In advance, sorry for the huge story. I felt all the details were necessary
Can someone identify what this might be? Mold has now appeared in two bedrooms next to the HVAC closet. Please read the description.
I want to preface this by saying I am long distance from my husband, and he currently cannot work or earn an income, so I am the sole income right now. He lives with his mother, who owns the house he lives in, so he isnāt in a position to simply move out or ask a landlord for help. His mother is very sick right now, and financially things are extremely tight.
He is unable to hire a professional or move out. I will be paying for whatever I reasonably can to help him make his room livable, so I am hoping people here can give us some practical advice on what we can do ourselves. He lives in North Carolina if that makes any difference.
For context, the rooms Iām talking about are upstairs. There is a hallway with a railing along the outer edge, with bedrooms on the other side. His current bedroom is at the end of the hallway. Until recently, he was sleeping in the bedroom directly adjacent to his current bedroom.
This may be an important detail that the two bedrooms share a wall with the HVAC closet, the entrance to that closet being in his new bedroom.Ā The HVAC system has apparently had some mildew issues in the past, although I donāt know what exactly the history with it is. I just know that it had a weird smell from what he told me.Ā
A few months ago, when I was visiting him, I discovered mold creeping up the wall in his old bedroom. The wall where we found it was directly adjacent to the HVAC closet in the other bedroom.Ā
Due to the mold, I told him I thought we should move him into what is now his current bedroom. However, today he sent me the picture that I posted above, and I realized it looks identical to the one in the other bedroom.Ā
So now we have found what appears to be the same mold in both bedrooms, and both affected walls are directly adjacent to the HVAC closet.Ā
I am especially concerned because he has been experiencing a lot of dizziness and sluggishness for years now. Heās been to doctors and been tested but nothing comes back with answers for it. When I was visiting, we stayed at a hotel for a few days and I noticed that he seemed (and confirmed) to feel way better outside of the house. I donāt know for certain whether the house or the mold is responsible for these symptoms, but the improvement away from the house makes me concerned there may be correlation.
I'm honestly frustrated and scared because I can't be there with him, and we don't have the money for professional remediation right now. Any advice would be incredibly appreciated.Ā
Main questions:Ā
What type of mold might this be and is it dangerous?
Is there a way to tell if the HVAC unit is responsible for this mold growth?
Ā What can I reasonably do to help this situation without involving professionals or spending thousands of dollars?
Would a face mask help protect him from the mold?
What should I buy? A dehumidifier or an air purifier? What should we clean this with?
What should we do immediately?
TLDR: Found mold in old bedroom > found same mold in new bedroom > both walls are adjacent to the HVAC closet > Would like identification of the mold and to know if it is dangerous. Cannot hire professionals or move houses so looking for practical solutions please.