# Mold



## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

DH and I bought a house two years ago. Weâve been fixing it up. Iâd like to start moving stuff in, but we have a problem with mold. We pulled up the carpeting, sanded and sealed the floors. In the basement we took out everything, washed with Borax, and finished the basement. 

There is a mold smell in the garage that just wonât go away. The last thing I tried was leaving dishes of vinegar out. The vinegar really knocked out the mold smell, but it is still there. Clothes left in a bedroom closet for a week will have a trace smell of mold, so itâs permeating the house. We have used chlorine bombs a couple of times. Iâve got to find out where it is coming from.gre:

I think it may be the exterior walls of the attached garage. However, DH refuses to tear down the walls. He is tired out from two years of remodeling. When we bought the house we knew it needed work, but there was much more work than we thought and he is worn out. 

Any suggestions?


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## light rain (Jan 14, 2013)

What are the exterior walls of the garage made of? Is the bedroom closet next to the garage?

Do you have any leaks from roof or pipes? Or condensation?

What is your humidity level in the house and in the garage? The humidity level is an inexpensive thing to keep track of. A dehumidifier might help rid the area of excess humidity.

If you have forced air heating and ac have you had it cleaned and disinfected?

Hope you can get some other suggestions besides mine.


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## CountryMom22 (Nov 27, 2014)

I definitely wouldn't move in until this is fixed. Mold is nothing to play around with, it can ruin your health.

My advice would be to call a mold remediation specialist. Hopefully they can tell you where it's coming from, how best to treat it and then you can move in with a clear mind. 

To my way of thinking, that would be quicker and possibly less expensive in the long run. That way your hubby isn't just pulling things out and replacing them one, after the other, just hoping that you got it all.

Good luck with this, how ever you choose to deal with it!


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## NEfarmgirl (Jan 27, 2009)

Mold is a serious issue. I agree to get a mold remediation company to come in and find it. They can also test the type you are dealing with and make sure it isn't the one that causes serious health problems. Before we sold mom's house we had to have a mold issue dealt with and a remediation company come look at it. They tested it and then offered to fix the damage for a few grand. Since we were dealing with a mold that does not cause serious health issues we went through a family member who does that type of work and cleaned, sealed and patched the drywall at a cost of a couple hundred dollars.


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## kasilofhome (Feb 10, 2005)

Th he smell is not you problem... just a clue... for health reasons please ..yes it will cost... but you're worth the price. Get real help in.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

I didn&#8217;t know I could get a "mold remediation&#8221; person to come in. That&#8217;s what I will do.

We have hot water baseboard radiant heat. The house is dry. The bedrooms are on the opposite end.

The garage walls have plaster board on the interior. I don&#8217;t know if there is insulation. On the exterior is (I think) shingles, but can&#8217;t be sure. It was resided with aluminium.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

1. mold can kill you. not like lightning, but slowly, and horribly.

2. you have to find the leak. mold needs moisture to grow.

3. be ready for your house to be 'condemned'. or at the least, you will have to move out while it's repaired.

4. check your home owners insurance and see if you have a mold clause. some companies will NOT cover mold damage and you have to 'buy' the extra coverage. some policies WILL cover the repairs (after your deductible)

5. i cannot stress to you enough how dangerous mold is. if you have young children it will wreck their lungs, their immune system, their brain function.

http://www.cdc.gov/mold/stachy.htm

http://www.biosignlabs.com/Symptoms_Mold_Sickness.html


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## NEfarmgirl (Jan 27, 2009)

A young single mom in our area almost lost her life to mold. She had asthma and was living in a house that had a musty odor, but they did not see anything so thought it was ok. There was toxic mold in the walls and it was just patched up and hidden. After being on life support for a week she ended up not having a place to go home to and all of her possesions were stuck in the house. It had been condemned and she was not allowed to go back inside because of the health risk. 

People don't realize that the hvac system suck mold spores in and blow them throughout the house contaminating everything in it.


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## Maura (Jun 6, 2004)

One of the big selling points to this house is the radiant heat. Not forced hot air. No air ducts. Right now I&#8217;m thinking it might be the attic. DH says no, but when we bought the house the first thing we did was put on a new roof. The roof leaked badly enough to put holes in the ceilings of three rooms. That&#8217;s all fixed now, but if there is still moisture in the attic, it&#8217;s not going to get fixed. I&#8217;m going in there and take out insulation, check the boards.

We will not, cannot, move into a house with mold.


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Have you considered using an ozone generator to kill mold spores? Normally the one shown sells new from $450 to $670. If you're patient you can find one on eBay for less than $100. I would use it in a closed room. Ozone creates a nasty free radical form of oxygen that's very reactive. It will kill any plants in the room and will degrade leather. Air the area out will before entering.

You'll still need to find and stop the source of the water.










http://www.queenaire.com/product/QT-Tornado-QTT625.cfm


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

Maura,

IF you do this yourself, long sleeves, long pants and rubber band the pants around your ankle, tall sox, shoes. Wear a hat, scarf, gloves.
Put cotton in your ears, where goggles to protect your eyes, and wear a protective mask with a a filter vent to breathe thru.

TAKE TONS AND TONS AND TONS of pictures.

When you get out of the attic.......completely undress, put everything in a plastic bag and throw it away.

Mold is nothing to mess with.


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