How dangerous is this wet-carpet-in-my-basement-apartment situation for me?

That happened a few times a couple years ago in my basement bedroom. Mildew and/or mold started growing right away, and no matter what we did to dry it out, it smelled bad from that day on. When we replaced the carpet, the smell went away and my allergies (which I had thought was something I just had to live with) got much better.
While I had the carpet, I remember having clothes that I left on the floor for too long get moldy. That was horrible.
I don’t have any suggestion as to how to fix it, but I know from experience that the carpet will never dry out completely (even if it looks dry) and it will make life difficult. Get your landlord on it ASAP, especially if you’re sensitive to allergens like mold.

I don’t care how much the fan dries the carpet, mold is growing. Mold even likes it better when the water is sopped up and it is merely damp. But they aren’t able to get it dry in the bottom of the carpet even if it feels dry on top.

And, if it is getting it it means the floor and the walls are damp too. Any wood in the structure is getting wet and then subject to mold and dry rot.

If it were me, I would look to move as soon as possible. Good Luck!

Mold can grow very quickly. If you dry it out completely very quickly before the mold grows there does not have to be mold. If you are sensitive to the smell, meaning you notice when things smell musty, or when towels smell “wet” as my husband calls it, then you would likely smell if mold is growing. Best thing is to pull the carpet back and look. If there is mold, they need to remove it. Just drying out the area is not enough. Do not disturb the mold if you see it, because then it can release spores into the air. Some molds can kind of sit there and not cause too much harm or be noticed until someone picks at it or disturbs it and then mold is flying through the air. The mold also can be in the insulation behind the drywall, that happens very quickly.

Mold is not just am allergy problem, it is a you can get very ill problem.

I just moved into a new apartment and there was a very very bad mold problem in the garbage disposal and pipe connecting the disposal. Really really bad. I know there were spores all over my apartment, I won’t get into the long story. When they removed it they did not take the correct precautions, which pisses me off. But, I have had the air conditioner on consistantly and no areas are wet, and I feel confident it will be ok now.

@zenvelo That’s what others have told me, and what I feared was probably happening. @JLeslie I am not particularly sensitive to smells like that and maybe that’s why I didn’t notice the smell until this morning when it was clearly worse than before. It is not a good smell though and seems fairly obviously to be the “smell” of mold, from what I’ve gathered about that scent over my life so far….

Alright, thanks guys, I will call again and get on them until they do something about it.

@deni Some people don’t smell it easily. My husband is not as affected as I am. If they don’t do anything to fix it you can call the health department. I did that to double check areas are no longer wet and to make sure there is no mold hyphae in the wood under my sink. Again, long story. Costs me $75 I think. There is a little handheld meter that can detect if something is wet. Probably you should move out of there. It doesn’t matter if they fix it, it will happen again.

It looks like you have already gotten your answer – there is mold in your apartment. There was mold when you moved in.

Hope they address the water soon. They also need to address the mold. Yuck.

@JLeslie Right :( I love this apartment, but it is a little expensive for me anyhow, I’m just in a (long story) really difficult place as far as housing is concerned. Living alone in this town is too expensive and otherwise I’m shacking up with people I don’t know, which I’ve done before but I’m over that and don’t want to do it again. I don’t have any friends looking to move soon either, and my boyfriend said no to living together. I feel very stuck, and this mold situation is making the matter worse and urgent. UCK!!

@deni That does suck. I empathasize. I had a horrible two weeks dealing with my problem. You can’t find a roomate through your job?

@JLeslie My job is actually about 10 minutes outside of town and unfortunately almost all of my coworkers live right near the restaurant that we work at. I kind of refuse to live outside of town, as it defeats one of the major reasons I moved here—to be able to basically bike or walk anywhere I want. And rent is slightly cheaper out there, but not enough to compensate. So I’m stuck and, even when I was looking for places in August, it was like anything I found didn’t even apply to me. One bedrooms too expensive, multiple bedrooms means living with strangers, cheaper rent means moving outside of town. It is the central stressor in my life right now. Shucks.

It doesn’t sound like the apartment is habitable. Contact the landlord tenant association in your area. they should help you get out of the lease. And also keep the landlord from re-renting that apartment.

They should pull up the carpet and replace the pad at the very least! If you can smell it it probably is growing. I would probably ask for new carpet if the floor is the only thing that is wet. You should also get a rent credit for the days you can’t stay there.

@deni Most roomates I lived with turned out to be just fine, but I did have a bad one or two. You might try letting people know you are looking for a new place and roomate, just put the word out and see if a friend of a friend sort of thing. One of my best roomates I came across that way. Also, some roomate services do a background check I think.

What about a room for rent temporarily?

@deni if you don’t get a response from the landlord soon, contact the health department. You should not be in an apartment with mold and mildew, it may cause long term lung problems.

@JLeslie I never had a problem living with strangers until my last two consecutive roommates. Though they were both fine at first they quickly got comfortable and made for really unpleasant living situations. Another issue is my cat. He hates other living things and is constantly miserable with another cat or dog. Most people have at least one of those, so that’s an obstacle too.

@Tropical_Willie I called the rental company and talked to the woman that I spoke to yesterday. I am waiting for a call from my actual landlord anytime now.

Call the health inspector!
Mold spores are growing without one seeing it.
By the time one can see the mold it has probably tripled its spores!
It is not safe to breathe in this atmosphere!
Carpets should had been torn out years ago!
Bare floors and area rugs only in places where water or snow repeatidly occurrs.
Talk to your local Landlord tenant agency for your rights, can even compensation for an overnight stay in comfortable motel or Hotel paid for by this landlord!
That will speed things up.

Take pictures and keep a diary of all the flooding and the dates and times you called the landlord.
You will need that as evidence when you make a claim.

You should have the carpet professionally cleaned and charge the landlord. Make it clear you will do that EVERY time it floods – for the landlord’s protection of course.. That will be expensive and might be the impetus needed to get the landlord to fix the larger issue.

The tenant is not responsible to get it cleaned, her landlord is.

@Inspired_2write She can tell the landord she is going to do it and deduct it from her rent payment. The problem is, the mold is probably in the padding, and cleaning will not solve the problem. However, it can suck the water out of the carpet and retard the spread of the mold. If she is living there she needs to make it as good an enviironment as possible for now.

Why in the world would she stay even one more day?
She is entitled to compensation now,a place to stay that is safe.
That is reasonable.
She should be checking with her Landlord Tenant Agency for regulations and reposibilities of both her and her landlord.
Landlord is to suppy a clean well kept apartment.(safe).

@Inspired_2write From what she wrote, I don’t think she is moving out right away. It isn’t simple. I know better and am very affected by mold spores flying through the air in large quantities, and I stayed for over a week, even though I think it can shorten my life. It isn’t so simple.