# The old lady who swallowed a fly



## Rose Pink (Sep 23, 2008)

Remember the childhood song about the old woman who swallowed a fly?
http://www.poppyfields.net/poppy/songs/oldwoman.html

She swallows a spider to catch the fly.  She swallows a bird to catch the spider and so on and so on.

I feel like I'm living a version of that song.

We had a small mold problem in a closet in the basement from a small hairline crack that allowed water to seep in.  It was behind drywall so it took a year to become evident.  From another thread on Tug I learned about a product to encapsulate the mold and prevent further problems.  It was supposed to be free of VOCs.  Trouble is, no one had it in stock and DH decided he needed a product right away.  Lowe's (big box store) sold him something else that he sprayed heavily in the closet.  The odor is horrific.  I have had fans blowing and all the windows open.  I happened to see the empty can in the trash and decided to read what it was--a product called Copper Green.  I also read the label which said it was for outdoor use only.    I also stated the odor would be long-lasting.   

I mentioned this to DH and he said he had read most of the label but not that part.  This is a highly intelligent man but sometimes . . . .  Anyway, he had the idea that since we couldn't wash it out of the wood and the concrete (he'd first suggested I try my steam cleaner--no, I said, that wouldn't work) we should cover it up with paint.  Since it was an oily product it would need an oil-based paint to cover it up.  Out came all of the partially-used spray paints he'd been collecting over the years.  He spent quite some time in the very small closet spraying various colors over the Copper Green.  The VOCs from the spray paint mingled with the odor from the Copper Green.  I kept poking my head in to make sure he was still standing as it was taking a very long time for him to paint.  I think he emptied about 10 cans.  I wondered if he'd passed out from the fumes or if he was just really enjoying the fumes.  I asked him if he was okay and he snapped at me.  That told me that, yes, he was still standing, and no, he was not getting high.  Good on both counts.

The windows are still open, the fans are still going, the fumes are still strong and sometimes burning the eyes.  The door to the room is closed to try to keep the fumes from the rest of the house.

Now, DH is saying that maybe he needs to find some other kind of paint to cover the spray paint that he used to cover the Copper Green.  

Remember the end of the song?  The old lady swallowed a horse.  She's dead of course.


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## dgdbloe (Sep 23, 2008)

Hate to ask  but is the mold gone?
Not so sure covering with paint is the best idea-till you know for sure mold is gone and not coming back

We had a mold problem and were told that bleach/water best solution-then someone told us that some molds break apart and form new colonies from bleach and at first it just appears that the bleach worked.

Gotta love those fix it yourself but don't read all directions guys-- I have one,too


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## wackymother (Sep 23, 2008)

Maybe call the manufacturer? I'm worried about those fumes.


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## Rose Pink (Sep 23, 2008)

Yes, the mold is gone.  DH used a very strong bleach solution and doused it all down very thoroughly.  He let that dry for a week or so.  He also patched the hairline crack inside and outside with some sort of black roofing tar to keep the water out.  What he needs to do is change the direction of the lawn sprinklers so they'll stop hitting the house.  I haven't won that argument yet.

When I came home late this afternoon, I found he had just painted latex paint over the spray paint and announced that now all he could smell was the latex.  And at first, that's all I could smell, too.  But, now . . . .


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