MOLD in van! :-(

[Annie W]

Hi John,

Moved to WA in 1982 (30+ years), & never once gave any 'mold' any thought.
Really oblivious to it.
Until last year, when actually saw it INside another's bathroom.
Then people were like "do you know that mold can kill ??"
I was like "Well, then KILL it". - seemed logical to me. - And never saw any inside the Honda, but after reading in this/here forum, now
wonder Should I be concerned about MOLD growing inside the van, since it's perpetually WET, also Due to the climate here ?

Moving away from here is NOT an option family-wise.

 

[John61CT]

I'm not willing to advise as to whether or not you should be concerned.

I personally would not be until I had symptoms and my own research convinced me that was likely to be the cause.

I personally am not risk averse, have had a great life ready to go when my time comes.
If moving is truly not an option even if you felt your life was at risk, then I dunno, I love my family but, the ones I love the most are small, portable and have to obey me.

I did post alternatives that may help.

 

[Headache]

Annie you're going to have a tough time regarding moisture and mold.  I left WA in November and the only time I'm going back is to get my things from storage.  I need it drier and sunnier.

If you are in western WA chances are you may be in an area where the humidity averages 75%.  I was and there were times it was so bad everything in my van felt damp irregardless of having insulation or none.  Unless you can run a dehumidifier in your van you are going to experience it.  I had those little moisture absorbers from the Dollar Tree all over the van but you couldn't put in enough.  Once the air and everything in your van hits the right saturation point you can do nothing but get your van into a dry building or use a dehumidifier.

I wish you the best.  I was miserable.

 

[John61CT]

Non absorbent non porous slick buildout surfaces help, think like it's all a lab food prep facility.

Lots of ventilation.

Put clothing and bedclothes in sealed containers and wash / dry (thoroughly) frequently.

Getting a powerful heat source going - ideally vented if propane, electric is cheaper - so the whole interior gets up to say 95°, but still steadily ventilating will get things dry within a few hours.

Obviously with you outside, but keeping an eye on things for safety.

If you can do it once or even twice a day that helps a bit.

Then run a powerful dehumidifier while you're inside, when you don't need a lot of active ventilation.

Invest in a hygrometer / thermostat if you want to automate things.

 

[SoulRaven]

If toxic mold wasn't a health issue in WA, there wouldn't have been a Toxic Mold Disclosure mandated by law there demanding mold disclosure to both new renter's and home buyers. It's people like Brenda & Annie who are stuck dealing with & trying to rid the mold.
Many WA Mold Abatement programs and those contractors are small to large businesses. This is not new Laws & programs, mold issues there has been going on for a number of years. 

Like John said, using fans to help dry it up, is part of what the Abatement program advises for prevention and is still hard to rid mold once it gains foothold.
That said, Whidbey Island is lovely place & has mold, US Navy pays to clean it up in military housings.

 

[Headache]

Ventilation is a double edged sword. Do it for fresh air exchange because at that humidity opening windows isn't helping. There's too much dampness in the air. They don't call it a marine environment for nothing!

 

[John61CT]

Yes active air exchange is really required for van dwelling in most environments.

Fans need to have their rate well controlled.

When trying to get the interior hot enough to really dry out, just enough to exhaust a bit is enough, like a little PC muffin fan.

But a big MaxxAir or Fantastic Fan for when it's hot.

Note a swamp cooler of any kind would make thing worse.

 

[safarivan]

didnt see it mentioned but I had an old house develop a leak under a cabnet that was not big enough to notice but it was soaking the floor underneath and mold was developing all over the place so thats how I founf the leak.

after fixing it I started to read up on ways to get rid of the mold and one of them suggested using an ionic breeze, a negative ion air purifier and I had one so I used it and it did seem to help in the house.

I think Ive seen small ones for cars that plug into the cig lighter but they might not be emough or even effective at all.

its probably from a leak or spill somewhere that got under or behind something and soaked in. thats my guess anyway.

 

[ISAWHIM]

Use a gas heater that vents outside.

Wood mold is not that bad. It is sugar molds (fruit molds), and "fecal molds/bacteria", like found in a bathroom and air-vents, that are the real issues.

Vinegar will kill most living things, as well as full-strength bleach. (By full-strength, I am saying household-bleach, which is already pre-diluted. Do not buy 100% bleach.)

Dryness will severely impede mold growth, but your lungs will pour-out nearly a 700ml of water, every day. Not including 200ml from sweat... Hopefully you are not urinating in your van, outside of a container. I would not suggest that you stop breathing, as it may have medical complications associated with that remedy.

 

[John61CT]

Any heat source is fine as long as you have well-controlled high CFM ventilation.

But yes, vented is always better if you can afford it, either using vehicle's propulsion fuel (Webasto / Espar) or propane (Propex HS2211).

 

[leslymill]

Hi John,

Moved to WA in 1982 (30+ years), & never once gave any 'mold' any thought.
Really oblivious to it.
Until last year, when actually saw it INside another's bathroom.
Then people were like "do you know that mold can kill ??"
I was like "Well, then KILL it". - seemed logical to me. - And never saw any inside the Honda, but after reading in this/here forum, now
wonder Should I be concerned about MOLD growing inside the van, since it's perpetually WET, also Due to the climate here ?

Moving away from here is NOT an option family-wise.

If I have enough solar panels this will be on my bucket list for humid areas.
 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H0ZDD...olid=2T4HFFXVBBPRU&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

[One Awesome Inch]

Something that needs to be stated is that air circulation is critical to prevent mold. As heat rises it pushes the cooler air down. This winter I am going to place a small usb fan on the floor to circulate air, which will decrease the chance of mold growth.

Bon chance!

 

[Unitic]

Some really great information on this thread...and yes mold is a much more serious issue that most realize. I suffered from mold illness likely due to long-term exposure (childhood home had repeated basement flooding). I am convinced that a suppressed immune system in part due to mold illness led to my battle with Lyme disease (most people do not become actively ill from Lyme if their immune system is operating adequately). When I began a chelation treatment for mold and got away from continued exposure all my symptoms improved dramatically. I was recently re-exposed in a moldy apartment and this was a great motivator to begin my nomad adventure and try to recover my health.

Most molds require three ingredients to thrive:
1. The right temps (our climate controlled home and dwellings are usually ideal)
2. Moisture (humidity)
3. Food - biologic material such as drywall, wood, etc.

Bleach is actually detrimental if the mold is growing on a porous material such as those above. Bleach may appear to clean the surface stains, but mold penetrates the material. Think mushrooms...you can pull the cap and stem, but the rest is below ground and will regrow. When the mold colony is threatened/stressed by a substance like bleach, it will actually release spores in order to spread and survive. As mentioned, products like concrobium that pentrate surfaces are more appropriate. Depriving mold of any of the three ingredients above is key to prevention.

Finally, removing toxic mold improperly is a lot like removing asbestos improperly...it can make the problem far worse. We're all affected, but as a previous poster mentioned with the "canary in the coal mine" analogy, some are far more sensitive than others.