Mold in Basement

[ConnHuskBask]

Taking a shot here to see if there are any experts (self proclaimed or otherwise!) are on the Yard about household mold

Been in a home two years, finished basement (sump pump, French drain, no water issues), the other day though I saw some of the trim was pulled off the sheet rock and in between was mold. Kept looking and lo and behold it's behind almost all of the trim.

Had an air and specimen test done and it's unfortunately returned chaetomium, which is a type of toxic mold. Likely there as a result of a flooded basement at some point.

Remediation is going to be expensive, which I can live with, my concern is I have a 2.5 year old and 6 month old, and in my googling of this mold it is very difficult to gather the severity of exposure and then of any lingering mycotoxins associated with it. Some readings suggest to essentially throw out your entire home, to basically remove it and move on.

Any thoughts on shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Freaking out a bit thinking about the kids.

 

[NJHusky]

I would call a mold specialist and not rely on your internet reading. We used a specialist a number of years ago to understand the nature of the issue and it was money well spent

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I would call a mold specialist and not rely on your internet reading. We used a specialist a number of years ago to understand the nature of the issue and it was money well spent

Thanks - I should have included I've contacted to remediation companies that have been on site.

It seems that their expertise (to be expected) is analyzing the situation and determine wall/flooring to be removed and less about health effects.

In this situation I'm concerned more about the health which they said shouldn't be an issue, which is reassuring but also maybe not spoken from the position of most expertise (if that makes sense).

 

[NJHusky]

Thanks - I should have included I've contacted to remediation companies that have been on site.

It seems that their expertise (to be expected) is analyzing the situation and determine wall/flooring to be removed and less about health effects.

In this situation I'm concerned more about the health which they said shouldn't be an issue, which is reassuring but also maybe not spoken from the position of most expertise (if that makes sense).

I actually contacted a mold analysis guy. He doesn’t do remediation. He had advanced degrees and was able to tell us about the report we had. What were acceptable levels and what was dangerous and how bad things were and what we should do

 

[JohnFSilver]

Taking a shot here to see if there are any experts (self proclaimed or otherwise!) are on the Yard about household mold

Been in a home two years, finished basement (sump pump, French drain, no water issues), the other day though I saw some of the trim was pulled off the sheet rock and in between was mold. Kept looking and lo and behold it's behind almost all of the trim.

Had an air and specimen test done and it's unfortunately returned chaetomium, which is a type of toxic mold. Likely there as a result of a flooded basement at some point.

Remediation is going to be expensive, which I can live with, my concern is I have a 2.5 year old and 6 month old, and in my googling of this mold it is very difficult to gather the severity of exposure and then of any lingering mycotoxins associated with it. Some readings suggest to essentially throw out your entire home, to basically remove it and move on.

Any thoughts on shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Freaking out a bit thinking about the kids.

Mold remediation specialist. See if insurance wil cover.

Also, get a dehumidifier downstairs have it drain Into sump pump. Keep it running constantly 24/7. Buy a new one every two years.

 

[Greedo]

I moved into my house like a year and a half ago. When we moved in we knew there was mold in the attic but went ahead because of where the housing market was at the time. I posted a thread about it back then, but didn’t get much help.

After moving in and realizing the house had a bad humidity problem we had the whole house tested. I ended up tearing the carpet out of two bedrooms myself to save money, but we also found mold in our finished basement. The mold in the attic and basement were the toxic black kind. We had the attic treated and coated, parts of the basement torn out, and treated and coated. The basement had a smell before and now the smell is gone. We had some walls and a ~15 foot built in wood cabinet torn out of the basement. All in it cost us about $9,000.

Keep a few things in mind.

I have two small children. We went through this a year and a half ago. They’re both fine. I remember finding that the CDC actually doesn’t say any type of mold causes harm. Or something like that. Look up what the CDC says.

Make sure the company you hire does it right. That means tearing out where it needs to be done and then coating the area. It should all be “painted” white. They should also use plastic with an air tight vacuum and hepa vac to keep other areas of the house free from mold spores. When they start it will kick up spores everywhere. The previous owner of my house claimed they remediated the attic and had receipts, but everyone that came said they didn’t do jack and the attic still tested off the charts. They did some plant based junk in there and called it remediation. Everything should be white when they’re done to seal it.

 

[Greedo]

I actually contacted a mold analysis guy. He doesn’t do remediation. He had advanced degrees and was able to tell us about the report we had. What were acceptable levels and what was dangerous and how bad things were and what we should do

I did the same thing. If you’re in southern Jersey we may have had the same guy because I’m in southeast PA.

 

[dvegas]

Tyvek suit, respirator, spray biocide. Read instructions carefully. Rent HEPA dehumidifiers.

 

[UConnSwag11]

Mold remediation specialist. See if insurance wil cover.

Also, get a dehumidifier downstairs have it drain Into sump pump. Keep it running constantly 24/7. Buy a new one every two years.

you set it between 45 and 55, correct?

 

[BPT2Storrs]

Since we are on the topic, I have a question as well. I noticed in one of my bathrooms there was a small section of ceiling that started to get flaky with what looks like mold growth. I cleaned it with a solution of bleach/dishwashing liquid and it was fine for a while but started to come back in the same location.

Is this common? Should I call a professional? Couple things of note - the spot where I noticed this is relatively small, however no telling how bad it would get if I didn’t clean it. It is also located below my attic right under where AC is, not sure if that has something to do with it. Also, no fan in this bathroom, just a window, so not sure if ventilation is issue.

 

[JohnFSilver]

you set it between 45 and 55, correct?

I keep it at 50 in the summer.

 

[Greenback]

I do not believe Mold is regulated so you probably won't find an exposure limit. What are your air test results vs background? Mold is everywhere so your results should show ppm inside vs outside. Surface mold can be cleaned with a number of different chemicals from peroxide to bleach. Otherwise based on air test results the wall and flooring may need to be replaced. Unfortunately with small children it's difficult especially if they are sensitive because of respiratory concerns. If air test results are low and you are still concerned there are a bunch of air purifiers that can help.

 

[Edward Sargent]

Mold remediation specialist. See if insurance wil cover.

Also, get a dehumidifier downstairs have it drain Into sump pump. Keep it running constantly 24/7. Buy a new one every two years.

I would go with this post

 

[HuskyHawk]

Taking a shot here to see if there are any experts (self proclaimed or otherwise!) are on the Yard about household mold

Been in a home two years, finished basement (sump pump, French drain, no water issues), the other day though I saw some of the trim was pulled off the sheet rock and in between was mold. Kept looking and lo and behold it's behind almost all of the trim.

Had an air and specimen test done and it's unfortunately returned chaetomium, which is a type of toxic mold. Likely there as a result of a flooded basement at some point.

Remediation is going to be expensive, which I can live with, my concern is I have a 2.5 year old and 6 month old, and in my googling of this mold it is very difficult to gather the severity of exposure and then of any lingering mycotoxins associated with it. Some readings suggest to essentially throw out your entire home, to basically remove it and move on.

Any thoughts on shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Freaking out a bit thinking about the kids.

Had this problem in Vermont, due to repeated water coming in via a window. Had to call a mold remediation company. Also had to throw out everything that can absorb water that got wet. Carpet, drywall, furniture etc. It's not good. But I don't think you throw out other things in the house, like things not in the basement.

 

[jibsey]

OK, I’ve had it, replaced sheet rock and baseboard only to find mold back again. There is only 1 way. Once it’s removed and fixed you need dehumidifiers. I put in 2 because 1 was not big enough. They kick on and off automatically. Honeywell makes a 70 pint for about $300, 4500 sq ft. I have 2 $200 ones in separate areas. You can attach a hose to the back to go to a drain which means you don’t have to empty it. I have set mine on 40-50% depending on the season. Basement air now dry as a bone and smells great too.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Had this problem in Vermont, due to repeated water coming in via a window. Had to call a mold remediation company. Also had to throw out everything that can absorb water that got wet. Carpet, drywall, furniture etc. It's not good. But I don't think you throw out other things in the house, like things not in the basement.

So in my case the flooding likely happened years ago - looks like it absorbed into the drywall/sheetrock and since it was never remedied at the time the growth persisted. I actually have some device called Air things that measures humidity in the basement and have a dehumidifier running in my utilities room. I'll get another as suggested above to be safe though in the living area of the basement.

Since none of my furniture got wet, I'm hopeful I don't need to ditch anything. I have a couch, mattress, office furniture down there at the moment. Was there recommendation to also throw out items in the basement that could absorb water that didn't get wet (absorb spores?)

 

[Deepster]

So in my case the flooding likely happened years ago - looks like it absorbed into the drywall/sheetrock and since it was never remedied at the time the growth persisted. I actually have some device called Air things that measures humidity in the basement and have a dehumidifier running in my utilities room. I'll get another as suggested above to be safe though in the living area of the basement.

Since none of my furniture got wet, I'm hopeful I don't need to ditch anything. I have a couch, mattress, office furniture down there at the moment. Was there recommendation to also throw out items in the basement that could absorb water that didn't get wet (absorb spores?)

I've had 3 houses with finished basements and all 3 had some sort of issue with water damage. Never again.

In my worst instance, homeowners didn't cover anything because it wasn't a natural disaster or "act of God" type situation. It was rising ground water that rose too quickly for the sump pump to keep up and they didn't cover a single cent. Sounds like you may be in the same bucket where it wasn't really a flood or specific weather incident. Good luck.

 

[NJHusky]

So in my case the flooding likely happened years ago - looks like it absorbed into the drywall/sheetrock and since it was never remedied at the time the growth persisted. I actually have some device called Air things that measures humidity in the basement and have a dehumidifier running in my utilities room. I'll get another as suggested above to be safe though in the living area of the basement.

Since none of my furniture got wet, I'm hopeful I don't need to ditch anything. I have a couch, mattress, office furniture down there at the moment. Was there recommendation to also throw out items in the basement that could absorb water that didn't get wet (absorb spores?)

Have you thought about an ozone generator? They convert all the O2 to O3 and theoretically kill anything organic. You need to be out of the house or fully seal off the area…and remove all plants etc.

You still need to remediate the problem but stick all your furniture that didn’t get wet into a big closet or room, seal it and run the ozone generator for 24 hours or what they recommend

 

[CONN78SEJ]

Taking a shot here to see if there are any experts (self proclaimed or otherwise!) are on the Yard about household mold

Been in a home two years, finished basement (sump pump, French drain, no water issues), the other day though I saw some of the trim was pulled off the sheet rock and in between was mold. Kept looking and lo and behold it's behind almost all of the trim.

Had an air and specimen test done and it's unfortunately returned chaetomium, which is a type of toxic mold. Likely there as a result of a flooded basement at some point.

Remediation is going to be expensive, which I can live with, my concern is I have a 2.5 year old and 6 month old, and in my googling of this mold it is very difficult to gather the severity of exposure and then of any lingering mycotoxins associated with it. Some readings suggest to essentially throw out your entire home, to basically remove it and move on.

Any thoughts on shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Freaking out a bit thinking about the kids.

If you don’t have a dehumidifier in the basement, you will get mold at some point.

 

[bigknight3]

Since we are on the topic, I have a question as well. I noticed in one of my bathrooms there was a small section of ceiling that started to get flaky with what looks like mold growth. I cleaned it with a solution of bleach/dishwashing liquid and it was fine for a while but started to come back in the same location.

Is this common? Should I call a professional? Couple things of note - the spot where I noticed this is relatively small, however no telling how bad it would get if I didn’t clean it. It is also located below my attic right under where AC is, not sure if that has something to do with it. Also, no fan in this bathroom, just a window, so not sure if ventilation is issue.

You should check to see if there any moisture issues coming attic/ac to be sure. And get in the habit of crashing the window open during showers if it's a Full Bath.

 

[HuskyHawk]

So in my case the flooding likely happened years ago - looks like it absorbed into the drywall/sheetrock and since it was never remedied at the time the growth persisted. I actually have some device called Air things that measures humidity in the basement and have a dehumidifier running in my utilities room. I'll get another as suggested above to be safe though in the living area of the basement.

Since none of my furniture got wet, I'm hopeful I don't need to ditch anything. I have a couch, mattress, office furniture down there at the moment. Was there recommendation to also throw out items in the basement that could absorb water that didn't get wet (absorb spores?)

We had old flooding and new flooding (house built into the side of a mountain). We didn't toss wood furniture or anything where soft surfaces didn't contact water (like the couch). Wood trim was all replaced. Basically we called ServPro and followed their guidance on what was a hazard. If you are ripping out drywall, they can vapor lock before refinishing.