Living in Silicon Valley, it's hard to get mold since it's so
sunny and dry most of the time.

Had guests over (don't ask) who needed to do wash and we
washed what turned out to be their moldy stuff with my
towels.

When they left, we noticed the musty odor in the bathroom, so
we narrowed it down to the towels washed with their stuff.

No problem. We just re-washed (and re-washed) the towels.
Yet, in the bathroom itself, even after almost a week of
airing out the tile bathroom with the windows wide open,
the faint moldy smell still exists, ever so faintly - but
it's definitely there.

Googling for how to locate the source, I find the keyword
MVOC (microbial volatile organic compounds), e.g.,
http://www.emlab.com/s/sampling/env-report-04-2006.html
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/mvocs.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18333991

End result? It's a complicated mess. But, yet, I still have
that faint yucky musty smell of mold sticking to the membranes
of my nose whenever I enter the tile bathroom.

The bathroom never had this smell before; and it won't
get rid of it now. It is a 100 tile bathroom, very dry,
on the third floor, with tons of sunlight and wide open
with no wet anything anywhere.

What on earth is the mold sticking to?
Any suggestions?

PS: I'm wont to snap a picture but I don't know how to snap
a picture of a mouldy smell...

On 04/25/2014 11:07 AM, Danny D. wrote:
Living in Silicon Valley, it's hard to get mold since it's so
sunny and dry most of the time.

Had guests over (don't ask) who needed to do wash and we
washed what turned out to be their moldy stuff with my
towels.




I guess you have now learned your lesson.

You will probably have to get rid of the towels you washed with their
moldy stuff, then let fresh air and bright sunlight do the rest.

wash the walls and towel bars with bleach

Mark

"Danny D." wrote in message
...
Living in Silicon Valley, it's hard to get mold since it's so
sunny and dry most of the time.

Had guests over (don't ask) who needed to do wash and we
washed what turned out to be their moldy stuff with my
towels.

When they left, we noticed the musty odor in the bathroom, so
we narrowed it down to the towels washed with their stuff.

No problem. We just re-washed (and re-washed) the towels.
Yet, in the bathroom itself, even after almost a week of
airing out the tile bathroom with the windows wide open,
the faint moldy smell still exists, ever so faintly - but
it's definitely there.

Googling for how to locate the source, I find the keyword
MVOC (microbial volatile organic compounds), e.g.,
http://www.emlab.com/s/sampling/env-report-04-2006.html
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/mvocs.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18333991

End result? It's a complicated mess. But, yet, I still have
that faint yucky musty smell of mold sticking to the membranes
of my nose whenever I enter the tile bathroom.

The bathroom never had this smell before; and it won't
get rid of it now. It is a 100 tile bathroom, very dry,
on the third floor, with tons of sunlight and wide open
with no wet anything anywhere.

What on earth is the mold sticking to?
Any suggestions?

ozone?

In article ,
"Danny D." wrote:

The bathroom never had this smell before; and it won't
get rid of it now. It is a 100 tile bathroom, very dry,
on the third floor, with tons of sunlight and wide open
with no wet anything anywhere.

What on earth is the mold sticking to?
Any suggestions?

Danny-

Is your washing machine a front loader? Smells are a common problem
with them, since their seals prevent moisture from getting out unless
you leave the door open. There are washing machine deodorizers
available.

One place that might trap mold spores, is the dryer's lint filter. It
might also help to clean out the vent hose.

Fred

On Friday, April 25, 2014 12:07:25 PM UTC-4, Danny D. wrote:
Living in Silicon Valley, it's hard to get mold since it's so

sunny and dry most of the time.



Had guests over (don't ask) who needed to do wash and we

washed what turned out to be their moldy stuff with my

towels.



When they left, we noticed the musty odor in the bathroom, so

we narrowed it down to the towels washed with their stuff.



No problem. We just re-washed (and re-washed) the towels.

Yet, in the bathroom itself, even after almost a week of

airing out the tile bathroom with the windows wide open,

the faint moldy smell still exists, ever so faintly - but

it's definitely there.



Googling for how to locate the source, I find the keyword

MVOC (microbial volatile organic compounds), e.g.,

http://www.emlab.com/s/sampling/env-report-04-2006.html

http://blackmold.awardspace.com/mvocs.html

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18333991



End result? It's a complicated mess. But, yet, I still have

that faint yucky musty smell of mold sticking to the membranes

of my nose whenever I enter the tile bathroom.



The bathroom never had this smell before; and it won't

get rid of it now. It is a 100 tile bathroom, very dry,

on the third floor, with tons of sunlight and wide open

with no wet anything anywhere.



What on earth is the mold sticking to?

Any suggestions?



PS: I'm wont to snap a picture but I don't know how to snap

a picture of a mouldy smell...

Years ago I had a problem with an untraceable bathroom odor. I finally located the cause; the holes under the toilet rim had clogged up with mineral deposits in one section so that the mold and germs weren't being washed away.. I used a nail to remove the cement-like deposits and the odor disappeared..

Paul

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 16:07:25 +0000 (UTC), "Danny D."
wrote:

No problem. We just re-washed (and re-washed) the towels.
Yet, in the bathroom itself, even after almost a week of
airing out the tile bathroom with the windows wide open,
the faint moldy smell still exists, ever so faintly - but
it's definitely there.

Assuming you've cleaned and sanitized everything, try setting out an
open bowl of white vinegar. Or try activated charcoal in a bowl to
absorb odors.

Danny,

Sprinkle baking soda everywhere, let stand for a couple of days, then
vacuum up.

Dave M.

The only thing wet would be the toilet.

Have you sniffed around the bowl and especially the tank?

Then, how about the shower and/or tube drain?

Finally, the exhaust fan?

I would spray both sides of each towel that was washed with their stuff with Fabreeze.

There are molds that will stick tenaciously to surfaces despite those surfaces having been cleaned. When tenants move out of apartments I often find that there are stains in the stainless steel kitchen sinks that don't come off with regular washing. The stains have to be killed with bleach, and that means they're alive. I expect what you have is mold that's sticking to the towels tenaciously and needs to be killed somehow. As bleach would discolour the towels, I'd try using Fabreeze.

Bacteria and fungii are very sensitive to the pH of their environment. If the Fabreeze doesn't kill the smell, I'd try rinsing the towels in a 10:1 solution of vinegar in water (1 part vinegar to 10 parts water). That should kill the bacteria causing the smell.

On 4/25/2014 12:07 PM, Danny D. wrote:
Living in Silicon Valley, it's hard to get mold since it's so
sunny and dry most of the time.

Had guests over (don't ask) who needed to do wash and we
washed what turned out to be their moldy stuff with my
towels.

When they left, we noticed the musty odor in the bathroom, so
we narrowed it down to the towels washed with their stuff.

No problem. We just re-washed (and re-washed) the towels.
Yet, in the bathroom itself, even after almost a week of
airing out the tile bathroom with the windows wide open,
the faint moldy smell still exists, ever so faintly - but
it's definitely there.

Googling for how to locate the source, I find the keyword
MVOC (microbial volatile organic compounds), e.g.,
http://www.emlab.com/s/sampling/env-report-04-2006.html
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/mvocs.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18333991

End result? It's a complicated mess. But, yet, I still have
that faint yucky musty smell of mold sticking to the membranes
of my nose whenever I enter the tile bathroom.

The bathroom never had this smell before; and it won't
get rid of it now. It is a 100 tile bathroom, very dry,
on the third floor, with tons of sunlight and wide open
with no wet anything anywhere.

What on earth is the mold sticking to?
Any suggestions?

PS: I'm wont to snap a picture but I don't know how to snap
a picture of a mouldy smell...


Carpet, curtains, plastic mat or shower curtain? I'd take down
everything washable, wash it and hang outdoors in sun to dry. Pour some
boilding water with a little dish detergent down the drains, followed by
a little bleach. Let the bleach "work" before using the fixtures again.
Plastics will absorb some odors, tho I've never had plastic smell like
mildew.

If an exhaust fan has accumulated a lot of dust, it may absorb some
odor...I spent about an hour cleaning the exhaust fan in our b.r. when
we first moved in. It was noisy, so I took the cover off and noticed it
was really loaded with (30 yrs worth?) of dust. I picked and brushed,
saving my hubby uncomfortable overhead work. Next day, treated for
muscle spasms in my back )

I'd focus on anything that remains wet or damp for a while after
showers....walls can stay wet, esp. if textured wallpaper. If there is
a cupboard or closet nearby, it will hold dead air for a while; towels
stored there?

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 21:06:38 +0200, nestork
wrote:

Bacteria and fungii are very sensitive to the pH of their environment.
If the Fabreeze doesn't kill the smell, I'd try rinsing the towels in a
10:1 solution of vinegar in water (1 part vinegar to 10 parts water).
That should kill the bacteria causing the smell.

Vinegar can also be used in clothes washing... it's a miracle product.

1001 Uses of Vinegar --

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 10:51:05 -0700, Oren wrote:

Assuming you've cleaned and sanitized everything, try setting out an
open bowl of white vinegar. Or try activated charcoal in a bowl to
absorb odors.

I kept reading on the web about the vinegar (especially in the wash).
Not one article said *how* it would work.

I don't do things without knowing why I'm doing them (just as I don't
throw parts at my car when fixing it). I try to understand WHY and then
the how comes out of that.

So, on the vinegar, I just don't understand how it could possibly
work when it's not literally "on" the mold itself?

And, if vinegar kills the mold when it's literally "on" the mold,
then I'd just use bleach instead, which I know kills mold (by oxidizing
it).

So, I'm not so sure HOW vinegar could possibly work.
If anyone knows ... I'm all ears.

Years ago when I was a born again, spirit filled, washed in the blood of the lamb 20+ year old, I once let a homeless guy use my apartment to shower and shave and make himself presentable. That guy's clothes stunk, so I put them though a wash and dry cycle for him. And, when he left I actually washed the bar of soap that he used to clean himself. I was really concerned that his clothing might have left bugs in my apartment, like head lice.

I do more cleaning than most people, and I've found that it's the soft materials in a home that will absorb smells. Things like carpets, upholstery, curtains and the like will absorb smells much more readily than hard materials like ceramic tile or hardwood floors for example. So, I suspect your conclusion that the musty smell is coming from the towels is probably right on.

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 22:47:38 +0000 (UTC), "Danny D."
wrote:

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 10:51:05 -0700, Oren wrote:

Assuming you've cleaned and sanitized everything, try setting out an
open bowl of white vinegar. Or try activated charcoal in a bowl to
absorb odors.

I kept reading on the web about the vinegar (especially in the wash).
Not one article said *how* it would work.

I don't do things without knowing why I'm doing them (just as I don't
throw parts at my car when fixing it). I try to understand WHY and then
the how comes out of that.

So, on the vinegar, I just don't understand how it could possibly
work when it's not literally "on" the mold itself?

And, if vinegar kills the mold when it's literally "on" the mold,
then I'd just use bleach instead, which I know kills mold (by oxidizing
it).

So, I'm not so sure HOW vinegar could possibly work.
If anyone knows ... I'm all ears.

Okay.

What I said is that a bowl of vinegar will help eliminate odors. Same
as a bowl of activated charcoal. Same as baking soda - others
mentioned.

Do as you may, No harm no foul.

"Danny D." wrote in message ...
Living in Silicon Valley, it's hard to get mold since it's so
sunny and dry most of the time.

Had guests over (don't ask) who needed to do wash and we
washed what turned out to be their moldy stuff with my
towels.

When they left, we noticed the musty odor in the bathroom, so
we narrowed it down to the towels washed with their stuff.

No problem. We just re-washed (and re-washed) the towels.
Yet, in the bathroom itself, even after almost a week of
airing out the tile bathroom with the windows wide open,
the faint moldy smell still exists, ever so faintly - but
it's definitely there.

Googling for how to locate the source, I find the keyword
MVOC (microbial volatile organic compounds), e.g.,
http://www.emlab.com/s/sampling/env-report-04-2006.html
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/mvocs.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18333991

End result? It's a complicated mess. But, yet, I still have
that faint yucky musty smell of mold sticking to the membranes
of my nose whenever I enter the tile bathroom.

The bathroom never had this smell before; and it won't
get rid of it now. It is a 100 tile bathroom, very dry,
on the third floor, with tons of sunlight and wide open
with no wet anything anywhere.

What on earth is the mold sticking to?
Any suggestions?

PS: I'm wont to snap a picture but I don't know how to snap
a picture of a mouldy smell...

Google vinegar -- it's is magic with mold and mildew and all kinds of difficult cleaning jobs. Try soaking the towels in white distilled vinegar. The vinegar smell disappears after rinsing and drying. Works good on mildew around windows too.

My washer is one of those modern wonders with no agitator or lint filter. (I would never get another one.) About every month, it starts stinking to high heaven. Somewhere I read to run it without any clothes (in the washer, I mean) and add a cup of vinegar to it. Seems to work.

We humans are very sensitive to the amount of oxygen in our atmosphere. If you reduce the amount of oxygen from 22 percent down to 15 or 16 percent, our muscles and brain are starved of oxygen and we have trouble thinking and performing simple tasks.

Fungii are just as sensitive to the pH of their environment. If they come into contact with something too acidic, they die.

Mold and bathroom style "mildew" are just different kinds of fungii. If they come into contact with something acidic, it will kill them.

Dead mold doesn't smell.

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 09:07:25 -0700, Danny D. wrote:

Living in Silicon Valley, it's hard to get mold since it's so
sunny and dry most of the time.

..snip...to keep Aioe happy


WRONG! Lived in SV for 30 years and totally fought mold all the time.
Especially in the watered lawn. The California soil is alkaline and has a
preference for mold. Couple that with living in San Jose at the 'end' of
the water supply run and we had absolutely no discernible chlorine in our
water by the time it got to us. So....periodically we had to bleach the
inside of our toilet tanks to purge the slime mold. It looks like a clear
jelly if allowed to grow enough. When not enough to see the jelly, it
simply feels 'slick', thus the name, 'slime' mold. Has a distinctive musty
smell, like a damp basement. Best defense, is a bleach scrub down. And
rewash the towels with heavy bleach. In other words, "IT'S ALIVE!"

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 12:39:20 -0700, Oren wrote:

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 21:06:38 +0200, nestork
wrote:

Bacteria and fungii are very sensitive to the pH of their environment.
If the Fabreeze doesn't kill the smell, I'd try rinsing the towels in a
10:1 solution of vinegar in water (1 part vinegar to 10 parts water).
That should kill the bacteria causing the smell.

Vinegar can also be used in clothes washing... it's a miracle product.

1001 Uses of Vinegar --


TRUE, forgot all about vinegar. We bought a pallet of glacial acetic acid
in those chemical gallon jugs. Ms. Macy uses it to wash her silk blouses!
Hey, silk was around way before dry cleaning. Plus, silk dyes are 'set'
with acid' so this brightens the colors back. She even washes her suits,
like Yves Saint Laurent silk suit from Neiman Marcus in very strong acid
and they come out better than the best dry cleaner [that dry cleaner was
located in Los Gatos, CA; cost twice anywhere else; and CHANGED the
chemicals everyday selling the chemicals to other dry cleaners!] by the
way, when I complained to the owner about the quality of cleaning, she
suggested I go elsewhere, I guess she only wanted idiotic rich people to
go there. I was happy to stop going there. It sounds icky to have your
clothes put in with everybody else's clothes and run through cycles en
masse. Yecch!

The advantage of vinegar is that you can use it effectively on fabrics
[and colors] that otherwise won't hold up to bleach!

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 12:13:13 -0700, Norminn wrote:

...snip...
Plastics will absorb some odors, tho I've never had plastic smell like
mildew.

..snip...

I like to re-use those half quart juice bottles as handy carafes, for
fridge water or my leftover coffee. Clean out, pour extra coffee in, save
for next day to not waste. Forgot about coffee once and it developed
something floating in there, slime mold probably. poured out filled with
1:4 bleach to water and let sit 24 hours. cleaned out and the plastic
STILL smelled of mold! Had to trash that container. Learned just how
porous that plastic really is! Not like glass containers.

In article ,
"Danny D." wrote:

What on earth is the mold sticking to?
Any suggestions?

Danny-

It may be just coincidence that you noticed the smell after the guests
washed their moldy stuff with your towels.

Mold or mildew smell is sometimes associated with a roof leak. The mold
could have been growing in the wood above your bathroom ever since the
last time it rained.

If there is an attic access point anywhere, just sticking your nose up
there might tell you where the smell is coming from.

Fred

"Danny D." wrote in message
...

Had guests over (don't ask) who needed to do wash and we
washed what turned out to be their moldy stuff with my
towels. .....,

The bathroom never had this smell before; and it won't
get rid of it now. It is a 100 tile bathroom, very dry,
on the third floor, with tons of sunlight and wide open
with no wet anything anywhere.

What on earth is the mold sticking to?
Any suggestions?

I think that Concrobium will probably work. It's cheap, it is completely
safe and non-toxic, it doesn't smell, you can spray it on just about
anything, and it is available at Home Depot etc:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Concrobiu...5326/100654126
..


Click on the video link on the Home Depot page.



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http://www.avast.com

Oren posted for all of us...

And I know how to SNIP


On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 21:06:38 +0200, nestork
wrote:

Bacteria and fungii are very sensitive to the pH of their environment.
If the Fabreeze doesn't kill the smell, I'd try rinsing the towels in a
10:1 solution of vinegar in water (1 part vinegar to 10 parts water).
That should kill the bacteria causing the smell.

Vinegar can also be used in clothes washing... it's a miracle product.

1001 Uses of Vinegar --

I love the smell of napalm in the morning!

--
Tekkie