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Mould Advice

                     answers from envirodangers@yahoo.com

Mould Questions

• Flooded house in Ireland - remove plaster board walls?

• Black yuck on windows - will insurance companies pay?

• Prior to buying our house we had it inspected by a home inspector

• A water line break flooded the kitchen, dining and bathroom.

• Mould growth in two years after roof redone?

• Mouldy furniture unloaded and in place for over  24 hours - is the house at risk now?

• Cleaning out mould and mildew with clorox,  pine sol, and other chemical agents?

January 15, 2003

Flooded house in Ireland - remove plaster board walls?

My house in Ireland was flooded to a height of 4.5  feet.  The flood water receded after approximately 16 hours. I cleaned and removed all damaged contents and started  the drying process. My question is do I need to remove my plaster board walls as they seem to have dried out to normal dryness?

If the building materials were wet for more than 24 hours, it is very likely that mould has begun to grow. Your safest strategy is to remove all such materials, and then to spray wet twice the entire cleaned out area with diluted benzalkonium chloride or hydrogen peroxide, both of which can be purchased at most drug stores [pharmacies]. Before rebuilding the mould renovated area, please have the area tested for direct physical evidence of any remaining mould and also for excessive levels of airborne mould spores. Please visit the inspection and remediation pages of moldinspector.com.

November 14, 2002

Black yuck on windows - will insurance companies pay?

We moved into our home in 1984. The windows are covered all the time with black yuck and I believe its black mould. No matter how much I clean - its still there, plus we have have mould in every corner of the bedrooms. Anytime anything is left on the floor it smells musty.

My problem is that my husband is HIGHLY allergic to mould and our one son has had breathing problems most of his 11 yrs., and my husband won't replace the windows, carpet,etc. because "we don't have the money". I feel we can't afford not to and after reading some of the Q&A - we should probably move ourselves. Will most insurance companies help pay for this under the homeowners policy? Oh, and that part of the house is on a slab. HELP

This first message is for your husband: listen to your wife about the wisdom of your family moving out of your mould-infested home until the home has been completely inspected for mould, tested for mould, and has been mould remediated to make your home safe for your family living. Continued occupancy in a mould contaminated residence will destroy your family's health permanently---what price or value do you place on your and your children's health?

Moreover, continued mould growth will destroy the home. Homes can become unsellable due to mould problems and the high cost of mould removal and mould remediation.  Since you are on a limited budget as are most families who are facing serious mould infestation nightmares, you may have to do your own mould testing and mould remediation.

Your insurance company will probably be taking the position that your mould problems arise from poor home maintenance on your part. For mould growth to even be a possibility for insurance-paid remediation, the mould damage must be directly caused by a sudden water problem that is specifically insured against in your homeowner's insurance policy.  As a guide to doing your own mould testing and mould elimination, your first step should be to read Phillip Fry's detailed recommendations in his book Do-It-Yourself Mould Prevention, Inspection, Testing, & Remediation.

November 15, 2002

Prior to buying our house we had it inspected by a home inspector

Prior to buying our house 4 months ago, we had it inspected by a home inspector. The house was given a "thumbs up". My concern about our house has only risen because a friend of mine rented a house which was later determined to have black mould. We have not had any visible evidence of any type of mould nor have we been sick (which I assume would be the first indicators). There has not been any indication that our house would have mould (flooding, water damage). My question is, after having been here 4 months, would we be sick by now if the house did have black mould?

The absence of common mould health symptoms, no visible mould, no known history of water problems, and your having had the home examined by a home inspector  all add together to make it unlikely that you  have a serious mould infestation in your home. However, please be aware that you may have mould growing inside walls, above ceilings, beneath floors, in attics, and crawl spaces that have not yet produced health problems for your family.

If you want to be even more assured that you have no problem, hire a certified mould inspector to inspect inside walls, above ceilings, etc., and to do air testing in the various rooms of your home, plus attic, basement, and crawl space for evidence of water problems and mould problems, as detailed in the  mould inspection page.

November 21, 2002

A water line break flooded the kitchen, dining and bathroom.

I have had a mould problem since 12/24/01 when I had a water line break in the house flooding the kitchen, dining and bathroom. When I filed a claim the insurance company wanted to do some minor work replacing part of the wood floor, painting that was it.

We live in Redlands Ca, semi arid dry low humidity climate. Well has the mould grew and the cabinets started to turn black and rot the floor lifted. They still ignored the problem now after almost a 11 months. I  retained a attorney and they have gotten a little better and finely have done a mould test. It came back positive with Chaetomium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Ascorspores, Cladosporium and Basidiospores. They sent a crew out, contained the area. Removed the walls and cabinets and treated the framework. They left some kind of a Hepa filter that supposedly  moves 20000. cfm run for 4 days. Then they returned for a re-inspect placed a small canister in the area with the filter running for about 10 minutes. Called me 48 hours later and said it passed. All while we lived in the house.

My questions are. 

1. Should we have stayed in the house for 11 months utilizing the kitchen and bath as normal w/ mould in the areas?

2. What should the insurance company be doing and have done? 

3. My daughter who's bedroom is closest to the exposed area became ill during the time and medicine was $300.00?.

4. Should the re-test have been done with the filter off for several hours and shouldn't a visual also be done before the (plastic) been removed.?. What is the industry standard?

5. Where do I go from here?. Their still dragging their feet. 

6. Should we test the whole house?  

7. Should we be seen by our doctors for health concerns?  

Our company is not able to answer several of your questions which seek facts and factual conclusions about your home as your desired answers. But the information provided in your email about what has happened to your family and home is sufficient to answer some of your questions.

1. Before a mould clearance test can be done after the completion of a mould remediation project, the hepa filters must be turned OFF for at least 24 hours PRIOR TO the clearance testing so that the large hepa filters don't minimize the real extent of any remaining mould contamination problem by constantly removing air spores from the air of the mould infested area. 

2. Second, taking just one mould sample for a clearance testing is very inadequate testing.

3. Third, it is much better if the clearance testing is done by an independent mould testing company, and NOT by the mould remediator company [which may have an obvious bias to test in a way NOT to find any remaining mould infestation problem].

4. Fourth, usually people should leave a mould-contaminated home as soon as possible and not return until after successful, documented mould remediation results. Fifth, you would be very wise to have your home thoroughly inspected and tested for mould, at your expense, by a certified mould inspector who will provide you with an unbiased mould inspection and mould testing. Visit: Certified Mould Inspectors. Then you and your lawyer will know the real truth in dealing with both your mould removal company and your insurance company.

December 14, 2002

Cleaning out mould and mildew with clorox,  pine sol, and other chemical agents?

I have a serious problem with mould and mildew in my bathroom. My bathroom does not have a any windows. But, it does have a vent on the wall. The mould and mildew are located on my ceiling. I have tried cleaning out the mould and mildew with clorox,  pine sol, and other chemical agents. I also brought a special paint that was support to block out the mould and mildew. It didn't work. The mould and mild ate it way through the paint. I just don't know what else I can do to remove this mould growth. Maybe you can suggest other mould remediation way that I might be able to use to resolve this mould problem

Please note that clorox, pine sol, and alleged mould-killing paint are not effective for killing mould. 

Because mould problems directly result from water or moisture problems, your first step is to locate the water source for the mould growth and fix the water leak or water intrusion problem. You can start by buying a digital hygrometer [about $30] from Home Depot, Lowe's, or a major hardware store. Use your hygrometer to check over several days the humidity level in the bathroom and in other areas of your house [including attic, basement, and any crawl space]. 

If the humidity level is over 50%, you may have enough air moisture to facilitate mould growth. The higher the humidity above 50%, the greater your potential mould problem.  Your ideal room humidity level is 30 to 40%.  You may need to install a bigger and better vent fan in the bathroom [and run it longer] to reduce your bathroom humidity to a safe level.

If the humidity level is not a problem, you need to inspect inside the bathroom floor, ceiling, and walls for the possibility of an interior water leak and interior mould growth. Read more about mould inspection and mould testing. For info on mould removal, please visit this site on mould remediation.

November 25, 2002

Mould growth in two years after roof redone?

I have a single story brick ranch home in a western suburb of Detroit, and have discovered a great deal of mould growth in my attic area yesterday, Saturday, while I was doing some minor wire rerouting. The roof was redone in the summer of 2000 by a pro contractor.  The underside of the roof sheathing is covered with a solid black covering of mould.  I estimate at least 1000 sq. ft. I have had excellent health all my life and about a year ago I started getting sick and ended up in the hospital with pneumonia.  I have coughed and been ill for about a year and 3 months now.  I have discovered I have a liver infection and lung disease.  I have never smoked.  I am only getting about 45% of the value of the air I breathe.  I have occasionally had sinus problems but this last year it never seems to clear up.  I have also had some skin problems I never had before. I am not sure if the health is part of the mould etc.  Up until a few months ago I never thought about mould as a health problem. Many of the sheets of plywood on the roof were replaced and it appears that the contractor did something wrong because the under surface is moist and wet.  All nails protruding are wet. Any suggestions for dealing with building materials that are covered by mould?

In view of the large amount of visible mould covering and your serious recent possible mould health problems, your first step is to move temporarily to healthy, mould-free living quarters. Each hour and day you live in mould infestation further endangers your and your family's health.

Second, you need to be concerned about the possible spread of the mould growth covering into your ceilings and walls beneath the attic, and to the spread of easily airborne mould spores throughout the entire home. To know the true extent of your mould cover problem, you need to hire a Certified Mould Inspector to do a thorough physical examination of your home, including inside walls and ceilings and hvac [for mould growing inside heating, air conditioning, and ventilating ducts and equipment], plus extensive mould testing through out the home.

Third, based on the results of the careful physical mould examination and mould sampling mould laboratory analysis, you need to have both the visible mould and any hidden mould contamination effectively and completely removed from your home. 

November  26, 2002

Mouldy furniture unloaded and in place for over  24 hours - is the house at risk now?

I recently moved back to the United States from abroad. All of my furnishings arrived at my house, after over 1 month in transit via cargo ship, seriously infected with Mould. All of the sofas and cushions, rugs and wood furniture had several mouldy, green blotches. The furniture was unloaded with out our realization and put in place for just over 24 hours before we had the moving company take it all out of the house to be treated at a remediation facility. How at risk is the house now considering that mould was not a problem before we purchased it and we never had a mould problem on our furniture during our stay abroad?

Mould cross-contamination is very likely from your mouldy home furniture and home furnishings to the air inside your home, and [through the air] to mould contaminate your entire home and home hvac [heating, ventilating, and air conditioning] equipment and ducts. Your first step is to hire a certified mould inspector to thoroughly inspect and most test your home for the presence of elevated levels of unhealthy mould spores. If the mould physical examination and mould testing reveal that, indeed, you do have a current mould infestation problem, it is much less costly and much more effective to have your home mould remediated now at the beginning of the problem, rather than after the mould has taken over your home.

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     1. Read Phil’s five plain-English, mold advice books to master mold inspection, testing, removal, remediation, and prevention for your house, condo, apartment, office,  or workplace.

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