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03-06-2006, 07:31 PM
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Don't tell anybody I said it, but a little sodium hypochloride (aka chlorine bleach) gets rid of the mold. If it's behind the walls, you can either leave it alone (if there's no HVAC running through there) or rip out the walls. I think there's a little bit of hysteria in the mold cases a few years ago.
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03-07-2006, 11:42 AM
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While I agree there is a bit (actually quite a lot) of hysteria around mold, I'm going to suggest you find out what it is and why you have it.
Mold will eat insulation and drywall. If the source of the original leak is not 100% fixed and/or if the area stays moist (e.g. in a bathroom or a basement) the mold will grow and grow and grow feeding on insulation and drywall (yes, even green board to some degree). The previous owners of our house had a good sized leak at one point in the kitchen (a basement kitchen). The leak was between the old original brick wall and the drywall (with insulation in between). Because it's a basement, it tends to be a tad damp occassionally but not often. However, nothing was done about the moisture and mold grew. It grew from that one area to the length of the whole wall to about 3/4 of the way up the wall and grew behind the two adjoining walls - the entire length and about halfway up. I had no idea until the mold ate through my kitchen cabinets (I'm serious). All my walls and insulation had to be ripped out. New studs had to go in (because mold will also damage the integrity of the wood studs). I saw the mold, so I know it was there. So, long story short - if it's some mold on bricks in your basement, spray away with about 1/3 bleach and 2/3 water mixture and buy a dehumidifier. I recommended this to two friends with great success. If it's not that simple, it's worth a small drywall repair now.
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03-07-2006, 06:15 PM
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Ugh. No, I don't. I would stay far away from mold removal places as I figure they'll find more mold than you really have.
We used a contractor (actually our plumber found it and did most of the work but really hated it and I would guess won't do it again). I would have a good, reputable general contractor take a look. Cut out the surounding drywall and look inside very, very closely (with a really bright flashlight). Make sure there is no mold - you can tell and smell. Make sure the leak is 100% fixed (thus a plumber is a good idea). Then, if there's no problem, a general contractor can cut out insulation and try wall, treat the mold, then build everything back up. Hopefully you just need to fix the drywall. If this is very isolated, you could do it yourself. The mold is really stinky but you'll be fine. I'm a chronic asthmatic and I was fine most of the time (only had problems once in a while). The chemicals to treat it are nasty and stinky. Also, you should probably seal everything too once you treat it. That is, assuming it's on support structures and not just on the drywall. If you're lucky, it's just on drywall and you just cut it out and replace it. The key is to make sure nothing is leaking and won't leak and to cut out all the possible mold. If it's not really mold, but just brown discoloration that's fine (make sure it's not mold though!). Killz is a product you can use before you paint over it.
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03-08-2006, 11:29 AM
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you can also get a mold test kit form lowes or home depot. there are hundereds if not thousands of mold species, some are harmful others are not. if you're allergic then obviously you'll have problems. the kits are little cultures you can take in an area you suspect of mold. then for a little extra you can send the sample away and they get back to you in a few weeks and tell you exactly what type of mold you have, how to treat it, and if it's harmful or not.
we are getting are basement sealed for moisture next month. we were told that the bleach and water combo in a spray bottle is a good way to kill it in hard to reach places. also for basements where you may find a little mold a good trick that works great is to install a flourecent light near where the mold is. YOu can pick these up for $20 at most harware stores, the kind you plug in. leave this light on all the time, constantly! and the mold won't grow.
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