How to know if mold will be an issue? Long story-please share your expertise!!!

[ellairiesmom]

Mama's-I need help fast!  We are down to the wire on finding a rental to live in with 2 young kids & the thing holding me back on the place that is the perfect location but a little high priced is this...

A week before the current owners purchased the property as an investment property, Irene blew through & caused some water to get into the unfinished basement.  Then, that following storm caused that basement to flood so bad, the fire dept had to come & bail the water out or whatever it is they do when something floods so bad.  

Besides having concerns about ongoing flooding issues since they don't know the history of the home & what has happened with various levels of storms, I have major concerns over whether or not mold could become a health issue to my family.  The basement is completely unfinished.  Concrete block walls, concrete floor.  It is also 100% empty, except for a furnace (which they will probably have to replace because of the water) and a bar made of wood or some sort of wicker type material.  I didn't get to look at it closely because there was still water on the floor when we saw it.  

They let it dry out, have had all windows open a couple weeks now.  They said they would scrub everything with bleach & purchase a dehumidifier for the basement.

We know we can't store anything down there unless it's up on shelves which really bothers my DH because he feels the amt of rent we are paying is high for only having the ranch part of the house & no real use of the basement or garage necessarily.  But we have looked at over 100 rentals in 2 weeks & they either don't allow cats, get grabbed up before we can even see them or are god awful in a very dangerous area.

The house is very outdated but it is very clean & would work well for my family.  There is a yard & it is in a very desirable location for many reasons.  It is about $300/month more than what we wanted to spend but location can sometimes be worth that, especially if we might have to be there long term.  

Should I be worried about mold?  Does mold grow on concrete?  Will a dehumidifier set to 65% or less keep mold from growing/surviving?  

[Luvmykiddos03]

Mold likes dark, warm, moist places, so naturally, a basement like that can harbor mold.  If you want to store things down there, all you have to do is seal it in glass containers or the like.  Personally, I do that anyway to keep critters out, so the same goes for keeping mold out. 

My folks kept a rental home when I was growing up and it sounds like the basement you just described.  They had an automatic submersible pump in their basement, along with a dehumidifier.  It worked very well and renters didn't complain.  Renters understood that it was prone to flooding, so it was in the contract that storing things down there was at their own risk and was highly advised to keep it up high or in waterproof containers.

My parents have long passed, so I can't ask them, but seeing how very detailed oriented they were as landlords, I suggest to you as a renter that if the landlord of the house you're looking at is promising to put in a dehumidifier in the basement, you make sure he/she puts that in the contract!  Any reliable landlord would not have a problem with this, especially if they have already promised to do so.

On a side note, I suggest to any renter to get the NOLO series for renter's rights.  (Easily found on Amazon.com or similar.)  It's handy to have on hand and can save you some trouble if and when you run into any with your landlord.

In addition, if you are concerned about mold, I suggest you get a good air purifier anyways, because any home can have mold in it and no one know it.  I own the IQAir HealthPro Series Air Purifier, but it is expensive.  It was necessary in our home with allergy prone sufferers living here.  I purchased mine from Allergy Buyers Club, which I felt had good reviews for customer service.  I also felt they had good, honest reviews of each product, so we could choose what would suit us best.  I also own an Oreck air purifier, which is under $200 at Costco right now.  Costco having the very best in customer service and returns, in case it doesn't work for you.  That's assuming you even have one near you and a membership, of course, but you can always get it directly from Oreck.  For us, both the IQAir and Oreck work well for us.  The IQAir is in the main part of the house, while the Oreck's we have are in bedrooms.  (Not suggesting you get either of those brands, as I have my eyes on others as well, but just giving you an idea of what we do.  Find any product that suits your needs, of course.)

Hope that helps! 

*Oh, I just noticed I said mold like "warm" places.  Basements tend to be cool places, but it can still harbor mold.  It depends on how well ventilated the basement is, whether or not condensation builds anywhere, heat still rises...all kinds of factors.    Seeing how you described the basement as entirely not finished, I am assuming there is exposed wood and such, so there is potential for mold down there.

[Luvmykiddos03]

Oh, one more thing.  Bleach is awful for you to be inhaling, so I suggest that if you can, ask the landlord if he/she would be willing to spray with vinegar or baking soda.  There is a product at Home Depot called, "Mold Control", which its active ingredient is baking soda with claims of a special formula safe for all ages, but your landlord can rent a fogger that will disperse the solution all over the basement.  It kills present mold and prevents mold from forming in the first place.  You can find reviews for it on Amazon.com.  I have a bottle of it in our bathroom and where I have sprayed, mold has not returned.  We plan to fog our space under our house with it, too.  Others say it takes out the smell, too, but I can't comment on that.  If the basement does stink, you can always put one of those hanging charcoal absorbers to see if that would take out the smell.

I'll quit talking now. 

*Edited to be more specific.  That product is called, Concrobium Mold Control.

Edited by Luvmykiddos03 - 9/20/11 at 2:54pm

[ellairiesmom]

Realized I never replied-so sorry!  Thank you for your feedback.  We ended up turning down the house.  We were keeping an eye on it with drive by's after the rain we have been having here & they keep pumping water out of the basement & we just can't handle that-especially not at the price they want.  We haven't found a place yet but I am very happy to know about this mold product.  I hate breathing in bleach.  

Thx!

[Luvmykiddos03]

No problem!  Glad I could help!  Good luck in finding a good home for you and your family!