Mold contamination in manufactured homes / mobile homes:

This article describes instances of problematic or harmful mold contamination found on walls, flooring and contents of a mobile home that was left un-attended for a protracted interval.

We give advice about what mold removal and cleaning are reasonable and what should be abandoned, and we give advice about how to salvage important but mold-contaminated books or documents.

 

Mold Contaminated Mobile Home

On 2017-11-30 by M.A. - I don't think this stuff in my home is mold

Hello there, you say that a lot of things that look like mold may not be mold or harmful. This is pics from closed up vacation mobile home that has not been heated or central a/c turned on in approximately 7 years and walls for last couple of years been showing some white markings.

Approximately two months ago when I was there I did not notice the ceilings had any of those round puffy circles and they are in bath room and 2 of the 3 bedrooms that are beside them and walls way worse.

The ceiling is drooping pretty bad also esp in 3rd room where I do not see circles yet? (the hallway does not appear to have the problem yet?).

I looked at roof and not been coated in maybe 15 years - but not too bad. I think moisture maybe from under as well full skirting with really no vents and it does sit on slight hill so no standing water....

But on that side leaves pile up every year and last year did not rake away from side of mobile home till a couple of months ago. Now they are back for the winter. This is a 1973 london 12' x 70' single wide in southern maryland near va. Does this look like dangerous mold?

Or is this something else? And I know it is a large area. But is there any realistic way of getting it under control. I am going to try and upload some pictures of what this looks like. Thank you in advance for any info or suggestions on my situation.

These questions & answers about a very moldy house trailer were posted originally by this reader at MOLD APPEARANCE - STUFF THAT IS NOT MOLD

On 2017-11-30 by (mod) - it's mold, a lot of it

M.A.

The photos at MOLD APPEARANCE on VARIOUS SURFACES of what mold does look like on building surfaces might be helpful to you.

Also see WHITE MOLD PHOTOS

You can also try posting some photos particularly sharp close-ups of what you suspect might be mold right into your comment on this page.

The little funny square picture frame to the right of the comment button will give you an opportunity to post a photo. Just start typing a few words of comment to identify the photo, then click the picture frame and you will be able to specify a photo to be uploaded from your phone or computer.

If you want to distinguish between light colored and white mold contamination and other white deposits such as mineral salts or efflorescence, see EFFLORESCENCE SALTS & WHITE DEPOSITS

On 2017-12-01 by M.A.

Hello again, I just used the CONTACT Email Address and sent some pictures. Just let me know what I may be dealing with (Mold- Dangerous Mold...or something else) and how I may be able to get it under control. Thank all of you for any help you can offer in this situation,

If there's nothing even resembling any of the mold photos in that like I said and then what you have may not be mold. But of course I would be glad to see some photos.

Hello again and thanks for the link. But I have not seen any pictures like what I have. I did send quite a few good pictures using that square box next to the Comments Box but had trouble getting them to show up.

On 2017-12-01 by (mod) - extensive white mold growth in your mobile home is not safe

Your photos (when we got them) show very extensive white mold growth on the ceilings and walls of your mobile home. I suspect that there have been leaks into the home that, combined with being left un-heated and closed, resulted in rapid and extensive mold contamination.

Since mold is everywhere all the time, it's the presence of wet or damp indoor conditions that are really responsible for mold growth inside of a mobile home or trailer.

I saw your photos - looks like very extensive light colored mold growth on walls and ceilings. In ripe conditions such as a damp or wet home interior mold contamination can grow quite rapidly inside of a home, and the contamination may grow even faster in warm weather.

I cannot know the mold genera/species without doing the lab work but there is no reasonable chance that the extensive mold contamination in this home is "safe" or "harmless".

Furthermore, we are only seeing the fluffy white round mold colonies in your photos.

When indoor conditions are ripe for mold growth on the building surfaces there are always going to be multiple genera/species of mold even if we only notice one or two visually-dominant colonizations.

And more mold is likely to be found in the ceiling, wall, and floor cavities of a moldy home like this one. (HIDDEN MOLD, HOW TO FIND)

Watch out: To be clear, surface cleaning of mold in a situation like the home in your photos will never be adequate, nor safe.

Typically a home like this would require extensive demolition, cleaning, leak repair and then restoration.

You would have to remove all of the that moldy paneling and drywall and ceiling materials, remove any insulation, clean the exposed surfaces, fix the leaks, then restore the home. I'm doubtful that such gut renovation will be economically justified for an old, very moldy mobile home or trailer in rough condition.

You do not need to test an extensive indoor mold contamination to identify the mold genera/species as that wouldn't change the cleanup needed.

At the INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES at our Continue reading suggestions at the end of this article you will find more articles on what mold looks like, mold cleanup, and mold prevention.

On 2017-12-02 by M.A.

Hello again, I am sorry to hear that it looks like bad mold that I am dealing with - not a good thing. I will check out that link to see what I am up against and the best way to deal with it.

Thank you so much for looking at my pictures and letting me know that it is mold I am dealing with and letting me know to check the link.

My situation is this used to be where I lived maybe for 5 years about 25 plus years ago.

Then for about 20 years it would be a weekend get away and cut the grass and such and always kept the heat on at lowest setting (kerosene as heating oil would gel up as tank 45 feet from furnace).

About 10 years ago I started draining everything and shutting it down for winter as the price of kerosene was going to cost about $1,400 just to fill one 275 tank. Eventually I would then only go down during the grass cutting
Season just to cut the grass and check on things.

It has been nice to have a place to go to the bathroom when you are down cutting grass and such and I have some sentimental things there and a lp record collection. Maybe 300 some in the bad room and most it the room that does not have the ceiling white rings and the walls have minimal in that room.

But approximately 2-3 months ago when I last went down to cut the grass. I saw nothing on ceilings. And walls have gotten 5 to 6 times worse. I never dreamed it would take over soo quickly.

[Notice that the ceilings in this mobile home are sagging, an indicator of leaks or very high indoor moisture levels - Ed.]

I am sure everything has mold on it and I cannot load things in my car and bring them where I now live to contaminate the car and here.

Not to mention I would have to be in there for days hours and such trying to go through things and be covered in this stuff and breathing It in and such.

I realize that it would cost soo much to tear out and redo everything that this 1972 single wide mobile home is not going to be worth it.

And the water/moisture issue has to be addressed really first anyway before any repairs would/could be made.

At this point if there was a way that I could get the mold under control and stop it from spreading further so that I would have some time and be able to safely go through things and try to figure out how to clean my lp records and to see the (invisible mold) .

Which might not be visible just by looking at them or other things that might be contaminated and spread back here or in car.

As far as the couch, love seat, carpets and such and even furniture , the 2 full size beds were new 10 years ago and covered in heavy plastic as well as the bedding in heavy plastic bags. (because mice occasionally). I still would just get a roll back and get rid of all of it. But I need time and clean area to go through rest of stuff and clean etc.

I guess I am trying to figure out a way to buy more time and kick this mold hard and fast. Not trying to permanently eliminate it. Mold bombs?

As far as moisture goes., getting rid of leaves removing most of the skirting and getting someone to re-coat and seal the flat metal roof, and install some roof vents and or some vents on sides of walls.

Also is this type of mostly whitish mold particularly hazardous/dangerous or just more of an allergen. As I went there last week and spent approximately an hour or more in there.

Did not have any mask or such on.

But if I were to start dragging beds and such and moving things around bumping into walls I guess the way it is now I would be covered in this stuff from head to toe and even a mask or respirator would not stop me from being a human snow/mold man ready to contaminate car and house etc.

Please let me have any thoughts on my major dilemma or any of my ideas or such??

Big note: someone tried to break in - maybe 6 years ago. But they failed as previous owner had screwed thick plexi glass to inside of all windows.

Soo no windows ever opened and then I installed plexi glass on outside of windows covered with window tint and bars and wire mesh and 2x4s on inside.

The back door - that is across from bathroom and close to moldy bed rooms is boarded closed. Soo everything would have to be moved down hallway thru living room thru front door no screen on storm door. Unless everything moved out at once and plywood boards and bars unscrewed from back door.

Any of your comments or inputs would really be appreciated. M.

On 2017-12-10 - by (mod) - following-up on cleanup plans for a very moldy mobile home

I hope you've stayed out of that moldy mobile home or if you have to enter, that you will wear a suitable respirator that is HEPA rated AND rated to protect against VOCS (such as mold vocs or MVOCs). Even if you have entered the space and not felt any effects it is possible that by repeated exposure to very moldy conditions you can become sensitized. Some fungal infections of eye or lung can be serious and hard to cure.

No "mold bombs" are effective in this situation, and some treatments like ozone can make matters worse by oxidizing other materials that give off noxious chemical odors.

With proper protective gear (respirator, goggles, and either a tyvek suit or clothes you'll take off in your garage and toss right into a washing machine), a non-sensitized person can enter this sort of environment to retrieve things you want to salvage. Hard-surfaced items like dishes or records can be easily cleaned.

Some soft goods can be laundered or dry cleaned. Paneling, upholstered furniture, etc are generally not salvageable. If there are papers you must keep but don't want to spend the fortune to have them professionally cleaned, take them outside, clean them as best you can (steri-wipes, HEPA vacuuming outdoors while protected) and store them dry in an airtight plastic container.

You are quite correct that you need to take care not to import very moldy stuff into your car or home. You take things out of the moldy home, clean them before taking them elsewhere, or dispose of them.

Also see MOLD GROWTH on SURFACES, TABLE OF our table of mold growth locations in buildings where we include other comments on MOBILE & MODULAR HOME MOLD

Reader follow-up: so what do I do with this moldy trailer now?

2017/12/13 - I really appreciate you taking the time to do so. I have not been back there since I took those pictures and I guess I am ok from the exposure I had so far.....other than slightly itchy ears, occasional cough and sore throat....could just be sinus and weather and not there all the time....just felt off & on like "trying to come down with something.

It sounds like you are saying there is no way to go in there and Spray it down with some sort of powerful mold killing spray mixture in a garden sprayer, while wearing that suit and goggles and respirator, and then coming back in a week or two? When the surface mold dies and becomes less dangerous?

I take it there is no mold killing product like this out there? As you say mold bombs and such no good and may make worse??

Stopping the wetness is going to envolve either myself or hiring someone to scrape loose spots, sealing all the Roof areas around the pipes, chimneys (furnace and fireplace) and such and then caulking and Re-Sealing entire roof. I am not sure, but if the ceiling beams between the metal roof and inside ceiling are not metal and are something like 2x2s then the roof would be very unstable as they are soo soft and wet.

The leaves blow down the hill and pile up on that side of Mobile Home.

Plus about 3 inches of leave on ground, so they would have to be cleaned up as well and then some of the skirting would have to be removed and mesh venting installed. Then either roof vents or side wall vents would have to be installed to "Dry" the Mobile Home Out so the mold does not continue to grow wildly & maybe fill oil tank and turn heat on set at 60 degrees.

But even if all this is done $$$$ and time trying to find the right people to do what I cannot do etc.

Then still there is nothing to do to make it safe to ever enter again without Hazmat Suit.

If that is the case and I do nothing by Late Spring it could be 50x worse environment in there? & ceiling falling onto floor etc

If I do everything to stop the moisture soon and it dries out and use some chemical to kill the mold by late spring would I still have that same moldy dangerous situation or would it stabilize it?

So I would have more time to go thru things and make it safer to do so.

There is no place to wash/clean suits or Goggles and Mask/Respirator, gloves and such unless I put in car and bring home....no out buildings or garages, I just Cover the Lawn Tractor with cover and bring gas & such with me.

What is the most logical & realistic way for me to proceed? As this situation has gotten me totally overwhelemed....

Any suggestions or ideas or ways of handling this situation would be greatly appreaceated. Hopefully there are some others who can shed some light on this as well as you mentioned other readers and discussions.....

I will look for more pictures of windows and such to send you to use.

Thank You again for getting back to me and letting me know of the dangerous situation, and if you have any other inputs please share them with me.

Reply:

You could spray the interor surfaces of the moldy trailer with a dilute bleach solution that would "kill" off some of the mold. But even "dead" mold spores can be dangerous, toxic, or pathogenic - "dead" doesn't mean giving up mycotoxins it just means the spore won't grow. And you cannot possibly kill all of the mold with any spray, you would at best reduce it.

See MOLD CLEANUP, BLEACH - for details.

You'd still need to take all of the precautions, respiratory, eye, skin, to be safe.

There are no valid "mold bombs".

There are sprays that claim to kill, dissolve, and remove mold. Even if that claim were true it would not be 100% true, and even those do not remove mold that's in cavities nor in furnishings.

More Recommendations

I would not enter the area without protective gear. You could hold your breath, dash in, grab something, run out, and you might even walk in a time or two, breathe, and never notice a thing. You could also become hypersensitized by the exposure. You could also get mold on a finger, put the finger in your eye, and get an eye infection. So it makes sense to be cautious.

I use disposable tyvek coveralls. I don't wash my respirator but I might wipe it off with a clean damp cloth and let it dry before storing it.

I wash clothing worn in very-moldy interiors by using ordinary laundering.

If it is possible to dry out the interior that will retard future mold growth, though during dryout it is often the case that at least for a time the airborne mold level inside will actually increase. That can mean that when weather permits, you open some windows. But don't leave them open long term unattended or you risk rain blowing in and worsening condition. Some windows like jalousie and awning types can be left ajar and will resist all but wind-blown rain.

If you cannot repair the roof and exterior to stop leaks you might cover the roof and upper walls with a tarp.

If leaks have wet the roof and wall cavities then you cannot control mold growth unless the leaks are fixed and the ceilings and walls are gutted to the shell from the interior.

Even taking such steps, if the home sits unattended the mold contamination will not disappear on its own and it's likely to continue to develop.

For a small, very old trailer in poor condition it's possible that it's beyond economical repair unless someone wants to take it on as a fun sweat-equity project (taking appropriate self-protective measures).

Watch out: see MOLD CLEANUP, SAFETY WARNINGS

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Continue reading at MOLD ACTION GUIDE - WHAT TO DO ABOUT MOLD or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• MODULAR HOME MOLD CONTAMINATION
• RENTERS & TENANTS ADVICE for UNSAFE or UNHEALTHY HOME if you are renting a mobile home, doublewide, manufactured home, or trailer and are concerned about a mold problem.
• MOBILE HOME CRAWL SPACES for help investigating homes such as this one from below.

Suggested citation for this web page

MOBILE HOME MOLD CONTAMINATION at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to MOLD CONTAMINATION & REMEDIATION

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