Mildew or mildon't?
April 1, 2015 1:09 PM Subscribe
We bought a house a month ago and moved in immediately. Since moving in we have found a couple (some significant) moisture-related issues. We have fixed most of the issues, but now all of our belongings smell of mildew/mold. What I need now is a) reassurance that everything will one day be okay and b) some guidance on practical steps to get from here to okay.
The house is a tutor style stucco home, built in 1937. We are in South Minneapolis. It was a rental before we moved in and was vacant for about 4-6 months prior to moving in, closed up through a large part of the winter. We have repaired/replaced obvious sources of mold/mildew including replacing 2 bathroom sink cabinets and patching a hole in the stucco. I believe there are a couple of other potential sources of the smell that we will be dealing with soon. Once all of the sources are identified and fixed, will we be able to leave the house again without smelling like grandma's root cellar?
For the most part, the smell is not noticeable at home, because we have acclimated to it. Once we leave I can smell it on all of our belongings, especially coats, plastics (bags, my phone, dishes), and on clothes if they were laundered more than a day before wearing.
Our plan right now is to have the air ducts professionally cleaned, have the carpets (only on stairs and landing, mostly hard wood floors) professionally cleaned, and systematically wash, air out and expose to sunlight all laundry, and open windows at all weather appropriate times. We also have access to a commercial air scrubber. To be clear: right now there is no obvious "source" of the smell, like mold growing on a wall or leaky sinks, etc. We are still working (anxiously) to find if there are more sources to the smell or if it is residual from the issues we have already addressed. It is in the air and has absorbed into our belongings, but there is not mold visibly growing on our belongings.
I am worried about the plastics, books and furniture. Should we paint the entire interior of the house? Should we hire a mold remediation service to do invasive testing? Will everything be okay ever again?
(Our house was sold as-is and we are in talks with our inspector regarding our dissatisfaction with his report, ie not seeing the HOLE IN THE EXTERIOR OF THE HOUSE. Assume that we have considered the options and will be dealing with the rest of this nightmare on our own.)
Please be gentle. I am a delicate little (moldy) flower at this point!
The house is a tutor style stucco home, built in 1937. We are in South Minneapolis. It was a rental before we moved in and was vacant for about 4-6 months prior to moving in, closed up through a large part of the winter. We have repaired/replaced obvious sources of mold/mildew including replacing 2 bathroom sink cabinets and patching a hole in the stucco. I believe there are a couple of other potential sources of the smell that we will be dealing with soon. Once all of the sources are identified and fixed, will we be able to leave the house again without smelling like grandma's root cellar?
For the most part, the smell is not noticeable at home, because we have acclimated to it. Once we leave I can smell it on all of our belongings, especially coats, plastics (bags, my phone, dishes), and on clothes if they were laundered more than a day before wearing.
Our plan right now is to have the air ducts professionally cleaned, have the carpets (only on stairs and landing, mostly hard wood floors) professionally cleaned, and systematically wash, air out and expose to sunlight all laundry, and open windows at all weather appropriate times. We also have access to a commercial air scrubber. To be clear: right now there is no obvious "source" of the smell, like mold growing on a wall or leaky sinks, etc. We are still working (anxiously) to find if there are more sources to the smell or if it is residual from the issues we have already addressed. It is in the air and has absorbed into our belongings, but there is not mold visibly growing on our belongings.
I am worried about the plastics, books and furniture. Should we paint the entire interior of the house? Should we hire a mold remediation service to do invasive testing? Will everything be okay ever again?
(Our house was sold as-is and we are in talks with our inspector regarding our dissatisfaction with his report, ie not seeing the HOLE IN THE EXTERIOR OF THE HOUSE. Assume that we have considered the options and will be dealing with the rest of this nightmare on our own.)
Please be gentle. I am a delicate little (moldy) flower at this point!
Mold basically requires two ingredients to survive: moisture and a food source (this is overly simple but when I am inspecting buildings on site...these are the two factors I look for). The food source can literally be anything but for building mold the most common are fibrous materials (carpet), drywall, and wood.
My first action would be to pinpoint the source of the smell. If the smell is constant throughout your house, I would look into unseen spaces like the attic or any crawl space under the floors. The immediate concern is the source of the moisture. It could be a leaking pipe, a small hole in the roof, or where water is getting into the crawl space from drainage toward the structure. I'd investigate those areas first then determine if you can remedy that problem. If you can't find the source of the moisture or an area where the smell is distinctly stronger, it's time to call in professional help. An assessment by a mold remediation company would be my first call. They can at least try to identify the source.
The problem is that no amount of drying out is going to matter if you don't find and fix the source of the mold.
posted by Benway at 3:26 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
My first action would be to pinpoint the source of the smell. If the smell is constant throughout your house, I would look into unseen spaces like the attic or any crawl space under the floors. The immediate concern is the source of the moisture. It could be a leaking pipe, a small hole in the roof, or where water is getting into the crawl space from drainage toward the structure. I'd investigate those areas first then determine if you can remedy that problem. If you can't find the source of the moisture or an area where the smell is distinctly stronger, it's time to call in professional help. An assessment by a mold remediation company would be my first call. They can at least try to identify the source.
The problem is that no amount of drying out is going to matter if you don't find and fix the source of the mold.
posted by Benway at 3:26 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
For 'it could always be worse' pictures and practical information that may be helpful, this link from the MN Department of Health includes possible resources for your repairs:
You may also want to Get a Lawyer, at minimum for a consultation. Many attorneys offer free first consultations, and an attorney may be able to help you brainstorm additional options, especially if you need significant repairs as a result of the inspector's negligence. The MN Attorney General's office may be a helpful resource, and your own attorney can likely provide information about this or other possible options.
Also, if you have a front-loading washing machine, you should check out this article from Consumer Reports about preventing mold in the washer.
posted by Little Dawn at 5:25 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
The Minnesota Housing and Finance Agency does have LOANS available through its Fix Up Fund program to improve the livability of your home. For more details on this program call their office at 1-800-710-8871.Also, the MN Department of Health "does not recommend testing for mold. Instead, you should simply assume there is a problem whenever you see mold or smell mold odors."
You may also want to Get a Lawyer, at minimum for a consultation. Many attorneys offer free first consultations, and an attorney may be able to help you brainstorm additional options, especially if you need significant repairs as a result of the inspector's negligence. The MN Attorney General's office may be a helpful resource, and your own attorney can likely provide information about this or other possible options.
Also, if you have a front-loading washing machine, you should check out this article from Consumer Reports about preventing mold in the washer.
posted by Little Dawn at 5:25 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]
You could clean every conceivable thing, and let in plenty of fresh air all summer long, and everything could smell wonderful, and then have it all come back next winter, if the source of the problem is not identified. Maybe it's just the fact that the house was vacant and cold all winter, so moisture came in and promoted mildew and mold, and maybe that won't recur once the house is occupied and heated next winter in a normal way. But just to be sure, I would follow Benway's suggestions. A really good building audit that looks at both moisture and energy will unquestionably pay for itself.
posted by beagle at 5:51 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by beagle at 5:51 PM on April 1, 2015
If I were you I would get a GIANT expensive dehumidifier and run it non-stop in all the rooms all over the house. That, in addition to the cleaning etc. should have a huge impact. Get some moisturizer for your skin though ;)
posted by Toddles at 9:00 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Toddles at 9:00 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]
Once you have dealt with the source of the problem and have moved on to trying to get the smell out of your clothes, I can offer the tiny bit of advice that vinegar definitely works and will be a complete cure for natural fibers but synthetics hold onto that mold/mildew smell like crazy. I just got back from a lengthy stay in a house with this problem and am trying save my clothes so i really feel for you. Some synthetics, like all my fleece tops, robe, etc., gave up the smell right away, but other things like my soft shell jacket, HeatTech long undies, etc. are still horrible after many washes, soaking in vinegar, line drying for days, etc. Very frustrating.
posted by HotToddy at 10:57 PM on April 1, 2015
posted by HotToddy at 10:57 PM on April 1, 2015
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Our plan right now is to have the air ducts professionally cleaned, have the carpets (only on stairs and landing, mostly hard wood floors) professionally cleaned, and systematically wash, air out and expose to sunlight all laundry, and open windows at all weather appropriate times. We also have access to a commercial air scrubber.
Overall, this makes sense as a plan. Cleaning air ducts is usually kind of a wash, but if you have a mildew issue it may be warranted. I would add dehumidifiers (if possible). Also, when washing surfaces, use bleach judiciously. For getting the smell out of your clothing, try adding vinegar to the wash cycle.
NYC has guidelines for mold assessment and remediation that might also be useful.
If you hire an expert, I would suggest starting with a structural engineer (to diagnose the source(s) of the moisture) rather than a mold remediation group. The assessor should bring a little moisture meter that they will stick to the wall to measure moisture content in the wall without cutting into it. (You can also buy a moisture meter yourself on Amazon for pretty cheap, but I would recommend getting the engineer to go with it, as they will have a better idea of how to fix any issues.)
There are some perfectly fine mold abatement firms, but they do tend to go to DEFCON FIVE at the slightest hint of mold. Also, if you're not allergic, you should will be able to handle some of the actual abatement work yourselves, if you're willing to, which will be much cheaper than hiring an abatement firm. Mold is not great for your health, but it is not asbestos or lead.
posted by pie ninja at 1:48 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]