Mold Removal Blog

Summer Mold in the Windy City

Michael Davis — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:36:30 +0000

It’s summer here in Chicago, and mold is in the air. It seems like everyone I know is sniffling, coughing, and sneezing all day. Drug stores and low on Benadryl as busy Chicagoans stuff themselves with allergy medicine just to get through the day.

On Friday August 6, Dr. Leija climbed to the top of the Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in Melrose Park to collect an air sample of the mold in pollen.

The mold spore count was the highest he’s seen in five.

While the city suffers, there’s unfortunately not much a mold remediation company can do about it when the mold is outdoors. The mold we are experiencing today is the cause of flooding two weeks ago throughout the Chicago area. This has also greatly increased the amount of Culex mosquitoes, the type that often carries the West Nile Virus.

But studies have shown that if you typically come down with what is colloquially called “hay fever” during these allergy seasons then it was likely a condition that developed in childhood. Long-term exposure to allergens, like mold, pollen, and dust cause children to develop an overly-sensitive immune system. This causes an inflammatory reaction when exposed to allergens later on in life.

This is all the more reason to be mindful of indoor air quality in our homes and schools where children live and learn. Even though we can’t control the mold in the air outdoors but you can have a mold-free home with regular mold inspection and household mold removal.

Inspecting your home for mold should be routine. There is a handy mold checklist at Guardian Preservation that will guide you in checking some common and commonly overlooked places where water can leak and mold begins to grow. You don’t have to be a mold removal specialist to perform a basic but important inspection. Such proactive measures may end up saving you untold amounts by catching problems early.

Easley School Takes Mold Remediation Seriously

Michael Davis — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:45:44 +0000

It’s allergy season and many are coughing and sniffling with seasonal allergies from pollen and mold. If you suffer from the common “hay fever” then it’s probably because you were exposed to allergens, probably mold, as a child. Your immune system developed an inflammatory response in the presence of any allergens. So now you know why it’s important to give children a clean, healthy environment to grow up in so they won’t have to fear allergy season as adults.

Right now, a high school in Easley, SC is scrambling to deal with their mold problem before summer vacation ends and a herd of high schoolers fill its halls. School started August 17, but mold was found just two weeks before during routine HVAC maintenance and repair.

The school district isn’t springing for a commercial mold removal company, but taking on the job themselves by vacuuming all surfaces with a HEPA vacuum, wiping all surfaces with an antimicrobial cleaner, and spraying with an antimicrobial disinfectant. They plan on removing moldy tiles and giving that HVAC system a thorough cleaning.

They wisely have looked into the root of the problem, which they attribute to faulty equipment in the units and exhaust fans. These have been replaced.

I give Easley points just for taking action and for looking into the underlying HVAC issue that caused the mold. But their clean up efforts are questionable. They have not used a mold removal service to identify where the mold is growing and are simply planning on cleaning everything. Their use of “antimicrobial disinfectant” could spell disaster as many such products do not work as well as advertised and only result in feeding the mold with water.

At least they are planning on testing the air quality and will not allow school to begin until it has passed. It will be interesting to see how their efforts paid off.

I would not recommend such a large mold removal project in-house and instead suggest a mold removal company. This is usually avoided for fear of cost, but you can find some surprisingly affordable mold remediation estimates. Guardian Preservation has a unique mold removing method that is both effective and inexpensive. I suggest you take a look at the MX-12 mold remover when considering toxic mold removal.

Rachel Ray Does Not Read This Blog, Makes Classic Mold Mistake

Michael Davis — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:59:25 +0000

What happened, Rachel? I was under the impression that you were avidly reading this blog, educating yourself on important mold issues that could save homeowners like you their health and their property. But, now I can see that you have not been following The Future of Mold; because if you had been, Rachel Ray, you would not have made one of the most common and classic mold blunders – one that I write about nearly every day.

TV chef and television talk show host Rachel Ray has filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court against two home inspection companies. Backed by her lawyer-husband, John Cusimano, the couple is hopping mad that Amerispect Heritage Home Inspection Service and Joseph Schmitt Consulting Engineers did not inform them about the existing mold and water damage before they bought their $3 million villa in 2007. The five-bedroom, five-bathroom home is on Long Island, near the ritzy town of Southampton.

The host of “The Rachel Ray Show” and “30-Minute Meals” is suing for $3 million, the price of the home, because those lazy home inspectors missed deadly mold growing in certain areas of the home.

Of course, we know that trying to sue a home inspector for not warning you about mold is like suing your dentist for not warning you about a skin growth – it’s not a part of their job. Every day, celebrities and ordinary folk alike make the incorrect assumption that home inspectors will warn them about mold. They won’t because it is outside their field. Whether these particular home inspectors missed the mold or simply chose not to inform Rachel is irrelevant. These kinds of lawsuits almost immediately get thrown out of court. But, then again, Rachel Ray has a lawyer husband and a lot of money, so maybe this will have a different outcome.

Fans of Rachel may have noticed that she is often sick with a cold on-camera. She is known to have respiratory problems that the mold either caused or at least exacerbated. It’s not a helpful condition when you have to be on camera every day speaking to an audience of millions. Since discovering the mold, she has moved into her apartment in New York City.

Ray and Cusimano would like to sell the home, but obviously it has been greatly devalued because of the mold. But if this legal battle plays out, the couple needs to discover the source of the water leak and hire a reputable mold remediation company or qualified mold removal specialist.

Before you find yourself in a situation like Rachel’s, you should hire a mold inspector – not a home inspector – to find hidden mold in a home. Guardian Preservation has some tips on how to find reputable mold inspectors and qualified mold remediation specialists.

Mold Causes Child Permanent Brain Damage

Michael Davis — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:42:24 +0000

It sounds like something people would joke about: “10 million for a little mold? I should take my landlord to court and make millions!” But the details here reveal a far more grim picture that no amount of money could make up for.

Ebony Gage was once a typical 12-year old girl. But after her property owner refused to use a mold removal service to remove mold in her Section 8 home, her conditioned worsened. It started with asthma, but gradually got worse. Four years later, Ebony is 16 years old and confined to a hospital bed. She suffers from permanent brain damage and can no longer speak or walk, requiring 24-hour care – possibly for the rest of her life.

Although the Philadelphia Housing Authority settled just before opening statements in court, I wonder what defense they would have gone with. Either the damage was caused by something else, or blame the mold on somebody else. After seeing the footage of Ebony strapped to a hospital bed with machines helping her breathe, I’m not surprised they settled so quickly once it went to court – although there were years of prior legal wrangling.

The Philadelphia Housing Authority is taking the brunt of the blame here since their housing inspectors were not trained as mold removers or even to identify or recognize mold problems in Section 8 homes. And yet, PHA applied for and received a million dollar grant to train inspectors do to train them as mold removal specialists.

Even so, the PHA admits no wrong doing and is diverting blame to the property owner who has a history of not repairing water leaks and not using mold removal contractors. The property landlord and management company agreed to pay at least $2 million of the settlement.

Ebony Gage and her mother tried to escape the building earlier, but the Philadelphia Housing Authority made them give 30 days notice before they could move out. Ebony’s medical bills already exceed several million dollars, so the settlement will go to paying that money back and paying for her ongoing medical treatments as a result of toxic mold exposure.

Ebony joins the ranks of many others who have had permanent damage as a result of failed remediation of mold. Yet, despite these examples, there is still a large public consensus that does not believe mold can do anything more than irritate allergies. For this reason, building owners will not even seek a mold removal estimate.

For a full list of possible health effects that result from mold exposure, check out mold removal company Guardian Preservation’s page on mold health.There is a thorough description of how mold can harm the body and who is most susceptible.

Duplex Family Wins Victory Over Negligent Government Neighbor

Michael Davis — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:15:22 +0000

Everyone has a story about an annoying neighbor. The one who disregards their home and property, like overgrown grass or an unkempt lawn, to the detraction of your quality of life. The Johannsen family had such a problem with their most negligent neighbor of their adjoining townhome – the federal government’s Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The home that was connected to the home where the Johannsen family lived was unoccupied, so there was no one to take care of a roof leak. Leaks and other unexpected water intrusions require immediate action before they create long-term, expensive, and dangerous mold problems. But since no one lived in this home, no one was there to care to fix it.

The Johannsen family was at the mercy of their nonexistent neighbors. The leak created a mold problem that eventually grew into their side of the duplex. Phone call after phone call led nowhere as bureaucratic red-tape and a pass-the-buck attitude left the issue unresolved, while the mold problem grew.

Eventually, the Johannsen family had to abandon their home or risk serious and possibly permanent illness. They finally got HUD’s attention by bringing their story to the local news and getting the right people involved.

It wasn’t an entirely happy ending. The Johannsens had to drop their case against HUD to reach a settlement. HUD fixed the leak, removed the mold, and repaired the Johannsen’s home. The family was not awarded anything to compensate for their inconvenience or frustration. It took almost a year for the issue to be resolved. I believe that if the Johannsens were dealing with a business entity rather than the government, it could have lasted much longer and became much uglier.

If the roof leak had occurred on the Johannsen side of the duplex, it would have been fixed immediately with no lingering issues. But because there was no one living in the townhome where the leak occurred, it went unresolved and spun out of control until it cost thousands of dollars to fix and harmed an innocent family. Banks, governments, and other organizations that own unoccupied property need to be aware of the expensive problems that neglect can cause.

Tennessee Floods Teach New Lessons on Mold

Michael Davis — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:24:10 +0000

With a fresh round of floods in Tennessee, I am reminded of the common mistakes and misunderstandings that take place in post-flood remediation. After reading some information put out to flooded homeowners and business owners by FEMA, the CDC, EPA, mold removal specialists and water cleanup contractors, I get the sense that they are becoming swifter at getting the correct information to the public.

Water damage is something that needs to be addressed immediately after a flood. Toxic mold will start growing within 24 and 48 hours. Open windows and doors and use fans to dry out the building. Use wet vacs to remove water from surfaces and dehumidifiers to take it out of the air. You must also remove baseboards and wet drywall. Anything that has been wet for more than 48 hours needs to be discarded if it cannot be thoroughly cleaned and dried. This includes carpets, padding, furniture, drywall, tiles, insulation and wood.

The problem here is that many people are tied down with inaction because they have flood insurance. Having flood insurance seems to cause more damage than it saves. They are forbidden to start removing damp materials until an adjuster can come and assess the damage. Unfortunately, during floods that affect hundreds of people, these adjusters are in short supply. It can take weeks before an adjuster will show up. By this time, it’s too late. Your insurance may cover the flood damage, but the mold damage that results is usually not covered by insurance.

This is an enormous and consistent problem whenever it floods and it usually ends up with business owners going to court with their insurance providers to force them to pay for the mold remediation. Floods are not like fires, where only one structure may be affected. When it floods, too few adjusters must venture to too many buildings while the mold clock is ticking down. My recommendation is to find out if your adjuster can arrive within 24 hours. If they cannot, you should consider stripping the wet walls yourself, even if it may void your insurance. Toxic mold removal is expensive and a mold remediation estimate from a commercial mold removal company can be much more than the cost of the flood damage.

Water damage cleanup professionals and mold prevention companies are stressing the ineffectiveness of bleach as a mold remover. Because bleach uses so much water, it has a short “kill life.” This means that it will only kill surface level mold and provide mold growing in porous material with more water, causing it to reappear days later. Instead mold removal specialists are recommending hospital-strength disinfectants that can be found at cleaning supply stores. The EPA reminded Tennessee homeowners that it does not approve the use of bleach in home mold removal.

Learn more effective ways of killing mold. If you have a mold problem as a result of water intrusion, I suggest you check out organic products to remove mold from reputable mold remediation companies.

Advice for Moldy Georgia LEC

Michael Davis — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:45:52 +0000

I just saw a piece on the news about a moldy Law Enforcement Center in Augusta, Georgia, and didn’t quite agree with some statements made by doctors regarding the situation.

Six years ago, a study showed 17 different types of mold growing inside the LEC. I don’t think that is too abnormal since there are tens of thousands of types of mold. But the study did find Aspergillus and Stachybotrys – known to be pathogenic and toxic types of mold. Employees are not sick, but they are concerned about this mold. The city is planning on moving the hundreds of employees that work at the LEC, but it will take at least a year.

The video showed damp spots on the ceiling, water leaks, and visible mold. I’m surprised no one is sick yet.

While infectious disease specialist, Dr. Jack Austin, says that the mold in the LEC could make some people sick he also states that “If they aren’t already having problems, then they aren’t going to have problems.”

He’s pointing out that only certain may have a weak immune system, either genetically or as a result of health issues, that make them susceptible to mold. And if such an employee was working at the LEC, then they would already be sick in the six years since the study.

This needs some clarification as Dr. Austin forgets a few caveats to his claim.

Since the LEC employs hundreds of people, there will obviously be some turnover at some point. Isn’t it highly possible that someone with a suppressed immune system or a mold allergy could start working in the building?

Cancer treatments, organ transplants, and other medical procedures suppress the immune system. Surely with so many people working at the LEC, sooner or later someone will have a health issue that requires their immune system to be suppressed.

The elderly also have weak immune systems and are susceptible to mold infections. We know that the workers at the LEC are at least six years older since the mold was discovered. While the mold may not affect them now, it’s only a matter of time before it does.

Additionally, I haven’t found any information about the source of the water intrusion. If this problem is not found and corrected, the mold problem will only worsen. Even employees not affected by the current mold levels in the building will eventually succumb to sickness if the mold problem gets worse.

I point these things out because every employer and employee needs to keep these things in mind when considering mold in their building. Remember, just because no one is obviously sick doesn’t mean the mold isn’t a problem.

Water Hose Replacement Tips

Michael Davis — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 15:36:21 +0000

It costs about $20,000 on average to remodel a kitchen. Compare this with the cost of a new water hose for $14. Which would you rather pay?

Water hoses are one of the most common sources for water leaks. Typical household dishwasher and washing machine use these hoses and, for the most part, they are pretty durable.

Water leaks from water hoses usually don’t result in massive and immediate flooding but can trickle water in a hidden area over a long period of time. In some ways, this can be worse than a major leak because it may go unnoticed or unworried about for too long. These kinds of leaks also do not usually result in mold outbreaks that destroy homes.

Still, a leak on your dishwasher hose can be enough to destroy your kitchen where a lot of organic material exists for mold food. Homeowners who ignore dishwasher leaks find themselves replacing kitchen cabinets and cupboards where mold grows and is hard to remove. Wooden material like this has pores where mold can hide even if it appears to be scrubbed clean.

Most laundry rooms don’t contain a lot of organic material, but mold can still grow here if there is water. Like porous wood, porous cement also makes a fine place for mold to hide. Also, laundry rooms are visited less frequently and leaks are more often unnoticed or ignored than they would be in the kitchen.

Once again, prevention is the key here. You simply need to develop a maintenance schedule to routinely check these water hoses for leaks. Check for leaks in the hose lining as well as where it is secured to the pipes. This should be done at least once a year, but I recommend you check for leaks on water hoses at the same time as other water leaks that can occur once a month.

A proactive approach can save you thousands. A water hose can be bought for $10-$15 at Home Depot and is not difficult to replace.

Are Mansions More Moldy?

Michael Davis — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:45:34 +0000

Back in 2004, actress Sandra Bullock won her case against the builder of her $6.5 million home, Benny Daneshjou of Daneshjou Construction. The victory was celebrated, not just by fans of the actress, but by dozens of other homeowners in the Austin area who had similar complaints against Daneshjou.

Daneshjou Construction was the developer behind many multi-million dollar homes in the Austin area. Unhappy homeowners complained of costs overrun, shocking overcharges, deadlines ignored, and most of all defective construction.

At the trial, expert witness Clark Griffin, an architect from Boston, pointed out some obvious defects in the design that allowed for water intrusion and mold growth. A lack of flashing on the roof, defectively installed rock work, stucco and roofing materials causing damage to the framing, rotting OSB board used as sheathing – the list of shortcuts was a mile long.

You wouldn’t expect this laundry list of egregious mistakes in a three bedroom home, so why do they seem to be so common in multi-million dollar mansions?

One sad possibility is that the rich simply have more money, which allows them to fight their developers in court. So only the rich can afford justice while everyone else has to cut their losses? It seems so. The cost of going to trial is more than the average homeowner can afford. Most big national builders have mandatory arbitration in their contracts so their clients have difficulty suing. This is especially bad in Texas where tort reform and binding arbitration clauses in new home builder contracts have denied many with defective homes their day in court.

Daneshjou’s defense bounced around, at one point passing the blame to subcontractors and finally a vehement argument that despite the construction flaws they met minimum standards.

The other possibility is that it’s easier and more profitable to take shortcuts on larger projects. Using cheap materials for a small home could save a hundreds of dollars, but in a larger project, the developer is tempted to save thousands per shortcut. Given the size of mansions, it’s harder for occupants to notice problems than homeowners who more frequently visit all their rooms.

If you have mold due to developer or construction negligence and you are not a millionaire, my advice is to join a class action lawsuit. If the developer took advantage of you, it’s likely there are others in similar situations. This raises the stakes and attracts a legal team willing to help you out.

Attic Ventilation Tips

Michael Davis — Tue, 25 May 2010 15:04:46 +0000

Home design is much more complex than I ever realized. You can’t just throw up four walls, slap on a roof, and call it done. Homes need to breathe, and breathe correctly. Pressures, temperatures, conductivity, and other physics principles play a role in how it all works. Proper home designs turn homes into a system with features that work together to keep the home stable against the natural elements. If any one of these parts becomes out of whack, it throws off the whole system.

The attic is where most homes exhale the air they breathe in. Just as if you could not breathe, if the attic cannot exhale properly then it creates problems for the entire house. Attics should ventilate at least one square foot of roof ventilation for every 150-200 square feet of attic space. Air is ventilated out of the attic through soffit and roof vents.

While the more attic ventilation the better, more vents can upset the delicate balance here. I heard of one story where a homeowner tried to increase their ventilation rate by installing two different kinds of outlet vents. This resulted in transforming the weaker outlet vent into an inlet vent. Air simply short circuited between the vents, preventing soffits from drawing in air flow.

During the summer proper attic ventilation keeps your attic from collecting heat. Without ventilation, your attic can turn into a hot box and spill that unwanted heat back into the living area. This increases your energy bill since your air conditioner has to work that much harder. It also destroys your shingles.

During the winter months, mold can result from improper attic ventilation. Hot air rises from the furnace in the living area and coalesces against cold surfaces on the attic roof. Often these are places with nails since iron is a great temperature conductor. When a hot air mass meets a cold surface, the dew point is reached and water droplets begin to form. This moisture results in mold that will create health problems and eat away at your attic and roof.

The best tip I can give you is to inspect your soffit and roof vents on a regular basis. They can easily become blocked and disrupt system flow you have in your home. But this will not help you if your attic is improperly designed in the first place. Check with a reputable home design inspector to determine if this is a cause. An improperly ventilating attic will cost you in energy bills and mold damage.

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