Ask Habitat: Should I Notify the Board That I Found A Little Mold in My Apartment?
March 30, 2015 — A READER ASKS: I live in a small co-op building in Brooklyn. I've been here for about two years. After doing some spring cleaning, I noticed a weird smell in my bedroom. It smelled as if I had cleaned with dirty water or a dirty mop, a very strong, unpleasant smell. I checked my mop to see if maybe it was the cause, but it didn't smell bad. After shifting some furniture around, I saw, very near the radiator, a black spot the size of a dollar coin surrounded by a few smaller, dime-shaped black spots. My husband says that we should just clean it ourselves, rather than drag the property manager into this. I think we should notify the board, even if we do clean it ourselves. I know it's small, but what if the problem behind the wall is a lot bigger?
HABITAT ANSWERS: At the very least, in terms of its unpleasant appearance and odor, mold is a nuisance. At its worst, mold can cause serious health problems and irreparable damage to buildings and property.
If you don't feel comfortable handling the cleanup yourself, a conscientious manager or super can usually resolve minor mold problems by cleaning affected areas with bleach and discarding anything that can't be cleaned. (Scrubbing large areas of mold can release dangerous particles, so, for areas of mold larger than a few square feet, seek the assistance of a professional.)
Even if you decide to do the cleanup yourself, take a photo of the affected area, and do inform your building's board. Where there's mold there's a water problem, and the sooner the building can address it, the better for everyone — and the mold won't come back after a few weeks.
Mold may or may not be visible, so if the smell persists after you clean up the mold in your bedroom, you'll have to bring in the pros. They will do a visual inspection and conduct some scientific tests. Results will indicate potential health problems and the degree of safeguards and skill needed to correct the problem. The collection and analysis of samples can take a week or more, so it is important to proceed with the next two steps while awaiting test results.
Mold is almost always caused by excessive moisture, so it is critically important to find the source of the water infiltration, stop it from leaking into the affected area, and fix the leak so no more water can get in.
Once the leak is contained, any contaminated materials must be removed and all affected areas must be dried thoroughly as soon as possible. Porous materials such as wallboard, paper, and fabric should be discarded, but plastic, metal, and wood items can be thoroughly and professionally cleaned. For items that cannot be removed, such as structural beams, apply an anti-microbial coating to prevent mold spores from escaping.
Good luck!
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