5 Mold Mistakes Home Owners Make

Indoor air quality is affected by many things beyond the control of the home owner, one thing that isn't beyond that control is mold, and yet many home owners take actions that at best will do nothing to improve the situation and at worst will negatively affect their family's health. We have compiled a list of 5 Mold Mistakes Home Owners Make to identify the common errors to avoid.

Mold is common and present within most indoor environments, however the affect it has on the home's indoor air quality is determined by the following three factors: 1. The level of active or accidental ventilation. 2. The ambient spore levels of the air outside the home. 3. The humidity or moisture levels present within the home. Control of the ambient spore levels outside the home is close to impossible, it is a function of the natural surroundings and vegetation present. The more vegetation, the more airborne mold spores present. The control of ventilation and humidity is well within the control of the average home owner however, identifying that those factors require management is the challenge.

The 5 Mold Mistakes

1. Wash Mold with Bleach. Upon discovery of mold, the first thing many home owners reach for is bleach. The active ingredient in bleach is rendered inactive by organic material. While bleach will kill mold in small quantities, trying to kill or eliminate growth with bleach is problematic. The superficial layer of mold is initially killed by the bleach, however the 85% water content serves to support the remaining layers. In most circumstances, the mold will be spread over a larger area and will grow back over a short period of time.

2. Address Odor Instead of Growth. The first evidence many home owners will have that there is a mold or microbial growth issue within their home is odor. A musty smelling basement or closet is something everyone has experienced. Odor is a byproduct of the microbial growth process when mod is present. Covering up the smell of mold with air fresheners and deodorizers only masks the problem temporarily. The longer the interval is between discovery of a mold problem and the remediation of it, the more involved (and costly) the process will be.

3. Control Mold with De-humidifiers. While de-humidifiers can make up a portion of the plan to control moisture (and mold growth) within a home, unless the growth supporting moisture is strictly humidity (Relative humidity values greater than 65%) related, residential de-humidifiers will be incapable of controlling growth. Home owner grade de-humidifiers that you would purchase at a big-box retail store designed to remove moisture from the air via the refrigeration process. Efficiency of these type of de-humidifiers plummets below 72 degrees.

4. Don't Consult an Expert. There is a common misconception among the public that remediation or restoration contractors are expensive not necessary for most residential mold problems. As an indoor air quality professional and mold remediation contractor with more than a decade of experience, I would tend to agree that many residential mold problems don't require the complete services of a remediation or restoration contractor, but most homeowners would save a significant amount of money and aggravation by utilizing some of the contractors abilities. The identification of the scope of work for remediation is the most important and challenging portion of remediation projects and the portion of work that requires the most specialized tools and pieces of testing equipment. By hiring a testing professional to identify the scope of the problem, the potential causes, the potential challenges and verifying cleanliness after remediation, a home owner is able to benefit from the professional's tools and experience while still saving a significant portion of the remediation expense.

5. Ignore the Problem. Many home owners will rationalize or minimize a microbial or mold growth problem by saying things like; "all homes have mold', "I'm not sick yet' or "Its a seasonal thing". The fact of the matter is that even if the 3 conditions that have supported the microbial growth suddenly disappeared overnight without action, the contamination left behind, whats known as "secondary spore contamination" is an allergen whether active or dormant and no two people are guaranteed to have the same physical response to exposure over the long-term.