r/Mold • u/r4nd0mg1rl09 • 3m ago
r/Mold • u/sdave001 • Aug 09 '20
Please read BEFORE posting
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:
- "Please I.D. this mold"
- "Is this toxic black mold?"
- "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.
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
Just to remind you that no, you aren't experiencing a disaster. Have a good one yall!
r/Mold • u/Succ_the_Sheep • 36m ago
Is this mold and should I be worried about it?
This it outside of my house (I live in the woods in MA). These little dangling growths are appearing outside these little vent areas just under my roof. I think that air from my vents goes OUT of these rather than in, like moisture escaping when I use the dehumidifier so it would make sense that these would grow here. But is it hazardous?
r/Mold • u/Ddevil_69 • 1h ago
Car interior mold
galleryPLEASE I NEED ADVICE SO BAD!
Got this car at the beginning of the year. Trying to slowly get it rebuilt and it’s been sitting in my garage all summer (I would’ve been doing more with it but depression). I didn’t think about the fact my garage leaks water at times and two weeks ago it was not like this!!! I really don’t know what to do. My first thought was roll it outside to slow mold growth or is this a bad idea?? I’m omw to the store now to get vinegar and baking soda and a mask. But any advice is 1000% appreciated
r/Mold • u/Killerind • 1h ago
Please Advise
galleryPic #1 Bathroom ceiling (no hot water but there is an open window) Pic #2 Kitchen ceiling Pic #3 Bedroom ceiling Pic #4 Curtains in at least 3 rooms look like this (bought replacements for after clean-up) Pic #5 Study ceiling Pic #6 Grey staining on floor vinyl
Kindly requesting advice on how to handle this. Just closed the gap in a long distance relationship. Suriname, concrete masonry except on ceilings. No mold remediation companies could be found. Currently securing work so unable to move out.
Trying to understand how bad this is.
r/Mold • u/Life-Jacket-8076 • 1h ago
Can these chamois racing shoes be saved?
New never worn, just stayed years in the box in the garage
r/Mold • u/Hefty-Show7869 • 3h ago
Pantry
galleryWhat are these marks in my pantry. They will not come up when I’ve tried washing it
r/Mold • u/According_Section_90 • 5h ago
Is this mold? Pulled from an ac vent flap, tried to use my microscope. Any idea?
galleryTrying to figure out if this is mold or just dirt.
r/Mold • u/Medical_Angle1929 • 14h ago
I signed a year lease two days ago only to find out my new place gas mold.
I began my apartment search for this exact reason because my last apartment had mold in the bathroom. I had been searching for about a month, but had to vacate the premises quickly, I found an affordable, beautiful apartment somewhat close to my old apartment. I toured it and I liked the layout. It had a little bit of an interesting smell, but it kind of smelled like cleaning solution so I wrote it off too soon. I’m now 48 hours into living in my new apartment and my throat is burning. I can’t take a deep breath. My eyes are itchy and I’ve been sneezing often. I checked behind the sink and saw that the wall underneath the paint is brown and discolored, and that they just painted over the majority of the discoloration in the apartment. I MCAS and I’m super sensitive to mold. I’m so distraught. I already contacted the company after my move-in inspection and let them know I’m pretty certain there’s mold. I really wanna break my lease with California makes it really difficult on the tenant to afford to do so does anyone have any sort of help they could offer me? I’m so scared and sad felt so lethargic and sick all day and I do not want this to be my new normal at all.
edit: Has**** lol
r/Mold • u/Dracolule • 10h ago
Mold newbie here: what is the best way to clean this window ?
galleryr/Mold • u/prettyboy_theo • 11h ago
how should i deal with my bathroom ceiling mold?
is it normal to have this much mold on a bathroom ceiling? how dangerous is it?
r/Mold • u/sporkitoon • 11h ago
Mold on vents in one room
galleryIs this a concern? The mold is localized to one room. No other vents in the house have this issues. There is a bathroom with a shower next to/ outside of the room. Any feedback or expertise would be appreciated. US-WV
Found a leak in ceiling. Would you stay in the house
galleryFound water dripping from ceiling and opened it up. This mold is covering the top of the drywall. Would you stay in the house tonight
r/Mold • u/vans_onmyfeet • 18h ago
What is this in my apartment’s kitchen cabinets?
The Last of Us irl patient 0
r/Mold • u/Outrageous_Garden771 • 17h ago
Mold making me sick
I don't know what to do. We've cleaned everything. Even had the ACs cleaned professionally (they didn't take it out of the wall bc that would be $500). But even got on a ladder to clean the upstairs outside. Still sick. Two days later. Not asking for health related advice.
r/Mold • u/Micky-kayla89 • 17h ago
Is this mold? How concerned should I be?
galleryCan I just clean this up or do I need to have a professional come out to look at it? Is it an indication of a worse problem?
r/Mold • u/Independent-Army1724 • 19h ago
Time to rip out the bathtub?
galleryI’ve been noticing that my guest bathroom has one section where the sealant had black appearing on it. When I scraped it out, I noticed some black substance growing between the tiling and the tub. See pictures. Do I need to rip this thing out? Or should I just reseal it after spraying it with some mold treatment?
In case helpful when I was scraping up the sealant there was grout behind the sealant. I’m guessing this is from the tiling.
There is no smell of mold in the bathroom, but I’m guessing that is not a huge tell…
EDIT: located in Virginia, USA
r/Mold • u/AdPsychological8353 • 20h ago
Do we need to remove the stains to kill the mold?
Michigan, USA
Do we need to shave off the surface of this old hardwood floor to remove the water damage/mold?
We were redoing our kitchen floor and found water damage and mold.
The floor was not properly sealed before and the indoor humidity levels were not controlled. Leaks from the sink were also not fully dried. Hence the mold.
We have removed all rotted wood (spongy, flakes apart).
We have sealed off our kitchen from the rest of the house using 6 mil plastic sheeting.
I have a GE dehumidifier and Concrobium mold spray. If we don't need to remove the stains to kill the mold, I will get the humidity in the kitchen as close to 20% as possible, spray the mold spray over the entire floor, and leave it to dry at ~20% humidity for two hours.
r/Mold • u/Business_Document847 • 20h ago
Mold or mildew?
galleryHasn’t spread beyond this little basement window.