# Mould in abandoned buildings



## kiwichant

Hello

I was just coming from a nice building that me and my friends want to take over. The problem with the warehouse/building is mould and water damage, which i have little experience with. I don't know if it's my imagination, but i have a headache after coming from there, and suspect it might have something to do with the mould. The wood tiled floors are bulging, and one wall (a drywall that divides this part from another (inhabited) part of the building) is quite infested with some dark mould. We live in iceland. Don't know if you can imagine how the "climate" is or whatever, but that probably has alot to do with which species of mould flourish here. The summers are around 12-20 degrees celcius (that's 53 - 68 fahrenheit), winters are usually around 2 to -10 celcius ( 35 to 14 fahrenheit ). 

I imagine that a sink was left on perhaps, or that the water pipes ruptured during the frost. the latter is, i think, common.

I have been checking out some boring DIY mould removal sites on the net, but they are usually subtle advertisements, and cater to people who have pretty high hygiene standards. I would REALLY like to hear from some squatters who have combatted mould in buildings.(especially people from britain, ireland, scotland, wales, and scandinavia, as these conditions are relatively alike) How you have done it, what protective clothing you used, what substances you used to disinfect, how big the mould spot was. and so on and so on. ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING really! Also health issues please.

I have heard of people using Tea tree oil for disinfecting mould, and also vinegar. any ideas about how valid these methods are?

Take care, viktor


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## finn

In New Orleans, bleach was used a lot, but I have heard that vinegar works, too. Bleach does create fumes, so leave for a bit after you use it. Tea tree oil might work, but that's so expensive that I wouldn't seriously consider it. But first thing is to filter your air, hopefully you have a good respirator with new filters (p95 or p100), but anything is better than nothing. Breathing in too many mold spores can lead to being hypersensitive to mold with unpleasant allergic reactions, but it shouldn't be able to actually kill you. Try to air out everything that has gotten wet or has wood, else there is a danger that the wood will dryrot. If the wood seems squishy, it needs to get replaced. I'd trash any moldy drywall if I could, drywall is pretty cheap and not structural, unlike wood. Take out anything you can that is molding. We also had on white suits made of tyvek that we pulled over our clothing and we'd wash ourselves, but that wasn't really for the mold and more for the asbestos.

If you have electricity, then it'd be a good idea to have some fan blow air in to dry out the place quicker.


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## Ravie

i would say bleack the hell out of it, but be careful not to disturb anything like dont pull up floor boards or put holes in the walls. black mold isnt dangerous until disturbed. other than that keep it well ventalated and dry. wear a mask when cleaning and if it keeps bothering you after you clean it, move out.


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## kiwichant

thanks alot for replying, it's useful to me. please keep the comments coming


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## kiwichant

I am still dying for some sexy mould stories. Please share them. We're still mulling it over if we should use this house. I knocked a hole into a mouldy drywall and it opened into another abandoned space. We have to wear masks there the whole time, because if we don't we feel like shit the next morning. Hurting in the lungs.

I'm really interested in this talk about New Orleans. I'm guessing that you're squatting houses that were damaged after the floods. Are there alot of houses deserted, and were alot of people squatting them?


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## Matt Derrick

yes, most definitely, and the mold was a big concern right in post katrina new orleans... my question for you is there a second floor to this building? i squatted a place with bad mold damage on the first floor but the second was fine so we just slept up there and it was cool.


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## JahDucky

the worst mold story i heard was that black mold in exess can make you halucinate really bad and this guy killed his step father with a machette and then drew some creepy picture of himself on the wall....but thats all ive heard.....

i wouldnt mind black mold so much if it made me halucinate and not just feel like im breathing in ickyness.


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## finn

Sure, say that about black mold, until you wake up in the morning with a dead body at your feet, a bloody machete in your hand and a creepy picture of yourself on the wall.


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## katiehabits

i'm from the west coast of BC in canada and it's really wet there too. most houses my friends rent are infested with black mold. scrub down the walls with bleach and try to keep the place really dry. i don't know what the space looks like but if it's possible have a barrel fire inside to dry everything out. that's a huge reason why there's soo much mold on the coast cuz no one can afford heat so their house's are just allways cold and damp.


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## thediamond

im from canada so the climate is similar. 

black mould, blue mould, any mould is bad, you can bleach it, scrub it and re paint it if you want to get rid of it. (this is coming from a builders point of view)

however, replacing the wood/dwall would be best. 


that shit isnt good for you but it wont kill you instantly. just slowly. 

i say do it, but look for a long term factory typlel place for a new home.


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## Py11

The house i'm currently living in went through hurricane katrina, and had water up to 8 feet within the building. obviously because of the climate in new orleans, it was completely fucking infested with mold. our technique was to knock down all the drywall that had mold on it and ALL of the drywall below the water line, while wearing respirators. then we moved all that shit out of the house. next we chipped away other obvious mold repositories on the floors, and on the wooden supports, and in brick parts of the house. then we bought like, outdoor mold killer for people to i duno get mold out of the side walkways or something, mixed that shit with bleach and doused the house in it. i guess it is kind of an extensive job, and it took us a while but we have been living in this house for a long time and its definitly worth it if yr doing that. black mold is fucking toxic. the army of the usa has apparently looked into ways to weaponize the mytotixins it contains. get rid of it if yr stayin in that house for a long time, or like matt said just sleep above it if ya can


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## Coughing Prophet

I've got some abandoned houses up here in AK, and you can imagine with all the melting and raining during the summer, mold is going to thrive. The carpets are growing mushrooms, the walls are caked in black mold to the point where you can hardly see any white. Oh right, it's reaching the ceiling too. Spent a few nights there already, but I'm ready to find something new.

It really isn't worth all of the work bleaching it out, because you still have to worry about the stuff on the inside of the walls, floors, and ceilings. The only way you can get rid of it 100% is wait until a contractor comes out to work on it, and then you have no home. 

Your best bet is probably to find something more suitable. It especially sucks up here when that decision has to be made, because that means time looking while the winter is looming. Not many abandoned buildings in Anchor Town either.


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## Mouse

I think mold is the only thing I'm allergic to (aside from short term seasonal problems)

it's evil


black mold is very bad for your health.

I honestly think it'd be better to start looking for a more suitable place. 

but then again, I get deathly sick from mold if there's a lot of it so I'm not one to talk to about this. ha.


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## RejectAllAmerican

from what I understand black mould goes dormant if hit with bleach and not untill moisture or water comes in contact with it again will it appear.


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## eske silver

Don't use bleach. Seriously.
I've lived in some crazy black mold infested houses.
I had to do extensive research and talk with verious construction experts.
Bleach causes More problems than it solves.
Not to mention, it's Fuuuuuucking expensive.
The ONLY thing that gets rid of mold efficiently and safely is hydrogen peroxide and KILLS paint.
Lather that shit up!


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## ByronMc

Karl is right on not using bleach!


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## ByronMc

http://www.certifiedmoldstrategies.com/nobleach.htm


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## ByronMc

http://www.ehow.com/how_4868667_clean-house-mold-peroxide.html


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## freeranger

if you cant rip out and replace then cleaning and drying are your safest bets. and frankly, if you're wearing masks already, i doubt its gonna get any better. sorry. just had bad mold problems in a house or two ive been in.

after cleaning, getting the place dry and keeping it dry are the keys.

also, it doesn't matter what kind of mold it is, if you're getting a reaction to it, its not good for you. not unless you like being sick with secondary bronchial and sinus infections all the time. took me a while to figure that one out. ima bit dense at times.


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## eske silver

I had to go to the hospital for black mold poisoning in early 2011.
It was hidden behind some dumbass attempt at 'getting rid of it' - tha squoogle retard who stayed in my spot before me, sprayed it with bleach and then painted over it with regular house paint.
It was Right Next to my Mattress in my bunk.

Shit is Not fun.

Baaasically -
It's like a REALLY FUCKING BAD allergic reaction.
Not only does it cause a multitude of damamage to various parts of your body, but it's painful beyond all hell and scary just the same.
Every lymph node in your body swells so quickly and they get so large and hard, it feels like they're going to explode - the pressure is almost too much for the tissue to handle. It's like bad stomach cramps EVERYWHERE.

Also, your throat starts to close up! Yay!
Partly because your body goes into minor shock and tries to limit the amount of toxin/air that gets into your body via your lungs,
but also because the lymph nodes swelling in your neck - of which every human has 300 ((google) that shit, it's insane) - causes Severe inflammation.

Just as freeranger said, Get it out and replace it. Carefully, though.
***With Respirators, definitely!
I'd recommend hydro.perox first so you don't rustle up too much crazy shit into the air - THEN get it as far from living beings as possible.
If the house is covered in it - cut your losses and find another building/house.

It's just SERIOUSLY Not worth it.


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## ByronMc

We only become wise from what we go thru,and correct what has gone on !


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