Preventing, identifying, or treating mold infestations in the home.
15
votes
2answers
401 views
1lb of cure is worth 10 tons of mold: DIY repair of a poorly sealed window? lots of photos herein
Preface
I live in China. Construction is largely handled by unskilled migrants, and one cannot just call up a specialist contractor to fix a major issue.
Problem
I've got a window that was not ...
14
votes
6answers
41k views
How can I paint over mold to prevent it from coming back again?
The source of the leak has been fixed, however the old mold keeps showing though the new paint.
14
votes
7answers
9k views
What are the black spots on my bathroom ceiling? Are they mold?
My bathroom above my tub is getting some black spots on it that seems to be growing. I assume it's mold. I am wondering how should I deal with this? What should I expect it to cost?
10
votes
2answers
2k views
How to remove/clean black mold?
What is the best way to remove black mold from wood?
Specifically, the mold on my back porch is black mold. Is the best option to use something like Kilz over it?
8
votes
3answers
694 views
Should a bathroom fan vent to a separate duct system?
Is it acceptable to route a bathroom exhaust fan to the return of a central air system? I'm afraid this will cause mold to grow in the air return ducts. There is currently a fan in our bathroom and ...
8
votes
2answers
2k views
Is this termite damage and if so how do I repair it?
I was moving a bolt storage rack in the basement, and when I took it off the wall, I noticed that the wall behind it was moldy. Then I noticed a ripple in the paint going all the way up, and when I ...
8
votes
1answer
493 views
Mold remediation in crawlspace
Just bought a 25 year old home that has improperly installed insulation in the crawlspace. The insulation is fiberglass rolls with a paper backing, and is installed with the paper facing down, toward ...
7
votes
8answers
7k views
How do I clean a very dirty refrigerator?
I just got a new house and inherited a very moldy and mildewy refrigerator. My first though it to get some cleaning spray with bleach and just go to town, but I'm worried the bleach might damage the ...
6
votes
2answers
568 views
How do I treat mold and mildew in shower grout?
I have a tiled shower in an older house, and it's been a struggle to keep the grout clear of mold and mildew. I'm planning on installing a bathroom vent to prevent future buildup, but in the ...
6
votes
1answer
229 views
What to do if my sump is bone-dry?
My wife has been suffering the past two years with severe asthma symptoms (never had asthma before this). She's been advised that it's probably mold.
We asked a company to look for moisture ...
6
votes
1answer
368 views
What is the recommended way to destroy mold?
Back in the day I've heard that bleach is a good way to kill mold. The other day a home inspector suggested that Dawn dish soap actually works much better than bleach. I've heard from another home ...
6
votes
2answers
666 views
Solutions for a moist basement?
I live close to the water and there is a high water table around my house. Therefore a lot of water vapor passes through the basement walls. I would like to be able to store stuff in my basement and ...
5
votes
5answers
474 views
Should I spray down the shower with a diluted bleach solution after using it?
I have a tile shower in the basement that is not very well ventilated. My mother-in-law suggested a spray bottle of 1/2 bleach, 1/2 water, and spraying it around the surfaces of the shower after ...
5
votes
3answers
110 views
What type of primer should be used on moisture resistant drywall?
What type of primer should I use my basement bathroom walls? New moisture resistant drywall has been installed, taped and sanded, and is now ready to be primed.
5
votes
2answers
444 views
How to best keep floor vent by shower dry/mold free?
We just moved into a rental home. It turned out after living there for a few weeks that we discovered the vents were innudated with mold. They were so bad the landlord had to replace all the vents in ...
4
votes
3answers
196 views
Where do I begin finding estimates for problems with my potential first home?
I'm looking at purchasing an older home as a primary dwelling. On going through the house with an experienced Realtor and several experienced DIY people for reference (but not a home inspector or ...
4
votes
3answers
98 views
What should I do to prevent mold from flooding?
Thanks to old plumbing, my upstairs toilet has flooded the bathroom -- and it's dripped all the way down to the downstairs bedroom, where it's soaked into the carpet there as well. I've got buckets ...
4
votes
2answers
112 views
Is the lack of a vapor barrier in the attic causing my mold issue?
For the last couple of days we have noticed more and more mold growth on the ceiling throughout the house. Wondering what was going on, I climbed into the attic this past weekend and notice that no ...
4
votes
2answers
995 views
Is there a cheap way to test for mold spores?
We had toxic mold during the wintertime, which has been removed, by replacing the affected Sheetrock. However, my wife has often still the same symptoms she had at the time. Getting a contractor with ...
4
votes
1answer
589 views
How do I remove musty smell in coat closet?
Recently moved into an older house (1950s built) and noticed that the coat closet has a musty smell.
The coat closet is next to the front door and has one wall that is an exterior wall. It has ...
3
votes
2answers
402 views
What are some methods to get rid of and prevent pink mold in the bathroom?
I have some pink mold on the seam where the bathtub connects to my wall tiles. There's also some on the grout on some of my tiles.
I've tried to clean them with ajax. It doesn't get it all off. I've ...
3
votes
1answer
127 views
Is it a good idea to have an Infrared scan and/or air quality test done during a home inspection?
I'm looking to purchase a home that is only 10 years old, but has a finished basement. There's various home inspection "packages" that are offered with the companies I've looked into. The mid-line ...
3
votes
2answers
490 views
Is there a way to design/create a shower that is less prone to mold?
I think I've had it with traditional tiled showers...I can't stand the site of mold in between tiles, on the tiles! on shower curtains, on shower doors, etc.
I think I'm pretty clean, but I always ...
3
votes
2answers
82 views
How can I prevent my dehumidifier drain line from freezing?
Is there a 120 Volt switch that would shut down power to a dehumidifier when the outside temperature goes down to 35°F to protect the drain line from freezing. A digital thermometer would need to ...
3
votes
2answers
201 views
What should I do after mistakenly using moldy paint on drywall?
I was painting my basement and used a six year old five gallon bucket of paint. It had about 4 gallons of paint in it. The surface was black, but it didn't smell bad. I thought it was the dye ...
3
votes
2answers
253 views
What should I do about this possible mold I found under paint?
I live in Austin, Texas, which is important in that we don't receive much rain, and it's not very humid.
I was peeling paint off of the old drywall, and found what appears to be mold on the bottom of ...
3
votes
1answer
362 views
How to self-remediate mold?
We had some water damage recently (leaky toilet supply line) that flooded an upstairs bedroom and the room immediately below it. We had all the drywall torn out in anticipation of rebuilding and had ...
3
votes
1answer
75 views
What should be done about water under bathroom floor tiles?
There is water getting under our bathroom floor tiles. The landlord believes that due to a recent remodel of whole bathroom, water is not draining from the window ledge but is instead going into the ...
3
votes
1answer
208 views
Can you have different types of vents on a single roof?
The attic of my house has serious ventilation issue and the sheathing becomes rotten. The roofing contractor suggests me to replace the rotten sheathing and install some ridge vent. His plan will ...
3
votes
1answer
405 views
How can I locate and deal with mold between floors?
About 9 months ago, my wife and I replaced a toilet that had a broken wax ring. We got some water leaking down to the ceiling on the first floor. Now I'm having what seem to be mold symptoms -- I ...
3
votes
2answers
332 views
Is there a way to prevent mildew/mold from forming on vinyl siding?
The back side of my garage is shadowed by branches from neighbors trees, which causes mold/mildew to grow on the vinyl siding. Since removing the trees/branches is out of the question, is there some ...
3
votes
0answers
52 views
What should I do about a potentially bad repair of a leaking pipe?
In our apartment, the ceiling began leaking in 2 places. One of the places, the water was brownish and had multiple droplets, the other the water was clear. We called maintenance at 8 am and no one ...
2
votes
3answers
154 views
How to address mold/moss on newer roof?
I have an old house with a new(er) installed roof shingle that's about 5 years old. In removing leaves from the gutter today, I noticed green moss? mold? around some of the areas close to the house. A ...
2
votes
4answers
2k views
How to permanently remedy a patch of mold on a ceiling from a water leak above?
I recently discovered that water was dripping from the ceiling light fixture in a first floor bathroom. It turned it was due to a toilet leak (faulty wax ring) in a bathroom directly above.
The ...
2
votes
1answer
819 views
Mold in grout or just stained by mold…is retiling needed?
At my parent's place there's a small bathroom with a shower but the bathroom doesn't have windows (there is a ventilation fan).
I've noticed that in the grout, and some of the caulking around the ...
2
votes
1answer
126 views
What are the issues with using sour smelling paint?
My husband touched up the paint in our bedroom. The smell was rancid, like sour milk. I cannot believe he used the paint that went bad. I have a horrible headache and watery eyes, an obvious ...
2
votes
1answer
600 views
Was my mold issue handled properly?
I hope we didn't screw this up. We're in a rental and there was mold (blackish/grayish spots but it didn't look fuzzy) on the bare sheetrock garage walls and near a dryer vented into the garage (fixed ...
2
votes
1answer
134 views
What chemicals are available to remove and prevent mold appearing through brickwork?
This thread recommended Conchrobium followed by a Zinnser sealant.
I can't locate Conchrobium in Australia. Are there alternate or even more generic solutions that will treat the mold and prevent it ...
2
votes
1answer
38 views
How do I know which mold agent is best?
I've had several mold remediation specialists come to my home each touting their preferred EPA approved mold killing agent including: Cal-brite, Fiberlock Shockwave, Microban BotaniClean. I've looked ...
2
votes
2answers
127 views
What should I do about mold until the leak feeding it gets fixed?
About three weeks ago I noticed a leak on the ceiling of my studio apartment. When it began it was just a leak, a few days later it began to get dark-stained all around it and now it's covered in a ...
2
votes
2answers
628 views
Can a house with moldy, flooded basement be a likely fixer upper?
I recently viewed a vacant house for sale that was nice except that the partially finished basement got flooded just enough to saturate the carpets and cover every piece of drywall, door, and trim ...
2
votes
1answer
522 views
How can I fix this moisture problem to stop mold growing?
Background and The Problem
I am trying to solve the problem of mold growing on my bedroom ceiling. The house is a California Bulgalow built in about 1940. The house is single-brick with plaster ...
2
votes
2answers
251 views
How can I remove lichen and/or mold from plastic siding?
We have some kind of lichen or mold on the plastic siding on one side of the house. What's the best way to clean it off?
2
votes
2answers
493 views
What is the best way to seal this old fireplace vent?
I am doing some minor renovations to my basement with the drop ceiling and found that one of the geniuses that owned the house before me, used fibreglass ceiling tiles to seal off an old vent for a ...
2
votes
0answers
125 views
Is mold growing in my ductwork? [closed]
I am currently in a battle with my landlord over what I believe to be mold growing on the fiberglass liner of the ductwork in my apartment. He is having a specialist come to test it tomorrow, and I ...
2
votes
0answers
209 views
How do I remove mold and mildew from subfloor of a house with crawl space? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Mold remediation in crawlspace
House with crawl space has mold and mildew on the sub-floor. I've determined the cause is no vapor barrier and a leaky pipe and there is ...
1
vote
3answers
146 views
What is the difference between mold in air duct and mold that grows in crawl space?
Specifically, are they both dangerous to human health?
1
vote
4answers
323 views
Repaint moldy porch chairs
We have wooden porch chairs that were supposed to be painted with outdoor paint but they have succumbed to some sort of mold. To repaint these would I have to sand/strip all of the existing paint ...
1
vote
1answer
176 views
How do I get rid of this mould?
Can anyone tell me how I can get rid of this black mould?
It has appeared in the corner of our window ledge, as well as all around the bathroom ceiling.
There is no texture to it, it seems very flat ...
1
vote
1answer
329 views
How should I prepare the shower walls for tiling to prevent mold and mildew?
What is the proper way to prepare a bathroom wall before tiling for a shower area to prevent the growth of mold and mildew?
