# Musty smell in cabinet, major health concern?



## boondocks95 (Apr 2, 2015)

I have a musty/moldy smell in one of my bottom kitchen cabinets. It sits adjacent to the bathtub.

A little back story, we had what appeared to be a mold/mildew issue in the bathroom (sits adjacent to the kitchen cabinet wall). We had white stuff above the shower. It would wipe off, but then come back.There is an access panel in this particular cabinet that you can see the backside of the sheetrock above the tub. There is what looks like white mold to me. It didn't appear to be a major issue and a bathroom remodel is out of the question right now, so we just primed the walls really well, and used a high quality mold resistant paint. Ever since, not issues with stuff appearing on the walls inside the bathroom. 

That being said, it smells musty under the cabinet where the access panel is. I am wondering if this indicates we may have a leak, or if the mold on the top of the sheetrock is what I'm smelling AND if this is a major health concern as I have a small child in the home. *We don't plan to stay here more than a few years.*

Here is a pic of the sheetrock inside the bathroom, sheetrock on the back side, and then the water heater closet with a space that goes directly down that wall. It smells a little musty in that closet, but not bad and no where near as bad as the cabinet. 

*The sheetrock behind the washer/dryer was replaced recently as it had some mold and probably a leak so the lines there in the closet shouldn't be an issue. If we have a leak, it would be on the tub side.*


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## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

If it was me I'd start simple by taking the access panel off, spraying a bleach/water solution all around then run a small fan in there for a couple days. That is after I looked for an active leak.


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## boondocks95 (Apr 2, 2015)

There is no way to get to the backside of the sheetrock to clean that mold off. Plus I don't think saturating it would be a good idea. If it weren't porous I could see that. 

Wouldn't a fan just blow mold dust everywhere and into the house? I'll have my husband check for a leak. The back of the panel is clean so no mold there. Maybe its just from up top.


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## boondocks95 (Apr 2, 2015)

I pulled everything out. I don't see any leaks but will have my husband verify. I did find some tiny fury brown/black specks on the backside of the cabinet and studs. It wasn't major looking. Further down the back of one cabinet looks kind of wet/damp. That's where the sink is so maybe it leaked at one point. Do either of these look like black mold and worrisome? I have no idea what we will do if we have to remediate.


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## ToolSeeker (Sep 19, 2012)

Is it just me or has this mold thing gotten completely out of control. I mean I know out of 1600 species of mold a VERY small percentage is toxic. I mean if it concerns you that much have it tested and move on. Again must be me but mold has been around forever and yes I know about tighter built houses.

I'm not saying it's nothing to be concerned about, but it seems it's hit the obsessive stage. I'm not singling out this poster I'm just saying in general


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## bmathews (Sep 22, 2015)

Even if that is black mold. It's way to small to need any professional remediation. Bleach, water and go back to your daily life.


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## boondocks95 (Apr 2, 2015)

I kind of agree with you all that the "mold" craze is just fear mongering from those who stand to make a profit. I thought about cleaning it off, but can I safely use bleach and water on unpainted sheetrock? Would that make the problem worse? 

Does the last pic look like mold or just rotted/damp spots? I can't get to it to even attempt to clean.


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## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

boondocks95 said:


> but can I safely use bleach and water on unpainted sheetrock? Would that make the problem worse?


My answer is yes you can spray the bleach solution. You don't need to overly saturate it and the bleach will kill anything living while the concoction drys. My fan suggestion was to circulate some air to help the drying process. 
There is no way spraying a bleach solution will make things worse. It may not be the ultimate solution but it will help. For things like that I tend to go way overkill and spray a 25-50% solution. As a prospective the CDC calls for a 10% solution for standard disinfecting.


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## 1acre (Oct 5, 2015)

With the way bleach works frequent "treatments" will be much more effective than "one and done." Also, don't pull out the year old gallon jug from the laundry. Sodium hypochlorite (the active ingredient in bleach) "burns off" over time and in the presence of UV rays. Spend $3-$4 on a new container (great value brand at walmart sells 8.25% active ingredient and sells for under $3 at my local wally world). Keep your bleach solution in a dark cabinet. I'd personally skip mixing bleach with water, but to each their own... 

Oxidization ("bleach" if you will) is a pretty effective way to sanitize things, but it takes some persistence.


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## boondocks95 (Apr 2, 2015)

Can I use a pre-mixed solution like a disinfectant spray? Or do I have to do a bleach/water mix?


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## boondocks95 (Apr 2, 2015)

I have some borax. Can I use this instead? I have no way of running a fan in there. Could I blow dry these small spots instead? I'm worried the water for cleaning will make it worse since its porous. 

We are looking into a dehumidifier in the spring.


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## 1acre (Oct 5, 2015)

borax is just sodium carbonate. It's nothing that will sanitize if you have mold/algae growth. What's wrong with the $3 gal of bleach and spraying it once a day with a dollar store spray bottle?


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## boondocks95 (Apr 2, 2015)

I just don't have any bleach and I've done some reading that indicated vinegar and borax would be better. Plus I already have those.

The internet is great but also awful because I don't know whether to be concerned or not. All the fear-mongering can get to you.


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## boondocks95 (Apr 2, 2015)

I think I have a much bigger problem than I thought. I believe it's being caused my a humidity issue. There are no leaks. This is the backside of my bathroom sheetrock. Would you call a remediation company? I guess I can find a way to pay for it. Maybe they offer payment plans. 

The last pic is right inside the cabinet where I removed the access panel. That could be what's causing the smell but that sheet rock looks troublesome to me. 

Any ideas how much it would cost to put all new sheetrock in a bathroom?


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## craig11152 (Jun 20, 2015)

as to bleach verses borax and or vinegar, bleach is what you want no question. A variation of "bleach" is essentially what makes drinking water safe for 90% the tap water in America. 

As to your pictures, its kind of hard for me to tell exactly what I'm looking at. As to your question of a remediation company, personally I wouldn't let one of those places set foot in my yard let alone my house. But admittedly I have a pickle up my arse about the mold industry. I think to say they tend to "over sell" would be polite.


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## boondocks95 (Apr 2, 2015)

Those pics are of the backside of the sheetrock in the bathroom. I believe it's our heat pump causing the problem. We had to have it adjusted after they installed because there was mold growing next to the registers. The unit is too big for our home but by law they have to install the most "efficient" unit and thus the problem. The humidity level is 68 in my house right now and we don't live in an area with high humidity. 

My husband could do the demo but I would be worried we would release spores into the home and since I'm not sure if they're toxic or not is my issue. He replaced the drywall behind our washer before no problem. Just a lot of dust and mess tho. 

If we don't determine a fix for the source of the issue its a moot point. I did check the attic to make sure the exhaust fan wasn't causing mold issues up there. It is messy but I couldn't see any mold. Of course I'm really short and it was dark outside so hard to say for sure.


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## boondocks95 (Apr 2, 2015)

I think the space is small enough that we could possibly do this ourselves. If I get one of those home tests, will this help me determine if its a dangerous type of mold so I will have a professional do the job, or do I need to have a pro test the air first?


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## 1acre (Oct 5, 2015)

craig11152 said:


> as to bleach verses borax and or vinegar, bleach is what you want no question. A variation of "bleach" is essentially what makes drinking water safe for 90% the tap water in America.


Correct, there are only a few ways to sanitize water - oxidation, ozone and UV. Most common is the use of chlorous acid, which is made from [insert a salt - usually Ca or Na]hypochlorite. The result is chlorine, in which drinking water can have levels up to 8 ppm. There may be a couple of new technologies, but almost all fall under those three. In terms of mold remediation, we're trying to achieve the same thing as in water sanitization. 

I have no clue what the pics the OP are posting are of, but one thing is certain, they must first solve the moisture problem, then they can attack the mold issue.


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## boondocks95 (Apr 2, 2015)

Ok. My husband wants to tackle this himself. Is this wreckless or dangerous given I have a small child in the home? He won't be in the home of course during remediation. 

I'm fairly confident our problem is humidity. It gets up to 74 and never lower than 55. I believe the new heat pump is creating this issue. We are first getting a dehumidifier this weekend. Then we will get aa bigger bathroom exhaust fan and route it out the sofet (currently venting in the attic but no mold get.) 

Then we will put up plastic sheeting over the bathroom door and hopefully the access spot in the water heater closet. My husband will tear out all the bathroom sheetrock and use a hepa filter in the shop vac. He will also wear a professional respirator (that he uses at work to do autobody work). We will back all the moldy materials and dispose of. We can't toss out the window since there isn't one in the bathroom. 

There is a black mold behind the kitchen cabinets. It's pretty small looking but all along the bottoms. I'm thinking I might try just cleaning them but maybe my husband can just cut the moldy parts out behind the cabinets. We have no way to block off the kitchen but we will technically be tearing out from the bathroom so this may be ok?

I just cannot afford to pay a pro to do this. Are we being foolish? 

We do have mold in our crawlspace but its too much to tackle at this time.


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