Need mold advice ASAP! (apartment, lease, waver, carpet)
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A few months back our water heater was leaking into our closet and flooded it. They fixed the leak cleaned up and gave us new carpet and carpet pad.
Fast forward a few months. My fiance has not been feeling well for the past 3 weeks. She's been having irregular heart beat, a horrible cough and is extremely drowsy most of the time. After thinking of everything under the sun it hit me to check the area that was flooded. I removed everything out of our closet and it does not appear to be moist in our closet really but I found a 1x1 patch of what looks like green/black dust on the wall. It is thick in one part and fades out. Then above that there is a streak, looks like a comma, about an inch long of BLACK particles that look like dust but dumb me I touched it and it was not dusty texture but a bit more firm. I did not touch anything else.
Now my questions: Should I call the apartment manager? I'm afraid they are going to just wipe it up and say "there you go, all better!". Or should I wipe it up myself? Or I'm wondering if I should go out on my own and try to find out if the mold could be causing her condition.
Reason I'm cautious about telling the mgr is because when my closet flooded, mold was starting to form and they just wiped it up with a rag and said it's all good.
Actually, it 'may' be a mold problem! Mold has been known to cause all the symptoms you described, and, even though you cleaned it up, it maybe elsewhere. It can be behind walls, up above the ceiling (especially if you have ceiling tiles, or drop ceiling). My best advice, if she keeps getting sick, then move! Because if you have children, its more dangerous for them, than it is your fiances.
I know, I am an asthma sufferer and we had mold in our basement and it affects my asthma greatly, so we had to have a remodel done to get the washing machine out of there, because there was too much moisture in a place with no ventilation. Apparently your 'closet' is closed in, with no ventilation (naturally), and there was still some moisture present...
As always, just my opinion...
I have a similar thread, although my ll didn't do a thing yet for 3 weeks. I can see mold growing on the soaked sheetrock. I generally get sick once a year with a mild week long cold. I have never had the stomach flu. Who knows for sure what causes what, but I did get a horrible stomach flu for the first time in my life ( you don't want to know the symtoms but it was bad) and then I got better and a few days later I got a very bad sore thoat and cold, which lasted about twice as long and my standard cold. I slept 15 hours one day in my moldy room and woke up not feeling any better and my cough lingered for a week after I got better. I'm much better now but still wake up a little congested, which is not normal for me. Anyway, mold isn't a cold or flu virus, but I think it aggravates colds and your immune system, so if you are sick or if you have allergies then you will be even sicker. Your fiance should go to the doctor.
It sounds like mold is the culprit. Before you call the landlord in (and they wipe it off) take pictures of every area where you see the mold. And don't touch it or breathe it in. Document everything the landlord says and does. Mold can cause long-term immune system problems, so you'll want to document everything in case you need to pursue further action down the road. If they just want to wipe it up or clean it with bleach, like someone here suggested, that will not get rid of the problem. Bleach isn't recommended to kill mold. Any area that has mold on it will have to be torn out and replaced. It is very likely that your landlord will resist doing that because it costs money. I had a problem with mold in the cabinet under my kitchen sink (in an apt. I used to live in) and the landlord was very reluctant to do anything about it. After a lot of back-and-forth, he finally cut out a piece of the wood, but he didn't get all of the moldy part out. I never used to have allergies before I lived at that apt. and now I am allergic to so many things, it's irritating. I would hate to see the same thing happen to you or your fiance.
P.S. I hope your fiance has access to a complimentary/alternative medicine practitioner because unfortunately, most conventional doctors aren't all that helpful for immune system issues.
It really seems to depend on the state where you live as to how seriously the courts will respond. Unless you either live in California or plan to move out......probably cleaning it (as mentioned above), then painting over it with any number of good mildew resistant paints would be your best option.
The Landlord might do it.....but you'll know it is done correctly if you do it yourself. It won't be expensive.
It really seems to depend on the state where you live as to how seriously the courts will respond. Unless you either live in California or plan to move out......probably cleaning it (as mentioned above), then painting over it with any number of good mildew resistant paints would be your best option.
The Landlord might do it.....but you'll know it is done correctly if you do it yourself. It won't be expensive.
First step is to reduce relative humidity in almost all cases... mold needs moisture to thrive...
Go for a walk anywhere that is forested and mold is everywhere... penicillin was discovered/derived from mold.
The idea is not to provide the ideal forest environment in your home... closets can be problematic... especially if they are adjacent to outside walls that are shaded... warm, moist air circulates in the home and condenses on cold surfaces where the air is still... like closets.
Don't over fill closets... leave room for ventilation and better yet... it really helps if the home's exterior walls are properly insulated... of course the roof and weather proofing must not let water infiltrate.
There are also excellent paints... one is called mildew-guard by Zinser to prevent mold getting a start.
Windex with Ammonia is something my Grandmother used all the time in the winter to prevent mold around the windows... she also wiped down the bathroom walls after showers and baths... I still remember her say, "We don't want mold to start"
Don't under estimate lifestyle... growing up, our neighbors had a mold problem... they had a big family with lots of teenagers... always someone taking a shower and somthing cooking on the stove... showers and cooking things like pasta put a lot of moisture into the air... a little prevention can go a long way... like using the range ventilator hood or bathroom fan.
Clean it up with bleach water and report it to your LL. Take your wife to the doctor and see what's wrong with her. The chances of anyone here being a. a mold specialist, and b. able to diagnose her condition is slim. The chances that "mold issues" are the lawsuit du jour are somewhat higher although your mileage may vary. Hope she's back to normal real soon.
Get a mold testing kit and YOU test it for dangerous mold. You sample and mail it out. If it is a toxic mold and you did not sign a waver I know in my state it was grounds to legally break a lease at the time I checked into it.
If your wife does not have health issues and is not on any medication I would look into drinking red clover tea to make her feel better. It cleanses the blood and kinda works like natural benadryl. But it should be talked about with her doctor if she is on any meds.
Get a mold testing kit and YOU test it for dangerous mold. You sample and mail it out. If it is a toxic mold and you did not sign a waver I know in my state it was grounds to legally break a lease at the time I checked into it.
Where would you get a mold testing kit other than the internet?
I read a little about it and started to get scared. My father was supposed to come out and stay with me for a few days. He has leukemia and was going to come out right before his treatement, but his doctor said no because he shouldn't be on an airplane because of how easy it is to get sick. He could have been sleeping in an apartment with high levels of mold.
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Document everything
