NH Homesteader's journal

[sumi]

Oh crap. Mold is very bad for you and can be lethal in some cases. I had some in an previous house and a friend sent me some links to articles about it. Scary stuff! Best to take care of that asap. Or move! Gosh, it's no wonder you're fed up and wanting to leave, that would put me off a place by itself!

 

[baymule]

Be very careful with that stuff. Is it in a place where you can spray it with Clorox? Or some other mold killer?

 

[NH Homesteader]

No, it's everywhere, in the walls/under windows mostly. We're tearing this place down. We've been living in a single wide we bought to save money while we plan our next move. Well... our next move is sooner than planned. The problem is if it's going to be replaced it needs to be in the next month or two, or not until late spring . And I'm already having issues related to it. So living in this place all winter is not a good plan. Now you can all probably understand why I've been a bit of a mess lately!

So our options are put in a new single wide (cheap, fast), put in a double wide (we're running out of time for concrete to cure in this cold) or move elsewhere. At this point I'm ok with another single wide, we can always add on and they sell well around here if we decide to move.

I know DH knows we need to move but I'm not sure he exactly understands the health issues and he doesn't appear to be having them (or he is but doesn't attribute them to mold). So he's not an anxious as I am. @sumi if you have any of that information still I'd love to see it. Or it would make me a bigger wreck lol!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

What a tough situation to be in.... Hate that you're dealing with that. Would it be possible to move into the other house until Spring if necessary?

 

[NH Homesteader]

As far as I know it's currently rented out, so they wouldn't kick them out for us to be there temporarily. We also really can't have pigs there so DH refuses. And it's 35 minutes away so it's not like we can leave the pigs here!

Tuesday we are going to FIL's and we'll chat about his suggestions, he might even help us get a rush on a new place here. we'll see...

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Gotta say that getting a new place is pretty exciting! Double would be great, but if it's a single I'm sure that your DH, with all his skills, can turn it into whatever you want/need it to be! (and he gets to keep his pigs!)

 

[NH Homesteader]

I wouldn't mind a single, we have two girls so when the baby is old enough to leave our room they can share a room. So having two bedrooms is fine. And DH can build an addition that's off the kitchen and is an entryway /dining room/homeschool room. That was our plan when we were thinking of keeping this place. It would keep taxes lower too. But he doesn't want to buy a place and have to do an addition. Sigh. We'll see.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Hoping ya'll can reach a solution … soon!!

 

[CrealCritter]

I don't know if this will help or not. But vinyl windows have a weep holes to drain water to the outside. Although there are many styles of windows and weep hole locations in the windows, they all have weep holes or some method to drain water to the outside. I've seen many times where over zellious homeowners cualk over the weep holes not knowing any better and have caused water damage inside the home underneath or around the lower section of the windows. Other times weep holes become clogged with dirt and muck and just need to be cleaned out to function properly again. Whatever it is that has caused the weep holes to fail, left alone long enough, it will cause water damage. Which then produces mold as a natural part of decomposition process.

See here for good info on weep holes.

Sumi is correct, some molds can be toxic to humans but I don't know much about what kinds are or aren't. When I was working doing home repairs, I used to carry a spray bottle of liquid bleach. Anytime I found mold I sprayed it real well with bleach. Water damage inside walls is a heck of a lot of work to repair properly. Anytime I found water damage, all the wet materials was removed and disregarded. Then i replaced with new pressure treated plywood or lumber, new insulation, drywall, paint trim, etc... The thing is you need to get it all or it will return.

 

[sumi]

Not everyone is affected by mold, but it's dangerous and if your DH is denying the health risks, or not taking it seriously, you should let him read up about it. Here's some info:

"In some cases, mold in your home can make you sick, especially if you have allergies or asthma. Whether or not you're allergic to molds, mold exposure can irritate your eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs. Here's what you can do to combat mold problems, and take care of yourself and your home.Jan 14, 2017"

Moisture and Mold Problems: Preventing and Solving Them in Your ... (Link)
https://www.webmd.com/women/mold-mildew

Depression and even death... https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/dangers-of-mold/

And I don't want to freak you out, but you may want to show this to your DH:

Mold and Babies: How Mold Can Affect Your Babyhttps://americanmoldexperts.com/mold-and-babies/

What Is the Effect of House Mold in Infants? | Healthfullyhttps://healthfully.com › Nutrition

There's a ton more info out there, but here's a start. Just Google "mold dangers" and you'll get more articles, studies, etc.