MOLD - how to get rid of it properly

[SEAMom]

Hey would love some help from seasoned mold experts. We have a cabin that we purchased last year. After purchase we suspected mold or mildew in the bathroom because of the smell. We finally got a contractor to look into in. Sure enough the toilet was leaking and there was black mold everywhere underneath the carpet. Another reason to never put carpet in a bathroom!! Gross!

 

The contractor says he is going to treat the mold properly to irradicate it and make sure it has not gone into the drywall.

 

Is this enough? My DS15 who has PANDAS was tested for mold and has a sensitivity but really has no exposure at our home so it has not been an issue. We don't go to the cabin except in the summer. I can get an air purifier set up in the cabin after the clean up to rid the air of any spores. Is this enough or do I need to hire in a professional mold team?

 

Thoughts?

 

 

[LNN]

In general, an area that' smaller than 4'x4 can be remediated without professional mold remediators - but you need to enclose the area with thick plastic sheets to prevent spores from spreading and need to plastic wrap the materials (carpet, wood, drywall) that need to be removed, prior taking those materials out of that area. Ideally, the materials would go out thru the window instead out thru the house. You'd also want workers to minimize travel into other areas of the home (maybe have them walk on paper or drop cloths that can be thrown away) so they don't track spores into other areas. If this is black mold - aspergillus or stachybotrus - you need to treat it like a toxic spill. I would personally be there to oversee the work.

 

Not everyone has the same level of sensitivity - both of my kids have struggled with mold exposures, both have HLA DR gene for mold sensitivity. But my son has a higher tolerance and only develops tics and moderate brain fog/muscle pain. My daughter becomes severely debilitated. Without knowing your son's tolerance, I'd be as cautious as practical.

[mama2alex]

As always, LLM gave you excellent information and advice. I would just add, that if your contractor did not seal off the bathroom with plastic sheeting before pulling up the carpet, spores have probably gone outside of the bathroom, and he is not the right person to do the remediation.

 

We recently had a water leak in our brand new home and once the builder learned about our mold sensitivity, they called in a professional remediation company (we're under a warranty). They sealed off the area in the garage and had some kind of negative pressure system pumping air to the outside before he ever cut into the drywall. The guy put on a hazmat suit to go in there and as LLM described, plastic wrapped the moldy drywall he cut out before taking it out to his van. They've had it sealed off and dehumidifying for weeks to make sure its all dried out and no more mold grows. These extreme measures are appropriate when dealing with mold.