MOLD, MOISTURE, & YOUR HOME

What Is Mold?

What is mold? Mold is the name given to microscopic fungi that is neither animal nor plant. Molds contain enzymes which eat dead and decomposing matter, such as plants and animals. These fungi thrive in a damp or moist environment and when the conditions are right, mold can grow and contaminate your house.

If there are areas in your home that are warm, moist, and dark you can end up with a mold problem in places you might not expect. If the building materials in your home become wet, from water leaking into your home or high levels of humidity in the air, mold can attach to and destroy drywall, carpet, wallpaper, wood, gypsum board, fiberboard, particle board, and almost every other type of building material.

The space between your walls, under your floor boards, in your basement and attic, and other unseen locations can help contribute to mold contamination that you may not even know is there. This can lead to health problems in some people, ranging from mild to severe depending on the exact type of mold growing and your individual health conditions, as well as how severe the contamination is.

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Can mold cause health problems?

Molds have the potential to cause health problems.  Molds produce allergens (substances that can cause allergic reactions), irritants, and in some cases, potentially toxic substances (mycotoxins).  Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals.

How do you get rid of mold?

It is impossible to get rid of ALL mold and mold spores indoors, some mold spores will be found floating through the air and in house dust. The mold spores will not grow if moisture is not present.  Indoor mold growth can and should be prevented or controlled by controlling moisture indoors. If there is mold growth in your home, you must clean up the mold and fix the water problem. If you clean up the mold, but don't fix the water problem, then, most likely, the mold problem will come back.

Who Should Do the Cleanup?

Who should do the cleanup depends on a number of factors.  One consideration is the size of the mold problem.  If the moldy area is less than about 10 square feet (less than roughly a 3 ft. by 3 ft. patch), in most cases, you can handle the job yourself.  If there has been a lot of water damage, and/or mold growth covers more than 10 square feet, you may want to hire an experienced and Certified Mold Remediator. 

If you suspect that the heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) system may be contaminated with mold (it is part of an identified moisture problem, for instance, or there is mold near the intake to the system), consult EPA's guide “Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned?” before taking further action. Do not run the HVAC system if you know or suspect that it is contaminated with mold - it could spread mold throughout the building.

 

How Do I Know When the Remediation or Cleanup is Finished?

You must have completely fixed the water or moisture problem before the cleanup or remediation can be considered finished.  You should have completed mold removal.  Visible mold and moldy odors should not be present.  Please note that mold may cause staining and cosmetic damage. You should have revisited the site(s) shortly after cleanup and it should show no signs of water damage or mold growth.  People should have been able to occupy or re-occupy the area without health complaints or physical symptoms. 

Testing, Detection and Sampling for Mold

Is sampling for mold needed?  In most cases, if visible mold growth is present, sampling is unnecessary.  Since no EPA or other federal limits have been set for mold or mold spores, sampling cannot be used to check a building's compliance with federal mold standards.  Surface sampling may be useful to determine if an area has been adequately cleaned or remediated.

Toxic Mold

Toxic mold is a problem for a reason other than infection. When a mold is called toxic, the mold itself is not the problem. Toxic mold releases a substance called mycotoxins, and these toxins are the cause of some medical problems. When certain people come into contact with the toxins that are released by the mold, there can be many symptoms indicating serious health problems.

The exact symptoms you experience will depend upon the types of mold present, how long you were exposed, how much mold is present, and other factors. In addition, many mold types can cause mild symptoms which are not serious, such as allergy or flu like symptoms, even though these molds may not be considered toxic molds.

If you have a mold contamination problem, you may experience some of the following symptoms: ongoing flu-like symptoms, headaches, fever, wheezing, coughing, sneezing, a runny nose, a stuffed up nose, asthma, sinus problems, skin rashes, diarrhea, pneumonitis, immune responses and disorders, hypersensitivity, and other allergic symptoms.

 

Stachybotrys Mold

Stachybotrys mold can be a serious problem if it is growing in your home. There are thousands of mold species, and many of them are harmless, but this is not the case with Stachybotrys mold, also known as black mold or toxic mold. This mold may also be called Stachybotrys chartarum or Stachybotrys atra, and it can cause serious and even fatal health problems in some individuals when they are exposed to these mold species. Stachybotrys mold has frequently been in the news and in newspapers and magazines, because it is one of the most dangerous molds around and can be the cause of many health problems. The appearance of this toxic mold is black and slimy.  Under certain conditions though, such as flooding and plumbing leaks resulting in water damage to building materials and other items, Stachybotrys mold can grow and even thrive in your home. The mold itself is not harmful, the problem occurs when certain people come into contact with, inhale, or ingest the mycotoxins that are secreted by the mold.

If testing reveals the presence of Stachybotrys mold contamination in your home, mold remediation needs to be done. Because of the risks posed by this mold species, and other toxic molds as well, you should have a professional come in and perform the remediation to guarantee it is done properly and safely. In large areas that are contaminated with these harmful molds, professional cleanup is the only option to protect not just you and your family, but also neighbors and others in the area of your home.