More Mold Info

You could be feeding your mold monster and not even know it!!!  Here are some common ways mold gets a foothold:

• humidity is too high
• keeping vents closed in the basement, bathrooms, main floor or upstairs
• having carpet in the basement
• not running a dehumidifier in the basement spring/summer/fall
• not using bathroom exhaust vents when showering

One thing people don't realize, is that when mold has a water source and is growing, it releases a gas called a VOC - Volitile Organic Compound.  Once the water source stops, the colony dries out and then goes to spore (seed).  These dry seeds/spores can float in the air and are still allergenic and still smell the same as growing mold.  There are other molds that rarely get airborne however, such as the 'Black Mold' Stachybotrys.  So those molds rarely get into air samples and can  grow behind baseboards or walls for a long time! 

Well, it depends on who you talk to.  Mitigation companies have to physically remove mold damaged walls, insulation and the like.  Basically anything that is not structural gets removed, and then they clean the structural parts of the house that can't be removed.

What I can tell you, is that I had an ice dam on my house when it was 98 yrs. old, and what I noticed immediately upon seeing water streaming down some inside walls, was that there was an incredibly STRONG mold smell.  My 2 heavy duty VOC True HEPA air purifiers couldn't keep up with the smell of mold.  And yes, a 3rd party mold inspector and I both did sampling and found very high mold levels remaining inside the walls after they were demoed!  :-(

Actually, if it is coming out of stone or bricks and is very fuzzy and 3D looking, it is probably Efflorescence, not mold.  Efflorescence is a salt that gets pushed through the porous wall from outside water intrusion.

Why are we talking about dandelions?  It's just a visual for you to think about roots.  You see, mold has 2 roots.  A long one and a short one.  What happens when you pull up a dandelion and miss a tiny little bit of the root?  You think you got it all, but eventually it grows back.  

Mold is the same way.  You try killing it with bleach (which I do NOT recommend) and that just kills the surface growth and the short root.  But that long root is holding on tight to the porous substrate it's calling home and it will eventually grow back.  

On a non-porous surface you can just use a paper towel with soap and water to get rid of mold.  On porous surfaces, you may not be able to successfully get rid of mold.  Sometimes it's best to just throw things away that are porous in nature and not something that's expensive, rare or a family heirloom. 

• MYTH: I've never had water intrusion in my basement or anywhere else, so there is no mold.
• FACT: Higher humidity and poor ventilation can grow mold.
• MYTH: Bleach will kill mold.
• FACT: You'll only kill the surface mold and then it will come back.
• MYTH: If it's black, it must be the dreaded 'Black Mold'.
• FACT: Multiple types of mold species come in black.
• MYTH: Mold is only green or black colored.
• FACT: Mold comes in many pretty colors - brown, white, green, black.  Pink is usually bacteria however.

• MYTH: All mold is bad.
• FACT: Some molds are worse then others, ie: Stachybotrys or Chaetomium. Mold is necessary to break down dead inorganic materials.
• MYTH: Only the 'Black Mold' is dangerous.
• FACT: Any mold can be dangerous in large amounts.
• MYTH: My general contractor (whose not been trained in mold remediation) said he gets rid of mold all the time for customers.
• FACT: They may do a great job as a GC and be a nice person, BUT, there are certain steps they don't know to do to really get rid of the mold permanently. I see it all the time!
• FACT: There are professionally trained mitigation companies to help you, if your goal is to really get rid of all the mold! We do 3rd party Clearance Testing to prove it!

• MYTH: Mold can't grow under wallpaper or under vinyl flooring.
• FACT: The glued used on the wallpaper/flooring has formaldehyde in it, molds favorite food!
• MYTH: A house should be completely free of all mold to be healthy.
• FACT: Mold is everywhere.  It's necessary for life. In the  spring, summer and fall there are typically more mold spores outside than inside.
• MYTH: If I think there's mold in my house, I should skip testing and just have it removed.
• FACT: Why would you spend thousands of dollars to remediate a problem you might not have??? Get testing done 1st to find out what's going on!