[b25]

I'm hoping there's an expert or two here that has dealt with mold remediation. I recently found a wet spot in the floor of my office -- I initially thought my girlfriend had spilled something. After a bit of investigating, I found that I had a small/slow leak of sorts under the kitchen sink / dishwasher area that spread through my cabinets and subsequently went under the wall into my office.

Here's what I've observed so far:
- The particle board floor under the sink was wet/sunk in
- The drywall in the under-sink cavity had surface mold on it
- After pulling the dishwasher, the drywall behind it had surface mold on it
- A piece of particle board in the dishwasher cavity has started to break apart due to the water
Looking inside the cabinets, into the far corner I can see where the particle board has gotten wet - this is the point where it meets the wall that is between the kitchen and my office


What I've done:
- Pulled up the carpet in my office and allowed it to dry.
- Determined that there was carpet UNDER my built-in wall unit; accordingly, I tore the wall-unit out and removed the carpet which had mold in several places.
- I broke out sheet rock 2-3 inches from the bottom of the floor where there was small amounts of mold
- I sprayed a bleach/water solution on the exposed 2x4's that mount the wall to the floor --- they are now clean.


Personally, it does not appear to me that there is a significant amount of mold; however, since I cannot see what is under/behind my kitchen cabinets I do not know what might be lurking. My girlfriend is more or less afraid to stay with me - the buzzword "MOLD" has really spooked her.

Anyway - I'm thinking it might be time to call in a professional who can perhaps put her at ease as well as confirm I'm going about cleaning things up the right way.

Hopefully someone here has some expertise to share. Thanks in advance!

-b

 

[cheveezies]

what is the wall behind your kitchen cabinet's ? . inspect from that side first . it is not fully proven that mold or spour's is seriousley harmfull to your health . bleach will only prolong the real source to the problem though - tommy . let me know how you make out

 

[Dave]

Be careful, the Pro's will hit You for all it's worth. If it's not too bad, bleach it again. I'd have to think if it's not too bad, I'd try to deal with it Yourself. I mean You say You can see it, I'd just remove everything that's moldy.

 

[Andy69]

Just make sure the leak is stopped, and everything gets dried out

 

[b25]

what is the wall behind your kitchen cabinet's ? . inspect from that side first . it is not fully proven that mold or spour's is seriousley harmfull to your health . bleach will only prolong the real source to the problem though - tommy . let me know how you make out

unfortunately, the wall behind part of my kitchen cabinets is an exterior wall. I bought some other spray today, as I've been reading that bleach will not penetrate drywall (only the water will), thus potentially worsening the problem. My drywall behind the dishwasher is clean as a whistle after I shot it with bleach; however, some of the particle board is clearly stained and has some dark spots.

I'm going to continue cleaning up and cutting out the moldy areas; I suppose I can have someone come in and test my home once I've finished to make sure there is not a problem.

-b

 

[cheveezies]

since it might get a little costly to bring in the mold / spore's expert's , there going to tell you like mike holme's ; this is just not acceptable , & rip out more than you need $$$$ , you could try this method , i've used it when i was working in florida , which is very humid in the summer month's , it's called kilz or kiltz ? . it's a waterproofing membrane paint that stop's spore's from spreading . i looked at the job 3 month's after & it was fine . it also helped that i found the leak on the roof ,& down into the wall cavitie's and fixed that mess . run a fan in the general area to dry up the wall's , then apply , hardware store should know this product , if this does'nt work , your better off hiring a carpenter , or handyman that will do the same job for a lot less . good luck - :beers: tommy

 

[ak 67SD]

mold is not harmful to your health? yikes, depends which ones!... you are on the right track with with removing contaminated material (which should have been misted and bagged), washing with a bleach solution, mold spores will form quickly and will spread further than the visible mold you can see. i dont see why you couldnt encapsulate the material once you have cleaned and thoroughly dried the area (and fixed the problem leaking)... i agree that mold remediation companies may try to oversell you on the fix, but this is usually governed by legislation. but i wouldnt take the 'if you cant see it, it aint broke' approach, you cant see mold spores! ...for peace of mind, you could call a testing agency, that will perform an air sample inside your office area and outside of the building and compare the mold counts (there is mold present in everyday outside air! so the MOLD word itself is not something to panic about!) generally speaking if your inside air is equal or less than outside, you're good to go... problem is if its higher inside, the area you know of may not be the source!... finding spores in the air could be like finding a needle in a haystack... there could be other sources of mold in your building, like the hvac system etc... the testing should satisfy you and your girlfriend...and cost maybe $200? or so (maybe a bit more where you are)...

ak

 

[Joel642DRpost]

I'm a certified mold remediator. I took a class years ago while working in the Restoration business. Find the source where the water is coming from to start with. Before doing any demo work setup a containment area to seal of the area. Purchase some plastic/visqueen from a hardware store. Staple it to the walls in that area large enough to work in. Bag all demo products that are inside the containment area. Shopvac everything after demo. You'll need a wire brush and a water and bleach solution to begin. Scrub the studs and spray the solution on the affected areas. Shopvac everything again. Now setup a dehumidifier in the area for a couple of days. This process will remove the mold without spreading spores if toxic. Use a tyvec suit during demo. A company that deals with mold will charge around 3k to 5K for this process. That does not include the build back. It's an easy process. Good luck with your problem.

 

[cheveezies]

doe's anyone know of a site , government or other , that can actually prove that mold is a serious issue to your health ? .

 

[70isfine]

If you call a pro there will be record of it whether it turns out there is a problem or not and that will have to be addressed in a sellers disclosure if you ever sell. Clean it up the best you can and move on. Have one of your buddies come over dressed in a uniform and tell your girlfiend it was the mold guy and everything checked out fine.

 

[OrrieG]

doe's anyone know of a site , government or other , that can actually prove that mold is a serious issue to your health ? .

Plenty of attorneys are finding expert witnesses and cashing in on it.....

We found some behind the washer and dryer when we moved them. Removed the drywall up the studs until I hit good material. Removed some of the stud material that was rotting. Bleached it, then let it dry for a couple of weeks (real low humidity here in the desert). Replaced with new drywall and it has not come back. Floor was mud set tile so it was not affected.

 

[cheveezies]

you can buy a test kit for about 140.00 , that will identify & quantify 5 to 7 predominate toxigenic mold's/fungi , basically the same as the pro's use .i don't think i stated mold is ; not ; harmful to you ! , only it's not scientifically proven as of yet , & it is an ongoing public awareness to health & govt agencie's . if you go to any site on mold , you literally have to get right up to it , without a mask & inhale it , or eat it . i agree with the allergie's , stating people that are subseptible to allergie's more so than other's . they all mention remediation , but don't get into specific topic's of proven health concern's from govt agencie's . one thing i have found out ! their all after the almighty $$$$ more so than your health concern's . one health concern that bother's me is babie's crawling around on floor's & next to wall's . inhaling it that close or eating it , as cases with lead paint which has proven fatal .

 

[cheveezies]

patrick ; i just finished reading a site on lawyer's advertising the same thing , i have heard of lead poisoning , but never mold . where did you get the info from . - tommy

 

[ak 67SD]

Cheveezies, do you flip mouldy houses? you dont have to eat mold or physically rub against the visible signs of it to be affected by it...unlike lead which is by contact on the skin and through the blood stream... mold spores are in the air, and you inhale them everyone does... mold is in everyones air as we speak and breathe... some mold can be really bad for you (i.e. Stachybotrys). They havent proven what levels are considered 'safe' or 'unsafe'... dont lead this to believe that it means its safe to inhale. if the government nailed down a number that was the safe threshold and every Occupational, Health & Safety worker started testing buildings, there would be major economic implications... not trying to start a conspiracy theory, but remember when "doctors recommended Marborough"...or "asbestos" makes great fire retartdant material for all the kids ice rink ceilings??... can be any harm in inhaling asbestos either right? there wasnt 20 years ago... lets get someone to 'dress like a doctor' and tell mom her breast cancer dissapeared...

trust me i really dont think a bit of mold that was cleaned up and source of the problem fixed is a big deal... but some of the logic is wacked...

it is too bad big business, politics etc. gets in the way of someone even being able to reassure themselves of their own healthy environment...

 

[cheveezies]

answer ; - no - . i've been a building contractor for the last 25 yr's & worked around , & renovated on some pretty nasty mold infested building's . here in canada , i know we need way more legislation & awareness to the public . info on mould , because even though it's a northern climate , we still get a fair share of it , from cold / meet's hot which create's = humidity . i've got way more homework to do on this subject , being in a trade related to this nasty stuff . thank's for the education session . tommy

 

[OrrieG]

patrick ; i just finished reading a site on lawyer's advertising the same thing , i have heard of lead poisoning , but never mold . where did you get the info from . - tommy

My professional liability insurance carrier and from getting flyers for seminars. Morning sessions are for professionals to help identify problems, afternoon ones are for lawyers and expert witnesses to learn how to "defend" the helpless homeowner and make money in the process. It is one of the red flag issues for them. I have to pay extra to be covered for asbestos, mold & lead paint. I get the extra coverage because 40% of my work is remodeling. When I see stuff like that professionally I notify the owner and contractor and my recommended testing agency and wait for the experts to take care of it.

 

[ak 67SD]

Hi Cheveezies, give this policy a read, it is one of the earlier and well recognized progressive guidlines in north america, and its a made in manitoba solution... where making $$ for lawyers isnt the first thought...

http://www.gov.mb.ca/labour/safety/pdf/mouldguide.pdf

ak

 

[cheveezies]

:thumbsup: great informative site , thank's . get's me thinking of taking a course or two on mould/mold , then educating the homeowner on their their type of mould present in their home , through testing & visual inspection's . ican see this situation as being # 1 . as a healh concern & # 2 . as being a little iffy as to the fact that ; in ont can , when you sell your home through real estate , their's a full checklist you must sign off on the condition of your home , if you cannot see mould , as they have menthioned on this site , most homeowner's would check it off , or state ; they don't know . as a building cont i've ran into some strange thing's behind wall's & ceiling's . one being , when they have had a roof or plumbing leak yr's ago , fixed it , but still has the nasty stuff growing in there . this is where testing of a home for various mould's/fungi , & air quality should be done to safeguard the homeowner of any future liability's when they put their home's on the market , as another fellow stated earlier on lawyer's & lawsuit's .

 

[66sc]

Mold has been around for a long time. Not all mold is particularly dangerous. Mostly, its another buzzword to make us panic and spend lots of money fixing what may not be a serious problem, or buy something cheap, like a house.

Mold is everywhere naturally.

Fix the problem by removing it with reasonable precautions and trade in the skittish girlfriend.

Just my opinions, but it seems we are just looking for more stuff to overreact to. Mold is another.