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It's alive in the bathroom, and I'm a single mom scared to death. We just moved into this house not long ago.
This is our first home, and you name it we've seen it.
Mice, fungus, wasps, ants. Most of the mice are gone, killed the ants and bees are dormant.
One big problem remains. There are mushrooms growing behind my toilet. Any tips or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
I have seen mushrooms growing near the base of a toilet, on an overhead garage door's wooden panels, on fence posts, living trees and in crawlspaces. A mushroom is actually a fungus that grows on wet or damp wood or in a location with high humidity. I would keep the children and pets away from the growth until it is removed.
Simply pluck the mushroom off the floor or wall while wearing rubber or protective gloves. Wear a painter's mask to prevent breathing in any loose fungal spores. Once the fungi have been removed, you can inspect the floor or wall for decay damage.
When near a toilet, the decay problem could be caused by a leak from the toilet tank or by a damaged wax ring that is used to seal the toilet bowl to the collar on the sewer pipe. Stand facing the toilet bowl and try to rock the bowl back and forth. If it is even slightly loose the toilet's seal will need to be repaired or replaced. You can also check the flooring or wall with a sharp tool or screwdriver or visually inspect the flooring from a basement or crawlspace.
If the toilet needs to be removed for repairs, I would recommend hiring a professional plumber. Once the toilet has been removed, the damaged flooring or wall studs can be replaced with materials of a similar type and size. If the sewer pipe is to be left uncovered during the repairs, the opening should be stuffed with rags or wads or paper to prevent sewer gases from entering the home or from dropping in debris that could eventually block the sewer.
A mushroom is the fruiting body created by a mycelium. If it's prosperous enough to create a fruiting body, it means it's gotten into something big and seriously degraded it -- probably wood, possibly load bearing.
As all know, this is a symptom of something much, much worse. The mushroom is the tip of a much bigger iceberg, and you need to find out what it's growing in, and why.
I have ran into a exact same problem in my house some months ago.
What I did was the following
1. Physically remove all existing mushrooms
2. Pour fungicide on the area
3. Cut around the wood and drywall.
4. Replace a the patch with treated wood.
5. Fix any leaks that could have been the source for dampness. In our case it was due to a leaky roof that ran down the side of the house.
6. Replace drywall as necessary and use the drywall that is made for bathrooms specifically which handle more moisture.
7. Add better ventilation to the area to reduce moisture buildup.
When working with fungus please make sure to wear goggles, gloves, respirator, and have windows open to not trap in the scent.