Mold in basement

20 years ago

This post is about my parent's home, not mine. For once its not mine that is having the problem.

My parents recently moved furniture in their basement and found mold growing along the cinderblock wall near the floor and on a bit of the floor.

Dad has apparantly known about it for awhile and "not gotten to cleaning it up." His words. What has me worried is the mold is black. I have no way of knowing if this is the "black mold" that can be so dangerous but I'm worried! My father refuses to take the situation seriously. He says its "just mildew" and he'll go to the boat supply store and get some cleaner to take it off.

Is there a way for a layman (IE my mother and I) to tell if this is "just mildew" as my father claims or something a whole lot more sinister that we need to call a proffesional about NOW. (Dad never will, he seems to think he can tackle anything.)

Thanks for the advice guys.

Chris

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Comments (9)

Karissa
20 years ago
Your father is a smart man. Check the EPA site that explains mold. There are hundreds of thousands of varieties and many are black. Mold is not a problem to anyone unless they have allergies to it. Even the ones they considered dangerous - the stachtybotrys (sp?) and others are said to be of unknown danger. They don't know at what level ... or even if they are harmful. There is mold in the air you breathe ... in the soil in your houseplants in the soil around your home .... everywhere. This is a situation that has been greatly over blown by the media and by the contractors that have sprung up making big bucks off of people that have bought into the hype. A little bit of bleach in a spray bottle will take care of it. You might also want to take a look outside that wall to see if the ground around the wall there has settled and collects water. You may need to have Dad add a little fill and level the ground away from the wall to keep water out. Sometimes its a bad downspout or gutter adding moisture. Our local health department won't even go out to investigate mold anymore because they have determined its is not a health problem.
Carina
20 years ago
I recently ran into the same problem; we had our furnace replaced & the installers pointed out black mold on some of the pipes. He told me that most black molds (as previously stated, there are hundreds of types) are harmless. There are labs who will test it, but that's quite expensive.

He suggested water & bleach at a 90:10 ratio. Apparently some molds won't be killed with straight bleach & diluted is effective. Tell your dad to do this, it's easy and inexpensive.

Molds can cause a whole host of nasty problems. I'd been having significant allergy symptoms ever since moving to Michigan & moving into this house. I thought it was moving from a "dry" state (Colorado) to a humid one. I swear, once we got a new furnace and had the ducts cleaned & disinfected, & I cleaned off the pipes, my allergies disappeared.
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robtish
20 years ago
I read that the problem with 100% bleach is that it evaporates too fast kill the mold. Diluted bleach is more effective because it stays on the mold longer.
bulldinkie
20 years ago
You have too much moisture get a dehumidifier it helps alot.
paradiseenvironmental_gmail_com
12 years ago
Testing is somewhat costly, from $500 to $700 depending on swab or air test or both. Mold isnt as dangerous as other things like asbestos etc. However, I have personally abated a home where the woman was so sick she never got see the whole home abated. She was HIV positive and the mold did her in.
The main thing is to get rid of the moisture. So simple.
no moisture, no mold.
Get rid of the moisture then get rid of the mold, and if its on wood or drywall, get rid of the substrate or grind it off.

Here is a link that might be useful: paradiseenvironmental
nancy_pfmold_com
12 years ago
Kindly allow me to introduce my company---PF Industry Co., Limited. , one of the lead manufacturers of plastic injection mold & molding parts with 10 years of business experience.

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moldtestkit_arrowcrm_com
12 years ago
I know this is an old posting - but for those still looking what to do with mold... try a test kit that you can order over the internet. You use it, send it to a lab, and read your results online. There are lots of companies - i have included a link to one in this post.

Here is a link that might be useful: mold test kits
Mainecleaners
11 years ago
Mold is a serious thing and should be cleaned properly and professionally. Hiring a professional mold removal company in Maine or any other state is the best thing to do. Here is a blog series that is very helpful - it cover 8 steps to proper mold remediation:

Hope this helps and let us know if you have any questions!

Robert York
General Manager
Maine Cleaning Services

Here is a link that might be useful: Steps for Proper Mold Remediation in Maine or Any Other State
toxcrusadr
11 years ago
Apparently this thread is pretty much just a venue for advertising, which is specifically prohibited in the forums.