My father lives in a condo which he flooded accidentally a 2 years
ago. It's a small 2 bedroom condo (1100 sqft), and about 2 rooms were
flooded. Unfortunately we did not do anything about it, except letting
it dry naturally. Since then there has been a strong mildew/mold
smell. I was going to just replace the carpets for my dad, but I was
told that their could be mold underneath the carpet.

I ordered a mold test, which is basically a petrie dish that you tape
to a air conditioning vent for 10 minutes with the fan on high, then
put in a cool dark place to let it incubate. After letting it incubate
for a week, it seems to be growing spores. The instructions say if you
see growth, you have mold. I have the option of sending the test to
their lab, to get more information on the type of mold.

Since the test, I have become really concerned about my father's
health in the apartment (though he doesn't seem to have any allergic
symptoms), and would like to clean-up the mold. However, after calling
a few "mold remediation" contractors, I could not get a straight
answer on the cost. One guy said there is a $250 removal estimate
cost, and $70 per test, and only then could he give me an estimate.
Another guy said it could cost anywhere from $2000 - $4000. I feel
like I'm setting myself up to get ripped off. (BTW, I've already
checked the homeowners policy, and it's not covered)

I believe most of the mold/mildew is in the carpet and padding.
Moreover, I've read on the net that it is possible to remove this
yourself with some diluted bleach? I was considering removing the
carpet and padding myself, and bleaching the floors. Then throwing
away most of the stuff effected by the mold. Then replacing the
carpet.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I know nothing about testing for mould, however, the test you described
would seem to me, to be guaranteed to give positive results no matter what.
Mould is in the air, air conditioners blow air around. This will certainly
deposit some mould spores onto the culture allowing them to grow. Is this a
test supplied by a company trying to get work cleaning mould from buildings?
Do some research regarding moulds, tests and clean-up.

"CheapStingy*******" wrote in message
om...
My father lives in a condo which he flooded accidentally a 2 years
ago. It's a small 2 bedroom condo (1100 sqft), and about 2 rooms were
flooded. Unfortunately we did not do anything about it, except letting
it dry naturally. Since then there has been a strong mildew/mold
smell. I was going to just replace the carpets for my dad, but I was
told that their could be mold underneath the carpet.

I ordered a mold test, which is basically a petrie dish that you tape
to a air conditioning vent for 10 minutes with the fan on high, then
put in a cool dark place to let it incubate. After letting it incubate
for a week, it seems to be growing spores. The instructions say if you
see growth, you have mold. I have the option of sending the test to
their lab, to get more information on the type of mold.

Since the test, I have become really concerned about my father's
health in the apartment (though he doesn't seem to have any allergic
symptoms), and would like to clean-up the mold. However, after calling
a few "mold remediation" contractors, I could not get a straight
answer on the cost. One guy said there is a $250 removal estimate
cost, and $70 per test, and only then could he give me an estimate.
Another guy said it could cost anywhere from $2000 - $4000. I feel
like I'm setting myself up to get ripped off. (BTW, I've already
checked the homeowners policy, and it's not covered)

I believe most of the mold/mildew is in the carpet and padding.
Moreover, I've read on the net that it is possible to remove this
yourself with some diluted bleach? I was considering removing the
carpet and padding myself, and bleaching the floors. Then throwing
away most of the stuff effected by the mold. Then replacing the
carpet.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Eric Tonks wrote:

I know nothing about testing for mould, however, the test you described
would seem to me, to be guaranteed to give positive results no matter what.
Mould is in the air, air conditioners blow air around. This will certainly
deposit some mould spores onto the culture allowing them to grow. Is this a
test supplied by a company trying to get work cleaning mould from buildings?
Do some research regarding moulds, tests and clean-up.

Agree with Eric, but if you smell mildew, it's there.
Very likely the flooring is ply or partilce board.
These will both support mold growth, so it could be worse
than carpet;.

Do some GOOGLE searches for mold remediation, or similar.
You'll get a lot of hits from co's selling services, but
weed out.

Even if your father doesn't show any signs, there could be
health risks. Further, selling the condo will be a problem
if the situation is left as is.

Jim



"CheapStingy*******" wrote in message
om...
My father lives in a condo which he flooded accidentally a 2 years
ago. It's a small 2 bedroom condo (1100 sqft), and about 2 rooms were
flooded. Unfortunately we did not do anything about it, except letting
it dry naturally. Since then there has been a strong mildew/mold
smell. I was going to just replace the carpets for my dad, but I was
told that their could be mold underneath the carpet.

I ordered a mold test, which is basically a petrie dish that you tape
to a air conditioning vent for 10 minutes with the fan on high, then
put in a cool dark place to let it incubate. After letting it incubate
for a week, it seems to be growing spores. The instructions say if you
see growth, you have mold. I have the option of sending the test to
their lab, to get more information on the type of mold.

Since the test, I have become really concerned about my father's
health in the apartment (though he doesn't seem to have any allergic
symptoms), and would like to clean-up the mold. However, after calling
a few "mold remediation" contractors, I could not get a straight
answer on the cost. One guy said there is a $250 removal estimate
cost, and $70 per test, and only then could he give me an estimate.
Another guy said it could cost anywhere from $2000 - $4000. I feel
like I'm setting myself up to get ripped off. (BTW, I've already
checked the homeowners policy, and it's not covered)

I believe most of the mold/mildew is in the carpet and padding.
Moreover, I've read on the net that it is possible to remove this
yourself with some diluted bleach? I was considering removing the
carpet and padding myself, and bleaching the floors. Then throwing
away most of the stuff effected by the mold. Then replacing the
carpet.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

"CheapStingy*******" wrote

My father lives in a condo which he flooded accidentally a 2 years
ago. It's a small 2 bedroom condo (1100 sqft), and about 2 rooms
were flooded. Unfortunately we did not do anything about it, except
letting it dry naturally. Since then there has been a strong
mildew/mold smell. I was going to just replace the carpets for my
dad, but I was told that their could be mold underneath the carpet.

Well, what's under the carpet?

If you can smell it, there's mold there. But wait - don't panic. And
whatever you do, DON'T call in the "mold specialists". They are nothing
but opportunists [1].

Go ahead & pull the carpet. If the subfloor is plywood, you'll see
whether you have a problem or not (which, more than likely, bleach will
take care of. Worst case scenario, replace the subfloor). Replace the
carpet & padding with new stuff. Call it a day.

Mold needs water to live & grow. Usually mold is just a symptom of a
bigger problem - a leak. In your case, a one-time leak, I wouldn't be
worried.

JSH

[1] Realize that there are *NO* EPA standards for mold. Asbestos?
Yes. Lead? Yes. Mold? No.

Further, the National Academy of Sciences came out a few months ago with
their results on mold: to paraphrase, "no big deal". A small %age of
people will come up with allergy-like symptoms to the strains of mold
most commonly found in houses. That's about it.

So, whatever "$pecialist$" you hire have taken a one-day course to be
"certified" to demand that you spend thousands of dollars at their whim,
for no solid or scientific reason whatsoever, and in the end all you'll
have done is replace the carpet anyway!

I ordered a mold test, which is basically a petrie dish that you tape
to a air conditioning vent for 10 minutes with the fan on high, then
put in a cool dark place to let it incubate. After letting it incubate
for a week, it seems to be growing spores. The instructions say if you
see growth, you have mold. I have the option of sending the test to
their lab, to get more information on the type of mold.

Wait.. you did the mold test BEFORE removing the carpet
and padding? What the hell for, if you can smell the mold
already? Take the carpet and padding out, clean the floor
with something appropriate, dry it, air out the house, and
THEN test for mold. Then do a reality check by testing
YOUR house, and see which is worse...

Your idea of removing the pad and carpet and washing with bleach are
correct. Use a 25-50 % bleach mix. If you see black on the subfloor you
may need more pure bleach in areas. Bleach will change the color of
mold in killing it. Follow by a soap and water wash. . If you have
moisture present , mold will come back. It is a Diy job, but you should
wear a real respirator with cartrige filters, apx 25$ , because pulling
up old carpet is full of everything. It will take a few days of good air
to get out the bleach smell.