Mold in the ceiling...What should I do?

westend wrote:
And here we have it, run-way paranoia from a single event in Texas that happened many years ago. The back story: There was a family in Texas that built a custom home, said home had mold infiltration. For whatever reason, the family couldn't live with the house and sued all involved. Since the insurance company paid off the full price plus more for the plaintiff's emotional damages, a rash of mold claims began. This snowballed to the point that now all homeowners get a mold disclaimer clause from their insurance company. Anyone that sees mildew in their living space or even a mild discoloration from water is sure they are bound to die.

FRom the pictures posted, I see no evidence of mold in the OP's situation. Thew fact that they keep gnawing into their camper even after treating with mildicides just because of discoloration reinforces my belief they isn't a problem.

About mold: it needs an adequate surface, the correct temperature and humidity, and a food source. Remove any of these three and mold will not exist. Not all mold is toxic, in fact, very few.

To remove or abate mold: Scrub surface with a soap and mildicide. Ventilate and insure the excessive humidity can't reappear. You're done. I'm old school so I use bleach, or cleaners that have Phenol (carbolic acid) in them. Original Lysol is one. For ticklish situations like fabrics and such where bleach would ruin things, original Listerine also has Phenol. Spray it on and wipe.

One thing you shouldn't do is live in a state of constant anxiety about a little mold. The anxiety is worse for your health than the mold. The other thing unique to this situation is quit demolishing your ceiling because you see some discoloration.

Hope this helps.

Uh..thanks I guess. You said that you see no signs of mold in the pictures. Maybe it's not easy to see due to the light brown color but look again, it covers the foam board insulation and the wood I tore out of the ceiling in the closet. It's definitely mold. Surely you can understand why someone would find it disconcerting to have a fungus growing in their camper. Discoloration had nothing to do to with my "anxiety". I had splintering, rotted wood in a section of the closet ceiling. I removed it because it's rotten, worthless wood. When I did, I noticed mold. Knowing that that this part of the rv is not visible unless I poke my head in the closet and look up, I think it's ok to tear out the wood to investigate the mold further. I have since replaced the 2x2 section of wood I removed.