Is this mold bad?

[dragonballz]

I'm looking at a house and this is in a bedroom closet. I do plan on gutting the whole house anyway.

 

[Zeke]

Black mold is potentially bad and you'll want to treat that and then remove the drywall if that's what it is. If plaster, you might be able to treat it and save it. Don't be fooled into thinking that a simple bleach solution will do the complete job. There are many and varied formulas for mold abatement. Some involve vinegar and others boric acid, or both.

Get rid of any carpet.

 

[billspit]

^^^^ That right there.

Wear a respirator when you remove it.

You also wasn't to find out why its there and stop any water intrusion.

 

[James-W]

I have heard there are places that will analyze it and tell you exactly what it is and how to get rid of it. I have no idea what it would cost, but it MAY be a good idea to do that.

 

[dragonballz]

Thanks. I plan on doing a gut renovation anyway.

 

[JRC3]

Might be more behind it. Concrobium Mold Control is a good product, pro remediation companies use it.

If you're gonna gut a bunch of the house go ahead and buy a HEPA filter for your shop vac...And run that with a bag to keep the big stuff off the filter. After you do, you never run your shop vac without a bag again, but that's a different story. Also buy some N100 mask or go ahead and spend the $25 on a respirator. They seal way better and can be used dozens and dozens of times without deforming and what not like a cheap one. A cheap N100 mask is gonna be $10 so why not spend a little extra? Oh, and that mask is good for lead paint just like the HEPA filter.

Everything you need can be had at HD.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Concrobium-1-gal-Mold-Control-Jug-025001/100654369
http://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Medium-Mold-and-Lead-Paint-Removal-Respirator-Mask-6297PA1-A/202078789
http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-5...-5-0-gal-RIDGID-Wet-Dry-Vacs-VF6000/100022800
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Multi-Fi...Shop-Vac-Wet-Dry-Vacs-3-Pack-VF2005/100151555


Don't sweat the mold, it's not as dangerous as the industry leads you to believe, for the most part, that is. Most of their hype is self-serving. Do your research and you'll figure it out.

I've ran the HEPA filter and bag in my Rigid shop vac every since I bought it for mold and can't recommend it enough for everyday use. I never lose suction and emptying is a breeze.

 

[EOC_Jason]

and another question you have to ask is where the moisture is coming from???

 

[pcmeiners]

"Most of their hype is self-serving."
Remarkable how humans have been living with mold through the ages but from 1970 on it is the scourge of mankind; good thing they did not have lawyers until late. Get a decent mask as suggested, plus a decent exhaust fan as the dust from the sheetrock demo is likely more dangerous, especially if manufactured before the very late 1960s.

 

[The Cobbler]

and another question you have to ask is where the moisture is coming from???

it's a closet on an outside wall, packed with stuff, door closed and no air movement in a cold environment

 

[-Brent-]

Black mold is potentially bad and you'll want to treat that and then remove the drywall if that's what it is. If plaster, you might be able to treat it and save it. Don't be fooled into thinking that a simple bleach solution will do the complete job. There are many and varied formulas for mold abatement. Some involve vinegar and others boric acid, or both.

Get rid of any carpet.

Zeke is right on (as usual).

Adding onto what he said, moisture is the key element in feeding black mold. It could be from the obvious sources like leaks or water damage or it could be from a less conspicuous source like humidity or condensation (like from a clothes dryer exhaust or failed hose/piping).

 

[JRC3]

"Most of their hype is self-serving."
Remarkable how humans have been living with mold through the ages but from 1970 on it is the scourge of mankind; good thing they did not have lawyers until late. Get a decent mask as suggested, plus a decent exhaust fan as the dust from the sheetrock demo is likely more dangerous, especially if manufactured before the very late 1960s.

This house I live in was a foreclosure. It has always had water issues in the crawlspace and those got worse after it set with no sump for over two years. So there was growth down there. Got quotes...

Dry Patrol: Guy came out and put on a new Tyvek suit, footies, full face respirator, moisture reader, scare-tactics...Proposed scrubbing with peroxide then instal a vapor barrier. $8,500-12,000 to clean it up.

Enviro Doctor: No scare tactics. Dry Ice blasting finish up with concrobrium. $3,000 I do my own vapor barrier or they could for $600.

3rdc ompany (can't remember name): Vapor barrier, spray to kill mold, no removal of old mold. $6,500 That's right, mold was to stay. He didn't bat an eye, he was that confident it wasn't harmful.

4th company: The guy crawls down in shorts with his cell phone as a light. LOL $4,500. Includes scrubbing with peroxide, vapor barrier, 2 store-bought dehumidifiers.

All those guys but Dry Patrol (National franchise) went down without mask without blinking an eye. They are around that **** day in and day out.

In the end I went with The Enviro Doctor because dry ice blasting seemed the best. Before they came I spent much time down there removing debri, cable and phone lines, frozen plumbing...and had no ill affects. I wore a Tyvek suit and respirator but got plenty of residual, trust me, side affects where barely noticeable and only on heavy exposure days. Just a little stuffiness in my nose. Others may be more allergic. I'm not trying to completely discount it, but through my research and personal experience, there is tons of hype over something that is absolutely everywhere you go. Mold is everywhere, you breath it every single day. Keep it dry and don't feed it and it won't get out of control.

 

[dragonballz]

it's a closet on an outside wall, packed with stuff, door closed and no air movement in a cold environment

Nailed it! It is an outside wall and the house has been empty for a year.

 

[isb cornbinder]

I was hoping this would be about my favorite Danish Blue cheese.
The house next door was taken down . My dog went over for a sniff on the moldy carpet . The dog got a lung infection in 48 hours the dog was dead.

 

[rburke65]

I can't help but hink that it won't be "good for ya"!

 

[JimNC]

Not all mold that appears black is black mold.

 

[rnscustom]

Looks like the same stuff my mother wiped off the bread before she made our school lunch . We never say the m word in construction , wash it up a little bleach , next . But I've seen cases it was so bad the house was torn down .

 

[ishiboo]

Nailed it! It is an outside wall and the house has been empty for a year.

Exactly. Spray it with bleach when you buy it to kill it, remove it and everything else since it's a gut job with a respirator/dust mask appropriate for what you are doing. You should never breathe in significant quantities of anything other than good clean air

 

[JRC3]

But I've seen cases it was so bad the house was torn down .

Where there's mold there is moisture...Where there's moisture there is wood destroying fungus (wood rot) and termites and other wood destroying insects. Mold can generally be cleaned up even if all drywall must be removed, but combine that with damaged sill plates, band-boards, floor joist, beams...And it's not worth the repair.

I know mold can be amazing bad and fast growing down south.

 

[Denwood]

Spray it with Concrobium, or VitalOxide, let dry, clean, then spray again. I sprayed basement walls with VitalOxide (nontoxic) and was quite happy with the mold kill and deodorizing properties of that product. I used a Wagner turbine paint separated to apply it.

The better solution is remove drywall, spray foam then install mold resistant drywall. It uses glass mat instead of paper so nonorganic. That's the route I'm in the middle of right now. I'm also using a Rigid Vac with Hepa filter, and dust deputy. I have a few filters so frequently wash them with soap and water, dry and reuse.

 

[rnscustom]

Where theirs mold there is usually no air circulation . You usually never saw mold in an old house . Newspaper insulation in the walls could be soaking wet and no mold . The tighter the houses get the more mold you'll find . This house I was speeding of we did all the Millwork in . $3m new build . Was built right at the beginning of house wrap and plastic vapor barrier . 9 years later became a sick house ( ocean front house ) . I'm looking now and seeing the change of energy like solar and wondering if we are going to wish we let our houses breathe like they should .

 

[6768rogues]

Enzyme cleaner will not only kill the mold, the enzymes are living organisms that eat mold.
The problem with mold is that every person has a different sensitivity level to it and the fact that mold spores exist almost everywhere. Radon, carbon monoxide, lead, carbon dioxide and asbestos all have what is called a PEL (permissible exposure level) and thresholds where the amount that exists is deemed safe or not safe. That is not so with mold. There is no actionable level.
When I worked at a public school, we periodically had people who were freaked out by a small amount of mold. I had our Industrial Hygienist come out and test. He would test the air outdoors and then test several places in the building. Because the building air was filtered outdoor air, it was typical to have fewer mold spores in building air than outdoor air. Then we cleaned up the mold with enzyme cleaner and considered it over with; after all, the air was better than the air outdoors.
Mold needs warmth, moisture and a food source. Get rid of one of the three and the mold will die.
If you are worried, put on a good mask and hit it with some enzyme cleaner. Then figure out why there was mold and fix it.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Mold removal is the biggest racket ever. They'll want to come in with radiation suits like they're dealing with Chernobyl. And when you're done they'll tell you you have a "mold-free" house. Ask any biologist and they'll tell you that nearly ever square inch of this earth has mold spores on it.

 

[Weird Tolkienish Figure]

Enzyme cleaner will not only kill the mold, the enzymes are living organisms that eat mold.
The problem with mold is that every person has a different sensitivity level to it and the fact that mold spores exist almost everywhere. Radon, carbon monoxide, lead, carbon dioxide and asbestos all have what is called a PEL (permissible exposure level) and thresholds where the amount that exists is deemed safe or not safe. That is not so with mold. There is no actionable level.
When I worked at a public school, we periodically had people who were freaked out by a small amount of mold. I had our Industrial Hygienist come out and test. He would test the air outdoors and then test several places in the building. Because the building air was filtered outdoor air, it was typical to have fewer mold spores in building air than outdoor air. Then we cleaned up the mold with enzyme cleaner and considered it over with; after all, the air was better than the air outdoors.
Mold needs warmth, moisture and a food source. Get rid of one of the three and the mold will die.
If you are worried, put on a good mask and hit it with some enzyme cleaner. Then figure out why there was mold and fix it.

They evacuated my entire high school because of a single broken thermometer. People are stupid these days.

 

[6768rogues]

They evacuated my entire high school because of a single broken thermometer. People are stupid these days.

If it was a mercury thermometer, that is reason to have children stay away. In one of our schools a kitchen oven thermostat was replaced and the service man left the old one in a box on the counter. He might not want to collect them with their mercury in his place of business. In the morning the Head Custodian picked it up and a glob of Mercury fell out, hit a stainless food prep counter, and exploded all over the place.
It happened to be the day that the fire department was running kids through their portable evacuation house and the TV people were there to film it. With the TV people and fire people there, it was not long and DEC, EPA, County Health and every other agency you can think of were involved.
We ended up with a clean up, lunches for 880 kids brought from another school, and testing to be sure it was all clear.
Because lunch was late, they just gave them to the kids because the slowest part about lunch is collecting money. The company that fixed the oven paid for cleanup, testing and 880 school lunches. I bet they never leave another thermostat behind.
Just another story to add to my collection about being a school facility director. Some days I wished that I had stayed in my job as a county construction inspector. When you are in that position, the last thing you want to do is put someone's child in what might seem to be the slightest remote exposure to harm.

 

[CrashTestDummy]

And I remember playing with mercury on the tabletop in one of my science classes in high school!! Fun times!

 

[yeldogt]

Most old houses have mold someplace -- back when plaster/lath was common .. the plaster was not painted ... they put up wall paper. It was not uncommon for old glue to be plant based -- food for mold when exposed.

Old house had little insulation -- any closed off area could get moldy unless covered.

I can't think of one time I removed wall paper and found paint.

 

[James E]

Pic from a 1972 National Geographic article about mercury. The pic is a guy sitting on top of a vat of mercury to illustrate the high surface tension the material exhibits. This high surface tension is what makes he stuff so fun to play with on a table top.

I wonder how this guy fared later in life?

 

[Falcon67]

Used to play with mercury in the high school science lab. I had a key, really. Hasern't erfected meees on bit.

 

[johnyg]

little jar of mercury was in the junk draw for rainy days . played with it on the kitchen table and loved it. mom and dad smoked and drank coctails . lived well in to their 80:s . i guess back then all that stuff was good for you...what happened?????

 

[Showkey]

Black mold is potentially bad and you'll want to treat that and then remove the drywall if that's what it is. If plaster, you might be able to treat it and save it. Don't be fooled into thinking that a simple bleach solution will do the complete job. There are many and varied formulas for mold abatement. Some involve vinegar and others boric acid, or both.

Get rid of any carpet.

Yes.......mold is bad, clean it up

Not all mold that appears black is black mold.

Right.........^^^^^^^^^^

Do alittle home work

http://www.black-mold.com/black-mold-

From the link above:
Many molds are black in appearance but are not Stachybotrys. For example, the black mold commonly found between bathroom tiles is not toxic. Stachybotrys can be positively identified only by specially trained professionals (e.g., mycologists) through a microscopic exam.

http://moldmanusa.com/the-truth-about-toxic-black-mold-its-probably-not-what-you-think/

https://rainbowintl.com/blog/how-common-is-toxic-black-mold