Daughters Apartment - Water in her bedroom from rain - what to do (1 Viewer)

[b-snatchers]

Hi,

I wanted to get opinions here on what to do. My daughter rented an apartment with two other women. It is on the ground floor. There is a window that is at the bottom of the outside stairwell and it looks like water got into her room from there.

She called maintenance and immediately received a call from the landlord to ask about it.

Maintenance came when she was at work (one of her roommates was there) and they said they knew what was the cause of this. They said a drain outside was blocked and they then took care of it.

Meanwhile, her room is soaking and the rug she put down is soaking as well. They didn't bring anything to dry it up and it remains like that now. She decided to sleep on the couch for the night.

I had her put in another request with maintenance and if that doesn't work, she has her landlords number from when he called yesterday. If she doesn't hear back from maintenance, she will call the landlord.

Someone suggested if she doesn't get a reply, that she should just hire a company to clean up the water and then deduct the cost from the rent.

I am most worried about mold in the room seeing that its on the ground floor.

Any recommendations here?

She does have rental insurance too but I figured it was up to the landlord to clean up the water.

Thanks!

 

[ffjunk]

How hard is it to just clean up the water? Waiting and paying someone and then arguing over who is responsible would take more energy, time and frustration than to just soak it up and be done with it. Just my 2 cents.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

How hard is it to just clean up the water? Waiting and paying someone and then arguing over who is responsible would take more energy, time and frustration than to just soak it up and be done with it. Just my 2 cents.

This.

Mold in your daughter's apartment is her landlord's problem. Let them deal with it. If they won't, she should just find another apartment. F 'em,

 

[b-snatchers]

How hard is it to just clean up the water? Waiting and paying someone and then arguing over who is responsible would take more energy, time and frustration than to just soak it up and be done with it. Just my 2 cents.

Yes that makes sense. I am stopping by later today to access the issue. I thought the carpet was wall to wall but its just a run she put down herself. If the landlord doesn't dry things up, I will just have her do it herself

 

[b-snatchers]

How hard is it to just clean up the water? Waiting and paying someone and then arguing over who is responsible would take more energy, time and frustration than to just soak it up and be done with it. Just my 2 cents.

This.

Mold in your daughter's apartment is her landlord's problem. Let them deal with it. If they won't, she should just find another apartment. F 'em,

Agreed its her landlords problem. Not sure its easy to find another apartment as she is 1/4 thru her lease....I guess she could break her lease if she finds mold and he does nothing about it....

 

[BassNBrew]

Contact maintenance and then contact the landlord. Your lease probably addresses doing repairs yourself and likely states the landlord isn't responsible to reimburse you. Technically the rug is probably her responsibility, but if a restoration company is ealing with the other water then cleaning her rug probably wouldn't be an issue.

 

[BassNBrew]

How hard is it to just clean up the water? Waiting and paying someone and then arguing over who is responsible would take more energy, time and frustration than to just soak it up and be done with it. Just my 2 cents.

This.

Mold in your daughter's apartment is her landlord's problem. Let them deal with it. If they won't, she should just find another apartment. F 'em,

Agreed its her landlords problem. Not sure its easy to find another apartment as she is 1/4 thru her lease....I guess she could break her lease if she finds mold and he does nothing about it....

Yes, just review the lease and follow the notification requirements to the landlord before just breaking the lease.

 

[whoknew]

What state is this? Self help rules vary from state to state. Also - look at the least.

 

[MTskibum]

When we were visiting my parents over christmas their water softener in the basement broke and flooded their basement around the water softener. We all just pitched in, using a carpet cleaner to suck the water from the carpet and then put space heaters/towels on it.

Glad it wasn't my house but that happened early into the visit and there was not even a slight mildewy smell when we left.

 

[b-snatchers]

What state is this? Self help rules vary from state to state. Also - look at the least.

Massachusetts

 

[whoknew]

What state is this? Self help rules vary from state to state. Also - look at the least.

Massachusetts

Here's a good summary of tenant's rights in Massachusetts.

 

[beer 30]

Not for nothing but remediating the area as quickly as possible is optimal. The longer that sits wet, the worse the ramifications. Need a dehumidifier and probably a fan to get the water out if everything is soaked.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Are we just talking about a wet rug or is there more to this?

 

[KingPrawn]

See if the landlord has some industrial fans or heaters to help dry things out. A shop vac or as previously mentioned carpet cleaners should help as well. If he doesn't have any rent some from a local hardware store. Work with the landlord on paying for the leasing of the necessary equipment

 

[arrow1]

If you have a dehumidifier, get that running in there.

 

[Snotbubbles]

I had this problem in my house from the rain we had on 1/9/2024. Not quite comparable since this is home owner vs. renter.

But here's what I had to do. I had an insurance adjuster and a water remediation walkthrough my house. They have this device that will show you where water is behind your walls. They mark the all the spots, remove all the drywall and insulation. Set up fans and dehumidifiers to dry the damaged areas. The adjuster is working with my insurance company to get the claim done and paid. The source of my water was I have problems with my roof, but it's only 4 years old so it's still under warranty. I had a 3rd party roofer come out yesterday to assess (so I know what is wrong, where it is wrong and what needs to be done to remedy) and today I have the roof guy who installed the roof to come out to coming out to assess. Once the roof is repaired/replaced through the warranty and the insurance company approves the claim, I'll sit down with the water remediation companies repair guys to go over costs to reinstall insulation, dry wall, flooring, paint, etc.

I would say the first step for your daughter is to notify the landlord since he'll be the one that would have to start a claims process. You have to find the cause of the water and remedy that or else you will run into other issues like mold.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

Are we just talking about a wet rug or is there more to this?

This.

If it’s behind the drywall and soaked into the insulation- that MUST come out. The insulation will never dry out (takes months and there WILL be mold).

Wet carpet pad must also be removed if it’s on concrete or gypsum (sound deadener that looks like concrete)

GL!

 

[DA RAIDERS]

How much water came in? If it was a standing couple inches of water, then she should consider remediation (landlord) or moving. Because behind the walls will not dry out unless they get in there and replace the insulation, etc.. if it was just a small amount of water, it still gets bit back there, a couple of rented industrial fans from Home Depot, or wherever would probably do the trick.

i’ve had to deal with water twice. once as a renter when the sewage backed up. for that one I moved out for four days while the landlord dealt with it. I deducted the four days from the rent, called it even. The other time was as a homeowner. a pipe burst and I did it myself, with my contractor buddy. We stripped the laundry room and the hallway of about 4 feet of drywall from the floor up. rented the fans, heaters, dehumidifiers, etc. painted the inside of the walls with the De-mold nasty agent, orange paint, and sealed it back up. I caught whiffs of that agent orange paint for years., but hey, no mold.

 

[b-snatchers]

Thanks for all of the responses. I do have an update:

Went there last night to access the damage. The maintenance people did bring over an industrial fan yesterday (never told them he was coming), so most of the water was gone from her room except her rug which we removed.

I did notice that the utility closet that they called about a while back that had water in it (never came out to look at it) was gone of water because they must have removed the pumped used to drain out their humidifier. The humidifier was draining into this closet all along. Once they got the pump in, (not sure who removed it), the water was gone for the most part. I did notice what appears to be mold inside the closet, I have attached pictures to see what everyone thinks.

My options are to go there over the weekend and remove it all or have her called the landlord again to remove it (They were negligent as they didn't remove it when contacted earlier and they didn't properly remove the dehumidifier water out of the closet. Thoughts?

https://imgur.com/a/zNsRFuD

https://imgur.com/a/zyowj1t

 

[jobarules]

I'm not expert but that don't look good to me

 

[Osaurus]

I'd just take care of the mold yourself. Light bleach/water solution should be fine based on the pics

 

[ChiefD]

I would not tear one thing out of there. That's the landlords job.

 

[El Floppo]

No renters insurance?

 

[b-snatchers]

No renters insurance?

She does. Just wondering if its the landlords job or her job to clean it out. So are you recommending she hires professions to clean it and use her renters insurance to pay for it?

 

[Dr. Octopus]

No renters insurance?

She does. Just wondering if its the landlords job or her job to clean it out. So are you recommending she hires professions to clean it and use her renters insurance to pay for it?

It's the landlord's responsibility to provide a livable space.

 

[El Floppo]

No renters insurance?

She does. Just wondering if its the landlords job or her job to clean it out. So are you recommending she hires professions to clean it and use her renters insurance to pay for it?

It would be my first call. Followed by landlord or landlord rep.

 

[beer 30]

No renters insurance?

She does. Just wondering if its the landlords job or her job to clean it out. So are you recommending she hires professions to clean it and use her renters insurance to pay for it?

It would be my first call. Followed by landlord or landlord rep.

This, all of this. Don't touch it yourself, it's on the landlord to fix and there's a lot more work there than you want to get into.

 

[Doug B]

Maybe because of many recent post-hurricane experinces ... but around here (New Orleans metro), even terrible mostly-negligent landlords will treat water intrusion very seriously and with haste. Can't understand why the landlord isn't all over this. If I were the landlord, and my maintenance staff were half-arzing this, I'd be P.O.'d.

@b-snatchers , is this a large, corporate-run property (like dozens of units or more)? Or is it a smaller set of units or even a double (home converted into two apartments)? Is there an actual landlord that she sees around frequently, or just a corporate face in an office an hour away? Is the landlord someone she could actually walk up to and have a chat?

 

[Doug B]

I'd just take care of the mold yourself. Light bleach/water solution should be fine based on the pics

Yep. This is your immediate first-pass remedy for those mildewed wood boards in the closet. I'm surprised the closet wasn't drywalled and carpeted in an apartment, but no matter).

The bleach solution will kill the "heads" of the mold/mildew organisms but will not kill the "roots". So you'll apply the bleach and get rid of the smell for a while ... but over time the mold/mildew will return. To head off regrowth, you wait maybe a week or two after the bleach solution dries and saturate the same area with a spray bottle full of good ol' white kitchen vinegar. Don't need to use any fancy cleaning vinegar from a home store--the plain white stuff from the grocery store will work just fine.

The vinegar will kill the "roots" of the mold/mildew and buy you a lot more time. Or maybe even solve the problem (in the closet) for good if the water intrusion issue gets resolved.

Something else: Not so much for the moldy boards as for the overall "air quality" in the closet that moldy boards cause (to prevent moldy-smelling clothes) ... get a pair of dehumidifying bags to hang in the closet. They'll keep the ambient moisture content in the closet low and thus retards mold/mildew growth. And dehumidifying bags can help diagnose moisture issues in that closet. If the bags can draw enough moisture out of the closet air to fill up in, say, two weeks ... that's a problem. If it takes more like six weeks or more ... that's acceptable. I'm assuming this is not an MTV Cribs-style walk-in closet ... just a typical apartment or 1960s-70s suburban home closet.

 

[b-snatchers]

Maybe because of many recent post-hurricane experinces ... but around here (New Orleans metro), even terrible mostly-negligent landlords will treat water intrusion very seriously and with haste. Can't understand why the landlord isn't all over this. If I were the landlord, and my maintenance staff were half-arzing this, I'd be P.O.'d.

@b-snatchers , is this a large, corporate-run property (like dozens of units or more)? Or is it a smaller set of units or even a double (home converted into two apartments)? Is there an actual landlord that she sees around frequently, or just a corporate face in an office an hour away? Is the landlord someone she could actually walk up to and have a chat?

I believe its a large company. She doesn't see the landlord - only talked to him when he called her initially after reporting water in her room. She just sent out the request about the mold issue so we will see where that goes. I agree they should want to deal with this immediately. It does say in her lease to notify the landlord immediately if there is any water leakage

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I agree with everyone else. Don’t touch it yourself. It looks like mold. I contact the landlord immediately. He may not know about it. See what he does and than contact insurance.

 

[b-snatchers]

I'd just take care of the mold yourself. Light bleach/water solution should be fine based on the pics

Yep. This is your immediate first-pass remedy for those mildewed wood boards in the closet. I'm surprised the closet wasn't drywalled and carpeted in an apartment, but no matter).

The bleach solution will kill the "heads" of the mold/mildew organisms but will not kill the "roots". So you'll apply the bleach and get rid of the smell for a while ... but over time the mold/mildew will return. To head off regrowth, you wait maybe a week or two after the bleach solution dries and saturate the same area with a spray bottle full of good ol' white kitchen vinegar. Don't need to use any fancy cleaning vinegar from a home store--the plain white stuff from the grocery store will work just fine.

The vinegar will kill the "roots" of the mold/mildew and buy you a lot more time. Or maybe even solve the problem (in the closet) for good if the water intrusion issue gets resolved.

Something else: Not so much for the moldy boards as for the overall "air quality" in the closet that moldy boards cause (to prevent moldy-smelling clothes) ... get a pair of dehumidifying bags to hang in the closet. They'll keep the ambient moisture content in the closet low and thus retards mold/mildew growth. And dehumidifying bags can help diagnose moisture issues in that closet. If the bags can draw enough moisture out of the closet air to fill up in, say, two weeks ... that's a problem. If it takes more like six weeks or more ... that's acceptable. I'm assuming this is not an MTV Cribs-style walk-in closet ... just a typical apartment or 1960s-70s suburban home closet.

I am going to wait to see if landlord responds and then if not do it myself. Why not just start with the white kitchen vinegar and forgo the bleach? Just curious

 

[Doug B]

Maybe because of many recent post-hurricane experinces ... but around here (New Orleans metro), even terrible mostly-negligent landlords will treat water intrusion very seriously and with haste. Can't understand why the landlord isn't all over this. If I were the landlord, and my maintenance staff were half-arzing this, I'd be P.O.'d.

@b-snatchers , is this a large, corporate-run property (like dozens of units or more)? Or is it a smaller set of units or even a double (home converted into two apartments)? Is there an actual landlord that she sees around frequently, or just a corporate face in an office an hour away? Is the landlord someone she could actually walk up to and have a chat?

I believe its a large company. She doesn't see the landlord - only talked to him when he called her initially after reporting water in her room. She just sent out the request about the mold issue so we will see where that goes. I agree they should want to deal with this immediately. It does say in her lease to notify the landlord immediately if there is any water leakage

I'm assuming she's already done this ... but your daughter also needs to make sure the rental office staff are also aware of the issue (goes double if she's on friendly terms with them). Even if they're not in the "chain of command" per the lease, rental office staff can usually pull some levers for a tenant with a serious problem. Basically, you just want as many people with pull (even a little pull helps) as possible to know what's going on.

If she's ever had a friendly conversation with someone on the maintenance staff, or if she knows any by name, she should chat them up about this. Not that they'll run over to her apartment ASAP and fix everything, but it will help to get the problem on another radar.

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I'd just take care of the mold yourself. Light bleach/water solution should be fine based on the pics

Yep. This is your immediate first-pass remedy for those mildewed wood boards in the closet. I'm surprised the closet wasn't drywalled and carpeted in an apartment, but no matter).

The bleach solution will kill the "heads" of the mold/mildew organisms but will not kill the "roots". So you'll apply the bleach and get rid of the smell for a while ... but over time the mold/mildew will return. To head off regrowth, you wait maybe a week or two after the bleach solution dries and saturate the same area with a spray bottle full of good ol' white kitchen vinegar. Don't need to use any fancy cleaning vinegar from a home store--the plain white stuff from the grocery store will work just fine.

The vinegar will kill the "roots" of the mold/mildew and buy you a lot more time. Or maybe even solve the problem (in the closet) for good if the water intrusion issue gets resolved.

Something else: Not so much for the moldy boards as for the overall "air quality" in the closet that moldy boards cause (to prevent moldy-smelling clothes) ... get a pair of dehumidifying bags to hang in the closet. They'll keep the ambient moisture content in the closet low and thus retards mold/mildew growth. And dehumidifying bags can help diagnose moisture issues in that closet. If the bags can draw enough moisture out of the closet air to fill up in, say, two weeks ... that's a problem. If it takes more like six weeks or more ... that's acceptable. I'm assuming this is not an MTV Cribs-style walk-in closet ... just a typical apartment or 1960s-70s suburban home closet.

I am going to wait to see if landlord responds and then if not do it myself. Why not just start with the white kitchen vinegar and forgo the bleach? Just curious

I don’t touch it until a mold remediation company sees it. If it’s really bad behind the wall, you ”fix” what you can see, they might not do the required work in 6 months because there’s little to no visual evidence because you cleaned up the outside. FWIW, the mold behind the wall in my house was much worse than what I could see

 

[Doug B]

I am going to wait to see if landlord responds and then if not do it myself. Why not just start with the white kitchen vinegar and forgo the bleach? Just curious

You know what? In that closet, on unfinished boards ... you could start off with vinegar.

The main reason to use bleach on many materials is that it, well, bleaches the dark mold/mildew "heads". I mean, yeah, vinegar will kill the heads just like bleach will. However, you'll still have dead mold "heads" discoloring you drywall (say). Bleach takes care of that discoloration.

But on those unfinished boards that no one's seeing? Feel free to use vinegar straight away.

 

[Doug B]

I don’t touch it until a mold remediation company sees it. If it’s really bad behind the wall, you ”fix” what you can see, they might not do the required work in 6 months because there’s little to no visual evidence because you cleaned up the outside. FWIW, the mold behind the wall in my house was much worse than what I could see

I agree here IF the source of moisture is unknown or unlikely to be unresolved in the near term. Furthermore, I generally feel like the calculus is different between being a renter versus an owner. B-snatcher's daughter's stake is different than the landlord's. As long as the landlord is cooperating and getting the due remediation to happen ... it's fine to wait for all the best-practices stuff to be done. However, if she's going to have to go for months with a moldy closet and no one seems motivated to move on the problem ... you gotta do what you gotta do. Others' mileage may vary.

Around here, with our humidity and rainfall, everyone has mold in their walls. It's just a matter of degree.

 

[El Floppo]

I wouldn't "fix" anything I don't own.

Everybody responsible for that property needs to know and see what the problem is and then advise.

If there's no advice after they've seen it, then tell them about whatever is is you're going to do and let them say yes/no.

 

[GroveDiesel]

No renters insurance?

She does. Just wondering if its the landlords job or her job to clean it out. So are you recommending she hires professions to clean it and use her renters insurance to pay for it?

It would be my first call. Followed by landlord or landlord rep.

Renters insurance is probably only going to pay for her stuff that was damaged. So maybe the rug.

That is definitely mold in the closet.

What material are the exterior walls made out of where the water leaked in? If there was enough water intrusion to soak an area rug, I’d be concerned with what might be growing inside the walls without opening them up and drying them out

 

[El Floppo]

No renters insurance?

She does. Just wondering if its the landlords job or her job to clean it out. So are you recommending she hires professions to clean it and use her renters insurance to pay for it?

It would be my first call. Followed by landlord or landlord rep.

Renters insurance is probably only going to pay for her stuff that was damaged. So maybe the rug.

That is definitely mold in the closet.

What material are the exterior walls made out of where the water leaked in? If there was enough water intrusion to soak an area rug, I’d be concerned with what might be growing inside the walls without opening them up and drying them out

Exactly... Insurance will pay for the rug and any nights needed to spent away and/or moving and storage costs if work is being done there

 

[beer 30]

Yep. This is your immediate first-pass remedy for those mildewed wood boards in the closet. I'm surprised the closet wasn't drywalled and carpeted in an apartment, but no matter).

The bleach solution will kill the "heads" of the mold/mildew organisms but will not kill the "roots". So you'll apply the bleach and get rid of the smell for a while ... but over time the mold/mildew will return. To head off regrowth, you wait maybe a week or two after the bleach solution dries and saturate the same area with a spray bottle full of good ol' white kitchen vinegar. Don't need to use any fancy cleaning vinegar from a home store--the plain white stuff from the grocery store will work just fine.

The vinegar will kill the "roots" of the mold/mildew and buy you a lot more time. Or maybe even solve the problem (in the closet) for good if the water intrusion issue gets resolved.

Something else: Not so much for the moldy boards as for the overall "air quality" in the closet that moldy boards cause (to prevent moldy-smelling clothes) ... get a pair of dehumidifying bags to hang in the closet. They'll keep the ambient moisture content in the closet low and thus retards mold/mildew growth. And dehumidifying bags can help diagnose moisture issues in that closet. If the bags can draw enough moisture out of the closet air to fill up in, say, two weeks ... that's a problem. If it takes more like six weeks or more ... that's acceptable. I'm assuming this is not an MTV Cribs-style walk-in closet ... just a typical apartment or 1960s-70s suburban home closet.

If Doug B doesn't work in the remediation industry than he's missing an opportunity.

Great post! We just recently discovered those dehumidifying bags Doug mentions in his post. They are legit

 

[DA RAIDERS]

I don’t touch it until a mold remediation company sees it. If it’s really bad behind the wall, you ”fix” what you can see, they might not do the required work in 6 months because there’s little to no visual evidence because you cleaned up the outside. FWIW, the mold behind the wall in my house was much worse than what I could see

I agree here IF the source of moisture is unknown or unlikely to be unresolved in the near term. Furthermore, I generally feel like the calculus is different between being a renter versus an owner. B-snatcher's daughter's stake is different than the landlord's. As long as the landlord is cooperating and getting the due remediation to happen ... it's fine to wait for all the best-practices stuff to be done. However, if she's going to have to go for months with a moldy closet and no one seems motivated to move on the problem ... you gotta do what you gotta do. Others' mileage may vary.

Around here, with our humidity and rainfall, everyone has mold in their walls. It's just a matter of degree.

Agreed

 

[DA RAIDERS]

No renters insurance?

She does. Just wondering if its the landlords job or her job to clean it out. So are you recommending she hires professions to clean it and use her renters insurance to pay for it?

It would be my first call. Followed by landlord or landlord rep.

Renters insurance is probably only going to pay for her stuff that was damaged. So maybe the rug.

That is definitely mold in the closet.

What material are the exterior walls made out of where the water leaked in? If there was enough water intrusion to soak an area rug, I’d be concerned with what might be growing inside the walls without opening them up and drying them out

Judging by how high the water marks went up the wall, there was significant water and enough time for the wood to really get saturated.

 

[GroveDiesel]

No renters insurance?

She does. Just wondering if its the landlords job or her job to clean it out. So are you recommending she hires professions to clean it and use her renters insurance to pay for it?

It would be my first call. Followed by landlord or landlord rep.

Renters insurance is probably only going to pay for her stuff that was damaged. So maybe the rug.

That is definitely mold in the closet.

What material are the exterior walls made out of where the water leaked in? If there was enough water intrusion to soak an area rug, I’d be concerned with what might be growing inside the walls without opening them up and drying them out

Exactly... Insurance will pay for the rug and any nights needed to spent away and/or moving and storage costs if work is being done there

If any temporary moving out is required for remediation, I’d definitely be pushing for the owner’s insurance to cover that. That seems to be the standard for projects of mine for property management clients.

 

[Doug B]

If Doug B doesn't work in the remediation industry than he's missing an opportunity.

I've had to take the opposite tack from DA RAIDERS in my own home more than once -- that is, I've had to do light mold remediation on my own home myself. One time in advance of a professional home inspection that was going to specifically pass/fail a self-remediated bathroom for remaining contamination. My remediation job passed -- though the mold inspector did hook me up a good bit by first coming out as I was set to start the work -- recommending where to start, subtle things to look for, helpful products, etc.

 

[GroveDiesel]

No renters insurance?

She does. Just wondering if its the landlords job or her job to clean it out. So are you recommending she hires professions to clean it and use her renters insurance to pay for it?

It would be my first call. Followed by landlord or landlord rep.

Renters insurance is probably only going to pay for her stuff that was damaged. So maybe the rug.

That is definitely mold in the closet.

What material are the exterior walls made out of where the water leaked in? If there was enough water intrusion to soak an area rug, I’d be concerned with what might be growing inside the walls without opening them up and drying them out

Judging by how high the water marks went up the wall, there was significant water and enough time for the wood to really get saturated.

I could be wrong, but I think the water in the closet impacting the wood may be different than the water that came in from the window.

But yeah, I’d want that mold impacted wood removed. Wood is a porous material. It’s very difficult to get it completely cleaned without sanding it. I would typically recommend that it be removed and if not removed then I would recommend: HEPA vacuumed, cleaned with an anti microbial solution using a wire brush, HEPA vacuumed again, sanded, and then coated with an anti microbial encapsulant.

I’d want to know what it looks like behind that wood too though. Chances are whatever it’s mounted on has mold growth as well.

 

[b-snatchers]

No renters insurance?

She does. Just wondering if its the landlords job or her job to clean it out. So are you recommending she hires professions to clean it and use her renters insurance to pay for it?

It would be my first call. Followed by landlord or landlord rep.

Renters insurance is probably only going to pay for her stuff that was damaged. So maybe the rug.

That is definitely mold in the closet.

What material are the exterior walls made out of where the water leaked in? If there was enough water intrusion to soak an area rug, I’d be concerned with what might be growing inside the walls without opening them up and drying them out

Judging by how high the water marks went up the wall, there was significant water and enough time for the wood to really get saturated.

I could be wrong, but I think the water in the closet impacting the wood may be different than the water that came in from the window.

But yeah, I’d want that mold impacted wood removed. Wood is a porous material. It’s very difficult to get it completely cleaned without sanding it. I would typically recommend that it be removed and if not removed then I would recommend: HEPA vacuumed, cleaned with an anti microbial solution using a wire brush, HEPA vacuumed again, sanded, and then coated with an anti microbial encapsulant.

I’d want to know what it looks like behind that wood too though. Chances are whatever it’s mounted on has mold growth as well.

The water in the closet was from the dehumidifier being drained in there without the pump attached. The water in her room was supposedly from a blocked vent (we got a lot of rain the other day). We are getting more tonight so it will be interesting to see what happens in her room.

 

[Chadstroma]

I am confused.... she let the water just sit there? Are we talking damage to something or are we talking needing to dry things out? It really isn't maintenance job to clean up water in this case. That is really her responsibility (welcome to adulthood hon!) I dont know why you would just leave a throw rug wet on the floor. It sounds like that is it?

Mop up the water. If there is still a lot of moisture, maybe rent an air mover to blow on it for a while. Throw the rug in the dryer if small enough or take to the cleaners. If it costs money check with landlord or insurance to recover that $50 or so this should all cost.

 

[Doug B]

The water in the closet was from the dehumidifier being drained in there without the pump attached.

Just as an aside: The maintenance crew never heard of a bucket? Sheesh.

 

[Doug B]

I dont know why you would just leave a throw rug wet on the floor. It sounds like that is it?

Mop up the water.

Need @b-snatchers to clarify but I got the impression that it was a throw rug on top of carpet, and it's both the throw rug and the underlying carpet that's wet.

@b-snatchers , what was the day that she first noticed the water coming into her bedroom? Has this been sitting a week already, or are we like 48 hours in?

 

[Chadstroma]

I dont know why you would just leave a throw rug wet on the floor. It sounds like that is it?

Mop up the water.

Need @b-snatchers to clarify but I got the impression that it was a throw rug on top of carpet, and it's both the throw rug and the underlying carpet that's wet.

@b-snatchers , what was the day that she first noticed the water coming into her bedroom? Has this been sitting a week already, or are we like 48 hours in?

Yea, time frame is important. If a rug and if it is been sitting there a long time then there may be more to do. If it was overnight then you should be good with running an air mover on it for a long time after trying to get what moisture out you can before.