Mold and children (Decatur: rental, house, contractor) - Atlanta - Georgia (GA) - City-Data Forum

pdadda · 08-05-2008, 06:38 PM

We just moved into a rental house in Decatur less than a month ago. After the big rain storm a few nights ago, I noticed a musty smell, and I found that the corner of the carpet was wet in the front room of the house. This is the room where we were planning on putting our newborn in about 3 months. I peeled back the carpet, and I saw that the subfloor underneath was wet in about a 1-2 ft arc from the corner. There was a bit of mold on the wood and corner of the carpet. I peeled back the carpet to air it out, scrubbed the mold off with some diluted laundry detergent, and scrubbed the floor twice more with bleach water. I told the owners, and they are having a contractor come out to tear out and replace that area of subfloor as well as tear out and replace the sheet rock where it seems like the leak came from. I think they are also going to apply some sort of anti-microbial coating. They said they had had a leak there about 2 years before, right before they moved out of the house. They said they had someone come fix it, but obviously it didn't hold. They moved out 2 years ago, and the house has been vacant since then. So this subfloor could have been wet for that long.

I am glad they are coming to try and fix it, but should I still be worried? If they fix it and I can't smell the mold, is it still a bad idea to put our baby in there? I researched mold on the internet and made myself incredibly paranoid. Should I be concerned about keeping a baby in that house even outside of the room?

sweettea1 · 08-05-2008, 06:48 PM

You are right to be concerned. I'd actually pay for a mold inspector to come check out the rest of the house. If it's too much to fix you may want to check out another rental. But the owners do seem like they're doing the right thing so whatever the findings are, you should share them.

ellar · 08-05-2008, 07:49 PM

I wouldn't fret too much about it. Mold is everywhere--in the dirt, in houseplants, in most bathrooms. If you had a type of mold in the house that was harmful, it is likely that you would be sick. I have a daughter who is allergic to mold and when we moved into our home, we realized that part of the kitchen floor underneath the vinyl was moldy. Even with a daughter who was allergic to mold, we didn't have major problems. We just ripped it out. If the mold is being cleaned up--great! It sounds like the owners are taking care of things.

atlantagreg30127 · 08-05-2008, 08:34 PM

You may also wish to invest in a good dehumidifier as well.

spacelord75 · 08-06-2008, 05:45 AM

Just for peace of mind, maybe a month or so after they make the repairs, you may want to hire a mold inspector (like sweettea1 suggested) to test the air. They will take two readings, one inside the house and one outside - if the concentration and type of molds is significantly different inside the house then there might be a problem. Like someone else said, mold spores are in your house constantly, you just have to worry about elevated levels or dangerous types of mold.

We actually have a really musty smelling laundry room which I believe is due to flooding before we bought the house and mold growing under the vinyl flooring (too many projects to cover for me and haven't gotten around to fixing this yet). Even with this, our levels were very very low when we had the place inspected.

pdadda · 08-06-2008, 01:17 PM

Thanks for the opinions so far. I am paranoid about my pregnant wife being exposed to higher mold levels as well. I have heard some horror stories about miscarriages and birth defects, but nothing I have read has shown a direct link. Then again, I don't want my wife and baby to be guinea pigs.

JURASSICDEAN · 09-08-2008, 11:10 AM

Make sure they use a reputable contractor and don't just try to cover it up. A great number of the companies in atlanta area are using serum 1000 and serum 2000 from serum products in marietta which is a very "green" extremely effective system

Native Georgian · 09-11-2008, 08:21 PM

The problem is not your subfloor, joists, or even the carpet having mold. The problem is that they had a leak in the wall - if it is an external wall, then it may have insulation. The mold that grows in this insualtion is the dangerous kind and can kill your baby - fact! It has killed other babies just by coming from the basement into the heating system and blown as invisible particles through the heat ducts into the baby's room. If it is black, be very leary. The only way to know and get rid of it is to remove the sheetrock and have a look behind. If it is just a rental, then just move.