# Mold and spores



## Thunder Chicken (May 22, 2011)

A good scrub with a bleach-water solution will do the trick on concrete (and other places, for that matter). Get the water issue sorted out first. You might have to get the concrete sealed against water infiltration.

Everything else seems sensible. You'll never completely get rid of the spores (they are everywhere) but if you keep things dry things should be OK. Make sure not to store cardboard or other mold-food down there.


----------



## bbo (Feb 28, 2010)

if you suspect mold in the carpet and/or pad, best to just get rid of it right away. I'm not a fan of carpet below grade, if that's where it is.


----------



## user1007 (Sep 23, 2009)

You might want to pursue some allergy patch tests. Not saying your problem is not mold and I was once diagnosed with environmental pneumonia for lack of anything else that made sense. 

Skin rashes tend to suggest to me you are encountering something other than mold to make you itchy.


----------



## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

itchy?


----------



## bbo (Feb 28, 2010)

creeper said:


> itchy?


yes, think kids with lice .. .itchy yet? :laughing:


----------



## creeper (Mar 11, 2011)

quite


----------



## gobug (Jul 13, 2012)

Your plan is only preventive, not elimination. Those steps would be good after elimination.
Elimination is not easy.

If this were my place, I would obtain a fogging machine and fog a good disenfectant onto all surfaces. That could involve removal of interior wall coverings, like drywall, plaster lathe, plywood.....This would require a full face respirator and a plastic suit.

The disenfectant I would select would be EnviroCare. I think it is better than Chlorox for dealing with fungi or bacteria.

Chlorox, etal, on the surface of concrete will not do anything but kill the stuff on the surface. If the problem comes from the ground into the concrete, it would be even more difficult to solve.

Seek help. I don't know where you are, but I suspect there is some organization (like state level - not EPA) who can give you some specifics on what you are dealing with.

Good luck.
Gary


----------



## CaptRandy (Nov 9, 2011)

might want to check out http://www.goapesonline.com/productdetails.asp?ID=2&pID=11492


----------



## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

CaptRandy said:


> might want to check out http://www.goapesonline.com/productdetails.asp?ID=2&pID=11492


Looks like a great biocide. At $68.00 per gallon it ought to be. Doesn't say a thing about fungicidal properties. If you've got mold growing on a masonry surface, scrub it down with a mild bleach solution (no more than 10%). Masonry does not contain any significant organic material. Therefore it will not support mold growth. In fact the PH for concrete is way out of range to support fungi. Any mold living on a masonry surface is thriving on collected organics (dust) on the surface. A scrub down with a stiff brush, a cleaner and then a rinse will remove it.

Remove the mold colonies and you will significantly reduce the spore count. I said "reduce", not eliminate. It is impossible to completely eliminate mold spores. The last breath you took included at least several, no matter where you were (unless you were breathing medical grade bottled oxygen :wink.


----------

