Help! Mold in Nursery

Clean it with bleach water and a rag. I wouldn't worry about mold on a window casing. Bleach water will get rid of it in two minutes.

Bleach, ventilation and wiping the windows down every other day or so will help.
My bedroom window gets moldy because the sun never hits that side of the house and it sucks!
They have these little things that I got on one of the home shopping channels, I think HSN.
It's an "eva-dry" renewable mini dehumidifier #EDV300.
It's about the size of a portable CD player. You plug it into the wall and the crystals inside turn blue once it's charged up. Then, you can just put it anywhere that you have moisture. The little window turns pink when it needs to be "recharged". I have one in my bathroom and in my bedroom. There are no fumes, it's silent, and it really does help. It came in a set of two.
Another thing you can do, once you've bleached the mildew, is put some charcoal briquettes on the window sill. I know it sounds crazy, but they absorb moisture like you wouldn't believe. They help with condensation in vehicles too.

Good luck!

I am not sure if you should just clean it. I think it would depend on how thick it is and how large of a space it covers. I remember reading something about a 1 inch block or smaller could be cleaned by homeowner, otherwise you should call a professional.
Why type of windows do you have? If they are aluminum, you will continue to have these issues with mold and mildew.
Best of luck,
C.

Try a little bleach or ammonia in water and wipe it off.
You need air to circulate in the room while running the humidifier so the moisture doesn't collect.

Is there any way you can not run a humidifier in the nursury? Mold is SO very toxic. I mean, really ...bad. And once it has settled in, you never get rid of it, you just "control" it. It can live there FOREVER in a standby state ... waiting for the time it get's moisture so it can rebud and grow. You must stop the moisture in the bedroom.

I had a similar situation. If the mold is new caused by the humidifier, you can use diluted bleach and wash it off. Also, open the blinds during the day or when you're not using the humidifier and wipe off any moisture or it will just keep coming back. Try to keep everything very dry when you're not using the humidifier (furniture and flooring can mold too). If it has been there a long time, you may need to call a professional. You can try the bleach but it may not work if the mold is embedded in the window casing.

Hi-
I say bleach it. I have black mold that creeps into my bathroom and we bleach the walls. However, I have a feeling that it is more than on the outside of the walls and may be growing inside of them. We live in a VERY OLD house and it comes with its health hazards. I would have a professional you trust look at it to determine whether or not it goes further than the window and the wall. DO bleach it. Do ask for someone to investigate your issue. As far as the humidifier goes, try only running it for part of the day instead of the whole day. OR, move her to a more open space that is warm during the day time.
I hope this helps! Good luck!
-E. M.

Don't panic same thing happened to me. A spray bottle with a little bleach and water and wipe away. make sure room airs out before baby goes back in.

If you are just now noticing it, I wouldn't panic. Do your spring cleaning early and wipe down the window panes with diluted bleach and water. Make sure you open the windows on a regular basis to air it out and let the extra moisture dry. As we approach warmer weather, you should be able to open the windows every day.

Hi AR,

I lived in SF for 10 years and I can tell you even if you live in a fairly new place, mold is kind of part of life in SF because it's by the sea and fairly humid. That said, unless there is a lot of mold, or it's in the walls, it should be easy to get rid of. If you are worried about it being the toxic black mold, you could find a company that tests that, and send a sample. Usually the black looking mold isn't *Black Mold* but a less harmful relative. Attack it with a dilute bleach solution in a squirt bottle and lots of paper towels (if you want to be eco, and use regular towels you will have to wash them in super hot water with bleach and dry them on the hottest setting.) Make sure the baby isn't in there when you do it and give the nursery some air out time before putting any babies in there. Preferably open the window. You have to keep on it but regularly cleaning the window casing with the bleach solution should keep it down. Best of luck.

Another cleaner that you could try is white vinegar. It isn't toxic and you can use it full strength. I would try that or the bleach solution that has been suggested before calling in a professional. Also, after you have cleaned the mold try leaving the window open a crack to help prevent future mold buildup. If it's too cold for that while the baby is in the room, open the windows during times that you have the baby out of the room. The fresh air in the room will be good for your baby too.

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You can clean the mold yourself with straight vinegar or 50/50 solution of bleach and water. Do be sure to clean the window, track, and rubber gasket which holds the glass in the window frame. Open the window to let it air dry and then paint the window sill with Kilz brand paint, which will discourage mold from growing on the sills.

To prevent reoccurence of the mold on the window/frame, you will need to wipe them down when condensation occurs, especially during the winter when it is cold outside and warm inside.

Can your baby do without the humidifier? The extra moisture in the room provides the perfect environment for mold, especially considering the high humidity in SF.

Actually, window casings need bleach water treatment at least once a year (spring cleaning). Newer homes are sealed up so tightly, and double paned glass makes it worse.
I was STUNNED when I heard this from a doc when my home was 2 yrs old.(allergies) but the doc was right! It is now 15 yr old. So get some bleach water (50/50)in a cup. Clean the winowd casings, and don't forget the little black rubber strip right along the glass, you cannot see it but mold develops there. I use qtips. It occurs when it is cold outside and warm inside (winter wet months), you kn0w, when the windows get sweaty. i sometimes just wipe the windows with towel when they get sweaty. it will be worse on the bottoms of the window, but do qtip all around that strip too!
so the humidifier prob does add to it. try to keep it as far as possible from the glass. If your baby is fine, i wouldnt worry about it. If he has continouous respiratory probs (cough, ears, nose), it may be a problem.
also if you are in SF, it is foggy/damp etc? so you know the sun wont dry it up....you may need to do it 2x yr.
good luck.

Hi AR, I would advise that whatever is used (by you or a professional) may be toxic as well, so care should be taken regarding how soon you return your little one to the room. Can the baby sleep in another room while it clears out? After removing the baby and doing whatever it is you decide to do maybe the kid could stay elsewhere for a couple weeks, and the door be shut with some sort of barrier at the threshold and the window open to air it out. Just an idea!

There is very little information about mold out there but I recommend you go to www.ca.gov and type in mold in my home in the search section of the site. Click on the first link that is available and read the informational piece that the State puts out. I don't know if you own or rent, but either way mold no one will help you with mold removal without charging you an arm and a leg. You might be able to contact your local code compliance office for some suggestions on specific ways to clean the mold since it sounds like a surface issue only at this point. Maybe someone in sf knows who to call for sure. :) Good luck.