I found mushrooms and mold in my basement....?

Question

of my rented apartment. The mushrooms are papery thin and the mold is blackish and growing along the bottom of the walls and up some corners. I went and bleached it all yesterday. but I've been having some serious health problems with my stomach the last few months, since I've moved, and we're starting to wonder if that is what has been making me so sick. also my cats have been throwing up as well.

I live in the top part of a duplex and the stuff is in the basement. there is also a lot of black mildew like stuff around the tub and bathrrom cealing. I've sprayed with vinager and cleaned it many times and nothing seems to help.

please help

Answer 1

Well you should bring this up with the landlord firstly and if they don't help then you can do this:

     There may be some weird moisture seeping around the areas where the mold and mushrooms are growing. so if u can, try to find the cause of that. Also, if you have high humidity in your house, you should probably get a dehumidifier for the rooms of problem. When it comes time to clean, you need to seal off where your cleaning from the rest of the house because air is the main transportation for the spores. But, you need to keep a window open to get the spores outside and should use a fan blowing towards the outside to cycle the spores out. If you have an air purifier that would be helpful in minimizing dust where you are going to clean because dust also helps transport the spores. Now for cleaning. If the mold is dry, mist it lightly with water before cleaning. Now use soap to clean the mold and then clean it again with a mold disinfectant such as alcohol. Be sure to thoroughly clean ALL visible mold. Now the surface needs to be completely dried. Now you need to remove all the mold or mold infested areas and place it in a heavy duty garbage bag. Do not carry it around your apartment to clean areas so try, if possible to just throw it out the window and  go collect it from there where it can be taken by a garbage service to any landfill. When your done, there should be no visible mold or smells of mildew in your apartment and your symptoms should decrease or stop altogether. Im sorry this doesn't help with the bathroom but the other fungus seems to be the main problem. Don't forget to wear gloves and eye protection and a doctors mask thing to not contaminate yourself further.

Answer 2

The only that cleans mold is bleach. Spray that on your bathroom ceiling and walls. You need to talk to your landlord and if he doesn't do anything you need to call the Board of Health in your area.

Answer 3

Go to your landlord first and explain the problem and give them two weeks to take care of the problem.  If nothing gets done go to your local health dept and report them.  It worked for me once though I ended up moving.  After I moved though the landlords had to completely redo the home and it had to pass inspections before they could rent it again.  Just beacuse it is in the basement dosen't mean it isn't affecting you it is in the walls and ventilation system.  Unless you really like the place it might be a lease breaker.  Good Luck and please don't stay the way things are.