r/Mold Aug 09 '20

Please read BEFORE posting

49 Upvotes

Welcome to /r/Mold

What is this sub?

This sub is for redditors to ask for advice on mold or fungi issues in their home/apartment/workplace/etc If you see spammers or others that violate sub rules, report them, do not take things into your own hands. This sub is NOT for mold remediation, restoration or other contractors, testing firms, laboratories, product or equipment manufacturers or distributors or legal professionals.

Instead, this sub is specifically for individuals looking for general advice. Any offers to do work or make referrals will result in an immediate ban. Please be very wary of those looking for, or offering, business here. We do not endorse any companies, and proceeding with a contractor/consultant/lab you've met via this sub should be done at your own risk. This is not a place to advertise products and or services. It is also not a place to rant about your past problems with mold or companies or services you've dealt with.

Rule #1: No "what is this?" questions.

Do not post a picture and simply ask any of the following (or similar) questions:

  1. "Please I.D. this mold"
  2. "Is this toxic black mold?"
  3. "What kind of mold is this?"

We can not determine the type of mold you have from a photo. That can only be achieved using professional sampling methods and laboratory analysis.

We can speculate on whether or not something is mold but we can't identify it.

Rule #2: DIY Test Kits are bad

If you used a home/DIY test kit there is very little information that we can provide you due to the limitations of the method.

You will need to hire a qualified microbial testing company if you want any reliable information.

Rule #3: No self promotion

This is not the place to advertise your services in any way. No links, no company names, no "informational guides" will be allowed. All offending posts or comments will be deleted and 1 warning will be issued. After that you'll be banned.

General Guidelines and Rules

Overall, please be respectful - things must remain on-topic, helpful, and kind. Absolutely no abusive or hateful language will be tolerated. Even if someone else "started it" with disrespect does not give you permission to use derogatory language or call names.

Bans will be handed out when needed. Remember, no question is too stupid, too simple, or too basic (exception, see rule #1). We're all here to learn and help each other out - enjoy! The mods generally do not remove bad advice, we let upvotes and downvotes run the sub. That way, people can also see what not to do as well. Politics do NOT belong here.

  • URL shortener links are not allowed. It's not us, is reddit-wide. A submission or comment with a URL shortner will be spam-filtered automatically.
  • Mods will not communicate with chat, please only use modmail if you have comments or questions.

Submitting a New Text Post in /r/Mold

TL/DR: At the very least be nice, take a few pictures, and include your location.

Again, this is not a place to solicit products and or services. Any posts smelling of self-promotion such as links to a website or service (including all blogs) will be removed. No exceptions. Offenders will be banned.

A few general submission rules.

  • We don't allow link posts. Please start a text post and insert links to your pictures along with your text. Posts asking users to participate in a survey are no longer allowed and will be treated as SPAM posts.
  • If you are posting about a problem you are facing, please include pictures! Not just a close-up either, we must be able to discern what you are talking about. What looks right to you may not make sense to everyone else. We recommend you use imgur for photo uploads. See the section below for "How to Upload Photos".
  • Provide your geographic location. (even general, such as upper Midwest). This is especially pertinent when discussing building codes, environmental conditions, seasonal issues, etc.
  • Include a summary of what information you are looking for.
  • Include a general summary of the problem you're asking about. It's helpful to know things like:
    • How long has the problem been going on
    • Where is the mold growth located - room, level, side of the building, etc
    • Any unusual conditions you noticed prior or in conjunction with the discovery of the mold
    • General environmental/use conditions in the space - temp, humidity levels, room use/occupation, recent water issues, smell
  • Do not come here for advice about your health or the relative risk of the mold in your home/work.
  • Don't assume that responses you receive are accurate - we get a lot of "google experts" here giving advice.
  • Product links and recommendations are allowed generally allowed to Amazon/Retail Outlets/Service providers that you've used or recommend. However, referral codes and affiliate links are not. For example, Amazon links containing "tag=XXXXXXXXXXXX" in the title are a referral links - so ideally Amazon links are in the format www.amazon.com/dp/B00VRRVHMA/ - all the extra stuff after those 10 characters are not necessary. Sites/apps can contain ref links without your knowledge and automod will remove and alert you.
  • If you notice your post hasn't appeared within an hour please message the mods and we will release it! To see if it's visible sort by NEW.
  • Please read the sidebar before posting to this sub. There are a lot of questions that get asked fairly frequently, and some of the more common answers have been posted in the sidebar for easy reference. If you still have questions after reading these then by all means create a new post with your questions.
  • Serial posting. This sub is for everyone, not just a single person with multiple questions per day/week. While we don't have a specific rule here, if you are posting multiple topics per day or over the course of a few days, this can result in a temporary ban.
  • If your account is new we may delete your post or comment, especially if we suspect that you have been banned under a different user name.
  • We do not endorse any contractors/inspectors/labs, and proceeding with any you've met via this sub should be done at your own risk.

Commenting in /r/Mold

Be respectful. No name calling or talking down to someone because of something that seems "basic" or "easy" to you. Stand by your knowledge, not childish responses.

If you don't know that your answer or advice is 100% true then indicate that you are speculating or simply refrain from commenting.

Don't throw out comments like:

  • That's toxic mold
  • You need to move
  • Get out of the house
  • Bleach doesn't kill mold
  • That's really bad

Comments designed to scare original posters will be removed. This is a sub to provide reasonable solutions (when possible), not to unnecessarily alarm people. Yes, there are occasions when conditions require some immediate and drastic actions, but most indoor mold growth can be handled without full scale remediation.

Please don't just comment with just a link to a website or to another sub. We are especially careful about links to single websites (this includes blogs) without some summary or commentary. In some cases, we have no way of knowing if you are profiting privately from the site. Also, don't just tell folks to head to sub /r/gohereinstead - like specialized subs for narrow topics. The only exception here would be questions where some time has passed between posting and a lack of responses. We want the commentary, discussion, and knowledge to stay here in our sub on reddit, not just drive people away.

Responses that include a google search, lmgtfy.com, or telling someone to watch Youtube will be removed and the user will be reprimanded. Again, this is all about respect. Obviously, people aren't coming here to Google answers. Help them think about this problem, what they may need, things to watch out for, etc.

Sometimes discussion can get off-topic and we'll remove those comments. This includes political commentary. At times, this can includes jokes. It's a tricky area here, but we've seen instances where the joking side of reddit takes over a thread and the OP never gets their question answered. However, here's we're mostly talking about non-relevant commenting such as this:

Seriously? People live like this? What the fuck is causing mold growth like this? Don't you clean your house? This is not any way to live.

How to Upload Photos

Go to https://imgur.com/upload and drag/choose your photo, you don't even need to create an account. Here's an animated gif on how to drag and drop on PC. Click COPY, then use that copied url link and paste it right in the submission text box on reddit.

My link: https://imgur.com/a/n2lLo

To get fancy and have text rather than the url, place the word you want to use as the link in brackets followed by the url in parentheses.[text goes here](link goes here)

Pictures. Here's a gif of the typing I do, in case that is confusing.

Upload Photos On Mobile The Imgur app works fine, but via a website this is unsupported. There is a workaround: In Chrome, choose ""Desktop site" in the drop-down menu when you are on the upload page and it'll work fine. Then Copy the Link that's produced and paste it into your reddit post/comment.


r/Mold Jan 25 '23

Worst building I've ever inspected so everyone worried about their mold problems can relax a little šŸ™ƒ

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276 Upvotes

Just to remind you that no, you aren't experiencing a disaster. Have a good one yall!


r/Mold 1h ago

Is This Mold Or Dust In Our AC?

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• Upvotes

We live in an apartment and the AC unit comes through the wall and sits half inside half outside. We’ve been here for over a year and a half and haven’t seen this before


r/Mold 2h ago

Is it mold?

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2 Upvotes

Please help


r/Mold 22m ago

Is this Mold?

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• Upvotes

Just moved into this apartment a few months ago, into an old, historical building that was just renovated for apartments. 3 months in, I notice this on the vinyl floor. It doesn’t wash off, any ideas?


r/Mold 35m ago

Mulch bed

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• Upvotes

Rained most of the day today, is this a form of slime mold? Also, is it harmful to my dogs?

Edit - location : Massachusetts


r/Mold 53m ago

Does anyone know what this is?

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• Upvotes

This is inside the air filter housing and the entire air filter is black so i am extremely concerned.


r/Mold 5h ago

Can i sleep in this moldy tent or should i not?

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2 Upvotes

I just set up my tent after 10 hours of driving to find it covered in mold. It’s a greyish mold and does not seem to be very deep in the fabric but my entire tent is covered in it. I have mild form of asthma that does not bother me usually but i am 27 and want to take care of my lungs so that they won’t struggle to keep me alive later in life.

I don’t have a lot of time to take it apart and wash it, but

  1. Can i actually sleep in this or is it risky / dangerous? And does anyone know the actual risks? I don’t mind too much feeling a bit unwell tomorrow as long as it does not damage my body long term.

  2. Or, should i sleep in my car and buy a new tent tomorrow to camp in for the rest of the week?

  3. What can i do to clean it and mainly make it less dangerous without taking it down again and in such a way that i can reuse it the day after? Or as an alternative i could sleep in a hotel for a night?


r/Mold 3h ago

mold check!

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0 Upvotes

this was the bathroom ceiling fan intake? of the apartment i moved into/ considering moving into

what do you think

thanks


r/Mold 3h ago

is this mold?

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1 Upvotes

r/Mold 4h ago

Just bought house TODAY and stemonitis mold coming out the floor

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1 Upvotes

r/Mold 5h ago

Is this black mold/what is it and how to get rid of it??

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1 Upvotes

This is on our bathroom fan - I’m honestly not sure how long it’s been there but noticed recently and it doesn’t seem to be getting much worse over the past 2-3 weeks.

I assume it’s from humidity because of the shower and outdoor humid conditions, so I added a humidifier in the bathroom. I’m not sure if that’s what’s helping it not grow, but I still don’t know how to get rid of it. Should I just wipe it off?

Charlotte NC.


r/Mold 5h ago

Is this mold?

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1 Upvotes

I recently noticed grey spots on the siding and door. I initially noticed the window area looking dirty, but started to question if it was mold. Then I noticed these other spots. If it is mold, what should be done about it? I am only noticing it on the outside, but is it safe to continue being here? I rent.

Edit: I am located in the US in North Carolina


r/Mold 6h ago

Has anyone dealt with mold like this and these bugs that seem to like it?

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1 Upvotes

My mom is dealing with these tiny bugs (so small that she can’t see the detail on them even with a jeweler loop) and they seem to like this mold? Not even sure what kind it is. She thinks they might be book lice.. does anyone have any advice?


r/Mold 6h ago

Is this mold.

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1 Upvotes

I live in Canada-ON. Its on my ceiling and was damp to the touch 2 weeks back. It has developed since then. Will attach a pic from 2 weeks ago compared to now. The area is about 2 inches or so. Furthermore, there aren’t any other spots except for this one. Whats the solution for this?


r/Mold 6h ago

Should we get someone out here to take a look at our attic?

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1 Upvotes

Our ridge vent has been leaking for who knows how long. We've only been in this house for 3ish years.

The roofer and my husband feel as though the plywood gives them no pause. I am concerned. The roofer said they could replace the ridge vent and carry on or we would need to get a new roof to replace the boards.

I just need someone to validate my concerns or give me relief that the boards will dry up over time. Don't mind the spray foam from our contractor who was just trying to help. We know it's a hilarious attempt at a solution.

Edit: US-MO.


r/Mold 6h ago

Is this mold?

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1 Upvotes

We had a leak in the ceiling pipes in our storage/HVAC closet about a month ago. We live in an apartment so they’ve been extremely slow at dealing with this. All they’ve done at this point is cut open the sheetrock in rhe ceiling and test the walls for moisture, but when they cut everything open I noticed this exposed wood with suspected mold. Is this in fact mold? What other testing should they be doing? They had someone come out to do an air quality test but only tested our living room and bedroom telling us they ā€œdon’t test closets because they are not occupied spacesā€. Looking for some guidance here. Thanks!


r/Mold 1d ago

Can an HVAC filter look this dirty 27 days after replacement? University says mine was changed July 16.

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30 Upvotes

I lived in this university dorm room from May through August. Housing emailed residents on July 10 saying HVAC maintenance would be performed, and my floor was scheduled for July 16. I later received an email saying the filters were replaced that day, although vent/exhaust cleaning was postponed because of staffing.

On August 12, I discovered extensive dark growth/discoloration next to the HVAC unit. Maintenance opened the unit the next night, and this is what the filter/panel looked like.

I know you can’t determine an exact age from a photo, but does this look plausible for something that was replaced only 27 days earlier? What conditions could make a filter look this bad that quickly?


r/Mold 8h ago

is this mold

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1 Upvotes

if it is i’m going to cry. these are two separate vents. i’ve lived in this apartment for two years. the maintenance team sucks but i am moving out in a month. i was told this was dust but it looks like mold to me. idk why i never really inspected it until now but i’m concerned 😭 i’ve been trying to identify the source of asthma flare ups. i’ve never even had asthma until moving here so….


r/Mold 8h ago

Is this mold? Paper towels were sitting directly on the spot and nothing on the paper towels

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0 Upvotes

Top of bathroom closet


r/Mold 8h ago

Black mold in shower seals causing acne?

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I've had black mold underneath the white seals joining the wall to the bottom of my shower for a while now. The room is small, I shower with the door closed and quite high temperatures so a lot of steam is heavily confined. The mold doesn't seem to be anywhere but underneath the seals however recently I've noticed my skin has gotten awful. I've had clear glass skin for my entire life but for a month or two now (basically I moved back home from college) I've noticed small spots coming up in random places in my skin. Noticeably more blackheads too and generally my skin just feels dirtier.

Is it possible that the spores are entering the steam because of hot water and causing this bad skin?

Side note, any way to remove black mold from seals????

Thanks for reading :)


r/Mold 9h ago

Is this mold?

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1 Upvotes

And should I just toss this? Thank you.


r/Mold 9h ago

Need help

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1 Upvotes

Pennsylvania. I have a step stool that I pulled out of my kitchen closet/pantry that has this type of mold on it i checked the floors they are clean i checked walls and no sign of moisture. The walls are solid so likely no water damage. I have the same problem in my bedroom closet which is not near the kitchen one I had a gym bag grow mold on it same deal clean no water no sign of mold. Anybody have any ideas what I should do? I know the diy home kits are garbage.


r/Mold 10h ago

Is this black stuff in my window ac mold?? Or just dirt

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1 Upvotes

r/Mold 10h ago

Can I take legal action against my commercial landlord over water intrusion/mushroom growth?

1 Upvotes

I’m looking for advice from anyone familiar with **Illinois commercial leases, mold/moisture issues, or landlord-tenant law**
**Location: southern Illinois**
I rented a space in a roughly **100-year-old former schoolhouse** with several businesses. When I moved in, the space was extremely dirty and needed significant cleaning. There was also **already a mushroom growing out of one of the walls**, which I pointed out to the maintenance guy. He basically joked about it, and nothing was done.
The lease says I’m responsible for repairs, and when I brought up issues previously, that was essentially what I was told. However, this wasn’t simply a minor leak. During my tenancy there were instances of **serious water intrusion—almost flooding**. I have messages/screenshots documenting some of the water issues.
The wall is original brick that was covered with paneling years ago because the space had previously been used as the kitchen for the coffee shop located directly above it. I’m not claiming the paneling was intentionally installed to hide anything.
What has me really upset is that **while cleaning the space out to move**, I found **new mushroom growth coming back through/around the same wall/paneling**.
So I have a mushroom that was present when I moved in and reported, a history of significant water intrusion, and now new fungal growth appearing again as I’m leaving.
I did not renew my lease after the rent was increased about **33%**, and I’m currently trying to finish moving out and protect my security deposit.
**My main question is: do I potentially have grounds for legal action against the landlord, despite the lease saying I’m responsible for repairs?** Could the landlord still have responsibility for major/structural water intrusion or a pre-existing moisture problem?
What should I do **right now before I completely vacate**? Should I get a professional moisture/mold inspection, preserve the mushrooms/wall as-is, document everything, or have an attorney review the lease?
I’m genuinely upset by this and want to know whether I have any legal recourse before I hand the space back.