Black Mold?

I think cutting it out is best.
Can you hire someone to do it?
WalkingbyFaith can help you with this - hopefully she sees this thread.

DanglaGT,

I'm not an expert on mold, mold remediation, or home renovation, but two things I wonder about the photo you shared are: (1) What caused the mold? and (2) What if there's mold behind the drywall?

I'd imagine it's better to have that happen in the garage, versus inside the house. In the garage, if remediating, you can have the door opened to help ventilate the space. If you have any box fans, it might be helpful to have them pointing away from the moldy area and blowing toward the open garage door to the outside.

* How long has the mold been visible?
* If you've been there for a while, has it progressed much over the past months or years?

Again, I would be thinking about what caused the mold in the first place. If there's a leak, then I'd want to plan to have that addressed. Then, my concern would be opening the wall and finding it filled with mold. I'd want to have a contingency plan for what to do. At a minimum, I'd want to replace the moldy drywall with a piece of new drywall to close off the opening and keep it secure.

Another option is to try to clean the surface, using proper procedures and materials. This would be a temporary fix to buy you some time until you were able to replace the drywall and see what's behind it, if anything.

In no particular order, here are some resources I found, via a Google search:

https://www.mold-free.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/mold-removal-self-help-guide-e-book.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/mold

https://www.moldmanusa.com/blog

https://www.home-repair-central.com/removing-moldy-drywall.html

From the scant bits I read, it seems there's no way to know what kind of mold you have, without testing it. Not every mold will necessarily cause problems, though that can also depend on the individual's health status.

To be safe, as you already alluded, if choosing to replace the drywall, I would use a proper respirator; disposable, non-permeable gloves; proper safety goggles (to protect your eyes from airborne mold spores); and a disposable "bunny suit" -- either with shoe covers built-in or seperate disposable shoe covers.

https://www.homedepot.com/b/safety-equipment-disposable-protective-clothing/n-5yc1vzcljk

Lastly, you'd want to have some sturdy trash bags and tape ready, so you could carefully remove the affected drywall pieces, carefully place them in the trash bags, then fold/cinch the bags and tape them shut. When done with everything, then remove the protective clothing (suit, gloves, etc.) and bag them and dispose of them, too.

This may be overkill, but it may be "Better safe than sorry." Of course, use your own judgement and discretion.

Best of luck.

Hmmm . . . I looked at the picture and what you had circled. Then I looked at the rest of the picture and found the really concerning areas. Take a look at the top of the picture where the wall meets the ceiling. Appears to be water damage stains. That wood piece propped up against the wall looks like it may have a water stain covering most of the right side. Pull that back and check the wall behind it. Oh, wait!! I just looked again. Is that wood paneling affixed to the wall? If so, don’t rip it off, as there could be mold behind it.

Where did the water come from? Is the hot water heater in the attic directly above that area? The AC drain line or drain pan? Is there second floor to the house above that wall with plumbing?

As to ripping out that wall — you’re risking your health big time. If your problems are from mold exposure rather than Lyme, you could put yourself out of commission. If you are adversely affected by mold and have a massive toxic exposure, it could take months to years to recover from that. I am extremely affected and would probably die if I had a massive exposure by ripping out a wall full of toxic mold. An N95 mask is NOT sufficient to do mold remediation of the caliber of ripping out walls if there’s mold inside.

Instead, I would do a serious visual inspection of the entire house - look for water stains, wetness, signs of any leaks past or present. Take pictures and notes. Get a more clear idea of what you’re actually living in before attempting to do anything or hiring anyone.

If you discover more than you initially thought, then you need to think things through and decide what route to take.

One of the best websites for information is May Dooley. If you’re in PA or the New England area, call her. Here’s her websites:

https://createyourhealthyhome.com/

http://moldcontrolonabudget.com/my-service-areas/

Post Edited (WalkingbyFaith) : 2/5/2023 6:02:33 AM (GMT-8)

WalkingbyFaith said...
Take a look at the top of the picture where the wall meets the ceiling. Appears to be water damage stains.

Great catch WalkingbyFaith! That's a big giveaway.