There are currently no federal guidelines specifying what constitutes an unsafe level of mold. But if you see visible mold growth or smell it, your environment almost certainly has elevated levels of mold.
If nobody knows how bad mold is, should you care? Yes! A moldy home is unappealing to buyers, and can cause allergies and illness to those living in it. It should be removed or treated as soon as possible.
Studies indicate that 50 – 65 percent of homes have a mold problem.
Tiny amounts of mold are in every breath you take. Only the cleanest environments, such as a sterilized hospital organ transplant room, are mold-free. A home will continue to have low levels of mold even after mold removal and mold remediation is finished.
Some people are not affected by mold. For others, mold symptoms
include allergies, fatigue, stuffy head, headache, runny nose, and dry throat.
It is generally agreed that media reports of mold causing severe illness, disease or death are isolated cases that are sensationalized and scientifically unproven.
Everyone responds to mold differently, but certain groups such as the elderly, young children and people with autoimmune disorders are thought to be more at risk for the common allergenic symptoms associated with mold.
Many homeowners’ insurance policies specifically list mold as an exclusion and will not cover mold-related claims. There are insurance policies that will cover mold related claims. You should not assume your policy covers mold. Chances are, it doesn’t. If you want mold insurance, ask for it, and review your policy carefully to make sure you understand what is and is not included.
While mold is a hot buzzword today, it is not the only pollution source impacting indoor air quality. There are many other potential indoor air pollutants sources besides mold, including carbon monoxide, asbestos, radon, lead, chimney, fireplaces and stoves; cigarette and tobacco smoke, pets, construction materials and beauty care products – just to name a few!
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Sunday, 22 September 2013
Molds are living microorganisms
- What exactly is mold? Molds are living microorganisms and forms of fungi like yeasts and mushrooms. Now that we have a basic definition of mold, lets start debunking some common mold myths!
- Most of the information you find in the media and internet on “Black Mold” is completely bogus and horribly misleading. The fact is that the color of the mold as it appears to the naked eye cannot tell you anything about whether its toxic or not. This brings us to point #3:
- With over 100,000 species, mold comes in about any size, shape, and color you can think of, making it virtually impossible to tell what type of mold you have without a microscope.
- While there are over 100,000 species of mold, the good news is that you do NOT need to know what kind of mold you have to eliminate mold growth. All mold is treated in the same way. Since mold is a living organism, it requires food and water to survive. But controlling mold by eliminating food sources is very difficult since mold can feed off building materials, and the tiniest of organic matter like dirt, dust and debris.
- Eliminating mold problems is important because the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that we spend 90 percent of our time indoors, and that the air we breathe indoors is more polluted than the outdoor air. So indoor air quality matters a lot to our health.
- Speaking of our health, so called “Black Mold” typically refers to molds that can produce toxins (specifically mycotoxins), such as groups of molds known as Stachybotrys. Mycotoxins will not always be produced when these types of mold are present. To put it another way, the presence of mold does not necessarily mean mycotoxins are present. The conditions needed for mycotoxins to be produced are not fully understood. Further, mycotoxins can be produced by other types of molds besides Stachybotrys and these molds are not always black. But all visible molds, regardless of color, should be removed. (We discuss removal tips in the next section, “Mold Remediation and Mold Removal.”)
- Mold is a natural organism that serves many useful purposes in daily life. It breaks down dead organic matter, helps make certain cheeses and antibiotics like Penicillin. Mold only becomes a problem when it is found in elevated levels. Then, mold removal and remediation should be performed.
- Molds reproduce by releasing microscopic airborne spores that find their way to a habitable surface. Molds can grow on almost anything, including most building materials such as drywall, insulation, wood, etc. If enough water is present on these surfaces, the mold grows into active colonies and releases spores into the air.
- While mold grows most easily on porous organic surfaces such as drywall and unfinished wood, it can also grow on inorganic surfaces such as metal, plastics and glass when organic nutrients such as dust and debris are along with moisture.
- You can be exposed to mold by breathing in mold spores or touching and/or ingesting moldy items. And under ideal conditions, active visible mold colonies can grow in as little as one or two days.
Sunday, 18 August 2013
Vinegar Mould Removal
Bleach appears to do a sterling job of getting rid of mould, but when I lived in the wet north I too noticed its annual reappearance. I spoke to a university lecturer (pharmacologist) about this because I was forever hearing that bleach removes the colour, but doesn't kill the mould. This sounded like nonsense to me as bleach kills virtually every micro-organism that we come in to contact with. She told me that there was new research showing that bleach may be a food source for mould.
I went searching the science journal databases to read the original research, but I couldn't find anything like this. I have since read (in science journals, not hearsay on the web!) that the issue with bleach is moreso that it does such damage to surfaces, particularly painted surfaces (at the microscopic level) that it makes them MORE hospitable. So the issue may not be so much that bleach is a food source, but that it provides an environment for growth. Or perhaps it is a combination of the two, but as I said, I have found nothing in the journals about food sources.
Fungi is a bit of an unusual kindgom too because they are capable of growing even after they has been killed as a result of the spores which are also shed as the parent organism dies. This is why a two-step process is ESSENTIAL.
Tea tree oil is anti-fungal, but testing of clove oil (scientific testing too) has seen it dubbed a "mould-inhibitor". Whether this is really any different to being anti-fungal, I don't know. But certainly there is science supporting a coat of diluted clove oil as a preventative. I buy clove oil from pharmacies, where it is usually with castor oil and hydrogen peroxide.
As for my own experience, I find that sometimes the stain is impossible to shift and it is at that stage that I will bleach. Fabric is the hardest thing to remedy as others have clearly found. We treat our walls with a 1 L spray bottle, containing 5% oil of cloves, and the rest NEAT 'cleaning vinegar' (which is said to have a lower pH than regular food stuff... I'm not sure and haven't tested it to find out). We scrub with the old terry towelling nappies that we kept - that texture really helps :-) However if we don't get to it quickly, it often can't be removed with this mix. Mould just seems to stain, even if it has been killed. So I'll give the walls a couple of doses of this treatment and if it still hasn't gone from sight, I'll leave it a few days before using diluted bleach on it. At least then I can be fairly confident that the vinegar has killed it. I then have to respray with oil of cloves (but I use the same mix as before, with the vinegar in it). I play it by ear each time and just hope to find it early enough to remove it completely without having to bleach.
Our house now has six of those pots of absorbent crystals and you wouldn't believe how quickly they fill up with water :-O We have been horrified. We've actually just had a reverse cycle air conditioner put in to the lounge primarily to dehumidify it as it's one of the worst rooms for mould. It will also replace our useless and filthy wood fire (we're not air-con users for cooling purposes).
For those of you with poorly-ventilated bathrooms: mould won't grow without moisture. Keep an old nappy or thread-bare towel and dry the tiles with it when the last shower of the day has been had. It REALLY reduces the amount of cleaning that you'll need to do and will greatly deter the mould. It seems like a burden, but you'll only need to do it once per day if everyone showers in the same half of the day, and it's worth it for the benefits :-) As Rhonda pointed out, there's a few things that mould needs to grow. Do what you can to eliminate any of them and you'll see considerable improvement :-)
mould cleaning brisbane
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Carpet Cleaning
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I went searching the science journal databases to read the original research, but I couldn't find anything like this. I have since read (in science journals, not hearsay on the web!) that the issue with bleach is moreso that it does such damage to surfaces, particularly painted surfaces (at the microscopic level) that it makes them MORE hospitable. So the issue may not be so much that bleach is a food source, but that it provides an environment for growth. Or perhaps it is a combination of the two, but as I said, I have found nothing in the journals about food sources.
Fungi is a bit of an unusual kindgom too because they are capable of growing even after they has been killed as a result of the spores which are also shed as the parent organism dies. This is why a two-step process is ESSENTIAL.
Tea tree oil is anti-fungal, but testing of clove oil (scientific testing too) has seen it dubbed a "mould-inhibitor". Whether this is really any different to being anti-fungal, I don't know. But certainly there is science supporting a coat of diluted clove oil as a preventative. I buy clove oil from pharmacies, where it is usually with castor oil and hydrogen peroxide.
As for my own experience, I find that sometimes the stain is impossible to shift and it is at that stage that I will bleach. Fabric is the hardest thing to remedy as others have clearly found. We treat our walls with a 1 L spray bottle, containing 5% oil of cloves, and the rest NEAT 'cleaning vinegar' (which is said to have a lower pH than regular food stuff... I'm not sure and haven't tested it to find out). We scrub with the old terry towelling nappies that we kept - that texture really helps :-) However if we don't get to it quickly, it often can't be removed with this mix. Mould just seems to stain, even if it has been killed. So I'll give the walls a couple of doses of this treatment and if it still hasn't gone from sight, I'll leave it a few days before using diluted bleach on it. At least then I can be fairly confident that the vinegar has killed it. I then have to respray with oil of cloves (but I use the same mix as before, with the vinegar in it). I play it by ear each time and just hope to find it early enough to remove it completely without having to bleach.
Our house now has six of those pots of absorbent crystals and you wouldn't believe how quickly they fill up with water :-O We have been horrified. We've actually just had a reverse cycle air conditioner put in to the lounge primarily to dehumidify it as it's one of the worst rooms for mould. It will also replace our useless and filthy wood fire (we're not air-con users for cooling purposes).
For those of you with poorly-ventilated bathrooms: mould won't grow without moisture. Keep an old nappy or thread-bare towel and dry the tiles with it when the last shower of the day has been had. It REALLY reduces the amount of cleaning that you'll need to do and will greatly deter the mould. It seems like a burden, but you'll only need to do it once per day if everyone showers in the same half of the day, and it's worth it for the benefits :-) As Rhonda pointed out, there's a few things that mould needs to grow. Do what you can to eliminate any of them and you'll see considerable improvement :-)
About Black Mold Removal - Part 2
'When a homeowner detects a moldy substance that is a greenish black color, they must take immediate steps to remove it. This is called black mold and is extremely toxic and very lethal.
Black mold removal is essential as it is responsible for a variety of health problems. It can cause a person to experience severe headaches, asthma, urinary tract infections and more. Health officials claim that black mold can be directly linked to over 100 different lung conditions.
If a homeowner wants to perform black mould removal on their own, there are certain things they should know.
They should not scrape the black mold as this will release spores into the air. Before performing the removal they need to cover themselves completely, including goggles, protective gloves and use a filter dust mask. They should seal off affected areas with plastic and tape. They should carefully clean the area with soap and water and place any affected materials in a plastic bag and seal it. The should then apply a disinfectant on the area where the mold was located, as well as the surrounding areas.
Black Mold Removal
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Driveway Mould Removal
One area of concern for a lot of home owners is mould removal from the different components that the outdoor areas of our homes are comprised of.
A common area to become plagued with mould as well as moss and algae is along the pathways and driveways. When these types of growth begin to proliferate, not only are they unsightly they can create dangerous walking situations. They form a carpet of slippery areas that becomes even worse when these substances get wet from rain or moisture.
It is important to find a suitable means of mould removal and not allow this problem to get out of hand. These types of growth are not ideal for a person to be exposed to. They could even make those with allergy problems worse. Any type of mould is not good for breathing purposes, and this includes pets.
It is also important the proper methods of removal be used both for the safety purposes of the individual removing them, and to ensure that the particular treatment for removing the mould is going to be effective. It doesn't take much of a growth to create the conditions where one could easily slip and fall as a result of these outdoor culprits.
If the wrong products are used for the mould removal they can be just as harmful as the growth itself. They could be toxic, or leave a residue that creates a slippery film as well. Products that seem to work well in eliminating these unwanted outdoor items is the concentrated solutions that can be diluted with water then sprayed on the needed areas.
There have been many that have tried home solutions such as bleach or vinegar. The problem with bleach is that it can harm the area it is being applied to by removing the natural coloring. Then there is the problem of these types of solutions leaching into the grass areas adjacent to the areas being treated. This could kill the grass or discolor it. Vinegar does not seem to have a lasting effect.
Mould removal from paths and driveways means being persistent and treating it as soon as it's noticed. These areas provide perfect breeding grounds for these types of growth. It doesn't mean that you cannot have your outdoors esthetically attractive with these additional resources, but it does mean you will need to maintain them. Although this is not a difficult job to do, it does mean using the proper products and application.
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