Q. Okay, I had a leak in my shower handle core. It leaked in the shared wall with the closet and bathroom. It is a pretty small area along the bottom of the wall next to the floor. I've had a couple companies come give me estimates and it seems they give me two options. 1) Tear out the entire walls and nearly all of the bathroom (including the shower) because mold is probably growing in between the shower pan, along the outside wall etcc.. Costing nearly 2-3 thousand dollars. But, hey they will get all of the mold. 2) Another company said there is no need to tear out the shower. Just fix the mold problem that we can see in the closet and contain as much as we can (some spray?) without taking out the shower. This way apparently takes out the problem area (the leak is fixed). But I'm assuming doesnt kill ever single mold spore as the other estimate offered. And this estimate was roughly ~500 dollars or so. Any advice? Is it imperitive to get every single spore of mold? Edit: Assuming I clean up the leak and the place where a mass of mold has begun to grow. If I were to leave mold in some corner that I couldn't reach.... what kind of issues would this cause? There is no type of moisture anywhere near it now. I might be able to spray some bleach solution back behind there.

A. I would try the least expensive way first, making sure they spray it down with a bleach and water solution-- you don't need fancy chemicals...bleach is the key. You should tear out any drywall that has mold on it-- not necessarily the whole sheet, but get a wide margin around the mold. I'm not clear on whether you can see the mold of it it's behind the wall-- that get's tricky. You want them to take out enough so you can see how far it's spread. If you get it quickly, you shouldn't have to tear out the whole bathroom. Make sure you wear a mask if you're around it, though.

Q. A pipe burst in the apartment I am renting in the Florida, it caused flooding throughout the apartment which has carpet flooring. I called the landlord immediately and she called a water removal company which arrived two hours later and placed fans and a dehumidifier in the apartment for a couple of days already. The landlord got his homeowners insurance to inspect the apartment and then called me to inform that they will pay for any hotel expense and food expense we incur. Also the insurance company is going to take 3 weeks to decide if they will replace the flooring in the apartment. I have a couple questions. Even though his insurance company is paying for a hotel, should I still be paying rent? If the insurance company does not replace the carpet , does the landlord need to change it because of mold issues? Is this fair what should I do? I am not living in the apartment I paid rent for and currently living at my friends, which is inconvenient am I entitled to anything? Thanks You!

A. If they are putting you up in a hotel yes you still have to pay rent.

Q. What is a reasonable housecleaning rate to charge my customers? I do Garage Organizing Yard Services and Indoor Room Painting. I have been asked to clean a vacant rental which intails appliance cleaning mold removal in bathroom kitchen counter tops and cabinets. Any suggestions please submit. Thank you. I been asked to do this job on Saturday

A. I usually charge $15.00/hour. For a vacant rental, after I look and see how dirty it is, I usually multiply the number of hours I think it will take by $15 and give them a flat rate. However, with the mold removal, that is tricky and will require extra work. It also depends on how dirty it is and how much you are doing. Charge what YOU feel is a fair price for all your labor. Vacant rentals are the most labor intensive. Good luck!

Q. Is it safe to continue buying this house? should i definately find out if it's toxic mold before i continue or should i back out of the deal since they don't want to do the remediation proccess? if i buy the house i can fix the mold later myself, right? the house is in las vegas. i am a first time home buyer. i don't want to buy this house if i can't fix the situation myself. the mold is very minor (found in bathroom and in laundryroom). please help me. thanks

A. As stated earlier, dont buy it. Its difficult to tell just how much mold is present. A few black marks on a wall may mean theres more behind it. Or maybe thats it. Often mold removal can be more expensive than the house itself. Could be your seller is trying to hide something?

Q. We have mold in or bathroom what is the name of the product [not bleach] that kills it and found at the hardwear store help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A. Try using baking soda and vinegar paste.

Q. We were all living in a house with black mold riddled throughout the kitchen cupboards and bathroom to the state where we couldn't actually use the kitchen or bathroom for the last 3 months of our tenancy. My partner had several asthma attacks (he has never had one in his life) and we would both got terrible uncontrollable trembles throughout the night. The trembles have stopped since we moved out, and he can breath easier but for me, I had a miscarriage while we were living there and have also been coughing up chunks of blood for the past 5 months. Now, I know that there is no proof that the miscarriage was caused by the black mold but what about the chunks of blood! We had ongoing issues with the Real Estate as they were not prepared to remove the mold, so basically we had no choice but to continue living there. We were unable to use the kitchen or bathroom for 3 months and the place completely stank! Finaly we took it upon ourselves to hire a private contracter to remove the cupbourds in the kitchen, but it still didn't work. Anyways, I was becoming that sick that we had no choice but to end the lease early, as we were scared that our 2 young children would get sick. We were absolutely homeless for 2 months because of these lowsy bastards! we have found a rental again, we are now settled in a clean environment. As you can understand I am absolutely discusted with this Real Estate, for not fixing the mold problem and it has been 5 months and I am still coughing up chunks of blood!!! I want to take them to court, but I am not sure that there is any proof that the symptoms can be proven to be caused by black mold exposure. Does anyone have any suggestions? Advocasy & rights aren't prepared to help because the realestate said they would counter claim for the removal of the cupbourds. I have photoes of everything, it was discusting.

A. Perhaps you could get a doctor's evaluation to establish that the mold was a cause of the problem. Black mold can kill. This sounds like a lawsuit is in order.

Q. For starters, when I moved in the bathroom sink leaked, and was leaking when we entered the apartment, it took 2 months and numerous threats to actually get this fixed, to make everything better recently discovered mold on one of the baseboards in my bathroom, upon removal of the baseboard I discovered that the entire section of the wall was molding/ deteriorating, this immediately brought up questions in my mind, my girlfriend an I have lived there since july, sine then we have been sick CONSTANTLY and I am at the brink of physical exhaustion even if I do nothing all day....on top of this my girlfriend is asthmatic and the use of her inhalers has not only tripled since our move in but she is now on ADVAIR which goes for approx $90 CDN per month, Now, I requested my landlord come and look at the mold one week ago he came in yesterday and said that the entire wall would most likely have to be removed..... So, would this allow me to get out of the lease? Also, I was not present at the time of the walkthrough and the water was running down the pipe and dripping behind the wall

A. From what you said, the mold could be impacting you and your wife. You both need to move out as soon as possible. For your health you and your wife need to leave. Legally you have the right to leave an apartment/house that is filled with mold. No one expects you to live there with the mold. Take pictures of the mold, document the consersations you've had with the landlord about the mold. Send the landlord a certified letter indicating you and your wife are moving out immediately because the mold is causing health problems. You may want to file against the landlords health insurance since the mold is making you sick. Since the mold is impacting your heath and your wife's health you need to seek out an attorney. This could cause long term effects. You need legal help. An attorney should be willing to take on your case for a percentage of the settlement.

Q. We had two feet of snow on our roof for about 20 days here in Cincinnati. The ice dam put water into our bathroom ceiling, which flowed behind the tile and behind an acryllic insert, unde the tile floor and into the kitchen cabinets downstairs. A deep sensing (probless water meter) shows spots with 25 percent ++ humidity behind the insert in the exterior wall and also under the floor tile. The insurance company's remediation company just wants to dehumidify it and call it a day. I think the exterior wall at least needs to come down and have the insulation dried out. I also think it needs to have some sort of mold inhibitor put in the wall and the floor. If, and ONLY if, you are a water damage professional, please hit me with your thoughts. Thanks This is for EXPERTS only. The insurance company sent out an adjuster who says we only need to put dehumidifiers into the bathrooms and replace a little bit of dry wall. They are not going to pull down the acryllic (which is over the wall tile), or pull up the tile floors. I am particularly concerned about the outside wall which had most of the water and is covered by both tile and the insert.

A. Dehumidifying won't affect water inside the wall, especially if it's being retained by the insulation. The first answerer is 100% correct. Water inside your house is a serious problem. There is a lot more involved in correcting it than just dehumidifying the rooms affected. Sounds like your insurance company is trying to convince you otherwise to avoid a big reno bill. And, yes, a re-roof with an ice dam shield is a must for your situation.