Toxic black mold

[lilmike227]

So I work at petsmart and a customer who I talk to regularly told someone I work with that his house has toxic black mold and he was giving away reptile supplies and fish supplies (heating pads, tanks, and lights) because he didn't feel comfortable using it for animals. If I took the stuff and cleaned it with vinegar, mold remover, etc. do you think that It would be safe to have in my house and to use for animals?

 

[Nanci]

Clean it with bleach. Bleach is excellent for killing mold.

 

[Rich Z]

Take a piece of paper and divide it lengthwise in half.

On one side list the items you would be getting for free and the prices you would have to pay for them normally.

Then on the other side, list your own animals and how much it would cost you to replace them if they died from that mold.

Which column has the higher dollar amount?

Decide from that........

 

[lilmike227]

Take a piece of paper and divide it lengthwise in half.

On one side list the items you would be getting for free and the prices you would have to pay for them normally.

Then on the other side, list your own animals and how much it would cost you to replace them if they died from that mold.

Which column has the higher dollar amount?

Decide from that........

Well when it comes to my pet life I'd rather not put a number on them but if I can get free stuff for them and all I need to do is clean it and it will 100% safe then why not but if there will still be a risk after I clean it then ill pass

 

[BloodyBaroness]

If he is giving it away because he "didn't feel comfortable using it for animals," then no, I would not use it.

Rich is 100% right.

Sometimes "free" is not "free"

Pass on this stuff and save up for new equipment that is from a trusted and clean source.

 

[Rich Z]

Well when it comes to my pet life I'd rather not put a number on them but if I can get free stuff for them and all I need to do is clean it and it will 100% safe then why not but if there will still be a risk after I clean it then ill pass

Then the number in the animals column will be instead "irreplaceable".

That should make up your mind for you.

Seriously if it were easy enough to sterilize the equipment, why would the guy that has it do the same thing?

Don't let "free" cloud your judgement.

 

[Alicia P]

Then the number in the animals column will be instead "irreplaceable".

That should make up your mind for you.

Seriously if it were easy enough to sterilize the equipment, why would the guy that has it do the same thing?

Don't let "free" cloud your judgement.

Well technically it won't be "easy" to clean all the stuff. There will be some major elbow grease involved and lets face it some people are LAZY and would rather give something away or sell it cheap instead of doing the work to make it usable again.

I would at least give cleaning a go, if you decide the stuff doesn't clean up to your liking you can pitch it and your out $10-$15 in cleaning supplies and some elbow grease. Scrub with copious amounts of bleach, rinse and let dry in the sun. Then I would probably repeat the scrubbing process again but with ammonia, again lots of rinsing and drying in the sun.

The mom in me says I have to say this next part even though I'm sure you already know. DO NOT bring anything into your house until it has been scrubbed, if you can smell mildew it's still there. Also don't mix bleach and ammonia. Ok mom rant over

 

[Rich Z]

if you can smell mildew it's still there.

Yes, that is correct. And if you smell it, you now likely have some spores in your lungs.

http://blackmold.awardspace.com/stachybotrys.html

 

[BloodyBaroness]

Toxic Black Mold Treatment
There is no cure or antidote which can be taken for toxic black mold. The only solution is to remove the toxic black mold from your environment or remove yourself from the environment. Once you are away from toxic black mold your body will start to recover and most of your symptoms should go away over time. However some of the damage from toxic black mold can be permanent.

There is zero reason to take this stuff and try to clean it. It's not healthy or safe.

Black mold is very very bad. You do not want it in your home, near your home, or risk bringing it into your home.

It's not simply that this stuff is dirty, it's contaminated. General filth is one thing, black mold is an entirely different ball of wax.

The health of your pets is not worth it.

 

[Nanci]

CDC info on mold:

 

[Alicia P]

Ok apparently I've been living in a vacuum and didn't realize how bad black mold can be. After reading the link Rich posted and looking at some pictures I would pass on trying to clean that off. Regular mold I'd give it a go, but not that stuff uke01:

 

[Tara80]

I agree.
Not only would I be concerned about the animals in general; I wouldn't want to even chance bringing the spores into my house where they could take root.

 

[lindahayden]

Mold can be removed from hard surfaces like hard plastic, glass, metal and counter tops by scrubbing with a soap or detergent.

 

[lindahayden]

It is impossible to completely remove mold from porous surfaces like paper, insulation, Sheetrock and carpet padding, so those materials should be thrown out. Mold growth on wood may need to be removed by sanding.

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[Rich Z]

It is impossible to completely remove mold from porous surfaces like paper, insulation, Sheetrock and carpet padding, so those materials should be thrown out. Mold growth on wood may need to be removed by sanding.

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Sanding moldy wood and putting all those spores into the air along with the sawdust might not be a really good idea.