A strange favor. What is this?

[bbailey]

Ok, I have a strange favor to ask, but I figured someone here may be able to help.

I'm moving into a new place and during the process I found on rather grungy looking areas in the W/D closet and A/C closet. I figured they were just dirt that had been missed by the cleaning crew. With all of the stories about mildew and mold I've heard, I thought I would check to see if that was the case, since it isn't easy to tell since I don't have experience with that kind of thing. Probably just dirty, but I though I'd ask just in case.

I took a few photos and though I would post them and see what others could make of it. I've already got my landlord looking into it, but figured I could always use a second opinion.

Below are links to full size jpegs (about 500k each) of photos I took of the areas I'm refering to. If anyone had any feedback that would be great.

Image 1
Image 2
image 3
image 4
Image 5

Thanks,
Ben

[Bill]

Try bleach on mildew. Should go away immediately.

Replace any vent hoses.

Check with a fungus person at A&M biology. City or county health department may help.

Try 2X to 5X magnification. Gotta see the details and I don't know if that is sufficient. Simple microscopes go way up there, so may need to take samples.

[Cope]

Looks like the maintenance crew did a poor job of cleaning. Clean with bleach or Lysol and keep a look out.

[gardener]

The dryer vent is a combination of dirt and mildew. If it's this bad around the outside opening then it's inside the wall too.
The vented door (HVAC closet?) is mostly dirt but because of the location and air being sucked through the vent every time the unit comes on, there are also traces of mildew. The black areas around the door trim is dirt sucked in or out because the HVAC unit is sealed incorrectly.
The dirt can be cleaned off with any good household cleanser or even dishsoap. As noted before by others, the mildewed areas can be treated with bleach (one cup plain laundry bleach in a gallon of warm water), dried well, and then primed with any good primer to seal.
Note that part of the problem at the dryer vent is that the hose is shot and is leaking warm air and moisture onto the wall as it exhausts. Replace the dryer hose (about $6) and use the appropriate clip to attach it to the vent and you'll likely never see the problem on the wall again.

[bbailey]

Thanks everyone. I will make sure my landlord gets this fixed. Once fixed this shouldn't be anything to worry about from a health standpoint, correct?

[chempilot]

wow ben, what apartment complex is that? it's definitely mildew+dirt. i've noticed that stuff around some of the appliances in my place too when i lived at doux chene. like every one said it comes off with lysol or bleach and a scrub brush. but keep an eye on it. sometimes the mildew get under the paint and the becomes a real pain in the a$$ to remove....