Mold in the bathroom

[kaitlyns.mom]

I had just convinced myself that we should stay put in our rental and then today while I was in the shower I moved a jar of rarely-used scrub from the top corner and found this:
http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/183826_10150241205717581_585147580_7892662_6570927 _n.jpg

The entire top portion where the shower wall meets the bathroom wall has mold growing in the caulk; in the corners it looks like the photo and the mold is growing on the wall as well as in the caulk. There is also mold growing in the grout at the base of the tub.

To me it looks like it's coming from behind the shower wall. I've told our landlord before that I am concerned about mold but he said the whole "mold scare" is just a way for people to make money off of us and that if I am "really concerned" he can come over and wash the area down with bleach. This was after we had a leak in the upstairs tub that dumped water into our downstairs laundry room (from the light fixture).

I'm going to call him Monday and let him know the shower needs to be looked at, cleaned up and recaulked. But I doubt he will go beyond that. So would this level of mold concern you?

We do have two young kids in the house (3 and 6 months) and I have been chronically congested for a few months now, but we don't know if that is just seasonal allergies.

Maybe this is what everyone's shower looks like and I just need a reality check?

[brittone2]

When I was looking up tenant/landlord issues in my state while we were in a rental last year, I recall reading stories where people found mold. In my state, you would have to *prove* the mold was causing a significant health issue for you (which may not be all that easy) in order for it to be considered a "habitability" issue. If it isn't a habitability issue, in my state it is tough to break the lease over, or obligate the landlord to repair it. We had a tiny bit of mold in our bathroom at the rental but it was just surface mold as far as we could tell. A little bleach took care of it.

We had a big leak from upstairs to the downstairs and I know that if the drywall isn't removed asap, the mold can grow pretty quickly. Not sure if it would have spread into your shower from there.

You could look into your state's landlord/tenant laws and warranty of habitability for rentals to see if you can press for him to do more if you are really concerned about it.

I don't think all mold is the uber-dangerous, super-toxic type, but any mold can definitely be a trigger for allergies and asthma (to the best of my knowledge).

[KLD313]

I would get the mold tested, it's easy to do and pretty inexpensive. I would want to make sure it's not toxic. I worked in an office that had some weird yellow stuff growing on exposed brick in my office and I had it tested myself to make sure it was ok because I was always sick in that building. The lab gave me a sticky sheet, I put it on the stuff and brought it back. It ended uo being fine but at least I knew for sure.

[ha98ed14]

It's not what everyone's bathroom looks like. No, I don't think you are over reacting. I lived in an apartment that did everything on the cheap, but I never had a problem that bad. *Although I will say, it is hard from the picture to grasp the scale of the affected area. Is it an inch in all directions? 6 inches? But I wanted to recommend this product called Mold Armour. It comes in a green spray bottle. I got it at Home Depot and it is AWESOME at killing any mold I've had. Given the scale (assuming it's a big area) I think you'll need to spray it down more than once, but I bet it would work.

Also, anoter tip, DO NOT store things on the ledges of your tub/ shower or on windowsills in the bathroom. It is like a playpen for mold because no air can circulate behind the bottles of shampoo, body wash, etc. We got an cheap caddy from Target and put all our bottles in there and store it on the back of the toilet. It fits perfectly and it keeps mold from growing behind bottles. Right now, they have TONS of different kinds because it is back to school time and a lot of college kids use them to carry their shower stuff back and forth to the bathroom in their dorms. Here are links to the two items I'm recommending:

http://www.homedepot.com/Mold-Armor/h_d1/N-3mmZ5yc1v/R-100628954/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.amazon.com/Romanoff-Products-Super-Utility-Caddy/dp/B003MQ7OK8
I've seen these in lots of different colors and price points at Target and Walmart because of their back to school sales.

[kaitlyns.mom]

Photo to show scale:
http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp215/llliphotos/IMG_6058.jpg

Other corner:
http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp215/llliphotos/IMG_6060.jpg

Peeling caulk:
http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp215/llliphotos/IMG_6054.jpg

Top of shower:
http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp215/llliphotos/IMG_6055.jpg

Floor:
http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp215/llliphotos/IMG_6061.jpg

[kaitlyns.mom]

If it isn't a habitability issue, in my state it is tough to break the lease over, or obligate the landlord to repair it.

We have been here five years and four of those years have been on a month-to-month basis, so we can leave pretty much whenever. But we save money by staying so I would rather not leave unless it's for my kids' sake.


I would get the mold tested, it's easy to do and pretty inexpensive. I would want to make sure it's not toxic. I worked in an office that had some weird yellow stuff growing on exposed brick in my office and I had it tested myself to make sure it was ok because I was always sick in that building. The lab gave me a sticky sheet, I put it on the stuff and brought it back. It ended uo being fine but at least I knew for sure.

Do you know where you can get a kit? My friend hired someone to come in and test but it was $350, more than we would like to spend especially if we end up moving at the end of it.


It's not what everyone's bathroom looks like. No, I don't think you are over reacting. I lived in an apartment that did everything on the cheap, but I never had a problem that bad. *Although I will say, it is hard from the picture to grasp the scale of the affected area. Is it an inch in all directions? 6 inches? But I wanted to recommend this product called Mold Armour. It comes in a green spray bottle. I got it at Home Depot and it is AWESOME at killing any mold I've had. Given the scale (assuming it's a big area) I think you'll need to spray it down more than once, but I bet it would work.

Also, anoter tip, DO NOT store things on the ledges of your tub/ shower or on windowsills in the bathroom. It is like a playpen for mold because no air can circulate behind the bottles of shampoo, body wash, etc. We got an cheap caddy from Target and put all our bottles in there and store it on the back of the toilet. It fits perfectly and it keeps mold from growing behind bottles. Right now, they have TONS of different kinds because it is back to school time and a lot of college kids use them to carry their shower stuff back and forth to the bathroom in their dorms. Here are links to the two items I'm recommending:

http://www.homedepot.com/Mold-Armor/h_d1/N-3mmZ5yc1v/R-100628954/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

http://www.amazon.com/Romanoff-Products-Super-Utility-Caddy/dp/B003MQ7OK8
I've seen these in lots of different colors and price points at Target and Walmart because of their back to school sales.

Thanks for the tips! I am a little hesitant to try the Mold Armor just because it's our only bath/shower and my daughter bathes in there, and I would be worried about the fumes... So we may start with tea tree oil and move on from there.

[zen_bliss]

contact your city's tenant rights department, if there is one, or just look through the listings to find out if there's something like an "air quality management" department. they will come and check it out for you, and in the event that it's the "bad" mold, you have a report on hand. you might have to make a few calls but eventually you should get to someone who can help you.

http://www.cal-iaq.org/separator/mold-and-dampness/mold-questions

this is from the california website:

"Are there mold tests consumers can do on their own?

Not really. Surface and air sampling kits are available, however, neither CDPH, the EPA, nor the CDC recommend routine sampling for molds.2 Sampling cannot be used to check if a building complies with a mold standard because there are no EPA, other federal, or California limits for visible mold growth or mold spores in the air.

Furthermore, it is not necessary to know what type of mold is present to determine if a mold problem needs to be addressed. If you observe visible mold growth or smell characteristic mold odors, the underlying moisture problem must be identified and all moldy materials must be removed or cleaned. Private home and apartment owners generally will need to hire a contractor to test for mold contamination, because few insurance companies or public agencies provide this service. "

[KLD313]

To answer your question I just looked uo environmental testing in the yellow pages and they gave me a transparent piece if paper and told me to take a piece of tape, stick it to the mold or whatever it was and then stick that on the transparency sheet and bring it in.