I'm living in a moldy basement - what to expect?

[dardarla]

At the begining of August I moved into a two-bedroom basement suite with my boyfriend. I would guess that the house is 40-50 years old, but has been renovated in the last 5 years, looks really nice both inside or out.

We are living in separate rooms. In my boyfriends room he just has his mattress on the carpet. About a week ago he picked up a fairly clean shirt that had been sitting on the floor for a couple days and it had a very strong husky corn smell. Pants that were nearby also had that smell. Yesterday I picked two pillows from different sides of the room and noticed the same husky corn smell on the side that was facing the floor. I've also faintly noticed the smell on my boyfriend.

Everything in the basement except the kitchen and bathroom are carpeted, and I haven't noticed anything odd in my own room... so it might just be his room with potential mold, or it could be in the living room and computer area as well.

If it is mold I'm going to have to let the landlord know if this what is going on .... he lives upstairs so this is his house too. :/

I feel bad for him cause he's a really nice guy, good landlord, just wanted quiet low-maintenance tenants to pay his mortgage. I think he bought this house in the last 5 years, after the reno's were done. Plus I really don't want to deal with the hassle of ripping out the carpets, moving out, etc right now.

Cliffs:
- Recently moved into nice looking 1960's era 2 bedroom basement suite with boyfriend
- Notice "husky corn" smell on clothing left on the floor of one the bedrooms
- I think it might be mold under the carpet

Questions:
Am I being paranoid?
Has anyone else been in this situation? What's the process like, are we gonna have to pack up our stuff and gtfo while this is fixed?
How big of a concern is this? I know there is health risks to living with mold but I don't know what scale of this is..

 

[her209]

We are living in separate rooms. In my boyfriends room he just has his mattress on the carpet. About a week ago he picked up a fairly clean shirt that had been sitting on the floor for a couple days and it had a very strong husky corn smell. Pants that were nearby also had that smell. Yesterday I picked two pillows from different sides of the room and noticed the same husky corn smell on the side that was facing floor. I've also faintly noticed the smell on my boyfriend.

It might just be your boyfriend.

 

[Braznor]

Posting in epic thread!

Space for rent!

 

[dardarla]

It might just be your boyfriend.

We were together almost 24/7 before moving in together, dated a year and spent many sweaty nights together :sneaky:

It's defiantly a new smell, and it's coming up from the carpet.

 

[PsiStar]

1) not being paranoid.

2) Yes, gtfo. I bought a similar place & the 1st thing I had done was to rip out the renovations done in the basement which had only been there a few years also. What came out was nothing but moldy black crap that was against the floor & walls. I painted everything with no carpet. There is not a drainage issue & the basement is dry ... meaning that no leaks had to be repaired.

3) Constant illness is likely in your and/or b/f future. Lung & sinus issues. Carpet directly on a basement floor is bad news. I have actually emailed with a former resident of the house who lived upstairs from the basement. She was sick much of the time. She also indicated that a college girl who lived in the basement was not there most of the time.

 

[SsupernovaE]

Mold can kill. Not to be taken lightly.

 

[Dirigible]

A friend lived in a crappy rent controlled basement apartment in Berkeley twenty+ years ago. There was visible mold three feet up the walls. Now he's a brain surgeon.


So if you stay, you'll probably become a brain surgeon.

 

[dardarla]

1) not being paranoid.

2) Yes, gtfo. I bought a similar place & the 1st thing I had done was to rip out the renovations done in the basement which had only been there a few years also. What came out was nothing but moldy black crap that was against the floor & walls. I painted everything with no carpet. There is not a drainage issue & the basement is dry ... meaning that no leaks had to be repaired.

3) Constant illness is likely in your and/or b/f future. Lung & sinus issues. Carpet directly on a basement floor is bad news. I have actually emailed with a former resident of the house who lived upstairs from the basement. She was sick much of the time. She also indicated that a college girl who lived in the basement was not there most of the time.

That's kinda what I thought :/

I'll email the landlord about it this weekend. Was hoping I'd get to avoid the hassle of packing & moving again so soon, even temporarily. I'm knee deep in university classes right now but health comes first.

 

[Doppel]

Even a house with good site drainage can and likely will have a damp basement.

You need to buy a dehumidifier. I don't know anybody with a basement in my area who doesn't use one, except for maybe one family and their basement is musty and damp. Get a dehumidifier, it's really a standard/necessary item in a basement and not at all indicative of any problem with the site or house. After all, the house is built in dirt and that dirt is generally moist, so without a dehumidifier you can get humidity up to 80% or so and it will feel gross. Put a dehumidifier in and pull it back down to 50 and you'll be in better shape.

The above assumes the house is ok. Obviously if you do have poor site drainage (saturated earth next to house) and/or other leaks and ways for water to get in a dehumidifier may not be enough. In my current house when I moved in I had no dehumidifier and the basement felt/smelled like a fish bowl. Moisture on the walls. In the summer I'd even get dripping from condensation on the cold water pipes. Put one in and after a few days it took humidity down from 80 to 50 and now it feels/smells like the rest of the house. Have not had condensation in years, either. If you have a sump pit you can have it drain into that. Otherwise, just empty the bucket once or twice/day, depending on how big that bucket is and how much you have to dehumidify.

 

[Bignate603]

I was about to come in and post about a dehumidifier but it looks like I was beat to it. You've got to get the moisture out of the air.

 

[HybridSquirrel]

A friend lived in a crappy rent controlled basement apartment in Berkeley twenty+ years ago. There was visible mold three feet up the walls. Now he's a brain surgeon.


So if you stay, you'll probably become a brain surgeon.

your logic is impeccable

 

[SandEagle]

a threesome

 

[SP33Demon]

At the begining of August I moved into a two-bedroom basement suite with my boyfriend. I would guess that the house is 40-50 years old, but has been renovated in the last 5 years, looks really nice both inside or out.

We are living in separate rooms. In my boyfriends room he just has his mattress on the carpet. About a week ago he picked up a fairly clean shirt that had been sitting on the floor for a couple days and it had a very strong husky corn smell. Pants that were nearby also had that smell. Yesterday I picked two pillows from different sides of the room and noticed the same husky corn smell on the side that was facing the floor. I've also faintly noticed the smell on my boyfriend.

Everything in the basement except the kitchen and bathroom are carpeted, and I haven't noticed anything odd in my own room... so it might just be his room with potential mold, or it could be in the living room and computer area as well.

If it is mold I'm going to have to let the landlord know if this what is going on .... he lives upstairs so this is his house too. :/

I feel bad for him cause he's a really nice guy, good landlord, just wanted quiet low-maintenance tenants to pay his mortgage. I think he bought this house in the last 5 years, after the reno's were done. Plus I really don't want to deal with the hassle of ripping out the carpets, moving out, etc right now.

Cliffs:
- Recently moved into nice looking 1960's era 2 bedroom basement suite with boyfriend
- Notice "husky corn" smell on clothing left on the floor of one the bedrooms
- I think it might be mold under the carpet

Questions:
Am I being paranoid?
Has anyone else been in this situation? What's the process like, are we gonna have to pack up our stuff and gtfo while this is fixed?
How big of a concern is this? I know there is health risks to living with mold but I don't know what scale of this is..

I'd get a HEPA filter asap and possibly a dehumidifier. That's the problem with basements is that you don't know if there is a flooding issue. Check the water heater room as well and make sure that isn't leaking. I lived in a place where I didn't know that it was leaking and it was causing health problems from the mold. I've also lived in a place where there was a baseboard radiator in the bathroom (brilliant I know) and some deadly spores were released everytime I took a shower. It got to the point where I had to move out because I had to turn the heat off in the winter and run a HEPA full blast just to get back to normal health (horrible cough).

Your best bet would be to rip out the carpet in his room and have it replaced. Use a bleach/water solution and scrub the cement under the carpet padding. If you really don't want to have the landlord pony up, you could just buy large area rugs off craigslist for cheap to cover the concrete (make sure you steam clean them first). Either way, there is a source of moisture that you need to find and you need to get rid of the carpet in his room that is causing the mold/mildew smell. Last, the HEPA will get the spores out of the air so you aren't breathing that crap in. Good luck!

 

[piasabird]

If you can find a different place to move to. The worst part is if this is a finished basement, Mold can be growing behind panels and underneath rugs. Everything is up to you. You might try some odor obsorbing treatments like powders that can be put on the carpet and then vacumed up. Once mold gets in a carpet it is there forever. In fact, mold can grow in cement floors because they are pourous. Part of fighting mold is taking up carpets and then treating and then drying and then sealing the basement floors.

A dehumidifier might help. Forced air flow into and out of the basement might help also. Informing the landlord might help.

 

[CRXican]

IFL

thanks

 

[iRONic]

Nasty stuff, Op.

EPA site

Fla Dept. of Health

Air quality test.

Got lease? Read it. The landlord needs to fix this situation if there's a proven issue.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The weeping tiles and/or seal on the outside basement walls is probably failing and moisture is probably seeping through, maybe even water leakage. This water has no where to go but stay between the wall and vapor barrier and this creates a great mold growing situation.

I'd move. To fix it properly they need to rip all the walls out to find the source (could just be a leaky water pipe or something too) and then fix the cause of the problem then rebuild the walls. Carpet most likely has to go too. Not a cheap project, no landlord will want to do it.

 

[PieIsAwesome]

Death.

 

[shortylickens]

Get a dehumidifier and start spraying bleach all over the place.
Use arm & hammer carpet powder and vacuum it once a week.

 

[Doppel]

The weeping tiles and/or seal on the outside basement walls is probably failing and moisture is probably seeping through, maybe even water leakage. This water has no where to go but stay between the wall and vapor barrier and this creates a great mold growing situation.

I'd move. To fix it properly they need to rip all the walls out to find the source (could just be a leaky water pipe or something too) and then fix the cause of the problem then rebuild the walls. Carpet most likely has to go too. Not a cheap project, no landlord will want to do it.

Maybe, but it may just be a basement. Even good one without dehumidifier may get pretty darn humid.

 

[Greenman]

A smell doesn't indicate the presence of mold. It could be something that was spilled on the carpet, or even remains of the cleaning agent used. If you're really concerned, pull back a corner of the carpet to see if mold is growing under it.

 

[William Gaatjes]

At the begining of August I moved into a two-bedroom basement suite with my boyfriend. I would guess that the house is 40-50 years old, but has been renovated in the last 5 years, looks really nice both inside or out.

We are living in separate rooms. In my boyfriends room he just has his mattress on the carpet. About a week ago he picked up a fairly clean shirt that had been sitting on the floor for a couple days and it had a very strong husky corn smell. Pants that were nearby also had that smell. Yesterday I picked two pillows from different sides of the room and noticed the same husky corn smell on the side that was facing the floor. I've also faintly noticed the smell on my boyfriend.

Everything in the basement except the kitchen and bathroom are carpeted, and I haven't noticed anything odd in my own room... so it might just be his room with potential mold, or it could be in the living room and computer area as well.

If it is mold I'm going to have to let the landlord know if this what is going on .... he lives upstairs so this is his house too. :/

I feel bad for him cause he's a really nice guy, good landlord, just wanted quiet low-maintenance tenants to pay his mortgage. I think he bought this house in the last 5 years, after the reno's were done. Plus I really don't want to deal with the hassle of ripping out the carpets, moving out, etc right now.

Cliffs:
- Recently moved into nice looking 1960's era 2 bedroom basement suite with boyfriend
- Notice "husky corn" smell on clothing left on the floor of one the bedrooms
- I think it might be mold under the carpet

Questions:
Am I being paranoid?
Has anyone else been in this situation? What's the process like, are we gonna have to pack up our stuff and gtfo while this is fixed?
How big of a concern is this? I know there is health risks to living with mold but I don't know what scale of this is..

Find out what you are dealing with please...
Molds can be serious health issues. Please find out what kind of mold it is and get a check up at the doctor. I do not know what kind of mold it is, but most are not human friendly. Until you know what kind of mold you are dealing with, do not take any mold infestation lightly. It is better to be safe then sorry.

Trivial and good for birthday parties :
Long ago , there were periodic wherewolves outbreaks.
The most likely explanation is that these sightings of wherewolves occurred when rye grain and wheat was infected by the ergot mold. When consumed this mold can cause serious psychological issues such as hallucinations and hysteria.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot

 

[dardarla]

Nasty stuff, Op.

EPA site

Fla Dept. of Health

Air quality test.

Got lease? Read it. The landlord needs to fix this situation if there's a proven issue.

Thanks for the links. I'm going to let the landlord know that there might be a problem this weekend. Hopefully he can bring in someone to check or test it, figure out what the problem is.

The weeping tiles and/or seal on the outside basement walls is probably failing and moisture is probably seeping through, maybe even water leakage. This water has no where to go but stay between the wall and vapor barrier and this creates a great mold growing situation.

I'd move. To fix it properly they need to rip all the walls out to find the source (could just be a leaky water pipe or something too) and then fix the cause of the problem then rebuild the walls. Carpet most likely has to go too. Not a cheap project, no landlord will want to do it.

That's pretty much my plan if this turns out to be a big fix-up job .... I'd rather just get my stuff out and let him deal with it. We'd have to break the lease, but I'm assuming that won't be a problem if it's not safe for us to live here.

 

[Jumpem]

Even a house with good site drainage can and likely will have a damp basement.

You need to buy a dehumidifier. I don't know anybody with a basement in my area who doesn't use one, except for maybe one family and their basement is musty and damp. Get a dehumidifier, it's really a standard/necessary item in a basement and not at all indicative of any problem with the site or house. After all, the house is built in dirt and that dirt is generally moist, so without a dehumidifier you can get humidity up to 80% or so and it will feel gross. Put a dehumidifier in and pull it back down to 50 and you'll be in better shape.

The above assumes the house is ok. Obviously if you do have poor site drainage (saturated earth next to house) and/or other leaks and ways for water to get in a dehumidifier may not be enough. In my current house when I moved in I had no dehumidifier and the basement felt/smelled like a fish bowl. Moisture on the walls. In the summer I'd even get dripping from condensation on the cold water pipes. Put one in and after a few days it took humidity down from 80 to 50 and now it feels/smells like the rest of the house. Have not had condensation in years, either. If you have a sump pit you can have it drain into that. Otherwise, just empty the bucket once or twice/day, depending on how big that bucket is and how much you have to dehumidify.

This.

 

[IronWing]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspergillosis

Mmmm, fungus balls in the lungs.

Edit: If it were me, I'd move. No point in letting the landlord's problem be your problem.