Re: mildew/mold Now, mustiness??

[Guest guest]

See Jeff May's post in today's posts about

covering temporarily to see if carpet is the

problem, with Dennysfoil and another product.

Other than that, putting it outside in sun on

nice day...going without carpet, paint the floor

instead...

--- felice <anupath14@...> wrote:

> We think we got all mold out of my basement!!!!

> YAY!!!!!

> Anyway, we are now still working on getting rid

> of the musty

[Guest guest]

Hi Felice,

If you keep your windows open and exhaust fans on for 48 hours, and

you still smell mustiness, it means that you still have mold

somewhere in your house. I am sure that you have gotten rid of

all " visible " mold, but, unfortunately, the reason that our group

members earn a reputation for being crazy, is that the cause of our

suffering is often " invisible " . I use that word intentionally,

instead of using the words " not visible " , because, sometimes, when

we are looking directly at the mold, we can not see it. The only

test of whether something is moldy, or not moldy, is to throw it

out. If we are healthier, a few days later, we have made the correct

decision. If we are not healthier, then we have made a costly

mistake, and have to continue with our mold searching.

An example, from my life, would be when my toilet bowl overflowed

and flooded a large area of linoleum-covered floor. A few months

later I began getting those all-too-familiar mold reaction symptoms.

So, after cleaning the linoleum surface, and still having symptoms,

I guessed that the mold was on the underside of the linoleum. After

my 7 year history of mold exposures, I have become very good at

guessing. When I told my loved ones that I had to remove the

linoleum and throw it out, I was condidered " insane " by those

good " sane " people.

In my eagerness to remove the linoleum, and also remove the older

linoleum that was underneath the current linoleum [which you must do

in all remediations, because the mold is using the paste between the

two linoleum layers, as its food], I helped the professional do the

job, and, that evening I got the confirmation that I was on the

right track, by GETTING DEATHLY SICK. The mold removal process will

always make you sicker than the initial mold exposure itself, which

is why you should not be present during the removal process, if you

can trust that the professional understands the thoroughness that is

required. I was very disappointed in not being able to " see " any

mold, where I had expected to find it. SOMETIMES MOLD IS " INVISIBLE " .

After about a week, my mold exposure symptoms disappeared

completely. To this day, those good " sane " people consider my having

thrown out perfectly good, fairly new linoleum, as one of the

actions, in the mental dossier they keep on me, proving that I

am " insane " .

My point is: If you smell " mustiness " , then you still have " mold " .

You have already taken all the " sane " actions. You must now begin

taking the " insane " actions. Only " insane " extreme actions will

allow you to FIND and eliminate, the mold in your house. Start

ripping out paneling and wall, floor and ceiling elements in your

house. Start with any areas that are close to sources of water, such

as bathrooms, sinks, basement walls, etc. Then look in any places

where temperature differences would cause humidity to condense into

water. The more " insanely thorough " your exploring becomes, the more

likely you are to locate the mold. Remember, you will sometimes not

be able to see the mold, even when looking at it, since it will not

look like the mental images of mold that we all have in our mind. A

good rule of thumb is: Anything that you come across that looks

water-stained, or warped or brittle in a way that indicates past

wetting and drying out, SHOULD BE RIPPED OUT AND THROWN OUT. All the

best luck.

>

> We think we got all mold out of my basement!!!! YAY!!!!!

> Anyway, we are now still working on getting rid of the musty smell

it caused when I removed the carpet from the steps above it. >

> Anyway, How can I get rid of the musty smells???? Bye, felice

>

[Guest guest]

Please be careful when removing old linoleum!

Most of it contains asbestos..