Mold under laminate floor

[Dadzapnin]

We have a Flagstaff 25' trailer we bought new in 1995. I've noticed around the bath and kitchen area, the vinyl floor is becoming discolor end with what looks like black mold. It's coming from under the floor since the surface is clean. We've had a couple of water leaks. How is the best way to fix this????

[branditigger]

First thing you should do is get the area opened up to see where your problem is from the leakes you had, remove any wet material and any rotted wood, some times this just can be air dried however wood will warp and splinter after being wet and then dried. I would use a mixture of bleach and water to clean the area however if there is a fire restoration company near by they sell a spray for this type of problem,getting it dried out is the important thing here and insuring the leaks dont return, after you get every thing back in place and your flooring glued back down caulk around your tub and around the floor area,use 100% silicone and when using the chemicals use eye protection gloves and a mask make sure you get all the wet stuff out Hope this helps!

[jtrader]

In our lives mold is literally a killer so we take it very seriously. The most important thing has already been said....dry it out. THe only way to truly kill it once it's dry is to use chemicals. Bleach works and the more the better. Some people say just a few tablespoons per gallon but if that were my only tool I'd have a cup to a gallon to be sure. You have to let the bleach solution dry completely just like you did for the first dry out.

Instead of bleach we use a spray called Sporicidin. Anytime we find the hint of mildew or mold it is decontaminated to the DNA level with it. They use this stuff in mold remediation and even crime scene cleanup. It's pricey but it goes a long way.

After you get it dried out you still have to find out where it came from. My first question would be is the damage near an outside wall? If so the water is most likely coming in from the ends of the flooring material. A lot of times the factory doesn't seal the siding on the bottom and the water seeps into the ends of the subfloor. If it isn't an outside wall you most likely have a leak in your plumbing or nicks in your laminate. I hope you've already solved the problem but I wanted to throw my two cents your way to see if it helps.