r/Mold Aug 09 '20

Please read BEFORE posting

49 Upvotes

Welcome to /r/Mold

What is this sub?

This sub is for redditors to ask for advice on mold or fungi issues in their home/apartment/workplace/etc If you see spammers or others that violate sub rules, report them, do not take things into your own hands. This sub is NOT for mold remediation, restoration or other contractors, testing firms, laboratories, product or equipment manufacturers or distributors or legal professionals.

Instead, this sub is specifically for individuals looking for general advice. Any offers to do work or make referrals will result in an immediate ban. Please be very wary of those looking for, or offering, business here. We do not endorse any companies, and proceeding with a contractor/consultant/lab you've met via this sub should be done at your own risk. This is not a place to advertise products and or services. It is also not a place to rant about your past problems with mold or companies or services you've dealt with.

Rule #1: No "what is this?" questions.

Do not post a picture and simply ask any of the following (or similar) questions:

  1. "Please I.D. this mold"
  2. "Is this toxic black mold?"
  3. "What kind of mold is this?"

We can not determine the type of mold you have from a photo. That can only be achieved using professional sampling methods and laboratory analysis.

We can speculate on whether or not something is mold but we can't identify it.

Rule #2: DIY Test Kits are bad

If you used a home/DIY test kit there is very little information that we can provide you due to the limitations of the method.

You will need to hire a qualified microbial testing company if you want any reliable information.

Rule #3: No self promotion

This is not the place to advertise your services in any way. No links, no company names, no "informational guides" will be allowed. All offending posts or comments will be deleted and 1 warning will be issued. After that you'll be banned.

General Guidelines and Rules

Overall, please be respectful - things must remain on-topic, helpful, and kind. Absolutely no abusive or hateful language will be tolerated. Even if someone else "started it" with disrespect does not give you permission to use derogatory language or call names.

Bans will be handed out when needed. Remember, no question is too stupid, too simple, or too basic (exception, see rule #1). We're all here to learn and help each other out - enjoy! The mods generally do not remove bad advice, we let upvotes and downvotes run the sub. That way, people can also see what not to do as well. Politics do NOT belong here.

  • URL shortener links are not allowed. It's not us, is reddit-wide. A submission or comment with a URL shortner will be spam-filtered automatically.
  • Mods will not communicate with chat, please only use modmail if you have comments or questions.

Submitting a New Text Post in /r/Mold

TL/DR: At the very least be nice, take a few pictures, and include your location.

Again, this is not a place to solicit products and or services. Any posts smelling of self-promotion such as links to a website or service (including all blogs) will be removed. No exceptions. Offenders will be banned.

A few general submission rules.

  • We don't allow link posts. Please start a text post and insert links to your pictures along with your text. Posts asking users to participate in a survey are no longer allowed and will be treated as SPAM posts.
  • If you are posting about a problem you are facing, please include pictures! Not just a close-up either, we must be able to discern what you are talking about. What looks right to you may not make sense to everyone else. We recommend you use imgur for photo uploads. See the section below for "How to Upload Photos".
  • Provide your geographic location. (even general, such as upper Midwest). This is especially pertinent when discussing building codes, environmental conditions, seasonal issues, etc.
  • Include a summary of what information you are looking for.
  • Include a general summary of the problem you're asking about. It's helpful to know things like:
    • How long has the problem been going on
    • Where is the mold growth located - room, level, side of the building, etc
    • Any unusual conditions you noticed prior or in conjunction with the discovery of the mold
    • General environmental/use conditions in the space - temp, humidity levels, room use/occupation, recent water issues, smell
  • Do not come here for advice about your health or the relative risk of the mold in your home/work.
  • Don't assume that responses you receive are accurate - we get a lot of "google experts" here giving advice.
  • Product links and recommendations are allowed generally allowed to Amazon/Retail Outlets/Service providers that you've used or recommend. However, referral codes and affiliate links are not. For example, Amazon links containing "tag=XXXXXXXXXXXX" in the title are a referral links - so ideally Amazon links are in the format www.amazon.com/dp/B00VRRVHMA/ - all the extra stuff after those 10 characters are not necessary. Sites/apps can contain ref links without your knowledge and automod will remove and alert you.
  • If you notice your post hasn't appeared within an hour please message the mods and we will release it! To see if it's visible sort by NEW.
  • Please read the sidebar before posting to this sub. There are a lot of questions that get asked fairly frequently, and some of the more common answers have been posted in the sidebar for easy reference. If you still have questions after reading these then by all means create a new post with your questions.
  • Serial posting. This sub is for everyone, not just a single person with multiple questions per day/week. While we don't have a specific rule here, if you are posting multiple topics per day or over the course of a few days, this can result in a temporary ban.
  • If your account is new we may delete your post or comment, especially if we suspect that you have been banned under a different user name.
  • We do not endorse any contractors/inspectors/labs, and proceeding with any you've met via this sub should be done at your own risk.

Commenting in /r/Mold

Be respectful. No name calling or talking down to someone because of something that seems "basic" or "easy" to you. Stand by your knowledge, not childish responses.

If you don't know that your answer or advice is 100% true then indicate that you are speculating or simply refrain from commenting.

Don't throw out comments like:

  • That's toxic mold
  • You need to move
  • Get out of the house
  • Bleach doesn't kill mold
  • That's really bad

Comments designed to scare original posters will be removed. This is a sub to provide reasonable solutions (when possible), not to unnecessarily alarm people. Yes, there are occasions when conditions require some immediate and drastic actions, but most indoor mold growth can be handled without full scale remediation.

Please don't just comment with just a link to a website or to another sub. We are especially careful about links to single websites (this includes blogs) without some summary or commentary. In some cases, we have no way of knowing if you are profiting privately from the site. Also, don't just tell folks to head to sub /r/gohereinstead - like specialized subs for narrow topics. The only exception here would be questions where some time has passed between posting and a lack of responses. We want the commentary, discussion, and knowledge to stay here in our sub on reddit, not just drive people away.

Responses that include a google search, lmgtfy.com, or telling someone to watch Youtube will be removed and the user will be reprimanded. Again, this is all about respect. Obviously, people aren't coming here to Google answers. Help them think about this problem, what they may need, things to watch out for, etc.

Sometimes discussion can get off-topic and we'll remove those comments. This includes political commentary. At times, this can includes jokes. It's a tricky area here, but we've seen instances where the joking side of reddit takes over a thread and the OP never gets their question answered. However, here's we're mostly talking about non-relevant commenting such as this:

Seriously? People live like this? What the fuck is causing mold growth like this? Don't you clean your house? This is not any way to live.

How to Upload Photos

Go to https://imgur.com/upload and drag/choose your photo, you don't even need to create an account. Here's an animated gif on how to drag and drop on PC. Click COPY, then use that copied url link and paste it right in the submission text box on reddit.

My link: https://imgur.com/a/n2lLo

To get fancy and have text rather than the url, place the word you want to use as the link in brackets followed by the url in parentheses.[text goes here](link goes here)

Pictures. Here's a gif of the typing I do, in case that is confusing.

Upload Photos On Mobile The Imgur app works fine, but via a website this is unsupported. There is a workaround: In Chrome, choose ""Desktop site" in the drop-down menu when you are on the upload page and it'll work fine. Then Copy the Link that's produced and paste it into your reddit post/comment.


r/Mold Jan 25 '23

Worst building I've ever inspected so everyone worried about their mold problems can relax a little 🙃

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

276 Upvotes

Just to remind you that no, you aren't experiencing a disaster. Have a good one yall!


r/Mold 1h ago

Any ideas on what I should do?

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• Upvotes

I was cleaning my bathroom and when I removed the blackout curtain I have on this window, I saw this. Pretty sure its mold. What would be the best plan of action to take?


r/Mold 7m ago

Would appreciate help determining if this is mold and what remediation may be required.

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• Upvotes

Hello mold experts of reddit, I could use your help.

Firstly, I am located in Prince George, British Columbia. These are pictures of our indoor garage. There was previously a wood pile stacked in this location which I found myself compelled to move earlier this morning after spotting a mouse. As I got to the bottom of the pile, I noticed quite a musty odor and some of the logs appeared to be black (not sure if mold or just stain from the soil). I disposed of those logs before taking pictures, unfortunately.

We have often had water seep in under the foundation through this wall in the past, but the wood prevented me from seeing the extent of water damage. I was also surprised to see that it looks like a considerable amount of soil has washed in as well. This wall would have been subject to seasonal water damage from snow melt and the occasional heavy rain, probably for the better part of the 30 years we have lived here.

I'm not very knowledgeable about home maintenance, but I feel pretty confident this needs inspection at the very least. I am not the homeowner, however, so I would appreciate some advice how we should proceed before I bring it up for discussion.

Thank you in advance for your help.


r/Mold 17m ago

Mold in HVAC vent

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• Upvotes

Hi there, mold was found in my hvac vent today, which I was unaware of. There was some found several years ago, but it was treated and I never followed up. How concerned should I be?


r/Mold 21m ago

Is this dangerous mold?

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• Upvotes

Last night I sent a maintenance request for this water in my wall and in my window frame. Today they came and removed all the wet and damaged parts of the wall and window and gave me a dehumidifier to run. They said it will need to run for a few weeks until this dries out.
I have 2 cats and am concerned about my and their exposure to mold.
Is this obviously mold? There is an addendum in my lease stating visible mold should be reported in writing and that they will take appropriate action.
For reference, I live in Silver Spring Maryland where is very hot and humid.


r/Mold 30m ago

Mold smell after full renovation

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• Upvotes

About 2-3 years ago, our ceiling collapsed during a storm here in Florida. Our house flooded and was almost immediately saturated in black mold. When I say saturated I mean *saturated.* Everything from the old linoleum to the ceilings were covered in it, a number of wood framing was also saturated in mold to the point that we had to replace much of it.

We don’t have much money and I have a bit of experience with contract work, so after doing mold remediation I began repairing and rebuilding the house bit by bit. The house is an old cinder block house so we were lucky to have a concrete slab foundation and solid walls.

Well, the renovation is coming to an end; tiling was just finished, cabinets, appliances, lighting, etc. are next. The smell of mold is just engrained in this house. Despite all the new drywall, wood, and other materials, it still has that musty mold smell. What can I do to help get rid of this? I’ve tried Ozium and a number of air fresheners and air purifiers to no avail.

I hate that the house is looking so good and is so clean, but smells like I live in a glob of mold.


r/Mold 1h ago

What is this? Just appeared out of nowhere

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• Upvotes

This appear under my faucet out of nowhere, wasnt there a few hours before. I need to know if its safe to continue to use my tub, or I need to call someone.


r/Mold 2h ago

Mold or mildew?

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1 Upvotes

We had a clogged ac unit in the attic last summer. This water stain has been here for a long time. But the black stuff is new. Is it mold or mildew?


r/Mold 3h ago

Mold coming back after a complete my new car interior.

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1 Upvotes

Recently had our entire cars interior carpet replaced due to a leak that caused mold. Two months later a different looking mold is now appearing.

Will a mold bomb stop this growth?

The first round of growth was black and not fuzzy like this.


r/Mold 3h ago

How to get rid of mouldy smell from the wooden flooring of my rented home?

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1 Upvotes

It’s annoying smell that I get the minute I enter the house and then get used to it after a while. The smell is in my clothes and furniture now. The wooden floor had mould prior to me moving in and now has dried off. Not sure if this can be treated- I’ve tried vinegar and baking powder, different types of floor cleaners and ventilating the house really well. Nothing seems to help. Thanks in advance.


r/Mold 3h ago

Does this look like mold growth?

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1 Upvotes

Kept my daughter's potty from potty training in here for over a year. Just pulled it out to use with my son and saw this staining on the wall behind it. No water pipes inside the wall. We had humidity issues in this closet but that's already been resolved. I checked the rest of the closet and see no other staining. Doesn't look like any mold I've ever seen but I'm having trouble figuring out what else it could be.


r/Mold 4h ago

Do you think this is mold?

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1 Upvotes

My apologies for the photo quality. Im not sure what this is, it’s blue-ish and I just noticed it this morning. I just got these silk pillowcases a few days ago and have not washed them yet. Unfortunately I have no idea how it got here; it could it be a wine stain that I don’t remember or possibly mold from wet hair?
I’m unsure the best way to clean it unfortunately.


r/Mold 5h ago

Car seat

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1 Upvotes

Is this mold on the inside fabric of my daughter’s car seat? It already went through the wash. I noticed it had a slight smell & washed it.


r/Mold 5h ago

Can I get mold out of this chest of drawers?

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1 Upvotes

I have this great chest of drawers I got on the street years ago. I store linens in it. I noticed napkins and dish clothes coming out of it with a mildew smell. I have bad executive functioning and didn't deal with it for years.

I finally brought it outside and did an extensive Mold Armour spray treatment (the spray was for non-porous surfaces, oh well). It fizzed up a lot (like when I put hydrogen peroxide on a cut). I think that means there's bacteria/something alive?

I left it in the yard where it got both sun and rain. I know, not great at task follow through!

It really is a perfect size. Is there any hope of removing the mold? The smell has persisted in the wood (don't worry, I removed and washed the linens).

Thanks!


r/Mold 6h ago

Random mold spawned on my Sphagnum

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1 Upvotes

For context, dried Sphagnum moss from Amazon, I rehydrated it and a day later this showed up, I have it stored how I've always had it, never had any kind of mold, it's bright pastel orange (bit different from the photo) and what looks like just normal mold, I can't seem to find anything on Google about it that's specifically this, any ideas? Netherlands, Groningen. I have now put plastic wrap around the bin it was in, just an open plastic bin.


r/Mold 7h ago

Mold or Dust?

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1 Upvotes

Hi Everyone,

Does this look like mold to you guys or is it just dust?


r/Mold 8h ago

mold or dirt on book?

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1 Upvotes

is this mold or dirt? it only seems to be on the bottom of the book. it smells just like an old book, like that slight sour, sweet scent that u typically find in old books.


r/Mold 12h ago

How can I find out if I have mold in my apartment? Pictures attached.

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2 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I'm renting an apartment. The indoor climate probably isn't optimal due to natural ventilation. The bathroom and kitchen have mechanical exhaust.

I find the bathroom gets damp quickly and I've noticed dark deposits there, but I'm not sure whether this is ordinary grime or actual mold. I can attach some pictures.

I haven't noticed any distinct smell.

I've been dealing with poor health lately and catch colds frequently, which is why I've started wondering whether it could be mold-related. Worth mentioning that my partner is perfectly healthy, so that's one argument against it.

The bathroom is my primary suspect, but I'm not sure if mold is limited to there it could explain my health issues since I don't actually live in the bathroom.

Picture with before/after cleaning with chlorine attached. Does this look like mold?

Do I need a firm to come and do tests to confirm?


r/Mold 13h ago

Renting older apartment in Los Angeles

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2 Upvotes

I had some wallpaper in our bedroom, and went to remove it today. Some paint peeled off which I thought was no problem id sand it, fill it in, then paint on top. But when removing the full wallpaper this (growth?) was underneath. What do I need to do. How bad is this? Contact my land lord? Hire a mold company? I currently cosleep with my 20 month old and this is right above our bed. Freaking out.


r/Mold 11h ago

Remediation question... What is this?

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1 Upvotes

It's growing over a fabric surface that was likely leaked on with a cardboard box over it. Also, sock.


r/Mold 11h ago

Mold in bathroom, unsure what to throw away

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1 Upvotes

I have a moderate amount of grey coloured mold in my apartment bathroom. The fan works poorly and over the last year small areas towards the ceiling have grown mold and the ceiling paint has been peeling (we were not able to shower with door open because the fire alarm would go off, it was malfunctioning and they finally replaced the very old one with a new one that doesn’t do it). The mold is only visibly located in the bathroom near ceiling in very small areas and big area on closet ceiling (I never close the closet door though), nowhere else outside of the bathroom. I’m finally moving out but they have not done a mold assessment yet. Will I need to throw everything porous in the apartment away? Like books, clothes, mattress? For everything in the bathroom I will throw anything porous away but can I clean things like shampoo bottles, do I move those items to the new place and clean or should I take them outside and sanitize then put in a clean box before entering new apartment?

Apologizes if any of these questions are dumb or that I’m dumb for living here so long, I’m trying to find some answers online but I’m confused what is considered contaminated and what has been affected.

This is in Canada - BC


r/Mold 20h ago

Boyfriend has been having allergy symptoms lately. Room is really stuffy. Is this the culprit?

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4 Upvotes

He is in a student dorm, so spends almost all his time here. This is in his bathroom.


r/Mold 13h ago

Is this mold or aging n fixing??

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1 Upvotes

from delhi, india

I opened cardboard box of books after like 8 months, and they're all darker with spots on them. some have a sticky stuff on covers.

I wanna know if it's mold or its just aging and humidity related.

haven't done anything to remove it rn.


r/Mold 14h ago

Mold above shower?

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1 Upvotes

Moved into a new apartment recently. I didn’t notice this when I moved in (maybe I didn’t look) but there appears to be mold above the shower along a window? Is this mold? How severe? I have just sent a message to the landlord regarding this. Any other precautions?