Our good friend and regular contributor Joel McDonald sends in the following, a followup to his last article – in November 2008 – on locating possible black-mold outbreaks (a must-read for anyone considering buying a home, or rehabbing an older house):
Move.
Just kidding. It’s not as bad as all that. Molds and their relatives are all around us. Their spores can be dormant for long periods of
time, only to become active and start reproducing when conditions are
right. The conditions they need, as you probably know, are moisture and
not too much light. It helps if the place is poorly ventilated since
that allows moisture to build up — but with enough moisture many molds
can grow even in a draft. Your basement, for example, is what mold
spores probably dream of when they’re resting. Damp, lonely, nobody
coming around trying to bother you all the time — absolutely heavenly,
if you’re a mold spore! Even in areas of the country that you might
think of as being too dry for mold to grow, all that’s needed is a
chronic spill or a little leak in an unventilated space, and moisture
buildup can lead to mold growth.
The question of how to prevent the growth of black mold is pretty easily answered – keep the environment dry. Do that and you’ve pretty
much got the problem solved.
What about the condition where the mold has already gotten ahead of you, and it’s growing one of your interior spaces? You’ll want to
remove the source of moisture, of course, and in most cases this can be
done by using a dehumidifier. If there has been a flood or leak, and
not just a normally-moist environment, then you’ll have to first pump
out or mop up, and use plenty of ventilation to dry the space. Use the
biggest fans you can get. It may take days or even weeks, and you might
be able to get started on mold removal in the meantime, but there’s not
much point in trying to get out all the mold if the place is still wet.
You should at least wash off the surfaces with detergent and water, and
spot-dry the affected areas as best you can while the space is being
dried out. If wallboard is affected, and it looks like it is more than
surface deep (warped or swollen panels) go ahead and remove the
worst-looking part to expose the spaces between the studs and evaluate
whether you have to remove more wallboard for drying and cleaning the
inside of the walls.
When you have the humidity under control, you can start on the serious business of killing the mold.
You might prefer to just go to the grocery or hardware store and find a commercial preparation to do the job, but some people prefer to
avoid the use of strong chemicals. The use of bleach is sometimes
thought to be a strategy for getting rid of mold, but its use has not
been recommended by the EPA and there are drawbacks to using it — it
can be dangerous to handle anywhere outside of a washing machine, and
if combined with other common cleaning ingredients such as ammonia
(Caution: Don’t!) it can produce dangerous fumes.
For absorbent and porous materials such as insulation, carpet, and acoustic ceiling tile, you may just have to get rid of the material if
is has mold growing throughout and not just on the surface. In most
jurisdictions you can discard it with other household refuse that goes
to a landfill, and it may be a good idea to put it in trashbags if you
can. You can expect to have better success with walls and floors,
particularly if they are smooth. Even with porous materials, though,
there is a chance that a good cleanup might work; depending on what the
material is and how much it will cost to replace, it could be worth
your effort.
Cleaning Up Naturally
Plain white vinegar applied full strength is an effective mold killer. It may not restore the original appearance by itself, but any
stain remaining after a good dose of vinegar will have no living mold
and can be cleaned or painted over with a high degree of confidence
that the mold that was there will not grow back. Spray or brush it on,
full strength, and scrub a little if needed. The familiar smell is not
too disagreeable for most people, and it will dissipate after a while.
Other natural remedies listed by the Household Mold Guide, which has a number of useful recommendations, are tea tree oil and grapefruit seed extract.
Mold should not be ignored. While you might think of it as nothing more than an unsightly mess or an inconvenience, it can cause a variety
of illnesses and — since it relies on the digestion of organic matter
such as wood and fiber to live – it eats your house. Getting rid of
mold, and preventing its recurrence, is worth whatever effort it takes.
So you may have to move, really – move yourself to action and dry it
out, clean it up!
This article was presented by the ultimate Boulder real estate specialists of Colorado, Automated Homefinder.
Being exposed to many household mold types can cause your family to become ill and in some cases can also be fatal. If you have suspicion of mold poisoning in your home you should contact a professional mold removal specialist immediately to assure that you and your family is safe. Household mold also causes athlete’s foot. If you have athlete’s foot or your feet are constantly itching, you might have a mold problem. Athlete’s foot can also spread into your genital region and cause jock itch. It is pretty gross when you think about it, jock itch is mold.
I have heard and watch Extream Home Makeover and seen the devastation that molds can have on people and how sick these people become, for me I can’t stand mold and make sure that everywhere is spotless and prevent any molds from growing. Thanks for this interesting article and it really is food for thought.
Mold & Mildew have similar characteristics but they are very different. Mold is a fungus that grows on moist or damp places. Mold spores grow very rapidly in areas of excessive moisture including leakage that could have occured in roofs, pipes, walls, plant pots or areas where flooding has occured. Other products such as paper, cardboard, ceiling tiles, wood, and wood products that could be sitting in your garage or basement provide conducive growth environments for molds. Source: http://www.blackmoldremovalsupport.com
Mold can be identified by its musty smell or color including black mold, blue & pink mold. While most mold is harmless, some black molds can be toxic & have health implications including mold poisoning.
Look beyond the mold you can see. Before you can eliminate mold, you need to find not only what is readily visible, but also what may be hidden. This involves getting down on your hands and knees, bellying into crawl spaces, pulling up rugs and maybe even pulling away old drywall.