of everything you had to throw away (I hope you took pictures) - and think about suing the landlord in small claims court for the loss of your property.

And you'd better make sure you have renter's insurance. Because something tells me that one of these days, there's going to be a flood in your place - and you're going to lose a heck of a lot more stuff.

:yeah that:

If what you can see is that bad, what you cannot see is astronomical. Mold wont just make you sick, it is deadly to the point where the professionals, on site, will often run out of a place that shows signs of mold.

I know it costs a lot, but follow Lammistade's advice and Genesia. If your landlord cannot fix it in a reasonable amount of time, the court could possibly order that the landlord cover the cost of some type of emergency housing. Also, many of your personal belongings, although they may look okay, may not be safe to continue using, no matter how much you clean them. Many homes with serious mold problems have been basically burned to the ground because they are not salvagable, with the belongings still inside of them. I do not know what type of mold you are experiencing, but some mold is incredibly toxic to humans and should not be inhaled under any circumstances.

Take the landlord to court, and be sure to request that some tests are run to find out what type of mold you are dealing with.

Mold is nothing to mess with. If you (and your landlord) don't deal with it now, you could end up with serious health issues which will plague you for the rest of your life.

I've watched some of those "Flip This House" shows on A&E, and what appeared to be a simple paint and fix-up job on some house turned into a catastophic nightmare when they discovered mold in some of the houses. They basically had to tear out entire walls and replace the plumbing just to get those houses up to code.

Jeez! Report your landlord to the city. That MUST be remedied. It's inside the walls, all the bleach in the world will not get rid of it. Then move before you get sick.

GetAwayFromMe said:

Jeez! Report your landlord to the city. That MUST be remedied. It's inside the walls, all the bleach in the world will not get rid of it. Then move before you get sick.

Or a dehumidifier.

Just reading this thread makes me itch and wheeze.

I know you said you can't move, but consider looking into it, because there is no way your going to kill it at this point it seems. Mold spors are in the air and it is going to grow everywhere now. And it sounds like it is behind your wall and everything......you probably wanna keep the peace with your landlord, but can't you call the DEP or somebody? Mold is bad news.

M.O.V.E

I understand "keeping the peace", but I also understand when I have to dispose of my own items due to a problem in a space I rent is when the landlord does not respect my health or belongings.

[Edited 10/25/10 13:21pm]

Genesia said:

Move.

That sounds flip, but I'm serious. Unless the landlord does something about the leak that's causing the moisture that's causing the mold (because there is water coming in somewhere if this is an ongoing problem), it's never going away. You're just seeing the surface mold. There's also mold inside the walls. And the ceiling, too - probably.

By the way, you should take inventory and tally up the value of everything you had to throw away (I hope you took pictures) - and think about suing the landlord in small claims court for the loss of your property.

And you'd better make sure you have renter's insurance. Because something tells me that one of these days, there's going to be a flood in your place - and you're going to lose a heck of a lot more stuff.

thats what we eventually did, and the landoverlord still wouldnt admit to a rising damp problem when she asked us on our last day what problems the house had....ventilation only solves so much, if its IN the walls, nothing except re plastering and addressing damp issue will stop it...

yet she was always "concerned" about the rugrats allergies....im sure, looking back, a lot (not all) were from this house!

a painter told us non of the old houses in the suburb i lived had damp courses when built, and this house had never had any renos done

good luck PT