Moldy apartment–need advice

[HLS]

For the record;
Flood/Mold remediation is *NOT* a huge scam.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=doofrat]I used to live in Carmel Valley in a TownHome, and it always had issues with mold that needed to be remediated periodically.
The main issue was the shower in the master bedroom. It was a lame design because all the steam would just go into the bedroom and there was no fan. We never used it unless we had guests, and instead used the shower in the center of the unit that had a fan.
Second problem was the windows. They were single pane windows with a metal frame. Anytime it was cold outside, moisture would condense on them causing mold. I’d clean these with a 10% bleach solution twice a year to mitigate it.
The blinds would also get a bunch of mold on them and required cleaning as well.
If she is seeing mold on the windows, then she definitely needs to clean it with bleach. The issue there is that due to temperature differences between the window and the air inside, air tends to circulate past the mold on the windows carrying spores throughout the house.
When cleaning these windows, you don’t need to use a lot of bleach, you can just dip a q-tip in a bleach solution and hit the worst areas first. Just make sure you do it during a day when you can leave the windows open to air out, and wash the bleach off with fresh water on a sponge 10 minutes later.[/quote]

That’s a very good explanation.
Design of house and people living in it. Know what you have and deal accordingly.
Run AC to dry the air if you have AC.
There maybe nothing that can be done other that building a new house.

[FlyerInHi]

[quote=HLS]For the record;
Flood/Mold remediation is *NOT* a huge scam.[/quote]

We have engineers and scientists here. Please explain what mold remediation companies do other than rent you fans (that consumes lot of electricity), rip out drywall and replace, spray bleach solution, and fix any existing leaks. And charge many, many thousands of dollars in the process. Of course, insurance will pay, but try to renew and get insurance the next time around.

Please be specific because people here can certainly understand the various steps in the process. They may not do it themselves but they can understand the concept.

[FlyerInHi]

A lot of plumbers run this scam now:

When there’s insurance and a leak inside a wall, the plumber will scare a housewife shitless. ´mam by law I need to seal this bathroom. It’s very unsafe you can’t go in there (what law? We don’t know)

He then calls his buddy who owns the flood restoration company and before you know it the house is torn up with 5 blower fans installed. The insurance company pays like $50 per day for each fan or more depending on size.

The homeowner doesn’t care because she’s not paying. It could have been a simple plumbing fix with some drywall repair.

But remember that insurance claims are entered in a database and shared among companies.

[ucodegen]

[quote=FlyerInHi]What floor is the apartment on? First/ground floor can be humid from ground humidity. Best to replace the carpet with tiles.

What about the leak in the wall? Was it fixed?

Other than that, your friend should frequently open the windows and air out the space. Running the AC helps. Cooking, showering and breathing in a small space causes humidity build up.

Btw, flood/mold remediation is a huge scam.[/quote]
It is not a scam, though some ‘remediators’ are scammers. Mold is spread through spores(they are the ‘seed’ for Mold and other fungi-incl mildew). Spores are resistant to a hard vacuum(space), radiation, and chemicals. You don’t just dry it up and paint over it. Doing that instead of true remediation can get you in a lot of financial trouble.
[quote=FlyerInHi]I would add that concrete slabs release moisture. That’s why when you remove linoleum off of slab, you get that moldy smell. So avoid moisture sensitive flooring such as carpet or even wood (if you don’t have good moisture barrier, wood will get moldy). Go with stone/tile. [/quote]
It would be better to say that concrete slabs are porous to water (unless the concrete is hydrophobic). Normal concrete ‘wicks’ water up from the ground. This is why a moisture barrier is required when building a slab foundation, as well as certain types of retaining walls. Most slab garages do not have a moisture barrier (cost cutting), personally I think garages should have a moisture barrier. Patios also don’t have moisture barriers – this is why ‘extending’ a house onto a segment that used to be a patio is problematic (No foundation supports, no moisture barrier). Many unlicensed/non-permitted additions are done off of ‘patio slabs’.
[quote XBoxBoy]Find all sources of moisture. Leaks in the roof, or from apart above. Leaky sinks, etc. Places in the bathroom where caulk has dried out and water can get behind boards. Fix those.

Removal of all materials (wall board, studs, baseboards) with mold or exposure to the moisture. You can’t just dry out moldy areas, you must rip them out and replace them.

Thoroughly dry out any areas with moisture.

Replace all materials, making sure that enclosed areas are dry and will stay dry.

Remove all carpet and replace with materials less likely to hold moisture or mold.[/quote]
Good quick summary of what to do (what the landlord should do).
[quote doofrat] It was a lame design because all the steam would just go into the bedroom and there was no fan. [/quote]
This is a residential building code violation. Probably an non-permitted addition. Bathrooms are required to be vented, either powered vent or a window of a minimum size.

As for what to do on the rental, photograph(both overview and detailed photos), document everything you can on the mold. See if you can get the landlord to do proper remediation. If not, move out and pass a copy of your documentation to ‘authorities’. https://www.google.com/search?q=landlord+mold+issues&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

[FlyerInHi]

Thanks for clarifying the terminology.
I use the word “scam” very loosely as it relates to the flood restoration companies.

I don’t think doofrat’s town house in Carmel valley has an unpermitted addition. Highly unlikely. The master bath likely only has a fan in the toilet.

Many fans don’t exhaust much because of kinks in that ventilation pipes. Often times the duct tape dried up and things get loose in thr ceiling/attic.

[paramount]

[quote=FlyerInHi]
Btw, flood/mold remediation is a huge scam.[/quote]

Absolutely agree – Mold is the new M Word.

[Author]

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