Advice please..mold in basement!!! We are renters and do not own this own but thousands of dollars in damage.?

Question

Hey-well, this sucks. We rent a 80 year old home and noticed today that all of our stuff in the basement is covered in mold. Took everything out and found along the baseboards white mushroomy like growths ( mold on all boxes is multicolored). I just sprayed the floor with bleach and going through boxes to see what we can salvage. While it sucks to have so much ruined- 20 year antique book collection, climbing gear etc...thousands of dollars lost and no, we don't have renters insurance, I realize maybe I should concerned about the impact to our health from this. We have an 8 year old son.

Sorry for the rambling tone of this question-currently my state of freaked out-ness is high right now. Or maybe, it is the fact that I have been spraying bleach in a poorly ventilated area that can explain my lack of sentence structure.. Any advice appreciated.

Answer 1

if its toxic mold you need to trash everything!!!!!!!!! this stuff can make all of you sooooo sick to death. bleach can not kill the toxins. deadly dangerous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

I agree--but the homeowners should be the responsible party for the testing.  If you did not cause a situation in which the mold grew (ignoring a leaky pipe, for example) it is their responsibility to get it tested for you.  Mold abatement is very expensive.  If this is a toxic strain of mold it could cause serious health issues.  Bleach is great for the short term.  you might want to wipe down the  beams and walls, as well.  Please wear a ventilator to do this.  If the owners will not abate the mold it might be time to move.  Anything solid can be washed with bleach, anything porous (like books, climbing ropes) obviously can't.  maybe put the books in the sun?

Answer 3

first off you were correct in worrying about your family's health,you did the right thing,cleaning it up.as for the damaged property check with the home owner and see if his insurance will cover any of the cost for replacement.be nice when you ask,and also suggest he have the mold problem corrected.if he balks.then you can go to the board of health for help on getting it cleaned up.as a renter you have the right to expect the land Lord to keep the place in a livable condition.chance is he was not aware of the problem.if he/she refuses to clean up and correct the problem, then you need to start looking for a new place to live,and can go to the law and see what your rights are.

Answer 4

Check out the remarkable research on toxic mold removal done by environmental expert Dr Ed Close. Simply diffusing a therapeutic-grade essential oil regularly will likely result in an environment very hostel to mold.

http://www.secretofthieves.com/mold.cfm

In one instance, 10,667 stachybotrys mold spores were identified in a per cubic meter area. After diffusing Thieves essential oil for forty-eight hours, Dr Close retested. Only thirteen stachybotrys remained. Similarly, 75,000 stachybotrys mold spores were identified in a sample of sheetrock. After seventy-two hours of diffusing, no stachybotrys mold spores remained. (Stachybotrys has a reputation for being the most toxic mold.)

A couple hundred bucks for a diffuser and some oils is relatively inexpensive to try...for you or the landlord.

Answer 5

first, talk to the landlord and explain what happened. If you have to, go to an attorney for advice. you lost alot of things and your family's health was at risk.

Answer 6

Is the  basement climate controlled or just a basement? If there is air circulating to the rest of the house it can cause allergies and alot worse. Be careful even handling your own things. It is best to have the mold tested as there are types of mold that are harmless as well.