The Coin Return Foundational Fundraiser is here! Please donate!

sentient white mold

Mai-KeroMai-Kero Registered User regular
edited March 2009 in Help / Advice Forum
So, I was storing some wax cubes and fragrance oil that goes with a candle set I bought a long time ago in the medicine cabinet above my sink. I opened it today to look for something, and discovered that there was this weird spongy veiny-looking white stuff under the wax cubes (which are sealed in plastic.) It's very springy, and bounced back when I prodded it.

I'm guessing this is some kind of mold. It's attached to the shelf, which is wood, I think, with white paint on it.

Is this probably dangerous? Have I already breathed in too much?

What's the safe way to remove it?

Mai-Kero on
«1

Posts

  • As7As7 Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Probably not. It was in an enclosed area and it doesn't sound like there was a lot of it. Only certain molds are dangerous to your health, really, and generally when it's a problem it's because it's attacked your walls or bed cushion or something large.

    Don't sweat it too much. Toss the cubes, clean the shelf with diluted bleach and you'll be fine. Watch the shelf for the next few days and if it comes back you may need to remove the infected area.

    As7 on
    XBOX Live: Arsenic7
    Secret Satan
  • Zilla360Zilla360 21st Century. |She/Her| Trans* Woman In Aviators Firing A Bazooka. ⚛️Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Fascinating.
    They are usually mostly harmless. Definitely take a picture (for science!) though, you never know if you might have found a new genus/species.

    Zilla360 on
  • EskimoDaveEskimoDave Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Zilla360 wrote: »
    Fascinating.
    They are usually mostly harmless. Definitely take a picture (for science!) though, you never know if you might have found a new genus/species.

    Never take that attitude with mold. Ever. If I had attitude at work I could fucking have an early death.

    There are types of white mold (any mold really) that when breathed in can settle in your lungs and continue to grow. The only way to get rid of it is to remove parts your fucking lungs. It can also get in your ear canal and give you a brain infection (think something along the lines of Meningitis).

    Use coke on it to remove it. Then put some coke on a sponge and scrub it clean. Should clean the entire cabinet to be sure. Make sure it completely dry when you are done. Also wear a particulate respirator (aka dust mask). N95 rating should be fine.

    EskimoDave on
  • Mai-KeroMai-Kero Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    EskimoDave wrote: »
    Zilla360 wrote: »
    Fascinating.
    They are usually mostly harmless. Definitely take a picture (for science!) though, you never know if you might have found a new genus/species.

    Never take that attitude with mold. Ever. If I had attitude at work I could fucking have an early death.

    There are types of white mold (any mold really) that when breathed in can settle in your lungs and continue to grow. The only way to get rid of it is to remove parts your fucking lungs. It can also get in your ear canal and give you a brain infection (think something along the lines of Meningitis).

    Use coke on it to remove it. Then put some coke on a sponge and scrub it clean. Should clean the entire cabinet to be sure. Make sure it completely dry when you are done. Also wear a particulate respirator (aka dust mask). N95 rating should be fine.

    Oh jesus now I'm terrified. I shower in that room every day. Should I go have x-rays taken? Does mold show up on x-rays?

    Mai-Kero on
  • SzechuanosaurusSzechuanosaurus Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    Is it at all possible that this is in fact some sort of oil or gelatine that has separated from the candle wax and/or the fragrance oil?

    Szechuanosaurus on
  • GoodOmensGoodOmens Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    I'm going with Szechuanosaurus's theory, especially when it bounced back when you poked it. Probably just wax/oil from the cubes.

    Though I'd like to see a picture if you could provide one. This stuff sounds cool.

    GoodOmens on
    steam_sig.png
    IOS Game Center ID: Isotope-X
  • BowenBowen Sup? Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    EskimoDave wrote: »
    Zilla360 wrote: »
    Fascinating.
    They are usually mostly harmless. Definitely take a picture (for science!) though, you never know if you might have found a new genus/species.

    Never take that attitude with mold. Ever. If I had attitude at work I could fucking have an early death.

    There are types of white mold (any mold really) that when breathed in can settle in your lungs and continue to grow. The only way to get rid of it is to remove parts your fucking lungs. It can also get in your ear canal and give you a brain infection (think something along the lines of Meningitis).

    Use coke on it to remove it. Then put some coke on a sponge and scrub it clean. Should clean the entire cabinet to be sure. Make sure it completely dry when you are done. Also wear a particulate respirator (aka dust mask). N95 rating should be fine.

    Mmm. What?

    Bowen on
  • Bliss 101Bliss 101 Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    EskimoDave wrote: »
    Zilla360 wrote: »
    Fascinating.
    They are usually mostly harmless. Definitely take a picture (for science!) though, you never know if you might have found a new genus/species.

    Never take that attitude with mold. Ever. If I had attitude at work I could fucking have an early death.

    There are types of white mold (any mold really) that when breathed in can settle in your lungs and continue to grow. The only way to get rid of it is to remove parts your fucking lungs. It can also get in your ear canal and give you a brain infection (think something along the lines of Meningitis).

    Yeah. Many black molds are poisonous and allergenic. White molds can destroy your face, brain and lungs. Zygomycotic infections are rare and you generally need to have an underlying infection/malignancy or a compromised immune system to be susceptible to them, but it does seem prudent to avoid contact with molds and their spores.

    Bliss 101 on
    MSL59.jpg
  • BowenBowen Sup? Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    That's terrifying.

    Bowen on
  • MichaelLCMichaelLC In what furnace was thy brain? ChicagoRegistered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Someone needs to post that video of the zombie-ant spores.

    Because ants use scented candles too!

    MichaelLC on
  • EskimoDaveEskimoDave Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Mai-Kero wrote: »
    EskimoDave wrote: »
    Zilla360 wrote: »
    Fascinating.
    They are usually mostly harmless. Definitely take a picture (for science!) though, you never know if you might have found a new genus/species.

    Never take that attitude with mold. Ever. If I had attitude at work I could fucking have an early death.

    There are types of white mold (any mold really) that when breathed in can settle in your lungs and continue to grow. The only way to get rid of it is to remove parts your fucking lungs. It can also get in your ear canal and give you a brain infection (think something along the lines of Meningitis).

    Use coke on it to remove it. Then put some coke on a sponge and scrub it clean. Should clean the entire cabinet to be sure. Make sure it completely dry when you are done. Also wear a particulate respirator (aka dust mask). N95 rating should be fine.

    Oh jesus now I'm terrified. I shower in that room every day. Should I go have x-rays taken? Does mold show up on x-rays?

    You should be fine. Just put a mask on and clean it with some Coca-Cola Classic.

    EskimoDave on
  • SzechuanosaurusSzechuanosaurus Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    What's with you and cleaning everything with coke eskimodave? Your house must be hella sticky. Can't a guy just use some Detol?

    Szechuanosaurus on
  • BowenBowen Sup? Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Coke has some causticity on par with battery acid. It's slower acting though.

    Bowen on
  • SzechuanosaurusSzechuanosaurus Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    And not as refreshing.

    Szechuanosaurus on
  • BowenBowen Sup? Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    :^: Touché.

    Bowen on
  • Limp mooseLimp moose Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    what if you eat mold

    like the kind on bread D: will that kill you too?

    You guys have me terrified of mold now.

    Limp moose on
  • CelestialBadgerCelestialBadger Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    If mould was that dangerous we'd all be dead. I certainly would.

    Kill it with bleach! Significantly better than Coca-cola at killing mould.

    CelestialBadger on
  • EndomaticEndomatic Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Limp moose wrote: »
    what if you eat mold

    like the kind on bread D: will that kill you too?

    You guys have me terrified of mold now.

    Probably not, but you'd get a stomach ache.

    Endomatic on
  • tsmvengytsmvengy Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Limp moose wrote: »
    what if you eat mold

    like the kind on bread D: will that kill you too?

    You guys have me terrified of mold now.

    Depends on how moldy the bread is...

    tsmvengy on
    steam_sig.png
  • ArrathArrath Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    I think if you ate the mold your stomach acid would mostly take care of it. Though could it nest in your esophagus at all?

    And I second Bowen, this is horrific information.

    Arrath on
  • contrabandcontraband Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    tsmvengy wrote: »
    Limp moose wrote: »
    what if you eat mold

    like the kind on bread D: will that kill you too?

    You guys have me terrified of mold now.

    Depends on how moldy the bread is...

    guy did an experiment. guy ate progressively moldier things to prove they were harmless. he toasted month-old moldy bread, and said it tasted fine. guy was ok. i don't have the source.

    not all molds are deadly. similarly, some molds will fuck you up. it depends.

    contraband on
    sigxw0.jpg
  • DarkewolfeDarkewolfe Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Take a picture, because we want to see.

    The shelf is made of wood? Depending on how it was sealed, you may have to remove the part that had the mold, as the porous nature of wood makes it more likely to still have spores. Also, I think white mold in the home is actually usually growing on wood (so it's not the cubes fault).

    Is the mold under the cubes but inside the bag, or do you mean it was growing under the cubes so you didn't notice it? If it's inside the bag, it's probably the wax melting and doing weird things.

    If it IS mold, it shouldn't have just been growing for no reason in there. Is the area damp most of the time? If so, you should figure out why. Maybe something is leaking. If it's just the humidity from your showers you should find a way to better ventilate.

    Darkewolfe on
    What is this I don't even.
  • FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    The only way to kill mold-wood without cutting it out is to utterly soak it in bleach.

    When we moved into our new house as a kid, the back porch constantly got more green and white when it got humid. Mom bleached that porch until the very dark wood was stark white.

    FyreWulff on
  • DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    Also worth noting is that unless the exposure is chronic (like going to the same job site day after day and tearing down mold-infested drywall or something), it mostly just happens to people with weakened immune systems. Hell, you probably have all sorts of staph in your nose and on your hands right now.

    Doc on
  • FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    what have you done doc

    now people are going to start putting bleach in their tubs

    and/or take coca cola baths

    FyreWulff on
  • As7As7 Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Mai-Kero wrote: »
    EskimoDave wrote: »
    Zilla360 wrote: »
    Fascinating.
    They are usually mostly harmless. Definitely take a picture (for science!) though, you never know if you might have found a new genus/species.

    Never take that attitude with mold. Ever. If I had attitude at work I could fucking have an early death.

    There are types of white mold (any mold really) that when breathed in can settle in your lungs and continue to grow. The only way to get rid of it is to remove parts your fucking lungs. It can also get in your ear canal and give you a brain infection (think something along the lines of Meningitis).

    Use coke on it to remove it. Then put some coke on a sponge and scrub it clean. Should clean the entire cabinet to be sure. Make sure it completely dry when you are done. Also wear a particulate respirator (aka dust mask). N95 rating should be fine.

    Oh jesus now I'm terrified. I shower in that room every day. Should I go have x-rays taken? Does mold show up on x-rays?

    Uh, I hightly suggest he takes the advice of myself and Doc, a few posts above. No need to freak out, just clean it up.

    And to back my opinion up I'm going to pull out the fact that I am not only a microbiologist but I also diagnose mold species for a living.

    As7 on
    XBOX Live: Arsenic7
    Secret Satan
  • proXimityproXimity Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    This thread is STILL useless without pics

    proXimity on
    camo_sig2.png
  • Dark MoonDark Moon Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Jesus, people. Overreact much? It's a single, small colony that, by the description, doesn't even exhibit any spore dispersal structures (which would be evident as a "fuzz" on the colony). Unless he starts snorting stuff off the mycelium, he's not going to breathe in enough spores to pose a health risk.

    Toss some bleach on the area, let it sit for a while, repeat a few times if you're paranoid, and chances of there being enough viable spores left to cause health problems are really, really low. I do not support the use of cola as a fungicide - it would be fungistatic, at best.

    Dark Moon on
    3072973561_de17a80845_o.jpg
  • DemerdarDemerdar Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    You are going to die, seek medical help immediately.

    Demerdar on
    y6GGs3o.gif
  • ArrathArrath Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Demerdar wrote: »
    You are going to die, seek medical help immediately.

    Be sure to have them send us pictures of the mold colonies in your lungs.

    Arrath on
  • DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    Arrath wrote: »
    Demerdar wrote: »
    You are going to die, seek medical help immediately.

    Be sure to have them send us pictures of the mold colonies in your lungs.

    it will be easy to take the pictures because your lungs will be sitting on the operating table next to you

    Doc on
  • CasualCasual Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle Flap Flap Flap Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Mould on bread is almost completely harmless I was once told its mostly penicillin or something. Mould in your building isnt bad unless you get chronic exposure to it breathing it in once wont have an effect but now you know its there get rid of it.


    Oh and post pictures for science!

    Casual on
  • Mai-KeroMai-Kero Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    So, I can't really figure out how to get the manual focus to work on my camera and everything is white so it won't zoom in properly and focus.

    In any event, I did two things. One: took these pictures.
    100_0517.jpg
    100_0518.jpg


    Two, prodded at it with a Q-Tip. It seems to be like a solid sheet. It came away when I tugged a bit, and it really looks like a sort of latexy-type-thing that you get when cheap paint peels away. Except more wet.

    I can't tell if it's really mold now, or just the oil from the bottle that was sitting on its side (and some definitely leaked out) mixing with the weird paint and doing stuff.

    I'm pretty much entirely sure it's the latter though, since the weird stuff seems to be continuous with the shelf, and now, you know, growing out of it as I would expect mold to look like. Also, the underside of the little bag the wax cubes are in is pretty much completely clean, except for an open corner where it looks like the wax mixed with the oil.

    Mai-Kero on
  • RUNN1NGMANRUNN1NGMAN Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    That looks like paint that's been soaked with something. If it's oil based paint (or probably latex-based for that matter) and oil leaked all over it, that would explain things.

    RUNN1NGMAN on
  • NightDragonNightDragon 6th Grade Username Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Yeah, that looks like bubbling paint to me...though there are some weird formations there, "mold" isn't actually the first thing that popped into my head.

    NightDragon on
  • ArkanArkan Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    It's definitely paint, I've been in some old buildings where the paint looked exactly like that in some spots.

    Arkan on
    Big, honkin' pile of WoW characters
    I think it's hard for someone not to rage at mario kart, while shouting "Fuck you Donkey Kong. Whose dick did you suck to get all those red shells?"
  • Dark MoonDark Moon Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    That's not mold. Clean it with a sponge.

    Dark Moon on
    3072973561_de17a80845_o.jpg
  • FyreWulffFyreWulff YouRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    that's waterlogged latex paint

    FyreWulff on
  • Mai-KeroMai-Kero Registered User regular
    edited March 2009
    Awesome. The veiny part does look kind of sweet though, doesn't it?

    Mai-Kero on
  • DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited March 2009
    old paint can make your face melt and your balls fall clean off

    so be careful

    Doc on
Sign In or Register to comment.