Aa
toxic mold problem?
I have an issue with black mold in my bedroom, right behind a tall heavy shelf unit. When I walk into the room, I can smell mold right away. I sleep in there every night. Within the past week or so, I started feeling like I have a shortness of breath. I also noticed I have pain and pressure behind my eyes, at my jaw joint, and along my jaw line. I also have excess mucus, but I'm not coughing and I don't have a runny/snuffy nose. I've also been very tired, even though I get 8-10 hours of sleep. My first thought was I was probably getting a sinus infection, but today I notice little brown/black specks in the mucus that I (for a lack of better words) 'hacked' up. Could this be from the mold? I work full-time, so I havent had the time to clean out my room and get rid of the mold.
Any help? please? thank you
Any help? please? thank you
I washed down the wall with white distilled vinegar and I'm using a dehumidifier in the room... and I havent had any mold come back so far :)
Vinegar is safer, but samantha997 does have a valid point. Vinegar is actually quite effective and more so than what appears, but if there is a deeper issue going on, bleach will be necessary.
Better still would be to find the source of the moisture that is obviously getting into your bedroom. Find out where the rain is coming in and get to the root of the problem. Because you need to do this, I'm glad you got the NIOSH masks. They will serve you well if you have to go into crawl spaces or if you have to knock out the wall.
There are all sorts of areas of the house where the leak is coming from. It will take you a lot of time to find out where. But, if you have sufficient time and know how to look for the problems yourself, that will save you and your parents a lot of money. However, you may still be better served to hire someone to help you find the problem. Especially if the problem is coming from somewhere on the roof. I really do think experts are going to know better how to find the root of your problem. In the end, if your parents are the home owners, this will still end up saving them a lot of money, because it will help prevent further damage to their house. If you guys are renters, that is a different story all together. In that kind of case it is less expensive to find a different place to move to. Landlords are required to fix such things, but there isn't usually very good follow through with so many landlords on fixing such problems. When it's your parents' own home, though, there is sufficient incentive to fix the problem well, especially if the whole intention is to live in the house long term.
Better still would be to find the source of the moisture that is obviously getting into your bedroom. Find out where the rain is coming in and get to the root of the problem. Because you need to do this, I'm glad you got the NIOSH masks. They will serve you well if you have to go into crawl spaces or if you have to knock out the wall.
There are all sorts of areas of the house where the leak is coming from. It will take you a lot of time to find out where. But, if you have sufficient time and know how to look for the problems yourself, that will save you and your parents a lot of money. However, you may still be better served to hire someone to help you find the problem. Especially if the problem is coming from somewhere on the roof. I really do think experts are going to know better how to find the root of your problem. In the end, if your parents are the home owners, this will still end up saving them a lot of money, because it will help prevent further damage to their house. If you guys are renters, that is a different story all together. In that kind of case it is less expensive to find a different place to move to. Landlords are required to fix such things, but there isn't usually very good follow through with so many landlords on fixing such problems. When it's your parents' own home, though, there is sufficient incentive to fix the problem well, especially if the whole intention is to live in the house long term.
I got niosh masks. I actually am using white distilled vinegar instead of bleach, I heard it works better. I also put a dehumidifier in the room.
Yes but you will also need to go to the doctor to get a checkup to make sure the mold didn't damage anything else
Have the air tested. Mold can be deadly, it's not something you should try to clean up yourself. Get a professional to look at it.
I heard somewhere that alcohol or hydrogen peroxide are best for getting rid of mold? and that bleach only works on non-porous areas
Yeah, try getting the NIOSH standard mask for cleaning up. But, follow caregiver222's cleaning suggestions. Even with the mask, you don't want to be intentionally breathing the fumes in from the strong cleaning products. For sure, never mix bleach and ammonia together. That's very toxic and can be deadly.
paying someone for professional help is not an option. I HAVE to clean this up on my own... :/
I definitely agree that a simple mask is not sufficient. That's why I mentioned the NIOSH standard mask. There is even one made without latex. I don't have one myself, and the mask I use for allergies is insufficient for this sort of task. Even with the NIOSH standard mask, I would still try to hold my breath and follow the suggestion that caregiver222 mentioned.
I also agree with gymdandee about the seriousness of the issue. I certainly agree that professionals should be brought in. Any walls that are affected would even need to be taken down, which means professionals in hazmat suits and not everyday homeowner. Yes, very expensive.
The only other option to take when it gets too severe and too expensive is to move.
I also agree with gymdandee about the seriousness of the issue. I certainly agree that professionals should be brought in. Any walls that are affected would even need to be taken down, which means professionals in hazmat suits and not everyday homeowner. Yes, very expensive.
The only other option to take when it gets too severe and too expensive is to move.
This is a problem that's to dangerous and technical for you and your family to take care of! Your family is looking for severe health problems. the mold could be in your walls if you have hot air heating it could be in the ducts.
I live with my parents in a home that they own. We've had mold problems since we've moved in, but don't have the money for professional help.
First off the black mold grows in a humid area. Thus good ventilation is a necessity. A dehumidifier may be necessary The way to kill it is to use ammonia in a spray bottle, rather than bleach. You have to do an area no larger than two by two foot at a time. When you are ready to leave the house, open the windows in the area of the mold, take a deep breath, hold it, go in and spray an area 2 ft. by 2 ft. Leave still holding your breath. Don't get any in your eyes. Never EVER use bleach and ammonia together. The two create poison gas. When you return a few hours later the mold will be killed. Do this every time you leave for work. Work your way around the room, starting at the highest point. A second spraying may be necessary. A simple mask will not help prevent lung damage from either chlorox or ammonia.
Do you rent or do you own? If you rent, get the landlord to check into this. There can be hidden mold inside of the wall.
I've had a less severe problem and was only just recently given a dehumidifier that the person no longer needed for the basement it was used in. And, this is definitely the time of the year when this sort of thing is needed the most.
After you clean out the mold with bleach while wearing a mask and with lots of ventilation, you can also try maintaining the cleaning of the area with undiluted white vinegar. You only need to wipe it on and get what's visible, then let it air dry. This way you wouldn't have to keep repeating the process with bleach too often. Also, you should Google NIOSH masks and get this sort of mask for future clean up. Bleach is also toxic. I myself can't even use things like bleach because it's too toxic for my system since I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. If I were to use the bleach as described above, it could take me at least a week or two to recover. So, definitely consider what I say about the vinegar. Vinegar has antibacterial and anti fungal properties both.
You should also see your doctor if you don't start feeling better after cleaning up.
I've had a less severe problem and was only just recently given a dehumidifier that the person no longer needed for the basement it was used in. And, this is definitely the time of the year when this sort of thing is needed the most.
After you clean out the mold with bleach while wearing a mask and with lots of ventilation, you can also try maintaining the cleaning of the area with undiluted white vinegar. You only need to wipe it on and get what's visible, then let it air dry. This way you wouldn't have to keep repeating the process with bleach too often. Also, you should Google NIOSH masks and get this sort of mask for future clean up. Bleach is also toxic. I myself can't even use things like bleach because it's too toxic for my system since I have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. If I were to use the bleach as described above, it could take me at least a week or two to recover. So, definitely consider what I say about the vinegar. Vinegar has antibacterial and anti fungal properties both.
You should also see your doctor if you don't start feeling better after cleaning up.
thank you for your response. Does that mean I should feel better if I clean that out then?
Yes it could be the mold what you should try to do to get rid of the mold is use clorox bleach and douse everything while wearing a mask and adequate ventilation by the means of open windows and fans ope that helps
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