Mold.

[GingerAnn]

I have it in my apartment, and am pretty sure it's the cause of my health problems. going to move asap, but in the meantime I'm pretty freaked out.

What are your experiences with mold?

 

[Shaun__]

Where is the mold growing? Is it inside the walls or is it in your air ducts?

 

[Bocefish]

Never had any serious mold problems but this may help you:

http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/ts/iaq/renter.htm

 

[GingerAnn]

It's white mold all over our window sills. The windows are crap and get iced over and then melt, so there is a lot of moisture. BUT its way beyond the window sill, I discovered a nasty wet spot on my bedroom ceiling/wall. And I have all of the symptoms of mold exposure, as do my roomates and cat.

I've pretty much felt shittier overall since moving here a year ago but now it's gotten really bad. I'm sure the whole place is just infested.

A friend is taking our cat until we move and I am staying at grandma's to get a break from the mold (i'm here 24/7, roomates are gone all day with jobs, so i have it really bad).

My boyfriend is calling the manager tomorrow to tell him about the mold/give notice we're going to move. and i've already started the process of finding a new place.

 

[ViruSphere]

Sewer backed up into my parents' basement last year and flooded it badly. All of the carpet and the bottom two feet of drywall had to be cut out and disposed of because of mould. Many of our belongings had to be tossed and I had to sleep on my mattress on the dining room floor for months. It's been over a year since the flood and we're still putting it back together.

Mould isn't something to fuck around with. Besides moving out, you could contact your local municipal government and they probably have the power to prevent your landlord from leasing out that apartment until the mould is removed.

 

[Nordling]

That's horrible. The damp ceiling and walls tells me it's more than just window condensation--sounds like water is leaking in from somewhere.

 

[GreatDane]

I had to have my house redone with the entire upper level from the ceilings, rafters, all of the insulation, the bathroom had to be redone, my youngest had a severe reaction to the mold and had to have his tonsils removed and still has some issues with strong smells. took the company 4 months to clean out the house, and do all of the repairs and remediations. All in all it was approximately $37,000 in costs to do all of the repairs. It was a good thing that the company that did the original work was insured. I had to have the insulation redone in the upper level and they closed off all of the soffets and caused the mold to begin to grow in the attic, we didn't see it until my youngest found a small patch of mold in his closet where the access panel is to the attic. I decided to pop my head up to see how good of a job they did, water started dripping down the wall as I opened the panel.

GET OUT of the environment as soon as possible. :twocents-02cents:

 

[GingerAnn]

I've only spent one night at home since we found all the mold, and I feel a billion times better when I'm away. My boyfriend called the manager today, who didn't seen very concerned and hasn't gotten anyone out to look at it yet. I told my boyfriend he needs to be more assertive with them and emailed him some info and numbers we can call if they decide to be dicks about it. I'm not on the lease so he has to handle everything.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and knowledge. Some that sounds pretty terrible, especially yours, GreatDane.

I bought a 25 ft ethernet cable so I can cam in my grandmas extra room tonight, haha. Gotta make some moneys for the move, but I can't stay at home.

 

[ViruSphere]

On some home renovation shows I've seen them bring in mould crews. They tape off rooms and wear clothing similar to astronaut suits. You don't fuck with mould, mould fucks with you.

 

[GingerAnn]

So my boyfriend got home from work and there was a service notice on our table stating that they "found no mold." Which is insane, because it very visible on the windows sills and there's a big drippy wet spot on the ceiling. Granted, you can't SEE mold on the walls/ceiling but if there's water leaking through that's a pretty sure sign that there's something going on behind it. Even if there wasn't mold that is not an acceptable living situation. I'll post the pics once my bf emails them to me.

PLUS they can't just enter our apartment without us present unless they give 24hrs WRITTEN notice. It's states so in the lease.

I think we should send a certified letter of our intent to move due to the mold, and hopefully they won't contest it, since being out rent for one month is way less money that they'd end up paying if this went to court. I'm pretty sure any judge would look at pictures and wonder how the fuck they could say there is no mold. And if my bf goes to the doctor and is diagnosed with mold exposure... I don't know, I think it's pretty obviously unsafe. *sigh*

 

[Bocefish]

That sucks!

Sounds like the typical landlord mantra of deny, deny, deny...

Take pictures and make a log of contact, events, etc. just to CYA in case it does end up going to small claims court.

http://www.usarentersrights.com/renters ... 011/04/22/

 

[GingerAnn]

Cool, he called the health department and they are sending out somebody to inspect it asap!

 

[GreatDane]

take some tape samples of the suspected areas, take a piece of scotch tape and a clean slide if you have one make sure that you document with video if possible the lifting of the sample so there is no question of the validity of the sample lift, write on the slide the location or a code and make sure that you supply the code sheet to any lab that you have it sent to. Odds are that they will contest the evidence that is picked out, then you make the request of an independent mold remediation specialist to come out and gather their own samples. it may end up costing you about $500 to have your own samples gathered but in the long run it will save your ass if it IS mold that could be harmful to you.

 

[GingerAnn]

WELL looks like our roomate, the cat, and i will all be moving back into our apartment soon. Because the mold on the windows sills is a tenant responsibility, according to the local health department. My boyfriend cleaned it up with bleach water but it hasn't been long enough to see if his health improves.

We're going to have to continuously wipe down the condensation on the windows to prevent more mold from forming, and we're going to get a dehumidifier and a new filter for the air purifier. Hopefully this solves the problem but i am absolutely terrified that there's mold in the walls because the whole place has been so moist for so long, and even before this burst of illness and the visible mold we have all felt slightly shittier when we're at home.

My mother pointed out that feeling crappy since we moved in could be caused by a lot of things, such as the shitty new carpeting. Sadly, though, landlords are not responsible for our allergies.

I just want to move somewhere safe and healthy and have my man, cat, and work life back. I feel so lonely and useless at grandma's and there is no way I can stay here for 60 days (the insane amount of notice we need to give before moving).

 

[Rose]

Not much experience with it other than it's nasty and the mold growing in my mattress is giving us breathing problems. :/ I can sympathize with you about being sick because of it. Other than sanitize everything, keep the house as dry as possible, use fans, etc. I don't really have any other advice. Hope you can find a new place or get everything cleaned up soon. If you want someone who can rant about mold problems with you're welcome to pm me.

 

[GingerAnn]

Oh my god, stop sleeping on it, then!

 

[Rose]

Oh my god, stop sleeping on it, then!

There's not anywhere else for me to sleep. The couch is taken. :/ Plus it's already done its damage to my room because it's hard to breathe in there. Lol. With any luck I'll be able to save up and buy a new one for my birthday.

 

[GingerAnn]

Oh my god, stop sleeping on it, then!

There's not anywhere else for me to sleep. The couch is taken. :/ Plus it's already done its damage to my room because it's hard to breathe in there. Lol. With any luck I'll be able to save up and buy a new one for my birthday.

That's really dangerous, hun. You should at least get a cheap plastic cover for it something. If actual mattress covers are too expensive you can get drop sheet plastic at walmart for a couple bucks and duct tape it around it?

 

[Bocefish]

Oh my god, stop sleeping on it, then!

There's not anywhere else for me to sleep. The couch is taken. :/ Plus it's already done its damage to my room because it's hard to breathe in there. Lol. With any luck I'll be able to save up and buy a new one for my birthday.

:( That's really dangerous, hun. You should at least get a cheap plastic cover for it something. If actual mattress covers are too expensive you can get drop sheet plastic at walmart for a couple bucks and duct tape it around it?

^^ THIS!!!

As far as the windows, there is a cheap and relatively easy fix for those too:

 

[schlmoe]

WELL looks like our roomate, the cat, and i will all be moving back into our apartment soon. Because the mold on the windows sills is a tenant responsibility, according to the local health department. My boyfriend cleaned it up with bleach water but it hasn't been long enough to see if his health improves.

This sounds like BS to me. Not that you or your BF are lying, but the Health Dept. guy is clueless or doesn't know the regs. Also, depending if you live in a small town or not, the Health Dept. guy could be a part-time dog catcher and isn't trained.

From where I sit, I think you have the following options:
Keep on the city. Call the Health Dept. and ask to speak to a manager
Still with the city, call the Building Codes division. All this moisture sounds like a building/construction defect.
Check with the local newspapers & TV stations for their "Consumer Watchdog" person. A news or TV story could really help you out. Maybe the publicity could get a "white knight" landlord to offer you a new place to live.

We're going to have to continuously wipe down the condensation on the windows to prevent more mold from forming, and we're going to get a dehumidifier and a new filter for the air purifier. Hopefully this solves the problem but i am absolutely terrified that there's mold in the walls because the whole place has been so moist for so long, and even before this burst of illness and the visible mold we have all felt slightly shittier when we're at home.

This still sounds like a building or construction defect.

My mother pointed out that feeling crappy since we moved in could be caused by a lot of things, such as the shitty new carpeting. Sadly, though, landlords are not responsible for our allergies.

I just want to move somewhere safe and healthy and have my man, cat, and work life back. I feel so lonely and useless at grandma's and there is no way I can stay here for 60 days (the insane amount of notice we need to give before moving).

Yes, the landlord is not responsible for your allergies, but they are responsible for ensuring a safe residence (ie: no "Chinese" drywall, no formaldehyde in carpets or insulation, etc).

Good luck!

 

[GingerAnn]

I am not on the lease so I can't really do anything (if they find out I live there we're fucked), and my boyfriend seems to have given up. You're probably right about the health inspector lady, though.

I feel really defeated. But hopefully now that the mold is cleaned up i'll feel good enough to live there for another 60 days, and then i am SO out of there. I don't know what else to do, really. The landlord, the health lady, my family and my boyfriend are all just taking this as acceptable. I feel like a whiny bitch.

Bocefish, covering windows with plastic makes mold much worse.

 

[Marokite]

I feel really defeated. But hopefully now that the mold is cleaned up I'll feel good enough to live there for another 60 days, and then i am SO out of there. I don't know what else to do, really. The landlord, the health lady, my family and my boyfriend are all just taking this as acceptable. I feel like a whiny bitch.

You have every right to worry about your health. Obviously there are some things you don't have control over, so moving as soon as you can is a very good idea. I hope it goes better for you. I hate to see you sick.

 

[Bocefish]

I feel really defeated. But hopefully now that the mold is cleaned up i'll feel good enough to live there for another 60 days, and then i am SO out of there. I don't know what else to do, really. The landlord, the health lady, my family and my boyfriend are all just taking this as acceptable. I feel like a whiny bitch.

Bocefish, covering windows with plastic makes mold much worse.

I dunno why you think that would make it worse?

Now that the mold has been cleaned up, that additional level of dead air space/insulation should help prevent condensation from building up again. Hopefully that area gets plenty of sunshine too.

The most important step in solving a mold problem is to identify and correct the moisture sources that allowed mold to grow in the first place. Try to maintain the relative humidity between 20-40 percent in the winter and less than 60 percent the rest of the year. Ventilation, dehumidification, and efforts to minimize excess moisture production inside are all important.

 

[GingerAnn]

Well yes but putting plastic on windows is the opposite of ventilation. Many places I've lived before have said not to do that because it tends to lead to mold problems. *shrug* At any rate, if I do that I can't ever open the window, and I have a tendency to get really hot and need some fresh air.

 

[Bocefish]

My bad, I just ASSUMED you live in a colder climate since you mentioned the freezing and thawing condensation problem. If you still open your windows on occasion, ventilation is more important.

Best of luck.

 

[GingerAnn]

I'm in WI, it's cold. but our downstairs must blare their heat cause we rarely turn ours on and it's always like 71 or higher inside.

 

[Rose]

Oh my god, stop sleeping on it, then!

There's not anywhere else for me to sleep. The couch is taken. :/ Plus it's already done its damage to my room because it's hard to breathe in there. Lol. With any luck I'll be able to save up and buy a new one for my birthday.

That's really dangerous, hun. You should at least get a cheap plastic cover for it something. If actual mattress covers are too expensive you can get drop sheet plastic at walmart for a couple bucks and duct tape it around it?

I use an old shower liner but it's black mold so it doesn't make a huge difference. Lol now everyone knows why I cam in a small, dark place next to a wall.

I have a similar issue with the windows thing except we only have one window in the whole apartment. Have you tried keeping the house colder? When we keep the house absolutely freezing it's easier to breathe because the mold can't survive.

 

[Bocefish]

Oh my god, stop sleeping on it, then!

There's not anywhere else for me to sleep. The couch is taken. :/ Plus it's already done its damage to my room because it's hard to breathe in there. Lol. With any luck I'll be able to save up and buy a new one for my birthday.

That's really dangerous, hun. You should at least get a cheap plastic cover for it something. If actual mattress covers are too expensive you can get drop sheet plastic at walmart for a couple bucks and duct tape it around it?

I use an old shower liner but it's black mold so it doesn't make a huge difference. Lol now everyone knows why I cam in a small, dark place next to a wall.

I have a similar issue with the windows thing except we only have one window in the whole apartment.

I have an OLD full size complete bed set you could have but IIRC we're not exactly neighbors, geographically.

Have you tried looking in Craigslist for free stuff in your area? I always see people giving away stuff like that for free, you just have to pick it up.

 

[Rose]

I have a similar issue with the windows thing except we only have one window in the whole apartment.

I have an OLD full size complete bed set you could have but IIRC we're not exactly neighbors, geographically.

Have you tried looking in Craigslist for free stuff in your area? I always see people giving away stuff like that for free, you just have to pick it up.

We've looked some but most of the free stuff is twin beds or similar. My roommate is a BIG boy so a twin bed isn't an option because his feet hang way off. We're looking at trying to buy an air mattress or *hopefully* a new/used mattress for my birthday.

 

[Bocefish]

We've looked some but most of the free stuff is twin beds or similar. My roommate is a BIG boy so a twin bed isn't an option because his feet hang way off. We're looking at trying to buy an air mattress or *hopefully* a new/used mattress for my birthday.

I have no clue about your circumstances... but sounds to me like BIG boy needs to man the fuck up and get you both away from sleeping on a moldy mattress. Two twin mattresses put together is kinda like a California king anyway. What's more important?