Mold Issues

[BNM87]

So my 20' globetrotter has been on the east coast probably for the past five years untouched with a broken window. That being said, I stepped into it for the first time to retrieve the the title and all the book work about the trailer. Upon entering, there was mold pretty much everywhere. Realizing that I have to probably clean as much as I can off; which is the best way to tackle step one?

I guessed that maybe a strong bleach and water combo would be good at first. Put a mask, goggles, and long gloves on with long sleeves and just scrub everything down. But then what?

[Foiled Again]

Breathing that stuff can get you stuck with a nasty and long lasting lung infection - and sometimes permanent damage to your lungs.

A VERY good respirator would be my first purchase.

Being LAZY, I'd consider hiring a flood/fire restoration company to do the cleanup. However they'd probably lack the skills to remove the interior aluminum - so pragmatically it's a do it yourself project.

1. bug bomb the whole thing - good spiders and fleas are dead spiders and fleas.
2. if humanly possible find a good inside or at least covered space to work on your project. A dry area is very helpful when replacing vents or fans and resealing top seams.
3. take lots of pictures of everything as you take it out or throw it away. Measure cushions, mattresses, curtains etc. basically anything that you'll be replacing after you restore/refurb.
4. quite a few people recommend running an ozone generator for a day or so to kill really nasty odors.
5. Bleach and water are good for cleaning up, but once mold + moisture has penetrated wood - you'll probably have to replace it.
6. Furnishings came through the door, they have to go out that way too. Sniff test what you take out - it'll help you decide whether to refinish or replace.
7. You'll likely have to replace some if not all of the floor
8. Plan on needing to take out the inside aluminum and replacing the insulation. Mice die in there! Whew.
9. Before you do anything nice to the inside, reseal all of the seams, replace vents/fans, etc and replace bad window gaskets - you don't want to start a new interior while still having a leaking shell.

A refurb "task list" that guides you on what steps need to be done in what order is really important. I remember seeing one, but didn't find it with just a cursory search. Develop that first as it will save you time and money and "do-overs".

Good luck and happy trails. Paula

[BNM87]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Breathing that stuff can get you stuck with a nasty and long lasting lung infection - and sometimes permanent damage to your lungs.

A VERY good respirator would be my first purchase.

Being LAZY, I'd consider hiring a flood/fire restoration company to do the cleanup. However they'd probably lack the skills to remove the interior aluminum - so pragmatically it's a do it yourself project.

1. bug bomb the whole thing - good spiders and fleas are dead spiders and fleas.
2. if humanly possible find a good inside or at least covered space to work on your project. A dry area is very helpful when replacing vents or fans and resealing top seams.
3. take lots of pictures of everything as you take it out or throw it away. Measure cushions, mattresses, curtains etc. basically anything that you'll be replacing after you restore/refurb.
4. quite a few people recommend running an ozone generator for a day or so to kill really nasty odors.
5. Bleach and water are good for cleaning up, but once mold + moisture has penetrated wood - you'll probably have to replace it.
6. Furnishings came through the door, they have to go out that way too. Sniff test what you take out - it'll help you decide whether to refinish or replace.
7. You'll likely have to replace some if not all of the floor
8. Plan on needing to take out the inside aluminum and replacing the insulation. Mice die in there! Whew.
9. Before you do anything nice to the inside, reseal all of the seams, replace vents/fans, etc and replace bad window gaskets - you don't want to start a new interior while still having a leaking shell.

A refurb "task list" that guides you on what steps need to be done in what order is really important. I remember seeing one, but didn't find it with just a cursory search. Develop that first as it will save you time and money and "do-overs".

Good luck and happy trails. Paula

Paula, you are a dream; thank you! This is a great tackle list to get the thing ready to be worked on.

One question though, where would I find an ozone generator? What type of insulation do you suggest for the inside? I'm looking for something that's going to be warm in cold weather conditions, thickness gauge and product type would much appreciated! Thanks again for your help!

[danlehosky]

Paula is right mold is no joke. I have a friend who is seriously ill due to toxic mold exposure. If you want to find out more google the site Global Indoor Health Network. While most people don't develop the serious complications my friend is experiencing when you become vulnerable the toxicity attacts your whole body.
Airstrams will and have always been prone to harbor mold. The outside skin is a leading condensatesurface and the temperature differential between the outside and inside of the trailer will sometimes trigger the air's dew point.
You can treat small areas of surface mold with a bleach-water mixture which will most like solve the problem. Wear a mask and gloves and allow the bleach enough time to do it's job before rinsing and cleaning.
The single most important thing you can do to control this problem is to pay attention to your inside air humidity and keep it in check. Condensate on windows and interior skin panels, including mouse fur and leatherette also will absorb moisture. The less moisture the less chance of mold contamination. Ideally no moisture means no mold. Mold needs this moisture to develop. It will not grow on DRY surfaces. I read all the time on this forum about people wishing their trailers were tighter and more energy efficiant. Perhaps they could be, but a little air movement through your trailer while costing you some money will go a ling way to promoting both the life of your trailer and your health in general. I'ts hard to compare the impact normal activities have on a space of roughly 150 to 250 sg.ft. as compared to living in a 2000 sg.ft. house.
Two people living in an Airstream that size is equivilant to having 20 people in your house. Have you ever noticed how uncomfortable things get when you have that many people over? Everybody begins taking off their jackets and eventually someone will crack open a couple of windows to get some "fresh air". Everytime you are in your trailer you are doing the same thing.
Condensation and mold ate here to stay. We all need to be educated and proactive.

[danlehosky]

PS, Lots of people are marketing ozone generators as devices to kill or control mold. Ozone generators are just another form of oxydation and are not effective for mold.
Dan

[c_lewis77]

I believe the ozone filtration kills airborne biological contamimates.
I think that humidity is the right track. I keep a dehumidifier with a auto pump and humidistat (delonghi) running at all times when my AS is parked to prevent mold/mildew.
I would remove the furnishings and they can be cleaned/aired out. It will make the clean up easier.

[danlehosky]

Home Depot has a 10.00 digital temp/humidity readout that I use. I've only had my trailer a short time so I have really been watching it. We have relatively mild damp (ok wet) winters. With my two fantastic fan vents just BARELY cracked open and a 1500 watt heater I was able to keep the inside temps in the 60's and the humidity in the high 40's. Our electricity is fairly cheap here and I saw about a 10.00 difference in my bill. I can live with that.
Dan

[c_lewis77]

Originally Posted by danlehosky

Home Depot has a 10.00 digital temp/humidity readout that I use. I've only had my trailer a short time so I have really been watching it. We have relatively mild damp (ok wet) winters. With my two fantastic fan vents just BARELY cracked open and a 1500 watt heater I was able to keep the inside temps in the 60's and the humidity in the high 40's. Our electricity is fairly cheap here and I saw about a 10.00 difference in my bill. I can live with that.
Dan

The Digital readout sounds like a nice thing to have, I will have to check it out. When I bought my trailer, it had some ongoing water intrusion issues that had not been dealt with by the PO leading to some interesting smelling interiors.
Removing as much of the interior (beds/couches, etc) as possible (especially the soft goods (mattresses, curtains, upholstered items) will help tremendously.
We are usually on the very high ambient humidity and temp range here in south coastal georgia. I keep the dehumidifier set at 40% and run the drain line out of the belly. The temp will usually get in the 100's in the summertime without the A/C running constantly, but keeping the humidity in check makes all the difference in keeping mildew/mold/ moisture related issues under control...especially with a 30 year old trailer.
Once I scrubbed the interior with bleach/water solution, ran the dehumidifier, and aired out the soft goods, the smell and problems went away.
The big task is to make sure you have all of leaks fixed as you clean everything up so you wont have to go through all of this again. I found that the existing carpet and pergo was damp underneath. I threw it all away, dried out the subfloor, painted with epoxy and installed new floors.

Good Luck!

[danlehosky]

C-lewis, for most people airborn mold is not a problem but some people as we are finding out are genetically predisposed to having no tolerance and the body is a perfect place for mold to thrive. My friedn was exposed and is very sick and going thru a round of treatments similiar to chemotherapy. Good luck, I think what you are doing is spot on.
Best
Dan
PS Lets get back to the serious issue of censorship on this forum.

[shadeemry]

All i can say, use a mold bomb fogger...very cheap, effiecent and safe.