Q: Just noticed that a black substance (could it be mold) has filled the cracks between the pre-finished floor boards in a small area (about 2 foot by 3 foot) of my bedroom hardwood floor. There was a spill of a DampRid Moisture Remover container in that area just a few months ago. I’ve removed some of it using sewing needles to scrape it off, but much more remains.
Any suggestions on how to deal with this?
A: Perhaps a bit of bleach on a cloth, using a dull knife to get the cloth down as far into the tiny groove possible. It’s one of the draw backs of this type of floor. Spills are more likely to find their way under the floor and can take a while to completely dry. This doesn’t mean you now have a mold problem. Mold has to have the right environment to continue.
Similar Q: I have noticed some quite large black patches/marks on the wooden floor in our bedroom, which must have developed very recently. It looks almost like burn marks and even the wooden baseboard has a dark marks, almost as if someone used a blowtorch on it. My partner has made a (bad) habit of leaving his dirty clothes in that particular spot which sometimes consists of damp gym clothes, could this be the what has caused those black marks? We have underfloor heating so I suspect this may also be a factor.
A: Damp clothing left sitting on a warm floor sounds like a good breeding ground for mold. Unless there is a small leak nearby, that is likely the cause.