Mold-Help.org - The world's largest TOXIC MOLD website
  • Mold Basics
    • Mold Overview
    • Mold Symptoms
    • Mold Types & Images
    • Fungal Infections
  • Resources and Tools
    • Home Care
    • Health & Diet
    • Tips for Parents
    • Coping with Loss
    • Private Research
    • Legal Suggestions
    • Mold in the Bible
  • Mold News
    • Current Headlines
    • “Sick Buildings”
    • The Environment
    • Construction Industry
    • Govt. & Politics
    • The Workplace
    • Landlords & Tenants
    • Insurance Companies
    • Schools & Institutions
    • Strange Fungal Tales
    • Personal Mold Stories
    • Additional Articles
  • Agencies & Experts
  • About Mold-Help
    • Mold-Help News
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Enlargement of black mold spores©Stern Mold

Black Mold — Like a Creature from the Black Lagoon

March 28, 2019/in Personal Mold Stories /by Carolyn Willbanks

It wasn’t noticeable last summer until we pulled a file cabinet away from a wall in a basement, and then it was like a scene from a horror movie. Black mold was growing on the wall behind the cabinet. Further investigation showed that it was coming from some leaking water in an adjoining bathroom.

My first reaction was to evacuate the premises, move Tom and me and the kids to a hotel until the problem was resolved. Black mold is like a creature from the black lagoon that spreads through the house and sickens its unsuspecting victims.

Mold, especially the sight of insidious black mold, will trigger a panic reaction in many people because it is dangerous. Breathing in mold spores can cause severe allergic reactions, nausea, chronic coughing, headaches and worse.

Flooding Causes Mold Threat

The flooding in the last few weeks has made mold a threat for thousands of Nebraskans. Any time you have water in places it’s not supposed to be, including basements, furniture and belongings, you have the perfect habitat for mold. It’s said that mold can start growing on a wet surface within 48 hours of exposure. Experts say that the way to prevent mold is to quickly get the water out and then use fans so the environment isn’t conducive for the mold spores.

In the last house we lived in, our basement flooded and we spent days using a wet/dry vac to suck up the water. Then we propped up the wet rugs on chairs and blew fans on the floors for weeks. We still had to tear off and throw out water-damaged and warped wood paneling. Furniture was hauled out to hopefully dry, but most of it was thrown out as it’s hard to get a water soaked cushion to dry quickly and not have a musty odor.

I know many buildings have sustained major water damage in the last week, and it reminds me of all the work involved in getting basements back to normal. It’s got to be one of the worst things to happen to a homeowner — water in a basement with the damage to furnishings and risk of mold that comes with it.

In our case, we ended up ripping out the dry wall in our basement that had the black mold growing on, it knowing that no amount of scrubbing and bleach was going to make it go away.When things are finally dry, we can use mold resistant paint and a dehumidifier and keep the mold away. Still, best of luck to anyone fighting mold wars this spring.

Written by Diane Becker

Norfolk Daily News

Carolyn Willbanks
Author: Carolyn Willbanks

Tags: mold, mold after flood, mold in my basement
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/mold-spores-2.jpg 260 496 Carolyn Willbanks https://www.mold-help.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/moldhelp-654x300.png Carolyn Willbanks2019-03-28 15:06:212019-12-03 15:07:26Black Mold — Like a Creature from the Black Lagoon
You might also like
Mold-Help logo Sex Genes of Infectious Fungus Closely Resemble Human Y Chromosome
Mold-Help logo Jury finds for defendants in mold-related wrongful death case
Mold-Help logo Big Insurers Limit Arizona Policies
Mold on ceiling of military housing House Budget Plan Adds $140M for Military Housing Fixes
Mold-Help logo The Silent Killers
Mold-Help logo Food for Thought: Celebrating a McDonald's Hamburger that has Lasted 10 Years

Mold News

  • Current Headlines
  • "Sick Buildings"
  • The Environment
  • Construction Industry
  • Govt. & Politics
  • The Workplace
  • Landlords & Tenants
  • Insurance Companies
  • Schools & Institutions
  • Personal Mold Stories
  • Strange Fungal Tales
  • Additional Articles

Latest Posts

  • Michigan Family Finds Toxic Mold Inside Home
  • California Winter Storms: Water Damage and Mold Exposure Concerns in California
  • Office and Commercial Buildings at Risk for Mold after COVID-19 Closings
  • COVID-19 Symptoms May Include Loss of Taste and Smell
  • New Mold Detox Information on the Horizon
  • COVID-19 Courses of Action
  • Stachybotrys
  • Simple and Easy Ways to Prevent the Coronavirus
  • Your Air Conditioning Unit Helps Eliminate Mold
  • Construction Workers Are Learning to Control Dust and Debris

Search Our Site:

Need Help with Mold?

Are you being affected by mold or other mycotoxins in your environment? Our team and community has over 15 years experience and can provide guidance. You can reach us by submitting your contact or through our Facebook page.

Have a Story to Share?

We're looking for stories and input to expand our database and to add to the personal experiences we've received from the thousands of victims over the last 15. If mold has impacted your life, please take the time to share your story. Your information is confidential and will only be shared with your permission.

Seeking Mold Experts

Are you an expert in the treatment of mold-affected health illnesses, or a provider of services to victims of mycotoxin exposure? Submit your information for listing consideration in our Agencies & Experts resource database.

Additional Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Sitemap
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Survivor Resources
  • General Inquiries
  • Legal Disclaimer

© Copyright - Mold-Help Organization
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Mold Basics
  • Resources and Tools
  • Agencies & Experts
  • Mold News
  • About Mold-Help
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Accept settingsHide notification only