You can find a home inspector on the American Society of Home Inspectors' site [link] Home inspectors are private contractors, and, as far as I know, have no obligation to report killer mold to the government. The society's code says:

Inspectors shall not disclose inspection results or client information without client approval. Inspectors, at their discretion, may disclose observed immediate safety hazards to occupants exposed to such hazards, when feasible.

I had a pretty bad bout of mildew about four years ago, but it turned out that I had a leak in the roof. Fixing the roof and the liberal use of bleach and water solved the problem and it hasn't returned. If it's just mildew on surfaces, it's probably not killer mold.

Thanks for the advice-- it is all making sense. This is just a horrible time for me at the theatre and I have no transportation, so I am limited in how much I can so

I am worried about my mother's mental health, too, but not really any more worried than I have been my whole life-- she has been paranoid like this ever since I can remember. Ten years ago when I was living with her she would take small things I did (like hanging my coat on the only plastic hanger in the closet or not refilling the ice cube trays) as signs that I was going crazy and hated her. I am pretty sure she has untreated major depression, but I can't really get her to go to a health professional about it, and there is a limit to how much I can talk to her about it without her getting unreasonably angry (which is another one of her problems). Unfortunately, my grip on my mental health is tenuous enough that I tend to need to avoid my mother when she is like this because I get sucked in to the crazy.

I am thinking of calling my uncle's wife who lives near her and having her stop by, but that would be majorly weird for my family (we don't really talk between holidays)

I'm sorry, Sophia. You don't need to get sucked in to the crazy with your work load. Pass along the mold expertise and she should be able to manage a spray bottle of water and bleach (or vinegar). Maybe your uncle's wife knows a good realtor.

Those horrible cases you see on TV are all in the humid south.

We see them locally, flea. That said, it seems to me it's usually always in newish (for this area) homes.

It's possible that, like with radon gas, newer homes might have the potential for big mold problems -- newer homes are built more "airtight," and (although you'd think that would mean that mold would never get a chance to get in) so once mold gets in, there's no ventilation to dry it out.

Or I could be completely talking out of my ass.

Sophia, if the mold or mildew is only on the floor (or even the basement walls), I'd try Theo's bleach suggestion.

My brother's house (in Vermont) has a dirt-floor cellar, and when they bought it, there was a HUGE mold conglomeration that had taken up residence. Like, about 8 feet by 4 feet on the floor, and then going up the walls about 3 feet. It was this weird while almost billow-y mold. (I suspected it was that weird hallucinogenic underground fungus from that one episode of the X-Files. But no.)

Anyway, bleach and serious de-humidifying got rid of it.

I think this is a case where Extreme Makeover, Home Edition was not a good thing for my mother to watch.

I am thinking that I am either going to have to go out there and bleach or get my uncle's wife to do it. The uncle's wife helped her suck the water out of the basement.

Unfortunately, my grip on my mental health is tenuous enough that I tend to need to avoid my mother when she is like this because I get sucked in to the crazy.

I am thinking of calling my uncle's wife who lives near her and having her stop by, but that would be majorly weird for my family (we don't really talk between holidays)

Honestly, if extra support when people need it is weird for your family, I think it's time to be that weird! I say this coming from a very supportive family (of couse, not really me, since I live far away...), but it really does make all the difference sometimes.

Sophia, has your mom had her sodium levels checked recently? The worry loop you describe sounds eerily like what my dad was going through in the middle ground between deep depression and recovery as his sodium returned to the normal range. If that is a cause or contributing factor, it can be helped under a doctor's care with fairly simple measures—fluid restriction and salt tablets.

Sophia, what Jesse said about it being a good time to be weird. And your grip on your own mental health is pretty good if you're recognizing your limits, instead of also getting caught in the worry loop.

I think I might tell my mom to open the basement windows, get a dehumidifier and then call a home inspector (from another town, if need be) and let him assess the problem, before she starts to treat it with bleach.

My brother's house (in Vermont) has a dirt-floor cellar, and when they bought it, there was a HUGE mold conglomeration that had taken up residence. Like, about 8 feet by 4 feet on the floor, and then going up the walls about 3 feet. It was this weird while almost billow-y mold. (I suspected it was that weird hallucinogenic underground fungus from that one episode of the X-Files. But no.)

About a year before we bought this house, Scott and I almost bought a different house in the town where I grew up. It had a wet cellar (not dirt floor, though), and the people had never put in a sump pump. There were honest to goodness MUSHROOMS (toad stools) growing in one corner of the cellar. When I saw them, I think the realtor almost choked. She clearly hadn't noticed them, before.

The house we used to rent on Martha's Vineyard had a mushroom growing out of the wall next to the bathtub in summer 2005. I took a picture. That was a case of, "Oh, bathrooms need fans, especially in a maritime climate?"

The house I lived in in CT with a dirt floor cellar was quite dry, actually.

A whole bunch of cool sports photos: [link]

Basically, these are shots where the action is frozen in time, leading to wacky images. And stuff.