Black residue? Def. Not mold or mildew...

This morning something pretty unusual occured that still has me stratching my head and I cant come up with any explination or find anything similar to it on the internet so thought I'd share it here and maybe get some ideas.

When I woke up, I started the coffee pot and proceeded toward "My" diesignated bathroom do my biz as I normally do.
Still half asleep, I plop down on the toilet and not so more than a few seconds looked down at the visible seat between my legs and noticed it was black... I immediately jumped up and looked back down to see if I was still dreaming but low and behold the entire seat of the toilet was covered in a dark greyish blackish residue.
It looked like someone had wiped it down with a dirty shop rag that had black grease all over it. I touched it and it did not come off easily but with some pressure I was able to swipe some up with my finger and it was powdery, not greasy as I'd expect.
It was only on the actual toilet seat and covered every square inch of the top and the sides but nothing on the underneath of the seat nor on the lid or base of the toilet itself.
We also keep a pretty clean house other than a little pet hair and few dishes in the sink so I can assure you it's not mold or anythign that has built up and that would be inside the toilet anyway. I also used this bathroom last night along with my wife and it was Not like this.

I showed it to her and she was just as baffled as I was but just kind of blewit off as she does most things strange.
I then wetted a few pieces of tp and wiped it off before I even thought about taking a picture of it and now I'm more than curious about what the hell it could be.

I cannot come up with any explinations for this black powdery residue.



On a side note:
I dont know if what i have posted above has anything to do with paranormal activity or not but I wanted to also mention this. My wife and I bought and have lived in this house for 2 years. I havnt ever really noticed anything signifigant to make me think it's haunted but I do get a very strange and uncomfortable feeling from one of our back bedrooms. I dont even really like being in there durring the day time much less at night and I'm a grown man. My wife thinks it's just me but I've made remarks about it on occation.

With saying that, several weeks ago, I took a piece of lunch meat out of the fridge right before goign to bed as i sometimes do and to bed i went. The next day, my wife complained that I left the package unzipped and thought surely i didnt, i remembered zipping it back up. Oh well, no biggie.. A couple of nights later, i was guilty again of sneaking a piece of ham from the fridge and KNOW FOR A FACT that I zipped it back up because I was thinking about the incident from a few days ago where my wife found it open. The next day, I was going to give my dogs thier meds with and we use the lunch meat to hide thier pills.. The ham package that I know for a fact I had zipped back up and placed in the fridge, was all the way open. Not just a little unzipped like it didnt get pulled all the way, it was 100% open all the way.. That made me have an instant feeling like somethign was toying with me...



[edit on 17-11-2009 by ls1cameric]

reply to post by ls1cameric


Well I am not too familiar with Poltergeist, ghosts, spirits, etc but I do know that sometimes there is a "substance" left behind, especially in areas with reported poltergeist activity. You may want to research that a bit. But it is probably something mundane (always best to look at the more reasonable explanation first ), I would still research it further though. Keep us updated....

How about a pic?

Thanks!

Well, you've got my attention. I've seen that black residue too. Not just on the toilet, but on my wall in my kitchen, fridge and plastic storage containers. And yes, I do regular house cleaning. What ever the stuff is, it hasn't returned.
As for the ghost angle, I don't know it that has anything to do with this or not, but the apartment I lived in had them, but my new home, no. Thankfully.

oh my god I kind of got chills, Since we moved in my new house I always see like blackish Grey streak marks on my appliances and bathroom stuff, my tea maker has stuff on it all the time and when I wipe it off it is there the next day, same as my toilet and bathtub

reply to post by ls1cameric


reply to post by Chance321


Just a thought on this.
If you or the person who lived there before you was a smoker, the smoke actually gets absorbed into substances and can weep out when humidity is present. For example, where I live now there was a smoker here before me, and dark brown stuff seeps out through the paint in my bathroom from the humidity of people using the shower. If its not wiped down on a regular basis it can start to look like the walls are dripping blood. This can happen with anything that is made of a porous substance, drywall and plastic being the two most common that come to mind.

reply to post by defcon5


Thanks for the reply. Nope, place was brand new, never been lived in and not a smoker.

reply to post by ls1cameric


Hey there, can't really say anything about the residue but a thought crossed my mind when you mentioned the ham container being unzipped ... is it possible that you or the wife could have been for a bit of a sleep-walk and got a little peckish on the way ?

Just a thought.

Woody

If you are serious about figuring out what it is, bag a sample and have it chemically analyzed. No one on an internet forum is going to be able to tell you what the black stuff on your toilet seat is just from your anecdotal evidence.

You at -least- need a picture.

A ghost that had to use the toilet and could not bother to wipe? sorry could not resist.

Never had that happen. I have had toilet water turn dark blue purple sometimes , but not that.

Do you burn candles? That can cause a black residue.

I don't know about all the other stories of this sort of thing...

But the toilet?

It sounds like a Rat came up through your pipes during the night.

Close the lid man, seriously the rest of you too, not denying possibility of a Poltergeist or whatever... But i'm pretty sure rodents coming up through drains at night is allot more common...



[edit on 17-11-2009 by mopusvindictus]

Coffee can turn to mold or mildew overnight...that is the only thing I can think of...Did someone spill coffee on the seat?

Originally posted by woodwytch
reply to post by ls1cameric

 

Hey there, can't really say anything about the residue but a thought crossed my mind when you mentioned the ham container being unzipped ... is it possible that you or the wife could have been for a bit of a sleep-walk and got a little peckish on the way ?

Just a thought.

Woody

My husband used a sleep aid (Ambien) for a bit, and he'd go out to the kitchen and make a sandwich in his sleep. We'd find everything left out in the morning. He would have no recollection of doing so. He no longer takes it.

It sounds like a few people have encountered this 'black grease/powder' in one form or another. Chance321, having seen it often, have you ever taken a photograph?

Originally posted by mopusvindictus
I don't know about all the other stories of this sort of thing...

But the toilet?

It sounds like a Rat came up through your pipes during the night.

Close the lid man, seriously the rest of you too, not denying possibility of a Poltergeist or whatever... But i'm pretty sure rodents coming up through drains at night is allot more common...



[edit on 17-11-2009 by mopusvindictus]

geez! the woman in me coming out, I honestly think I would prefer a poltergeist then rats crawling out of my toilet! that thought isn't going to help me sleep tonight!

I personally havent heard about a black dust being left with activity, but i guess since you have wiped away all you can do is wait and see if it happens again, and like someone else mentioned, take samples get them analyzed and take photos. Why don't you start a journal about weird things that happen in the home, just to keep track in case it is something?

reply to post by thebox


At the time, I thought I was the only one to see this stuff? If it shows up again, yeah, I'll snap a pic.

Originally posted by mopusvindictus
I don't know about all the other stories of this sort of thing...

But the toilet?

It sounds like a Rat came up through your pipes during the night.

Close the lid man, seriously the rest of you too, not denying possibility of a Poltergeist or whatever... But i'm pretty sure rodents coming up through drains at night is allot more common...



[edit on 17-11-2009 by mopusvindictus]

Forget the rats and snakes who may pop up every now and then, close it because you let all the bacteria from your toilet (that has built up everything that has ever been dropped into it) fly around your bathroom. and think about the stuff it lands on, soap, towels TOOTHBRUSH!! its a fact, read on it.

as for your problem, maybe its something on your clothes...you could be scuffing the seats with your pants, chain wallet, tools, etc.

I'd advise you to get a sample and get it analysed to find out exactly what it is.

Ghost do not leave black residue.
I agree with the rats coming up your drain pipes.

reply to post by ls1cameric


There's probably a natural explaination for this...

Do you burn candles in the bathroom? Cheap candles will put a lot of soot into the air which later settles out. If the area you live in is dry then it's possible that a static charge built up on the seat and attracted the soot to it. Your description of the residue as being "powdery" is a good match for candle soot.

Did you start using your heating system recently? If you haven't fired up your heater until recently then that could be the cause of the black residue. Dust associated with the construction probably made it's way into your air intake vent and directly into your duct work system.

If this was my house, I would have an inspection done on the Heating system. You may have a cracked heat exchanger. Do you have Carbon Monoxide detectors installed?

It's probably something you should take seriously and you may want to consult a pro.

Good luck!

Edit: Forgot to ask what type of Heating system you have... Natural Gas? Oil? If it's a heating oil system I would not wait... Have it checked out!! Carbon Monoxide poisoning is deadly and causes about 500 deaths per year in the US!

One more Edit to ask another question: Do you have a fireplace? Is the flu completely open?

[edit on 23-11-2009 by Anamnesis]

[edit on 23-11-2009 by Anamnesis]