January 19, 2009

The Runaway Button

Today the sun was streaming through my craftroom window. It was so nice to see the sun again after days of grey fog that I just had to stop sewing and take some photos of the wonderful sight! Aaah... Life was good!



Tonight as I was tidying up some projects, a button escaped and rolled across the floor into the corner. I couldn't see it so I moved one of my large shelving units to reveal this...




No wonder I have been sick all winter! I am the only one in the family who spends time in here. Black mold is toxic and can cause flu-like symptoms including coughing, headaches, fatigue, and more. Life is not so good anymore and I feel like packing away all my fabric and clothing into large plastic bags. When I spoke to the landlord on the phone tonight he made it sound like it was all my fault. He mentioned that I should be opening the windows through the day... in the winter?! I want to move but it's not that easy and I am dreading the landlord poking at the mold and releasing more of it into the air... especially with my daughter in the house. I suppose I should wear a hazmat suit to sew tomorrow.



Okay... I'm ready!


Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

20 comments :

  1. Oh no Laurraine, I'm so sorry there is mold in your craft room !! Will you put something like a humidity absorber (my parents buy them, that's why I'm speaking about them) I hope you'll be able to deal with the landlord about it.
    I'll be thinking about you. No wonder why you were ill through winter ! :(
    Wishing you the best of luck & sending you tons of hugs xoxox take care.

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  2. Oh dear, thats not good! When we rented we had a hell of a job getting a faulty boiler sorted out! the gas fumes in the garage were horrendous.... take care and thank goodness for that button!

    Alex x

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  3. Oh no Laurraine! That is terrible! And the landlord is so wrong, that mold is there because there is something wrong in the structure of the house! They have probably done something wrong during the building process. You can't take away that by opening a window, that is just a ridiculous thing to say!

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  4. I've seen the picture at your flickr and I linked to your blog to know what was this black thing in your wall. Mold!! Fortunately your sense of humour is intact!

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  5. Laurrine, this is a really bad news. But at least you know it. Once we had an appartment with mold, we tried to get rid of it and used a special paint, which (theoreticaly) kills mold. It worked for a few month, but than it came back. And you are SO right, it is dangerous. Take care and good luck!

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  6. thats crazy, does your landlord think that everyone that does not have mold leavs their windows open all the time? I keep my windows closed in my studio, and I do not get black mold. There must be something behind that wall, a leak from the window not being properly installed or something. I believe you are within your rights to call upon a specialist-that knows how to properly handle this situation..especially with your daughter in the house.. Your studio is so clean & tidy - it appears to be kept absolutely immaculate - and you have the photo's to prove that! I doubt very much u could ever do anything to cause this problem.. I am hoping that this gets cleared up right away for you! Fingers crossed over here!

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  7. hello, I could not stop commenting here, one that is much admire their work from the flickr. Architect and I've been there, here in Brazil we have a product called lizoforme [the basis of formol] it removes the mold, I go with a protective mask because the smell is very strong. and a way to take the moisture that song, it even put down a box of chalk [chalk these schools is not the chalk wax .. is the chalk to write on the board] another option is to wash the walls with vinegar until the mold out. I hope I have helped a little. kisses of Brazil.

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  8. Oh no! How awful!!! I don't think this could possibly be your fault. There has to be a leak somewhere that is making this happen. I hope it's resolved one way or the other, and soon! I'm allergic to mold and it's miserable.

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  9. We've made a few discoveries like that ourselves in the last few weeks...It's one of those things that happens sometimes in the winter. Take care when you are cleaning...and don't use bleach (very hard on your lungs)...Check the Internet for tips...there is lots of good info on there.

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  10. Terrible, terrible news about the mold. I live in Florida and due to humidity it's a common problem down here. Black mold is much more serious thing you might think it is. If you run air conditioning it spreads very easily all over the house. You need to check the laws in your state. As far as I know no matter whose fault it is in Fl it's LANDLORD's responsibility to clean it out. In the community we live several homes were infected with mold as a result of one of the hurricane damage. We witnessed the way they treated homes with mold in them. Residents had to move out to the hotels, windows and doors were sealed with plastic while they treated them with some kind of chemical. Very costly!
    Down here there is a lot of companies that test the air for black mold presence at a cost that ranges from $300 to $700.
    I really hope it's not black mold and you will be able to solve this soon.

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  11. That sounds AWFUL! And in your craft room! Even worse! Is it an exterior wall? Are there windows near by? Plumbing? I wouldn't know the first thing to do - My heart goes out to you and your daughter.

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  12. Laurraine, you poor thing! I'm really sorry you had to discover this on what was otherwise a good day. Your landlord sounds absolutely dodgy and it's infuriating to think he would try to put the blame on you. I hope this gets sorted out for you very soon and that you are on the way to good health again. In the meantime, photos of you at the sewing machine in the suit please? ;-)

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  13. I'm really sorry to hear about the mold. I hope you get the Landlord sorted out without too much angst.

    The first photo you showed of your craft room is just beautiful. It must be such an inspiring room to work in (ignoring the mold issue, of course). I need to do some more work in my craft/sewing room to make it more homely.

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  14. Oh gosh darling, that's terrible. Hope you get it sorted soon. I'm pleased that the toxins have at least left your great sense of humour intact! :-)
    Vikki

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  15. Oh Laurraine, that´s so bad, bur it made me gigle seeing the last picture!
    All the best for you!
    Sabine

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  16. I am so mad at your landlord for trying to lay the blame on you! Jerk. Mold is a structural problem, not stemming from an obviously clean person's sewing items. I would suggest you tell him that you will open the windows in the winter just as soon as HE makes a habit of that (dipschtick), and insist on him getting it professionally treated or you will go to the authorities.

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  17. A mild solution of water and bleach sprayed directly on the mold will kill it. That's the best thing to use, and shouldn't be too harmful to you and your family.

    Good luck!

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  18. Just came across your site. Don't know if you have resolved the mold issue or not. Can't stress enough, do not use bleach, the mold reacts to bleach and can make you sicker with serious side effects that could be permanent. Melaleuca makes a wonderful product called Sol U Mel. It will kill the mold. Their web site is www.melaleuca.com. Also get an air purifier. Ecoquest has a wonderful air purifier. It has a setting that uses ozones that will also kill the mold. Their website is www.ecoquest.com. These are just some solutions, you actually have to fix the problem causing the mold, but these will help. I was in a moldy house, too, and sick all the time until I got my air purifier. Good Luck.

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  19. I have also read that you should not use bleach because it makes it worse. I have a friend whose baby was sick for a long time from black mold they didn't know about in a house they were renting. I think the article I read said to use Borax or vinegar. Be careful and get a professional to check it out. I'm sure they can do that for less than $300.

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  20. Thank you everyone for all your concern :o)
    The mold situation was rememdied quite quickly. The mold was only on the surface due to cold outer walls in the winter. I have since added a heater in that room and pulled the furniture away from the walls until the weather warms up.
    Hugs to you all, Laurraine

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