Natural Birth & Parenting
I'm not really sure where I want to put this, so I figured I'd do it here first and then maybe ask in the Babies group to see what they thought.
We live in an apartment building with really crappy windows that leak and are growing mold. My DF has already scrubbed them with bleach water once, and the maintenence won't do anything about either the windows or the mold. We unfortunately don't have the money to move anywhere else
My question is: how bad is it for my two-month-old to be living in this environment? I keep forgetting to ask her Ped. While we don't have the money to move, I can, if the need arises (and have already threatened to because of the cold), go live with my Dad, but he's five hours away and I don't really want to take her that far from her doctor, nor do I think I could manage without my DF, as he'd have to stay here to work. We mght be able to go stay at DF's dad's place, but all our stuff is in this apartment, and his dad's place doesn't have anything for us to sleep on, whereas my dad's place has an extra bed for DD and me.
I don't know what to do anymore. I also suspect that I'm allergic to mold, as I've had trouble in the past around it and am, at the moment, dealing with headaches and a runny nose, but right now, that could be from anything.
Replies
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I believe black mold is very dangerous. Not sure about others.
But I think your land lord has to take care of the problem. Look over your lease and if it is, in fact, their obligation, you have legal right to withhold rent until they fix it.
And/or what about switching apartments in the same complex? -
Can you buy some window molding yourself from lowes and put it up? That's what my DH did in the house we are renting. We can't make any permanent changes, and there is NO mold yet, but we wanted to make sure. It was relatively cheap too, about $30 for the whole house.
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My DF read over the lease agreement when we moved in and it says that the management is not responsible for mold. Apparently, they're not responsible for much of anything, as we've been having trouble with sinks backing up and overflowing as well, and all they do is come in and drain it and say it's fixed. Shoot, I know how to take the u-bend out and drain the sink; it's not a backed up in our apartment, it's in the main pipe in the wall, as the apartment adjacent to ours has the same problem.
We're living in a three bedroom, and all the three bedroom apartments are on the same side of the building. Unfortunately, when Hurricane Sandy went through, the wind was blowing the rain right at our bedroom window, which is how I figured out the window leaks. The water was pouring in and soaking the carpet, and we've already been told that everyone on this side of the building is having the same problems.
I have considered getting some of that plastic sheet stuff that people use to seal windows, but I don't know if that would just make it worse or not. It would hopefully help the cold air leaking problem, but I'm afraid that if we seal up the window that the mold will just get worse and we'll be held responsible and made to pay to clean it up.
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Report the building to the state.
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Are they responsible for leaky windows?
You guys got shafted! I hope you can find a better living situation! -
We told them the window was leaking. We told them about the mold. And all they did was come in and fix the damaged paint on the wall.
Mommy2justone, I hadn't thought about doing that.
The date on the inside of the circuit breaker box says the building was built in '72. The date on the inside of the window says the (I assume) last time they were replaced was '92. I think. I don't want to go look. DF and I were living with his father, but after I got pregnant, we decided it would be better to move in with his mother so she could help us with the baby. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, this was the only place she could find before the lease where she had been living was up, and there wasn't enough room in the other place for four adults and an infant. Plus, there was mold there, too. DF and I are trying to save money so we can move back to the place where his dad lives after the lease here is up, but we're not having much luck.
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A news story about a baby hospitalized for it. Not to scare you, but it its very bad for baby and you. It can cause severe illnesses.
http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/Black-mold-hospitalizes-Jasper-baby/IStj5p9O2ke_W8b9AtlAAA.cspx
Info on your states air quality laws. Despite being in the lease, it may still be their legal obligation to repair. Contract your local housing authority And public health.
http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/Black-mold-hospitalizes-Jasper-baby/IStj5p9O2ke_W8b9AtlAAA.cspx -
Thanks for the links. I figured it was bad for her. I think we may be going to my dad's whether DF and I like it or not.
Quoting mrsrobin:
A news story about a baby hospitalized for it. Not to scare you, but it its very bad for baby and you. It can cause severe illnesses.
http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/Black-mold-hospitalizes-Jasper-baby/IStj5p9O2ke_W8b9AtlAAA.cspx
Info on your states air quality laws. Despite being in the lease, it may still be their legal obligation to repair. Contract your local housing authority And public health.
http://www.cbs42.com/content/localnews/story/Black-mold-hospitalizes-Jasper-baby/IStj5p9O2ke_W8b9AtlAAA.cspx -
I would get the foam stuff. It's like a tape roll. It peels off with heat applied to it (like a hair dryer).
ETA: kinda like this stuff. It's a quick fix, and wouldn't last long. It'd be worth it to putting up while working with the apartments/the state that way things don't get worse while you wait. We don't usually use bleach, but we bleached all the surfaces before putting this in.
http://www.lowes.com/pd_127201-1410-R516WH_0__?productId=1009793&Ntt=foam+weatherstrip&pl=1¤tURL=%3FNtt%3Dfoam%2Bweatherstrip&facetInfo=Quoting mnmbaby:
My DF read over the lease agreement when we moved in and it says that the management is not responsible for mold. Apparently, they're not responsible for much of anything, as we've been having trouble with sinks backing up and overflowing as well, and all they do is come in and drain it and say it's fixed. Shoot, I know how to take the u-bend out and drain the sink; it's not a backed up in our apartment, it's in the main pipe in the wall, as the apartment adjacent to ours has the same problem.
We're living in a three bedroom, and all the three bedroom apartments are on the same side of the building. Unfortunately, when Hurricane Sandy went through, the wind was blowing the rain right at our bedroom window, which is how I figured out the window leaks. The water was pouring in and soaking the carpet, and we've already been told that everyone on this side of the building is having the same problems.
I have considered getting some of that plastic sheet stuff that people use to seal windows, but I don't know if that would just make it worse or not. It would hopefully help the cold air leaking problem, but I'm afraid that if we seal up the window that the mold will just get worse and we'll be held responsible and made to pay to clean it up.
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Two products that I have found to get rid of mold is the Thieves household cleanser and diffusing Thieves essential oil. You can learn more about it here kim.marketingscents.com/goland7
http://www.oil-testimonials.com/1354066 These are testimonials that you can read about people who have problems with mold and what they used...just do a search for mold