My wife just noticed this in one of the spare bedroom closets. We had boxes of new diapers and wipes in front of it. House is 5 years old.
Is this mold? Is this the bad mold? Is it possible to tell if its coming from inside the wall without cutting? If you look at baseboard it looks like it might be from something leaning against it, but not an expert
How to fix?
Thanks for the help!
Posted May 13, 2020, 3:02 AM UTC
Let’s start with some positives. The carpet looks spotless. That is a good sign. What we don’t know is where is the moisture coming from? What are on the other sides of those walls? Bathrooms or kitchen? If so is it possible you have a leaking pipe? If moisture was from diaper wipes or something else it might be minor. Start with a spot treatment of the wall. Also dry the wall completely with a warm lamp. Don’t sand or disturb the wall without wearing a good mask. Start conservative and after drying the wall if the mold stops growing and or does not return you can stop there. That being said mold usually grows for a reason. If you cannot find the reason and mitigate it things could get worse. If it reappears or worsen# more aggressive measures should be promptly explored. It may be easier to open the wall from the other side for example if there is a cabinet on the other side.
No there are no water sources at all that side of house. Behind the wall is another bedroom closet on one side and other is exterior wall. And its on the top floor of house. It looks maybe something spilled in the corner a while ago maybe, but we cant think of what.
I would go the conservative route then and simply do as suggested. Don’t cut the walls yet.
Cut from base floor up 2-3 feet both sides wall. Keep cut level and even. Check, spray with mold disinfectant, air out for week. Replace drywall patches. Mud, sand, prime and paint.
Yep that is black mold. It looks like it might be coming from behind the baseboards. You probably have to remove it all, see what it looks like behind the drywall and reevaluate. A dehumidifier in the closet would also be helpful.
Another possible explanation is high humidity and low airflow. Because of the boxes, there was no air movement which could have allowed condensation. Also, not all black mold is ‘black mold’.
I actually did crank up the whole house humidifier this winter as some rooms felt really dry.
We have high humidity in our house and have to ensure we have good airflow or else keep the furniture a little off the walls in the winter