Is the mold gone now? What should we do now?

Question

Ok, I'm going to try to give a "quick" verison of this.

Yesterday, I found mold forming on one of the windows. I checked the rest of the windows in the house and found mold on all but 2 or 3 of them. There wasn't a lot on them - except for in my daughter's room. In her room it was pretty bad (in comparison) and had gone down the wall. Most of it was "spots", but it went all the way down one side (from the R of the window) and 2-3 small dots to the right of the window. The only place in got past the baseboard to the carpet was in the corner.

We did some looking and didn't find any other areas like this in the house. Found that the humifier was leaking in the basement & was up too high (neither of us know anything about it so we never bothered it). Right now, we have it off and the leak has stopped. There was also mold forming in the storage room where the wall had started leaking again.

(cont) We wiped everything down with bleach and we're going to see what it'll take to get the room in the basement sealed to get it to stop leaking and getting the humidifier leak fixed. We're also going to have the windows recaulked on the outside.

My questions are these:

1. Should this have killed all the mold off and keep it from coming back?

2. From what everyone says, this has probably only been there for a week or two or the problem would've been much worse. Is it still a wise idea to have all of us checked out (my daughter's 7 and I was a 12 week old)?

ETA: Yes, this house is pretty old. I was built between 1912 and 1918. The windows are the old windows with the ropes. We've talked about selling since it's a 2 BR and with the baby we really need at least a 3 BR (maybe bigger since we're talking about having another baby later on). However, if we decide to stay and try to remodel - we'll probably start replacing windows one by one.

Answer 1

Clean it in a solution of bleach and detergent and then paint over it. Open windows and air out the place.
You can also use a dehumidifyer or an electric heater.

Answer 2

When we lived in an old house in the NW we had this big mold problem. We used a bleach solution twice a year or as needed to wash down the walls & kill the mold for a while. At the beginning we had to use Triphosphate something or other -as recommended by the contractor. But very POISONOUS & I was always concerned the children would get it.

We are in a newer home but still the NW so still a little mold build up on the windows. We just clean it twice a year w/bleachy water.

Answer 3

That green mold you see isnt the troublesome and dangerous BLACK MOLD . That black mold is in DARK and MOIST places like inside walls. So that wall leak you mentioned is a serious thing. Get that stopped up.

Everyone has that green mold around. Its common and harmless to you. It spreads thru the air by its spores.

If you want rid of it. Get yourself a pressure washer with a tank you can load with cleaning solution. I use ordinary granule NON CLORINE bleach purchased in granular form here at Krogers for $2 a box. Then i mix up a solution and once a year usually in the spring I clean of that green mold off my house windows and patio which faces north, so i get a lot of it. I dont use Clorine bleach, it stinks too much.

Answer 4

It sound like you have a serious mold problem... you especially don't want mold anywhere NEAR your daughter's sleeping area, as it could cause respiratory problems. Find a company in your area that works on mold problems, and ask them to come take a look. Or look online for an agency that will give you a free once-over. Quite often. there is mold you don't see [like in the walls] that can add to a problem.

Another suggestion, try usa.gov online, and find the Environmental Protection Agency. See if you can get a downloadable file on mold, its types, their symptoms, and how to eradicate them.

Or, type in "black spot mold" in Yahoo! search engine... the Internet is great for research.

Answer 5

NO, you must get rid of the moisture before mold will die. With winter upon us your getting condensation on your windows and you will get mildew. Sounds like this might be an older home, believe me as long as you don't have spores growing plants just keep cleaning it when you see it, the warm summer days are just around the corner. Try the Zinseer mildew/stain remover it might make it easier for you to stay on top of it, $6. good luck

Answer 6

Hi, I was going to tell you that wash the walls with bleach, but you already done that, so best thing now is to cala proffetional to test the mold and see from where it comes, Again, to play save call a proffetional and take it from there, Probably will cost you a little expensive but your health is more important.

Answer 7

I saw a segment on the Weather Channel about mold just yesterday...they said to keep a fan blowing so it can't collect moisture, and if it does, to wash it good with bleach and water.