MOLD in the bathroom-help!

[freestyler]

How do you get rid of mold that has gotten under the bathroom cabinet and floor tile?? The kids got a lot of water on the floor a couple of times (two kids playing crazy in the tub with water still running, ugh), and even though I cleaned it up right away, a LOT of water got under the cabinets where they meet the floor. I also think the mold is under the floor.

What in the world should we do?? I know how bad it is for your health to have mold growing, and also the bathroom adjoins the master bedroom and there is no door. The mold smell is terrible.

If our funds are limited, how do we address this without having to pay like $2000 to have the cabinets and floor re-built? I don't think spraying Lysol is going to cut it. I also don't think a de-humidifier will stop the mold from growing that is already taking root. HELP!

[belovedofbast]

I just asked my husband who is in the construction/reno business.

He said that there is a spray you can buy at hardware stores that kills mold and mildew. Not like a Mold/mildew cleaner from Tilex, but an actual killing spray. Don't know offhand how much it costs, but I'm guessing less than $2000. He recommends going to the hardware store and asking about that stuff. It probably isn't ecofriendly, but he thinks that should do the trick.

We may be going to Home Depot tonight, so I'll see if I can find it and let you know what it is called.

[sunnysandiegan]

Well, I don't know where you live, but we live in California and just had a flood on Friday afternoon. We were at a Healing Arts Festival on Sunday afternoon and I saw a bunch of pamphlets. One of interest to me (due to the flood) is called "Mold in My Home: What Do I Do?" and it is from the California Department of Health Services and is an Indoor Air Quality Info Sheet.

It is four pages front and back, so I cannot retype it all for you. I will give you some of the highlights in hopes it helps you in some way.

"Molds are simple, microscopic organisms, present virtually everywhere, indoors and outdoors."

"Everyone is exposed to some mold on a daily basis without evident harm."

"If indoor mold contamination is extensive, it can cause very high and persistent airborne spore exposures."

"Evidence of past or ongoing water damage should trigger more thorough inspection. You may find mold growth underneath water-damaged surfaces or behind walls, floors, or ceilings."

I'll paraphrase the testing section since it is VERY long and detailed with no one succinct quote. Testing is inaccurate because there are so many types of molds inside and outside and everyone is affected differently by differing amounts.

Clean-up Procedures:
identify and eliminate sources of moisture
identify and assess the magnitude and area of mold contamination
clean and dry moldy area - use containment of affected areas
bag & dispose of all material that may have moldy residues, such as rags, paper, leaves, and debris

The rest of the clean-up is LENGTHY, so I'll paraphrase again.
WEAR A RESPIRATOR (N-95), but it will not protect you from fumes.
Wear protective clothing and gloves, etc that can be discarded or easily cleaned.
Try cleaning a test area first and see how it affects you.
Have everyone (esp children and elderly) leave the area while you clean.
IF you are adversely affected (or others are), hire a professional.
Generally, areas 10 square feet or less are handled by the homeowner and areas more than 100 square feet are best handled by a professional. In between is a judgement call.
Remove moldy items first in bags and dispose in trash. If sheetrock (or drywall) was wet, then remove from ABOVE the highest watermark down. Toss porous items such as paper, rags, wallboard, rotten wood, carpet, drapes, and upholstered furniture. Solid materials , such as glass, plastic, metal, can usually be cleaned and kept.
Then dry affected areas for 2-3 days.
Clean with soap or detergent in HOT water and scrub entire affected area. Use stiff brush or cleaning pad on uneven surfaces.
Rinse cleaned items with water and dry thoroughly. A wet/dry vacuum is helpful.
THEN, disinfect. Bleach is the only disinfectant specifically mentioned and the pamphlet makes it clear it is MORE useful when diluted than when used straight. A 10% solution is recommended and it is also recommended to leave it on for 10 minutes prior to rinsing and drying.
DO NOT USE A FAN until all the mold is gone or you simply send the spores flying all over your home.

Resources:
Contact your local county or city dept of health.
www.cal-iaq.org
EPA IAQ 1.800.438.4318 9 am - 5 pm Eastern Time or www.epa.gov/iaq
CDHS Indoor Air Quality Section 510.620.2874

Best wishes!!!

We are very fortunate and have NO MOLD in our home after the flood. We had a visual inspection by three mold experts today and I am SOOO RELIEVED!!!

[freestyler]

Thank you so much, both of you, for your replies! I've got a mold company coming tomorrow and I'll re-read your posts and commit them to memory so I can sound intelligent. They are giving an estimate and hopefully will find out exactly what is causing the problem. What a nightmare.

[newbymom05]

Erm, I don't want to freak you out, but we had mold in a closet due to a leaky shower pan in an adjoining bathroom, and I had 2 contractors tell me NOT to call in a mold removal co b/c it would create a paper trail that I would have to disclose when I go to sell, and in my state (TX) mold is apparently a big deal in trying to get a mortgage. I did what a PP wrote. I used bleach and water, removed the carpet/drywall that was affected, and then kept fans/dehumidifier in there for a couple of days. The mold never came back. I think a dehumidifier makes a big difference--run it and see how much water you collect. You may be surprised.

ETA Ask yourself what the mold co will do. From the way you describe it, they'll have to pull up your floor to see what's under there. Can you do that yourself? It'd save money, if nothing else. I pulled up the carpet and pad and left the bare concrete. It doesn't look bad, but it is just a closet. You def need to do something though, I lived in a moldy apartment for a year and had my first ever asthma attack--I'm convinced living there gave me asthma.

[freestyler]

I don't have any handy skills like removing drywall or anything. I have not got the FAINTEST clue where the humidity is coming from, on closer inspection. It is not under the cabinets like we originally thought, and I'm wondering if we have a shower leak like you describe. I did put a dehumidifier in there and I'm wondering how much water will collect. If it's a lot, there's a leak, isn't there? It smells wicked bad of rot. It's nauseating, and worse yet, the bathroom adjoins the master BR and there is not door. Scary. I gotta get this figured out ASAP.

[newbymom05]

Ugh, a leak is not good! For ours, I was putting away DS's clothes and got an asthma attack, so I followed the smell to the bottom of the closet and saw rotted black wood. After those guys told me what the mold co would do, I did the same thing--just took a screwdriver and ripped the baseboard away and used a box cutter to remove the carpet. For your drywall, take a screwdriver and poke it. If there's a leak in your pan/behind your wall it'll be mushy. A plumber was the one who diagnosed our pan leak. HTH!

[2cutiekitties]

hydrogen peroxide cleaned ours up. Poured on a ton, it bubbled up, dried and looked like new.