Mold Abatement

[Devonai]

So I was out with my National Guard unit for a week, during which time it was hot and very humid.  Upon return to my apartment I discovered mold everywhere... wood surfaces including doors and rifle stocks (shudder), clothing, and even Cordura nylon.  So far I have washed a few items with hot water and sprayed them with Lysol, and that seems to be effective for now.

Does anyone have any ideas for dealing with this problem in the long term?  I plan on buying a dehumidifier as soon as possible, but I'm curious to know if there are any preferred cleaning solutions or methods for this problem.

Thanks in advance.

[Regolith]

My bathroom tends to have a mold problem due to inadequate ventilation from the ceiling fan.  Usually, I knock it down with a bleach all-purpose cleaner.  Kills it fairly fast. 

I have no idea how to keep it from growing back long-term, save keeping the area well ventilated and keeping the humidity down. 

[vaskidmark]

Take off and nuke it from orbit.

I'm surprised no one else has suggested that before now.

Temperature and humidity need to be controlled.  Air conditioning can be expensive but is probably the best way to assure relative safety for extended periods of absence from the apartment - in other words, set the temp a few degrees lower than your regular setting and increase the fan speed.  Having a few air movers running as well wouldn't hurt, and if you have a trouble spot like the bathroom with normally poor air circulation I would recommend you get a fan in there anyhow.

Dehumidifiers are OK, but 1) need to be emptied/drained regularly or you risk flooding and 2) can be a breeding ground for mold and other gooshy stuff if not properly maintained.  Thus they may not be a good solution for a perios of extended absence.

Beat Momma Nature at her own game - instead of squeezing moisture out of the air allow the air to hold more moisture.  Of course you will need to adapt to living in >99*F and increasing the temp as the humidity (both ambient and in your apartment) increases.  The problem is that there is only a small window between this and creating a jungle.

As regards the individual items that hosted the mold explosion - has the .mil stopped teaching that airing and exposure to sunligt (hanging on the clothesline for a full day) after cleaning the surface is perhaps the best assurance of stopping regrowth?  Of course you might look a bit foolish walking guard duty around your clothesline while your short and long arms soaked in the sunshine.  :rolleyes:   If you go this route, please send pictures.

stay safe.

skidmark

[Harold Tuttle]

We need a better SITREP,
before we tell you to dust off and lysol it from orbit.

Is this a basement apartment?

Mold spores do not magically bloom into active surface fungus,
there must be an active colony in your walls or under your rugs

Removing this entrenched invasion has condemned structures in the past.

I run 2 dehumidifiers in my basement all summer long.

[Devonai]

Thanks for the help!  I have a first floor apartment in a brick building in the middle of the woods.  Therefore, sunlight is not abundant.  If there is a root colony of mold, I haven't found it, although one of my range bags was so bad it may have been the origin.

I am planning on using carpet powder next time I vacuum, although I don't know if this will be sufficient.  I may have to have professionals come in and steam clean the carpets.

The Army taught me to be fastidious in cleaning my weapons and gear, but this caught me by surprise.  Turn and burn though the ambush, I suppose.

[Harold Tuttle]

I was resident in a 1940 redbrick apartment in DC in the 90s

The floor/foundation settled over time and a 1/2 inch crack was along the back wall

When I moved out, there was mold under the carpets that came in from the crawlspace under my room.

[AZRedhawk44]

Don't steam clean the apartment.

The steam cools and stays in the carpet.  More mold.

De-humidifier while home.

Carpet powder is a good idea... maybe add some plain arm and hammer in with it.  AC rather than swamp cooler.

[coppertales]

Hydrogen peroxide will knock mold out.  Just put a sprayer on your HP bottle and spray where you have mold.  Tilex makes a great mold killer too but it works off bleach and is a bit strong.  It sure gets the mold out of tile and such though.  Air conditioning is probably the best way to go in your case....chris3

[Regolith]

Hydrogen peroxide will knock mold out.  Just put a sprayer on your HP bottle and spray where you have mold.  Tilex makes a great mold killer too but it works off bleach and is a bit strong.  It sure gets the mold out of tile and such though.  Air conditioning is probably the best way to go in your case....chris3

I used Tilex once.  Tilex in a bathroom with already poor ventilation = breathing hazard.  Couldn't go into the bathroom for several hours, and the entire apartment reeked of Tilex for a day or two.

Standard all-purpose bleach cleaners work almost as well, are cheaper, and don't stink up the place.

[roo_ster]

An AC is also a dehumidifier, so that suggestion is a good one.  

Though, if I came home to MOLD CENTRAL, I'd likely also get a purpose-built dehumidifier and route the water output to a drain.  That is how my folks managed their basements when we lived where basements are common.

Hydrogen peroxide will also bleach out/stain lots of things.

I am not a big fan of carpet powders.

I wonder if there is an additive one can put in a steam cleaner that will kill mold spores in the carpet as it dries?  I think I'd rent a squirrel-cage fan to dry out the carpets real fast after steam cleaning.

Honestly, after living on hardwoods, tile, and vinyl flooring, I'd be hard-pressed to lay down carpet, again.  That stuff is just a dust trap and allergy-vector.  At least with teh hard surfaces, you can see it and remove it.

[Devonai]

Thanks again.  I've eliminated the mold I can see, and I'm hoping to mitigate the mold I can't see.  I was disappointed to see the prices of dehumidifiers.  I may have to see if I can find a comparison of dehumidifiers and A/C units as far as electricity use and efficacy, since the prices are pretty much the same.

[Firethorn]

Thanks again.  I've eliminated the mold I can see, and I'm hoping to mitigate the mold I can't see.  I was disappointed to see the prices of dehumidifiers.  I may have to see if I can find a comparison of dehumidifiers and A/C units as far as electricity use and efficacy, since the prices are pretty much the same.

That's because a dehumidifier is essentially the same thing as an AC unit.  It works by cooling the air, reducing the air's moisture bearing capabilities, causing condensation that then runs either into a container or down a drain.

With an AC unit, the heat is then dumped outside.  With window units the moisture often drains out there to help cool the radiator.  With dehumidifiers, the cold air is passed directly to the hot side radiator, warming it back up.

Efficiency, energy wise, depends on whether you like the temperature the house is at or not.  If you like the temp, dehumifier.  If it's too hot, AC.  If you're heating and it's too humid you need to get your systems checked.

[geronimotwo]

here is a link that talks about using borax for mold removal.    http://www.mold-control-on-a-budget.com/documents/43.html

i have used a product called boracare for insect and rot control and had good results.  here is there product with a mold killer. http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/boracare-with-moldcare-p-1265.html

the product i used cost over $100 per gallon, but did what they said it would.

[MechAg94]

Did you turn your A/C off for the week that you were gone? 

[AJ Dual]

here is a link that talks about using borax for mold removal.    http://www.mold-control-on-a-budget.com/documents/43.html

i have used a product called boracare for insect and rot control and had good results.  here is there product with a mold killer. http://www.domyownpestcontrol.com/boracare-with-moldcare-p-1265.html

the product i used cost over $100 per gallon, but did what they said it would.

Huh.. I was thinking about boric acid powder for dry mold control, but had no idea if it would work.

[Devonai]

Mech, I've never had A/C in this apartment.  My comfort level for New England weather has been very high after I spent 17 weeks down at Fort Benning a few years ago.

I reviewed my lease and discovered that the property management company offers renters a loan of a dehumidifier upon request, so I got my shiny new machine today.