House Mold

[Tywais]

Due to all the rain our house has had water leaking into it in a couple of corners. Now a large dark green spot (mold) about a meter in diameter has started growning there and everwhere the water went including the wood furniture. Having heard stories about how dangerous house mold can be does anyone have suggestions how to safely remove it and keep it from growing back. The ceiling looks terrible now and probably some re-painting required if the stain remains after removing the mold.

[ronz28]

Bleach and water works.

I would experiment and use as little bleach in the water as possible to take it off. Try a google search.

[lopburi3]

Ten percent bleach sprayed onto it. If you have gypsum board and it got wet you probably will have to replace it.

[BambinA]

this thread makes me think about my micro-biology class when i was a vet student .. (yah that time we know about phenol /cresol well) so try to surf.. got this interesting site

hope its helpful

Safe Substitutes at Home: Non-toxic Household Products

Bambi

[Riley'sLife]

Although I don't wish to be alarmist, there are several different types of mould that can affect buildings, almost all of which are hazardous to health in one way or another. Ranging from simply being the cause of respiritary problems, to being extremely dangerous, producing micotoxins that can be fatal (for example Stachybotris). It is important to have the mould lab tested to determine the type of mould before trying to deal with it, or to remove all the affected building material. There is a government lab testing facility in Bangkok opposite MBK shopping complex

IMHO it is not adequate to wash with bleach as the bleach only kills the surface mould and not the hyphe that will be present interstitially within the material. The result would then be regrowth of the mould immediately the conditions for growth re-appear (i.e. a warm moist atmosphere). In the tropics it is obviously more difficult to control than in more tempetate climates. Various specialist treatments are available in North America and Europe but I don't know of any in LOS.

It is the mould spores that cause breathing problems, and it is essential that children particularly are not exposed to the spores.

I would make sure that all the affected material is removed. Use a face mask when doing the job.

Good luck.

[cathyy]

Although I don't wish to be alarmist, there are several different types of mould that can affect buildings, almost all of which are hazardous to health in one way or another. Ranging from simply being the cause of respiritary problems, to being extremely dangerous, producing micotoxins that can be fatal (for example Stachybotris).

Since Stachybotris is a slimy black mold that requires a continous source of moisture, it's unlikely to be the culprit.

So you are dealing with a moderate health issue, not a severe one. Removing the wood or gypsum it is growing on is the best solution. Failing that, there may be some kind of special sealant you can brush on over the cleaned surface. I know the the Kilz brand of paint here in the US has special formulas to deter mold and mildew growth.

[solo siam]

There is some special mold-retardent type paint you can buy once you have cleared the patch up and replaced the wood etc...

Have you tried gettin an Air-Con unit, I'm sure that would help immensely in terms of keeping the room cool and fairly humidity free.

One thing I do everytime I move house is to clean the walls throughly, fill any cracks etc... and them give them a base coat and several layers of good brand name paint. Costs probably less than 2,000 baht per room, looks clean and helps to stop water and mold problems.

[Tywais]

Thanks for the responses.

As for air-con, unfortuantely the structure and size of the house precludes this for the 1st floor where the mold is growing (hugh open area and can't be sealed off).

I picked up some goggles, gloves and respirator mask from work and did the soap/bleach/ammonia cleaning and hair-dryer and will wait to see if it returns. Looks pretty good now, from a big ugly black splotch on the ceiling to barely noticible small grey area. Will try to find some sealant as others mentioned, don't have the resources to replace the ceiling material.

Edited October 9, 2005 by tywais

[chiangrai57020]

Try 'Moth Balls'! They seem to be working for me. Several months of having to srub using baking soda and vinegar, and then bleach, without any success, until I found and used moth balls. For whatever reason, the mold has not returned.

[Tywais]

Try 'Moth Balls'!  They seem to be working for me.  Several months of having to srub using baking soda and vinegar, and then bleach, without any success, until I found and used moth balls.  For whatever reason, the mold has not returned.

I'm sorry, I just don't have it in me to go out and castrate some poor moth.

Perhaps the napthalene is toxic to the mold spores as well as to moths. Just worries me a little to expose myself for long period with this stuff. Did you use them for only a short period?