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We bought the house, they removed the mold (where we saw it) and thought all was good.
Turns out, there is toxic black mold (we had confirmed the previous area was toxic black mold) alll over the underside (side not showing) of the sheetrock in the basement. NOW I have to pay someone to come in and do professional remediation. this SUCKS! (
Every house has mold in it, it's just a fact of life. Moisture is in every house somewhere, it's just a matter of controlling it. The hysteria over black mold has more to do with new construction because the newer houses are better sealed and traps the toxins these molds release, exposing the occupants to higher levels of the toxin.
The truth is that there has been significant debate over the impact of 'toxic' mold in the home. It can very well come down to certain people being allergic to it the same way someone can be made ill if exposed to cat fur. I'd worry more about the aesthetics of mold covered walls. Pull the basement apart, remove the moldy material (wear a mask), clean up the area (bleach solution and/or any commercially available mold cleaner/retardant), and located/repair the source of moisture. You can hire a specialist, but it will cost you. I've found mold in my home and just cleaned it up and kept the humidity down in the summer when it's worst.
I've done a lot of googling the past 24 hours, and most of the official sources(EPA, CDC) say that "toxic" mold is bad (As is most mold) when you have comprimised immune systems (HIV etc.) or are a child/elderly.
For the average adult you WILL most likely get "sick" from it, meaning you will sneeze, have itchy throat, running nose, etc. However once the mold is gone, so are your problems. It is not a death sentence like with asbestos (where it doesn't leave your lungs). You're also right in that, the bigger concern is spreading the mold to other areas of the house for sheer monetary reasons. If the mold goes from downstairs to upstairs, then those walls will need to be replaced too.
Anyway, I can feel slight sickness from the mold already, but once I get fresh air, the symptoms lessen/dissipate/disappear dramatically (psychosomatic maybe?)
I've had black mold in both my homes. Never made any of us sick.
I always took care of it myself, with either cleaning, or repair of the affected area.
Had it on the ceiling of my bathroom in my current home, as well as on the floor/sills of my garage. Bathroom got a partial renovation, which means I tore down the old 1970's wall paper covering the walls AND ceiling. The garage I just gave it a thorough cleaning with straight up bleach and it never came back.
Maybe I'm an idiot for doing it myself, but I never was afraid of mold or mildew.
We bought the house, they removed the mold (where we saw it) and thought all was good.
Turns out, there is toxic black mold (we had confirmed the previous area was toxic black mold) alll over the underside (side not showing) of the sheetrock in the basement. NOW I have to pay someone to come in and do professional remediation. this SUCKS! (
anyone recommend someone trust worthy?
How do you know it's "Toxic black mold"? Just curious.
You need to have the mold tested to determine it's exact species and often, there can be hundreds of known molds, mildew and fungus living on the same spot at the same time.
Doesn't matter really; just get it taken care of.
I see your original post was in March. Hate to sound blunt but you need to cure the moisture problem to get rid of the mold. there is no other way. You have water getting in your house, correct this problem and the mold problem will take care of itself.
How do you know it's "Toxic black mold"? Just curious.
You need to have the mold tested to determine it's exact species and often, there can be hundreds of known molds, mildew and fungus living on the same spot at the same time.
Doesn't matter really; just get it taken care of.
I see your original post was in March. Hate to sound blunt but you need to cure the moisture problem to get rid of the mold. there is no other way. You have water getting in your house, correct this problem and the mold problem will take care of itself.
Well, i don't KNOW "this" mold on "this" sheetrock is the toxic black mold, however we had tests done on another area back in march and it was the toxic black mold., so I'm assuming this is the same mold from the other sheetrock. Would make sense. I do not think there is a continuing moisture problem (other than it being a basement), I think at one point there was a water problem (flood or something) and that's where this mold came from.
Well, i don't KNOW "this" mold on "this" sheetrock is the toxic black mold, however we had tests done on another area back in march and it was the toxic black mold., so I'm assuming this is the same mold from the other sheetrock. Would make sense. I do not think there is a continuing moisture problem (other than it being a basement), I think at one point there was a water problem (flood or something) and that's where this mold came from.
You should give some thought to what i'm saying. It's impossible for mold to grow in a dry place.
Is this a finished basement? Either way, I'd pull the whole thing apart and investigate. If the mold problem is as bad as you describe, I think the only way of making sure this problem is minimized is to dismantle, scrub everything down, and check for a source of moisture. Something as simple as a water piper behind that wall can result in condensation and then mold. It happened to me in my basement, but fortuately it was concealed to some insulation backing that just needed to be cut out. The truth is, though, once the stuff is in your house, the best you can do is minimize the moisture (air conditioning during the humid summer and maybe a dehumidifier in the basement, vent fans in the bathrooms, repair any roof/foundation leaks [check your gutters!], etc.) and keep the place clean. Mold spores don't die, unless you use bleach or something designed to work on them, and it only takes one mold spore on the car exposed to moisture to start the cycle all over again. It's still no reason to panic, I'm getting ready to gut my moldy old bathroom.
It's amazing the information you can find once you ask the right people / do the research. I'm sure prolonged exposure to mold is not good. But short term exposure won't really do anything but annoy you (give you allergy symptoms). Anyway...as I've said before, the biggest thing with the mold removal is preventing it from getting upstairs and colonizing up there (bathroom, first floor, second floor etc.).
as long as I open a few windows, I'm sure it'll be fine.
I had the same problem on a house that my husband and I are in contract on in Huntington Station. Our mold problem sounds FAR worse than yours - we had basically nearly the entire basement with molded sheet rock on the internal side of the wall. The mold was due to a moisture problem in the basement ( sellers has vacated and no humidifier was going for a couple of months). The mold was black and GROSS - not sure if it was the infamous "toxic black mold- we didn't have it tested. The sellers offered to resolve the issue and a mold remediator advised to rip all the sheetrock out and replace it - coating it with mold resistant paint and sealer. We will also be placing a dehumidifier in the basement. Most basements ( or any area exposed to water- bathroom, etc.) will have mold if you don't control the moisture. My brother is a contractor ( who is certified to deal with mold) and he says people get more freaked out by mold than they should - it's usually a resolvable issue with moisture control and elimination of organic material for the mold to grow on. He laughed at me ( I was freaking out) and said "mold is the new asbestos ".
I wouldn't let the mold be a deal breaker. I know how stressful it can be to deal with mold, repairs and trying to get the sale closed, though. As far as the time involved - it shouldn't take more than a day to replace the sheet rock in the small molded area...just sort out whether you will take a credit from the seller, if the seller will take care of it...or the seller could say "no go...house as is ".
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