Fungi fungus mold in basement from flooding ??

Question

Our basement has been flooding a lot lately. It is carpeted down there and the walls are wooden. I just went down there today and noticed some type of fungi Fungus coming from the walls on the floor. The fungus is light tan colored ... kinda looks like little elephant ears . Any ideas on how to get rid of this problem and what the problem is? Im really scared. thanks!

HERE ARE SOME PICTURES OF IT IF THAT HELPS

http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o332/fastlane1980/laugh10000059997.jpg

http://i340.photobucket.com/albums/o332/fastlane1980/laugh10000059996.jpg

Answer 1

if this leak persists it will eventually grow into black toxic mold. you need to fix the leak and remove any damp surfaces in the basement.  those mushroom things non toxic i think

Answer 2

rip out that carpet and kill the spores usuing 1 part bleach and two parts water.  fans or venting will be needed, wait a few days then lay the carpet back.

Answer 3

Dump the carpet, and probably the baseboard and the bottom of the paneling.  Disinfect and dehumidify.  If I'm not mistaken, those mushrooms (which are not dangerous in themselves) are some of the wood rot fungi, which means I'd be really suspicious of all that wood.  And that there are probably more dangerous microfungi in the carpet and pad.

One of the Katrina lessons was that water wicks up walls much higher than you think it does.... take a good look at the photo here:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/...

Answer 4

I believe a 2:1 water to bleach ratio might be a little too strong. The food industry only uses about 4:1 or 5:1 and that is meant to take care of anything you can't eat!

1.) Definately rip up that carpet and padding, and take anything out of the room that is porous or could trap infestation like drapes or wood picture frames.

2.) Bleach mixed to the above ratio will be strong enough to kill the mold but safe enough to use with thin gloves and eye protection.

3.) Get some strong cross ventilation for a day or two to take the brunt of the moisture out.

4.) Dehumidify until you think the walls are dry, then turn the settings up and go for another week longer!

The bleach might not kill it fully and may only pasteurize the spores rendering them inert for 1-3 weeks. If you can get a steady relative humdity of 50% or lower the spores shouldn't grow again and wil eventually die out.

I also want to point out that unless you have an amazing HVAC system with ultraviolet light killing mold and bacteria near the HEPA filter, you will NOT want to run your HVAC too much until the room is somewhat dry. You will spead the problem to your ventilation system, which will haunt you for years.

If all else fails, ask your question again on the forums at http://www.mycowiki.org/ they are growing but a fair amount of traffic is seeing their forum each day so you have a chance of it being seen.

Answer 5

That looks pretty bad. You will undoubtedly need to remove the carpeting (and pad, if there is any) and clean the floor with bleach and water. It might even be necessary to remove the wall covering, as there is undoubtedly mold behind there as well. You really need to address the flooding issue and dry the basement out with a dehumidifier.^

Answer 6

lose the carpeting, install a sump pump & buy a dehumidifier. I don't think that type of fungus is toxic.....it's the black mold that you have to look out for

Answer 7

On top of what's already been recommended, 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 hostile to mold.

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

Cost of the Thieves Household Cleaner, a diffuser and a couple bottles of the Thieves oil that Dr Close recommends to his remediation clients: about $250.

The EPA is now saying NOT to use bleach against mold:

https://www.moldrx4u.com/Poisons.asp

Mold is not something to take lightly:

https://www.moldrx4u.com/Symptoms.asp