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So I thought slapping together some CSS for my layout was hard. Just wait til you hear about my lovely discovery.

I was going through some of Caleb's toys in the living room this afternoon. He got so many new things for his birthday that I thought getting rid of some would be a great idea. I'm sure it would be, if I could get aroud to it. What I discovered, the proverbial tip of the iceberg, was some fuzzy greenish gray mold at the bottom of the two rattan (I think) baskets where we keep toys in the living room. The baskets live under the coffee table, over the area rug.

So I took the toys that were in the baskets out and put them in a box for cleaning later. I noticed, as I was crouched down on the floor, that the rug seemed faintly humid. So I dragged the coffee table off the rug (having to tip it on end to get it out of the way) and rolled up the rug. I carted the rug outside and draped it over a chair for better air flow, so it would dry faster. It's a nice and windy day today so I hoped that would help.

Back inside, I noticed a darkish spot where the rug had been. I moved the couch out to peek behind it, nothing. I pushed it back farther than it normally goes and, BINGO! About six tufts of mold growing (gross!) on the actual carpet; some are roughly the diameter of a golf ball, some smaller.

Of course I go to pieces. What am I going to do? Mold! So I push and maneuver the couch (on end too) to the opposite corner of the room. (I notice later it has some mold on the underside, but nothing compared to the carpet. I worry not about the couch.

NEXT to the couch, we had piled the mattress to our old futon. This futon lived in the computer/guest room at our old place, but here there was no room so it was waiting for the magic taxi to take it away. (How long have we lived here? Three months?) Of course, I check under the futon mattress. It's sloppily folded into something like fourths, and it's heavy, so I can only afford to peek under one corner. Oh yeah, more mold.

So I have a mold infested carpet and futon, and my couch is also infected. Did I mention I went to pieces?

So off I go and buy a carpet steamer thingy. I know this won't solve the problem, so I also call the housing maintenance office. It's after hours (I am a firm believer than nothing vital happens during office hours) so the answering service guy tells me he'll try to call the emergency maintenance people, but that he doesn't think THEY will deem it an emergency and thus I'll have to wait until morning. I understand... It's not like my house if flooding or any of my outlets are sparking. This is when I'm glad that I got the carpet steamer.

So now I'm waiting for my carpet to dry. I know there are little mold creatures hovering below the visible surface (and on it, since there are still smallish dark spots where the mold forest used to be). They are sitting there, reproducing, and laughing at me. "Hardy-har-har, you can't stop us!" They have their little mold thumbs up to their noses and are wiggling the other fingers in my face while sticking their nasty little mold tongues out... because there is nothing I can do now.

Of course the maintenance people haven't called me. I doubt they'll even call back in the morning, so I'll have to call again and use the I'm a pregnant-athsmatic-with-an-athsmatic-three-year-old card and hopefully somebody will come to my rescue.

The biggest downer (besides mold reproducing at will under my feet) is that they will probably tell me they have to replace some or all of the downstairs carpet and I'll have to pay for it.

To answer your questions, I have no idea how the floor got damp. One or two days ago Caleb spilled (ok, dumped) some Fruit2-O on the area rug, but not where the mold is. And that would be some truly lightning-fast-growing mold. The best I can surmise is that he spilled SOMETHING (probably nothing more than water, since there was no odor aside from the mold stink if you got close enough - which i don't recommend) before we left for WA and it went unnoticed. Then it got hot and the mold grew. Gross! To think the mold has been hanging out, waiting for me to get home, for weeks just taking it's sweet old time.

Anyway, in about three hours I can replace my couch on its four legs (away from moldville) and right the coffee table as well. The rug will just have to stay outside til tomorrow, and hopefully the maintenance people will come take care of the rest of the stealth mold under the carpet.

Oh... I forgot to mention the mold was also under Bryan's beloved Ikea chair. I think I can clean the mold off the wood base of the chair, but if not, it's off to trash city.