Symptoms of Household Mold Exposure

I constantly smell musty smell around different areas in my manufactured home. The more snow we get the worse it gets. I have headaches, sinus burn and constant nose bleads. Does it sound like I need to call someone for mold. We have also had 2 problems with flooding in both of our bathrooms. My husband says he cant smell anything, but I smell it all over the house.

Just want to let you know…My boyfreind has been living in this cottage for 11 years..I lived here for 2. He always complains that he’s tired. His eyes are always running. Nose too. I took up the carpet and lo and behold…MOLD. The bathroom must have been leaking around the tub inclosure for years. The wood floor under the old linolium was wet and moldy. As well as the wall in the bathroom.
Now I know why he’s “tired” all the time. needless to say. I have to rip out all the flooring and walls in the living room and the bathroom. and start over. But at least now I know. i CAN’T WAIT TO TELL HIM THAT IT’S NOT IN HIS HEAD!!!

I think there is mold in the house we are renting. The bathroom and the kitchen are both carpteted and I am having asthma attacks when I am at home. As soon as I leave my house I feel better. My fiance is constantly choked up and even sometimes wheezes too even though he doesn’t have asthma. I see a discoloration around the baseboards in the bathroom and the kitchen but I can’t tell from the pictures on the internet if it is mold. Any advice would be necessary. I am currently doing a mold test that I bought at Lowes.

Thanks so much Joslyn for replying to my comment. Upon further searching we did come across some obvious mold. Also the home test is showing red, whitish, and black spots of what looks like mold. Thanks so much for your advice and comments.

I have been having some episodes that I think are possibly related to mold and I was wondering your thoughts on this. When I drive my truck, it seems that when i get in the truck and start on my drive,that my breathing begins to feel constricted somewhat and i begin to have drainage in my throat and in my chest and my chest gets heavy, like someone is stepping in the middle of it.And also I experience these same symptoms when I am on my riding mower , mowing grass.And when I have these episodes my chest will feel weak for 2 or 3 days and I will have the drainage.But after the 2 or 3 day i feel fine .

my family and i moved into a mobile home last march.there seemed to be alot of water leaking under our trailer.my landlord finally fixed the leak bu the trailer is older and i’m sure that there is more water leaking from somewhere.in august my daughters started school.well to tell you the truth they have been out of school sick over 15 days so far and am afriad the school will punish me.My girls and i have athsma symtoms,flu symtoms,headachs everyday and now nausea.we dont have much money.I need help

Thank you for your response.We are in quite a bind being sick and all.I was fired from my job and have no family.not a clue as to what will happen next.PLEASE PRAY FOR US!!!
Thank you.

My daughter, son-in-law & grandchildren are living in an apartment complex & their neighbors apartment leaks, gets wet every time it rains & their apartment smells badly of mildew. Their child is constantly sick with runny nose & rashes. My children have been exposed to their child while playing outdoors & just recently have had to take my children to our physician for symptoms including runny noses that have been constant. I have noticed sudden headaches with myself & being tired. My fiancee has been having pain in his feet & muscle aches throughout his body. What can I do to find out if these are all symptoms of mold exposure? How do I investigate my neighbors without being mean? Should I contact the landlord to control this? Could you please give me positive & accurate inpute? Thank you so much.

I was living in a apartment with a terrible leak under the sink that had a bad odor and shower that had bad pipes and water damage and water that was disclolored per Water Company.
I didn’t know it at the time, and 2 weeks after I moved in I broke out in a terrible black rash allover my body.
I looked like I was in terrible ocean water and fungus.

after 10 surgeries on teeth, sinus, eyes and others I finally had to convience my doctors it was mold.

I was the doctor not them, it took them 3 years to believe me.
Don’t let this happen to you, feel free to e-mail me, I have alot of info on this comdition and taking care of my health and not letting anyone else tell me what I see and feel

My son has been very sick with runny nose, chest infections, headaches, puffy black eyes and many more side affects, and we have seen many doctors as to why he has these symptons. He had surgery in October to remove his tonsils and adenoids… Well he is no better and some days I think he is worse. Doctor says he does not have allergys. Now after adding up things and really sitting back and thinking back to when this all seemed to start it seems ever sense we started renting our apartment 3.5yrs ago. I really think our apartment has a mold problem.

Our apartment always seems moist and smelly not too musty but not clean smelling. I find I always have to have windows open or its hard to breath. I would like to talk to my landlords… Who’s responsibilty is it to have the apartment cleaned of mold? Mine or the landlord?

I have some of the symptons as well. Headaches, dizzyness, tight chest etc. But it really has been a struggle for my son having a constant runny nose for almost three years.

I think my best bet is to move…but what if my landlord does nothing and someone else moves in and is not aware of the mold…Please advise or and helpful suggestions would be great!

Hi and thanks for your site. I moved into a rental and within 24 hours felt ill. I had flu like symptoms and felt very weak. I got rashes and was coughing a lot.

I had asked the landlords when I moved in if there were any mold problems and they told “not that we are aware of” After the rains began I felt worse. The more time I spent in the apartment, the weaker I felt. I couldn’t see or smell any mold so I took them at their word. After living there a month and feeling ill, they finally told me that a bedroom wall had been black with mold when they did the remodel. They said they fixed the problem, but after they showed me the area, I can see where water could be getting into the wall.

I have removed myself from there a week ago and noticed a big improvement quickly. Does this sound like mold exposure symptoms and if so, how long does it usually take until a person is back to normal completely?

There was a water leak in an apartment two floors above ours which was not rectified until early last year. The apartment had this leak for a few years. We only had slight water damage to our carpet and skirting board. The skirting board was replaced after the leak was fixed and a few months ago we ripped out the carpet to find a patch of mould on the underside. The concrete under the carpet had water stains and although we painted the walls, you can still see a slight water mark on one wall.
My concerns stem from the fact that my partner developed a skin rash about a year ago. The Dr believes it to be a food allergy however partner is 37 and has never suffered from any allergy and he has been on numerous diets and cannot find the source of the rash. The rash was controllable until recently. He ends up with large, itchy red welts all over his body and occasionally certain parts of his face will swell. He has also been feeling quite listless of late.
We started dating approx 18 months ago & I began spending a lot of time in the apartment. All most immediately I developed arthritis in my ankles where there is no family history of arthritis. I was one of those people who was in the gym everyday and I am absolutely devastated. In the past year my eyesight has also deteriorated dramatically, I lose my concentration easily and my memory is not what it used to be. I’m only 26 !!
I’ve been doing a fair bit of research but my results are inconclusive. The associated symptoms on websites are mainly breathing related. Also my partner had an allergy test for mould which was negative. Can the test still show up negative if he has been affected by mould?
I don’t know if our aliments are related to mould & my partner thinks I’m crazy but I am at desperation point right now!!
Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

I had lasar eye surgery on March 23, of this year. A week later I came down with a sore throat, ear aches, and my eye was red and swollen. Then it went to my other eye. I started using the meds from my surgery on both eyes, the other eye was not as bad, but the eye first affected was totally red, and irritated. This all started after I had visited a friend who was moving and she gave me some rugs, which I took home and washed, some I left on my front outside porch and they are still there. Her basement smelled bad from mold, she didn’t seem to be aware that that is a problem. Could all of these problems I’ve had with my eyes be from the mold? The doctor thought it was a viral infection. I was only around it for about an hour. My eye is somewhat better, but my sight is stilled blurred in one eye. The doctor seems a little puzzled also.

We moved into our home in March and have an infant son. I am experiencing aches in my joints, headaches, shortness of breath, tiredness, runny nose, and a sinus infection so severe I had to get antibiotics. Our son has had 3 episodes of runny nose and sneezing. The landlords know of the mold and have been promising to fix it since we discovered it two weeks after moving in. Will these symptoms be permanent or will they go away once we move? I am most concerned of my shortness of breath.

Deborah:
That sounds exactly like what I went through. The mold situation in our crawl space was extremely bad and mold remediation happened in April. Since then, our house smells much better, no more musty/moldy smell. I have not been sick since March, what a relief that is. I can’t tell you just how toxic mold can be. The experts stated to us several times that we should not have been living there at all and was surprised that we were not sicker!! Allergy medication did not help because you are always exposed to the allergen. Inhalation of the mold is what is causing the lung/throat irritation. I would suggest getting an expert in there for just a estimation and find the source of the mold. Better start the process now because it can get worse. Good Luck!

I am 39 and have always had allergies and asthma. Two years ago my apartment in the basement flooded. The landlord replaced the kitchen and bathroom floors but not the laminate flooring in the living room or bedrooms. When they pulled up the old floors in the kitchen and bathroom the smell of mildew would knock you over! They painted those floors with “Killz” and told me the laminitate floors in the other rooms would just dry up. I got an angry, SERIOUSLY ITCHY red rash on my chest, which started in one spot then spread around to cover my whole chest. Doc prescribed me some steroid cream and it helped a bit but did not get rid of it and I could only use it for a few weeks. He sent me to be allergy tested, and of course it turned out I am allergic to pretty much everything; dust, mould, animals, pork, ham, bacon, chocolate, wheat, soy, lobster, tuna, alfalfa sprouts, countless other foods, silk, etc. Many of them, I was already aware of. I tried cutting stuff out of my diet, saw my doctor a bunch more times, but my rash stuck around. Within 6 months of getting the rash on my chest, the rest of my body started to itch too. If I got what seemed like a normal itch, I would scratch it and little welts would appear everytime I scratched my skin. Scratching only made it worse, like mosquito bites, no relief from scratching. I tried Benadryl cream and pills, Aveeno cream, baking soda baths, etc. but those things would only calm the itching down enough to sleep, and actually, IBU worked better than anything. After spending a few weekends at my parents I started to notice my skin felt better by the time I came back home- that’s how I came to realize it was environmental not food-related and made the connection to mould. I told my landlord I wanted to move to an apartment on the top floor and demanded he provide the movers- which he did :) I have been up here for 6 weeks and my rash is finally gone, though my chest is still slightly itchy. Also the skin on the rest of my body has calmed down too, and I can usually scratch and get relief from scratching instead of getting welts and hives. I can hardly wait to be able to get a back scratch again!!! For the last week I have not needed cream or IBU to sleep though when I wake up in the morning, nice nad toasty warm, my chest itches but it’s so much better now. It seems to be taking a long time to get better from this and I’m wondering how long it will take to finally be free of it completely?? Also, could there be permanant effects?

i wanted to find out what to do 1st. my story goes like this: i bought my 1st home in 2007 and since then have been suffering from “allergies”. i came from an old house in queens ny and moved to suburban area in long island where there’s alot of trees and grass,so natrualy i’ve been saying that all my symptoms have been from seasonal allergies. i developed a weird rash all over my body when i was pregnant with my daughter and after being on steroids and all sorts of cortisone creams, my dermitologist decided to biobsy many different parts of my body and each time came back with a result of a serious allergic reaction to something, but what they couldnt say and was then sent to an allergist. he told me that i was definitly allergic to something and that many tests needed to be done to find out the cause. i know from years ago that i was allergic to mold, mildew, dust and dust mites but never imagined going through this. Since reading this blog, i noticed that not only did it make me aware of the common symptoms that i have with the symptoms of mold exposure but now has me determined to end this crazy investigation. my only concern is that i dont know what step to take next,or how much it would cost to get my house tested and remove it. can anyone give me an idea of what to do or how to go about it?

We have a leak in our basement and over the past year there has been a slight musty smell in our basement. Today i discovered a couple of patches of mold (about the size of a hand) and black growth in the corner of our windows. I cleaned the windows after spraying with a mildicide but want to tackle the basement. My question is, if something from the basement (like momentos, childhood toys etc.) has no visible mold on it should i be worried about bringing it upstairs to store?I;m scared that if i bring these items upstairs i will be spreading the mold. we will be doing a complete cleanup of the basement, removing all walls to check for any other mold, but i don’t want to throw everything out, especially since the items don’t smell, have never been wet and have no visible mold.

Robin, your blog said to email you as you have a log of info. We have a new home construction gone bad. Inspection showed 3 types of mold, one being black mold. Our daughter is having headaches, red, watery eyes, sinus issues, rashes, and much more. All of our pets are sick and two of our cats are bleeding from nostril. Would appreciate you contacting me via e mail.

Katherine:
Even though I did not have the same exact symptoms as you, individual bodies differ in how they react to mold exposure, I do believe you are suffering from mold allergies. My husband never displayed the same sinus/allergy conditions that I had. Safe to say that even though you leave your house, the allergens are still in you system. In fact, when I would go away from my house for a week or so my symptoms got “worse” but I think it was my body’s way of trying really hard to get rid of all the nasty buildup. Once we had the mold eliminated and everything in our house cleaned, I recovered pretty fast. Its been almost a year and I went from monthly sinus infections and daily sore throats to barely getting a cold this whole winter. Trust your immune system, it will recover once you remove yourself from the constant exposure.

There doesn’t seem to be much information about mold and automobiles, and I have the feeling that it might be a bigger problem than is realized. I am going through a difficult time with allergic reactions to what I believe is mold in my car. I think this comes from the fact that I have to park in on the street, which is tree friendly, windy, and near the coast. I often find pollen or sap or dust on my car and I believe it is getting into the outside air vents which are directly under the windshield. I have spoken to a number of mold remediation and none have experience or want to work on car. I’m guessing that the source is limited to the cooling system, and because it is a relatively confined space it might be easier to remove. Does anyone have experience or suggestions on fixing a car with mold. I can’t afford to get a new one and the car is quite a beautiful one in exception mechanical condition. I would hate to lose it but it is getting me sick. Any ideas?

I just moved into a new house and have been having horrible chest congestion and wheezing every night. And I feel fine when I leave the house…We DID find some mold in the basement in the shower. But is that enough to cause me to be that sick every night? How do we find out if the mold has crept elsewhere into the house? How do I know that it isn’t comething else making me sick?

My daughter has cerebral palsy and we were living in a moldy apartment for 3 years. After many attempts to have them clean it up, I got no where and could not afford a lawyer. My ex-boyfriend was hospitalized last summer for severe chronic sinusitis and my daughter, a few months later went into a coma state for close to five days and hospitalized for severe chronic sinusitis and possible post infectious encephalitis due to the sinusitis. She also had seizures more often than ever while living there. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue syndrome and Fibromyalgia, I had chronic rashes, hair loss, migraines and skin irritations for no reason, frequent bloody noses and was also diagnosed with chronic sinusitis. My dog was even having massive skin irritations that the vet could not figure out. We finally moved out about four months ago and noticed a tremendous change but not completely, how long does it take for mold toxins to be out of our systems. My daughter still get sinus infections, however they think it never went away completely, and my dog has cleared up about 80%. My migraines, skin irritation and hair loss have stopped but I still notice my daughter and I having fatigue. Is there natural remedies that can help clean our system completely?

Our house was just flooded this past weekend and I am already starting to have some problems.Breathing has become very difficult and I am very congestied.The headaches have gotten worst and i am tried all the time.My vison is a little messed up and seem a little lost at times. Could these be due to mold expousre?

I am living in a small, one story home. I discovered a leak in our sink and serious mold growth, i mean it looked like moss, behind the waste can next to the sink. I had no clue it was there, until I researched mold and realized that the recent sinus infection I’d endured was from mold. Upon further inspection, mold had grown under the carpet a couple of feet away from the sink, up the drywall, into two layers of wood flooring and slightly into the floor studs. I had no idea. Am I at risk living here for a week or two while it gets fixed?

We just recently had mold removed from our home, but he musty mildewy odor remains. Do you have any tips on how to rid our home of this smell?

We stay in a appartment that has mold all in the house. we have been very sick. headaches/sore throat. wht can we do about this plz. help me

Good morning,

I installed an air conditioner in my room this summmer and I noticed that the upper part of the window is not complety sealed off. There is a nice size gap. We also noticed so mold on that side of the house by the eves when installing. My health has been fine. But aboout three days ago there was a change in the weather and that night it was cold and wet. I woke up that night and I had a headache, shortness of breath, and a chronic cough! I went to the ER and they said I have chronic bronchitis. I have also noticed that my daughter has some cold symtoms as well. My question is mold more active when it is cold and wet? Thanks

Katharine, there is a way to detox your body to eliminate the toxins caused by mold. There is a web site called http://www.chronicneurotoxins.com. There is a VCS (Visual Contrast Sensitivity) test that you can take for $15 to see if you have toxins. Dr. Shoemaker in Pocomoke City, Md specializes in neurotoxins. If you want to know more contact me at
[email protected]. I have personally had to detox my body.

I believe that my house may have mold growing in it. My 7 yr old son has asthma and many allergies but since we moved in this house last year he has been consistently sick. His throat always hurts, just about everyday, he has had numerous sinus and throat infections in fact he has one right now and is also on 4 allergy medicines but he is not getting better. Since we have moved into this house this is about his 9th time on antibiotics but he never gets completely well. Do you think that I am right? I forgot to mention that he recently had a nosebleed, always complains about a headache, his ears seem to be clogged because he always has the tv blasting, and he occasionally breaks out in red welts.

I forgot to say that I also lost 15 pounds when all this started. I now look and feel like a sack of bones.

My wife and I moved into an apartment complex towards the end of May. We needed to change the air filter in the furnace room. When we opened the door we found the whole room was covered in mold. We have both been suffering from headaches and flu like symptoms since we moved in. We had a sample tested and we were told it was stachybotrys. After months of arguing with our landlord we gave the management a 30 day notice to have something done. They refused to have it professionally cleaned, and their maintenance team did a very poor job. In the last month since they came in and ripped out dry wall my wife’s health is getting worse. She now has a rash that is spreading and has been diagnosed with asthma. Last night we found more mold, black in color, growing on our bedroom window. We have no idea where to turn to get this resolved and get back to being healthy. If you have any ideas or information we would be very appreciative.

Thank you,
Ian

We have mold in every room of the house! Even that cement walls in the basement have it on them. We have been renting this house for 11 yrs. It was like that when we moved in. I have cleaned the walls used bleach and it still comes back. My son now has asthma and allergies. My daughter and husband have both developed allegies. I have sinus issues ALL the time and have had a headache for a month and a half. Dr.s have ran all kinds of tests and they find nothing. Can they test us for mold poisoning?

Hello,

I am renting a home, just moved in last month. The house has this strong smell that I can’t get rid of. The previous renter’s had a mold issue in the bathroom, the landlord’s gutted the entire bathroom and they did a ton of work on the rest of the house. They put in a new furnace, new carpet. The house looks great. But I can’t get rid of this smell, its all over the house. I have tried everything! I have cleaned, scrubbed walls, aired out the house and NOTHING is helping. Also since I have moved into the house I have been sick. I have had severe headaches, nausea, Im tired all the time. I have sinus issues. Could this be related to mold?
The smell is extremely strong in the back bedroom closet where my hot water heater is at. I signed a year lease, but I can’t stand the smell and being sick all the time. Should I get a mold testing kit and get tested for mold allergies? If there is mold present and Im allergic, I should be able to get out of my lease for health reasons, Im hoping? Any advice would be appreciated. The smell is in everything, my bed, my cloths, everything. I can’t stand it! :( I don’t even want to go home or be there. Help please and thank you.

I HAVE HAD UPPER RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS,FF OVER 3YRS,WAS MOVED FROM 1 APT TO ANOTHER.I FEEL THE MOLD IS ALSO IN THIS APT.SHOULD I GET THE MOLD TESTED BY AN OUTSIDER OR ASK THE MANAGEMENT OF THE APTS TO CHECK THE MOLD.I AM VERY WEAK FROM COUGHING AND SHORT OF BREATH.

We just moved into an apartment and within the first 6 weeks we had 7 minor floods (only affected one room). I am 6 months pregnant so I was very concerned about mold growing because of these mini floods. I told my landlord who instructed the maintainence man to look for mold. His test consisted of shining a flashlight in about 3-4 places, which left me uneasy. When I asked about the possibility of mold without visual signs he just got defensive and upset that I would even question him. So my question is are there always visual signs or should I have an actual professional come out and check?

I broke out all over my body into what looked like eczema a few weeks ago. at first I thought it was the body wash, lotion, and spry I was using from Victoria’s secret I started buying Aveeno products and cortaid creme to treat it because I don’t have health insurance. I sleep on an air mattress and this morning I decided to wash my bedding and I took my matress pad off and found mold on the top o the mattress and underneath the mattress pad. I was so grossed out I could vomit. All that time it was mold making me break out into that rash all over my body. I sprayed bleach water on it and let it dry out. Hopefully that will get rid of it. usually I see mold in my windo seal but seeing it where I spend nearly 8hrs straight is very scary.

I amm 45 yo and have lived in this house for 2 years. We had two water breaks and used our preferred providers per State Farm Insurance. Well I have been sick for a year with IBS, kidney stones, severe fatigue. The Dr.’s could not figure out what was wrong. I see a Holistic Dr. who does the Electric Dermal testing and tells me I have a leak in my home.. showing I have Aspergillis ab’s in my blood. I didn’t believe him. He sent me to enviromental Dr. Found I have Asthma, ab’s to aspergillis, Penicillum, Fursourium and others. I am still struggle with Asthma even though I have been out of the for two months. My insurance company doesn’t know if they will cover it! We talked to a Lawyer and he wants 4500 up front. My daughter is 10 and it is really been hard on us. My sons are at college so they will be home soon. On top of it my husband job is shaky… Can anyone help?

To miana. Trust me when i say not to trust your landlord in dealing with such issues. I have had major mold issue in my house for the last year, and am havin all of the major issues previously mentioned, I told my landlord of this and after waiting for over a month for even a response from them they responded by sending a painter to come “check it out” for me. After removing several moldy carpets there is no visible mold anywhere but the presence of mold is so tangible i dont go a second of the day without it assulting me in all ways possible. It can be in in the concrete.. walls. carpets your clothes, basicaly anything in your house and u wouldnt see it. U need to get a proper inspection done by a professional mold removal company prefferably one who does not harmful chemicals. I do believe the landlord is liable to do such things, i live in Australia the quote i got was $1300 I am still waiting for the owners to tell me if they are actualy going to get it done, I doubt they will so im making plans to move out and then send letters to the units next door of the situation as im sure it is effecting their homes too.

ive just moved into an apt with my daughter and my 1yr old grandbabies i worry about them isnt there something we can do if the apt owners dont do something about the mold other than painting over it? someone please tell me if you know

Hi, my family and I have been living in a home that was built in 1967. We have seen signs of different types of mold, and have cleaned the best we can. We are now on vacation and have been away from the house for almost a week. The weird thing is, my children (4 year old and 11 month old) have been having breathing issues and nasal leakage. It almost looks like how smokers get when they quit smoking. Does anyone know if this is a sign that my house is in worse condition than we thought?

I’m from Sydney Australia, we live in a small cabin made from wood and the roof is tin, we bought the place without seeing it because we needed a place fast and Sydney is very hard to find affordable houses.
I’m 19 and I live with my mother and we have been in the house a year, a few months after moving in I kept getting very sick with flu’s and infection. I even got fungal infections on my skin which I’ve never had.
Over summer there was no mold but It’s just coming into Winter now and there is bad ventilation. There is condensation all over the windows, black mold grows all over the wall and it just appears over night.
It’s so bad, it’s in every room, on every wall.. I’m constantly cleaning it with bleach based cleaner but it just comes back a few days later.
The house is infested. It’s ruining furniture and other items, usually it’s black mold that starts off in small spots then patches, there is green/blue mold and white mold.
I have been feeling tired and depressed and I’m wondering what other health problems are going to occur.
I believe our house is beyond repair and needs to be demolished I just can’t wait to get out.

I just want to ask, what are the long term effects of mold exposure? does anyone know? Am I at risk?
Thanks.

No you aren’t at risk. I had a mold break out. No one else in my home got it but me. It was growing out of my wall. it was in my mattress. If they aren’t breaking out they aren’t affected too much.

my grandson is in a state program with his mom and he was dignosed with croup after he coulnt brathe 2 weeks ago he is still coughing till he vomits and flu like symptoms he still cant catch his brath so good there is black mold inthe bsthroom of their room how can i have him tested

We have mold in our attic. it is severe but contained in the attic not in the walls or ceiling of the house(florr of aTTIC) HOW CAN YOU REMOVE MOLD FROM THE WOOD IN THE ATTIC OR DOES IT HAVE TO BE REPLACED?

I live in an apartment and back in May 2011 we had extensive water damage to our bedroom window. In September the window still hadn’t been repaired and we had more water damage which resulted in black mold.It is now Dec 2011 and mold has been causing serious health issues with my family. The mold is blackish green in color and they finally repaired the window today. I need to know my legal rights in this situation please.

Johnathan, no there was no mattress with it. I just used the one he already has, and it’s plastic.

I’m almost certain I have a mold problem in my apartment. I have been sick for five months with the above symptoms. I’m miserable, it makes life and work suck. When I went home to my parents’ house over Christmas (I’m a college student), I got better! Now, I’m back at the apartment and I’m sick again.

The problem is that I’m stuck in a lease for the rest of the year. The landlord won’t do anything (I’m in MI) and I literally can’t afford to break the lease on my measly income ($900 security deposit). What can I even do? I’ve tried Zyrtec and over-the-counter allergy meds and they don’t work, doctors don’t know what to do.

Thanks for your time and help and this article!

I know I don’t have mold in my house, but i drank out of a park water fountain (i think had mold in it) and I am now suffering with thraot irritation and runny nose. It feels really rusty and I keep looseing my voice every time I start talking again. It feels like crap! Do you think I’m sick from mold?

Hi, we recently moved into a trailer about 3 months ago I did not visually see any mold until yesterday on all of my window seals I cleaned it, disinfected it I’m not sure how long it has been there or if there is any more under thee trailer or in any wood here. I have recently been getting headaches, getting dizzy & feeling nauseated at random times usually at night could this be from mold? Someone please let me know.

My family and I just moved into our house jan 2012. Everyday since a week after we moved in, we have been very tired, our thoarts hurt nonstop. We are always haveing stuffy noses, which then leads to bleeding noses. My mother comes over and she has COPD and has alot of issues breathing as well as my uncle. I goggled this all our we thought sickness issues and mold came up every where. How do u look for mold. The house we lived in had a fire years ago was cleaned all out.

I have been at my apartment now for about 5 months with my boyfriend. We do not spend much time in the living room because the television is broken, however recently I started using it again because my desk is in there. The day before yesterday I was in for 6 hours and I got a TERRIBLE headache and my throat was horribly sore. Yesterday I was in for about 3 hours and the sore throat/headache came back (it faded a little overnight and when I went to work). We got a cat in January and she has had a lung infection (poor baby!) the entire time… It is now late March. I know there is an issue in the bathroom across the apartment which my landlord ‘fixed’ with bleach (the building was a factory then an office building way back before it was apartments so there are no vents in the bathroom, I assume the building is exempt from the ventillation laws because of this – There is also no vent above the stove) but we have to keep the door closed or else the cat gets in and climbs into the wall. I also have Horrible skin rash on my hands since mid-January, but I am not sure if it is from sensitive skin (which I have always had) or an outside source. Reading several mold sites it sounds like it could be, but how can I be sure? And if it is, is it my responsibility to clean it up or the landlords? And if professional testing IS required, is it my landlords job to pay or my own?

I am allergic to most spores, and mold would probably be no exception. Allergic reactions have varying results. A clean home that is mold free will helps you stay healthy as much as possible. Thank you! All this information is really an eye-opener.

i have been living in a damp apt. with mold exposure… i am very athletic and in the wellness biz.. therapeutic yoga teacher… my bone density gets worse every year… no one can figure it out.. is it due to the mold ??

Leave as soon as you can , mold is deadly.

Every time my kids come back from their aunts house one of them end up with a fever within a couple of days. One always complains of leg pain with the fever, the other just the fever. They are perfectly healthy at home but every month or month and a half they go stay with their aunt and they come home and get sick right away so it got me thinking…could it be mold spores in their aunts home that build up in their system over the course of the weekend, then the get the symptoms when they get home? I’m at wits end, but the only thing that makes sense and seems to ironic for it to always be when they come home from her house. This is a year round occurance, but a memory recollected as this happened the last time they stayed for a weekend.

I’ve been renting mu house for 2 years now 2 months ago my air condictioner was having some problems I’ve been asking my land lord to send someone over to fix it he has not!! My husband tried to fix it him self the landlord told him to … my husband is no handly man at all!! So its broke well the aircondictioner is just pouring out water I’ve had to rip out carpet and my vent in the living room is full of water the dry wall is all wet and molding now … also my kids already have bas allergies and I think the mold is making all of us sick … my daughter is 9 months and has a runny nose fever and is just always always sleepy and crankcy could rhis be the cause of the mold growing ?? If so I’m definitely going to taking my landlord to court!!!

Hello. We moved into our new apartment 4 months ago and since the first week My son started getting cold like symptoms (sneezing, coughing, runny nose ect.) Due to it being cold/flue season – we figured it was none other than just that. Fast forward 1 month – son is still coughing – never went away and still stuffy, now he has intermittent fevers, daily headaches, constant red glossy eyes and keeps complaining of tummy pain. Now into snow weather and 1st grade – we thought it was the flu, until i started to get sick. Constant headaches, eye pain, mood swings, and this cough. fast forward 3 more months. Nothing has changed in either my son or I. This cough is the worst, he has missed so much school, we have a constant burning in the nose – so much so it hurts to breath, but then when we breathe through the mouth – dry itchy cough and we cant breathe. Son is always complaining of intermittent belly pain. Wakes up with sores in the mouth and sore throat. I have constant achy pain in my hips, back neck. Chronic swollen glands.. and now that i am home more (recently lost my job) i find i just want to sleep..like i am so tired. Our building has constant water leaking in the basement – as soon as you walk in there is a constant must/mold smell. In our apartment i am finding that there is constant condensation building up in my sons room – no mold on the walls as i can see or smell in our unit, but clothes and blankets near the floor get stained yellow and are always wet. I am suspecting mold. Heres the thing though, my husband seems just fine – i mean the occasional cough or sniffle -but not chronic like my son and i. I dont have insurance and just dont know what to do. Everyday the cough (which is getting worse – for me every few seconds), the sinus pain, runny nose headaches. Should i be scared or mold, should we leave? call the health department? Any advice will do.

hello, i moved into a house in november and at the end of march i was released from my lease due to me finding black mold in the drop ceiling of the downstairs level. before reporting it to the landlord i did a do-it-yourself mold test and the results were white spores, green spores, and black spores. they popped up rather quickly and it was obvious there was mold as well in the ceiling. well now it’s july and i’m almost convinced i’ve lost 98% of my taste and smell and i can only trace the reason back to possibly being exposed to hazardous mold. is it possible for mold to have this effect on me in the amount of time i’ve given? i’d really like to know because if so i plan on suing the landlord for letting me move into the house in the first place and the medical issue it has caused me. it also gave my girlfriend huge rashes on her arms and the doctor told her it was most likely due to mold exposure. any help would be great thank you very much.

My daughter had her air conditioner serviced due to an oder she was smelling. The service person put some bleach in it (a window unit)to clean out any residue. Since then she has gotten a severe hive/itchy rash on her torso and crusty spots on skin under eyes. No problem with breathing but she does have very sensitive shin and allergies. Doctor is puzzled. Any connection?

I get courage when I see that other people like me are dealing with similar health problems. I am not so alone.

One year ago I moved in a house at Ghent, Belgium. I already had allergic rhinitis and allergies to dust mites and to pollen.

The problem is that in June 2014 I was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis which was caused by allergic rhinitis (which means it was caused by constant exposure to allergens 24/7). Why now? why not in the previous environment? At September 2014 (5 months earlier) I found out that all my bedroom walls had spots with mold. I don’t know why I didn’t see that before.

I take medication from June 2014 til now, February 2015 (9 months) and I must say that I am much better now.

However, every time that I am absent from the house for weeks, or days or even hours I feel much better. I don’t feel pressure on my sinuses, I don’t have headaches, and I can breath normally. I feel almost 100% healed.
When I come back home problems begin: firstly a terrible smell goes inside my head, my sinuses bother me and I feel pressure in my forehead. As a result I take two antihistamine pills per day instead of one (that is my normal dosage). Until my body get’s used to the house smell it might take days or weeks. On the other hand my boyfriend and my mother cannot smell anything (obviously because they don’t have allergies).
But should I get used to the smell or this environment is potentially toxic and it might provoke worse health issues?
What does this smell means? Could it be from the moldy walls? I’ve read lots of articles that seriously suggest that chronic sinusitis could be developed in a house exposed to mold.
I want to leave the house invoking health issues but I don’t know if I can break the lease without any penalty .

We moved into a new custom built house, by an award winning builder ! The house looked perfect but behind the walls water was leaking the black mold was odorless and invisible. Anyhow, after about sixteen months there, , I started to have itchy dry red eyes, then my skin started to itch burning stinging sensation, by the third year I went downhill fast, dizziness, breathing issues, wheezing, dry heaves, weight loss, neurological problems heart palpitations, blurred vision, flu like feeling general weakness, serious brain fog at this point I was totally DISABLED AND SHOCKED BY IT! went from one doctor to another lost count after 30 finally saw one who looked at all my test and everything diagnosed me with mycotoxins mold poisoning, and I began treatment the good doctor was right we tore open a wall in the bathroom and there was black mold. He directed us to move out asap remediate but never ever return there we sold out house, And our furniture and all of our things had to treated we gave a lot of it away. I was super sick. almost hospitalized I was put on Cholstyramine and charcoal chorella and ton of other stuff to get the mold out. Apparently 25% of people are allergic and the body does not recognize it as toxin so it begin to recirculate in some causes people will have a heart attack, seizures, or go into a come. The last three years were a nightmare it took a very long time to get well. Black mold is very unsafe, dangerous I would never ever dream of having children, babies pet anyone I love or care about ever living around such toxic stuff. My doctor told us that even if your not allergic it is still effecting your immunity and causing reactions in the body, that may have devastating health effects in years to come. I also read in the book that Dr Shoemaker the world expert on mold wrote every single patient he interviewed was going to end their life it was not a question of If but when , The feeling of his patient I can identify with there is so much physical suffering and emotional spin you can take … I too had considered the same death with dignity this was so against my belief system but I had been so worn down by mold poisoning I would of died anyway if I had remained in that house , according to my MD. I thank God everyday I found a MD that could help me although it was a long road ahead He was there all the way with us helping us and advising just like a father would to his children .. we are forever thankful for such a compassionate, caring and knowledgeable doctor if it wasn’t for him I would not be writing this today.

Hello! My husband and I recently moved into a rental house. The house was built in 1920 and needs some work, but we were up for it. We have been living here for about three weeks now and my husband has been feeling very ill. It starts the moment he enters the house and usually goes away moments after leaving the house. He feels dizzy, lightheaded and has experienced vision problems. He started getting sick in the morning as well. I have noticed some gross smells here and there, but am not experiencing the same symptoms as he. We went to the doctor today and she took blood, but couldn’t really tell us anything. We are having the air tested and should hear back next week. Do you think this could be from mold? His symptoms seem a little different from the symptoms I read about. Thanks!

I lived in an apartment and never noticed anything wrong in the closet until one day in 2015,I opened the door and it smelled musty and warm. Thought I had dust on clothes that were hanging, tried wiping it away and nothing. looked down at an old computer box and saw that it was a bit wet, felt the floor and it was damp. Moved few things out and behold, both walls were black, about foot and a half up from the floor.Mold was going just about all the way across both walls. I found this out in 2015..though the yawning started in May of 2014.
I never had any problems with breathing or yawning, then all of a sudden I started yawning everyday almost all day long. I had moved out at the end of May 2016 and am still having problems. Though it has subsided a bit, more yawning when I try to sleep. I have seen a doctor about the problem but they have no idea what is causing the problem. Had lots of blood tests done and everything came back fine. Should I seek a specialist? What kind should I look into for this has been annoying and hampers my work. Ideas would be appreciated.

I have moved back into my basement bedroom after being away for school for two years. Before moving away, I had problems with eczema on my arms and legs. While at school, I never had this issue for the full two years. Once I moved back in, the skin irritation started immediately, I’m always tired, and I wake up stuffed up and with dry itchy eyes. There is very old carpet in the bedroom. There is also an attached bathroom with a shower and a sink. This was only put in 8-10 years ago and renovated 5 years ago. I decided to try sleeping on the couch upstairs, and within 3 nights of sleeping upstairs, all itchiness had completely stopped, and my skin was completely clear again. I’ve been thinking that this is a mold issue for quite sometime now but not sure where to start. I feel like we don’t really have the money for everything being suggested to be done in the thread.

if you have black mold exposure you should take your stuff to the garbage dump and sleep outside for the next few weeks.

I have never had allergies, but since I have lived in my apartment complex, which is only 5 years old, wake EVERY MORNING congested. Then my nose runs more than I thought humanly possible, And lots of sneezing!!!! When I leave, it clears right up. Even if I stay at a hotel in the area that’s over 100 years old, I don’t have the problem! We have a big turnover here, and every time someone moves, they repaint and clean the carpets. Please help me understand what may possibly be going on. No obvious signs of mold, and it is a furnished apt.

Hiya,

I moved into my student house three months ago. Before this I was running once, sometimes twice a day, and was super healthy. Since moving in, however, I have had bad colds all the time and had tonsillitis that wouldn’t go away for a month. My pillows are wet which sit against my wall and my bedsheets are damp. All of my clothes in my drawers are damp too and recently I have found blue/white mold on most of my shoes and a dress that was hung on a clothing rail up against this same wall. My housemates who all live upstairs have reported their wall being damp too, but no mold and only the occasional cold. I, however, have just come back from hospital. My chest aches, I was uncontrollably shaky, my glands have been swollen for a month and apparently my throat is red, I am constantly nauseous with a sore stomach, go to sleep shivering but wake up sweating, don’t sleep very well but have trouble waking up, my muscles ache all over my body, my feet have been hurting, my head kills, my temples have swollen glands sticking out of them, I had a yeast infection as well as a bladder infection last week ( blood in my urine ). I have been uncontrollably depressed and having panic attacks. Two years ago I had glandular fever so it is definitely not this.

The hospital said it’s tonsillitis again and I should get my tonsils removed. I am now on my second bout of antibiotics. My local gp seems to dismiss my symptoms and says there’s nothing she can do and it is probably the mold. My landlords say there is nothing they can do, and they will ‘get back to me’ and talk down to me like the mold is my fault, blaming it on the fact my heating isn’t on all the time ( we are students and can only afford it in the mornings and for six hours in the evening, which is definitely enough time to heat the whole house up. Could anybody give me any advise on how to force my landlords to act on this, and what my rights are? Thank you!