Considering moving into apartment with mold. Could it worsen hair loss?

Hi,

so my friend has a room he will let me live in for free. The problem is im worried the place has mold. It has a very "old house" smell when you walk into it. My hair right now is doing better and seems to be even stable potentially as of the last say 30-60 days. I don't want to do anything that will make my hair loss worse. I hate living at my current place and would love to move in with my friend.

I am just scared this possible mold would make my hair worse. It's a house that is a bit older in the los angeles area. What do you guys think? Am I being paranoid of should this be a real issue not to move in? Thanks

Is there water damage? What floor is it on? You can get a mold test done if you are that worried. It would be less than one months rent so if you are going to live there for awhile it would be worth it. There has to be a source of water somewhere so if you aren't in the basement I don't know how there would be water considering it rarely rains in LA (if there was a leak in the roof). You could also just get a really good air filter.

Thanks NGB. It is on the bottom floor. I don't think it's the basement because there is no floor above it. Its a one story house. There is a patio outside of it too. I don't see any water damage that I can tell. I don't see any visible mold....but some of the walls do have a slight dirty tint to them. There is a bathroom in the apartment too of course.

I mean it doesnt rain much in LA true but there can still be mold just from the shower or something right? I am planning on staying there many months. Where can I buy one of these mold test you speak about? Thx

Mold in your shower is nothing to worry about, just spray bleach on it. The horror stories you hear about mold are when there is a lot of water damage and I think it would be pretty obvious. You have to have a professional come out and test the air for spores. They run a machine for a period of time and it collects everything in the air. This should be hundreds of dollars but cheaper than 1 months rent I would think. I don't think there is a cheap at home test that would be accurate. Mold is everywhere so don't be freaked out if they find "black mold". They will try to get you to pay for expensive remediation if they find low levels so do your research to make sure the level is something to worry about. If you decide to get a good air filter do your research on that to (allergy forums, etc.) and don't get a cheap one. Make sure it says that it filters mold spores which are very small.

The moldy house smell is a giveaway. There always is *some* smell in the place to rent, just make sure you smell and suspect mold. Did you feel immediately better when you walked out of the house? Did your eyes water a bit? Learn how you react in presence of mold, and use it as a test in the future. Smell the curtains, sofa, carpet.

Imho, fungus is super detrimental to hair and sinuses. If I were you, I'd look for other options. But then I already know I am vulnerable and sensitive to fungus.

Thanks guys. Hmmm....what to do. I mean if the house did have a mold problem could it really make my hairloss worse? As in accelerate it or is this just being paranoid? It's the only issue that is keeping me from moving into my friends place. My hair is doing good right now and I dont want to take any chances. Im so frustrated with this.

yeah man i agree with rugrats. even if you don't smell anything, there's usually always mold at least somewhere. like if you walk into a house and you are wet and the water goes on the floor, there is a chance for mold to grow even if you don't smell it. i would seriously avoid it just because you know it is bad for your health regardless of your hair. and since you smell it.. you know there is something there, that should not be happening. if you have no other option, at least get theives oil and spray it around.