Home Improvement Stack Exchange
Home Improvement Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [mold]

Preventing, identifying, or treating mold infestations in the home.

Molds are fungi whose spores can cause allergic or toxic reactions when present in large numbers. Molds grow well in cool, damp conditions and often appear after leaks or floods, or where vapor barriers are improperly installed.

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How can I paint over mold to prevent it from coming back again?

The source of the leak has been fixed, however the old mold keeps showing though the new paint.
Walker
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Why are we to leave a front-loader clothes washer open, but not the dishwasher?

Everywhere, everybody, says to leave the door open on your front-load laundry washer so it can dry out and not accumulate mold. But no one, anywhere, says to leave the door open on your dishwasher. Why is that? (FYI: I googled the crap out of this…
Steve Wellens
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Does A/C encourage mold growth?

I think I'm being sold bunk by a mold company, but not sure. We live in the tropics, we recently had our bathroom ceiling flood due to a burst pipe, and went away immediately after. (the landlord had the bathroom ceiling removed a bit under a week…
ChrisJ
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What is the recommended way to destroy mold?

Back in the day I've heard that bleach is a good way to kill mold. The other day a home inspector suggested that Dawn dish soap actually works much better than bleach. I've heard from another home inspector to use the store-bought mold killer. Does…
Joe Phillips
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1lb of cure is worth 10 tons of mold: DIY repair of a poorly sealed window? lots of photos herein

Preface I live in China. Construction is largely handled by unskilled migrants, and one cannot just call up a specialist contractor to fix a major issue. Problem I've got a window that was not properly sealed when the apartment was built, and which…
Drew
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What are the black spots on my bathroom ceiling? Are they mold?

My bathroom above my tub is getting some black spots on it that seems to be growing. I assume it's mold. I am wondering how should I deal with this? What should I expect it to cost?
Jon
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Something in my home is making my family sick. How do I determine what it is?

My wife and I moved into a new rental house two months ago. Our small dog, my wife, and myself have all started experiencing symptoms such as headaches, runny nose, constant congestion, cold-like swelling in the sinuses, neck, and throat, general…
Bryson
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What should I do about mold in a new build?

I bought my first place in December, five months ago. It's a new 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom condominium in San Francisco CA, and they finished construction in October 2019. Over the last few days, other residents have been complaining about mold in the…
Oliver
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How to remove/clean black mold?

What is the best way to remove black mold from wood? Specifically, the mold on my back porch is black mold. Is the best option to use something like Kilz over it?
warren
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Mold remediation in crawlspace

Just bought a 25 year old home that has improperly installed insulation in the crawlspace. The insulation is fiberglass rolls with a paper backing, and is installed with the paper facing down, toward the ground. When the home inspector and I…
Eli Heady
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Painted wall with moldy paint

I thought the paint just needed to be stirred, grayish layer on top. Then went back and looked, little white fuzz on inside lid of can. I smell the musty smell. Wiped down with a bleach solution. Still stinky and I'm worried about mold now growing…
Courtney Giancana
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Giant wet patch appeared suddenly on wall and now filled with dark spots

Here is the image from the ground floor kitchen. This patch appears on wall between the two windows in the kitchen: Here is what is on the other side of the wall. Please note that the black gutter and the black pipes are all newly installed around…
quantum231
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What is this white powder on my foundation?

Can anyone tell me what this white powder might be? I was ripping up the carpet from my basement when I saw this underneath the padding and on the cement foundation. It's white and cakey. I at first thought I would just vacuum it up, so I took a…
rothloup
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How to prevent mold in stored joint compound

Joint compound comes in larger containers than I need. I have had this problem for years where storing opened but unused joint compound leads to mold growth, usually starting within a week or two. I'd like this to not happen, or at least extend it…
Jason C
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Santizing a vacuum cleaner by sucking up disinfectant

I replaced the hepa filter and put a new bag in my shop vac a couple of weeks ago, just before I had to use it to pick up the debris from the cleanup of a moldy area. Obviously, the last thing I want to happen is the growth of pathogens inside the…
MarcoD
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