By Anna Zernone Giorgi/Life@Home
Photo: © iStockphoto.com
Molds are microscopic organisms that live virtually everywhere — inside, outside, in plain sight, and in hidden crevices. They exist on plants, in soil, and on any type of decaying organic matter, from wooden building materials to food. In fact, you’ve probably touched or inhaled some mold today without knowing it.
While you may not see the benefit of coexisting with something so unappealing, molds aren’t all bad. A form of fungi, molds have an important role in nature. Molds assist in the decomposition of dead matter. In doing so, they restore important nutrients back to the environment.
Problems occur when molds move into our living spaces. Molds release tiny cells called spores into the air. While molds originate outside, the spores easily travel indoors via air, water, insects, clothing, pets, and even people.
Photo: © iStockphoto.com
When mold spores find the right combination of organic material and moisture, they can grow and multiply. Molds grow by consuming plant and animal matter, which are their food sources. Therefore, almost anything in your home, from a tomato on your kitchen counter to the drywall in your basement, can be damaged and ultimately destroyed by mold.
Exposure to mold also can affect your health. Most healthy adults typically are unaffected by mold. However, if you have a sensitivity or allergy to mold, you may experience reactions such as wheezing, nasal stuffiness, or eye, throat or skin irritations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More severe reactions, such as fevers or difficulty breathing, may occur in individuals with suppressed immune systems or lung conditions.
Identifying the Problem
With so much at stake, it’s important to identify and treat mold infections as early as possible. Large mold infestations typically emit an earthy or musty odor. If you don’t smell mold, you may see it. Mold grows in many different colors, including white, back, green, blue, and orange. It may appear light and fuzzy or dark and slimy.
To grow and thrive, mold spores need a food source. Indoor food sources can include paper, paper products, ceiling tiles, drywall, wood, and wood products. Fabric-based materials such as upholstery, carpets, insulation, wallpaper, and dust also are favorite foods for mold.
In addition to food, mold needs moisture. The organisms are particularly fond of moist environments where there is no air circulation. “Over 50 percent humidity will provide a good environment for mold growth,” says Dan Blair, owner and president of Earth Safe Environmental in Albany.
You can identify potential trouble spots with the use of a humidistat, a tool that homeowners can use to measure relative humidity in the air. “If you have places where moisture levels are a little higher but you don’t see mold, look there. Look behind the dresser, or places where the air isn’t moving when you walk by and create air movement. That’s where it will start,” Blair says.
It’s important to identify the source of your mold before moving on to cleanup and prevention. Professional mold cleanup is often referred to as mold remediation, a definition that includes fixing or stopping the source of the damage. “It’s important to eliminate the cause prior to treating so that you don’t have the mold come back,” Blair says.
Look for mold in places where you’ve had a recent flood, leak or drainage problem. Rain coming off the roof should be collected in gutters that lead away from the foundation of your house. When water is allowed to collect close to the foundation, you risk allowing that moisture to collect in the foundation and eventually the basement.
Damp and uncirculated air in basements and attics are popular places for mold growth. “Ninety percent of the jobs we do are in attics and basements,” says Matt Golemboski, owner of CleanBright Surface Restoration in Latham. “In basements, mold typically occurs if people have had a one-time flood or maybe a sump pump backup. They don’t get the area dried out quick enough and they have a mold problem as a result of that. In other cases, it’s water intrusion; there are just poor foundation walls. Or, maybe it’s not enough ventilation.”
Condensation coupled with improper ventilation and insulation also can cause mold. “Mold control is all about moisture control. In some cases, people are over-insulating their attics. They’re sealing them tight, so there’s no ventilation. So, we make sure the soffit vents are open,” Golemboski says. “Another big mistake is when people vent their bathrooms into the attic. They’re just transferring the moisture from the bathroom to the attic.”
Finding the source of your mold problem will help you locate and identify the scope of your mold infestation. “Usually mold travels along with the moisture. So, if there’s a water leak, you have to trace the leak to where it started all the way to where it ends because all of those areas are going to be moist, which will create an environment for mold to grow,” Blair says.
Cleaning Up
While no indoor mold is good mold, some locations are susceptible to recurring growth. They typically don’t indicate a larger problem if they are the sole location of mold. Mold on shower curtains, shower stalls, window moldings, air conditioner surfaces, and the seal of the refrigerator door usually don’t cause negative health effects. These issues typically can be controlled with regular housecleaning, according to the New York State Department of Health.
For mold that covers less than two square feet, it’s fairly easy for homeowners to handle the job themselves if they use the proper products. “Don’t use bleach or Clorox because it does not get to the roots. It’s like mowing your lawn, when you wipe and wash your mold growth with bleach. It only takes care of the surface and then it evaporates and it’s gone, so it’s not effective on the roots. It will come back,” Blair says.
Since molds emit spores into the air, which could allow the mold to travel throughout the house, Blair recommends using a spray bottle to wet down the mold before applying a treatment made to kill mold. “If you spray the mold with water, prior to wiping it down and removing it, it’s not going to be airborne because it’s controlled by the moisture. It’s wet. It won’t be able to float into the air.”
Guidelines from the United States Environmental Protection Agency advise that you limit your exposure to mold or mold spores as much as possible during cleanup. Recommendations from the EPA include the use of goggles that do not have ventilation holes, gloves that extend to the middle of your forearm, and an N-95 respirator when treating mold. These items typically can be found at hardware stores, home centers, and on the Internet. You also may consider using a one-piece Tyvek suit to protect your skin and clothing.
Some of the hazards of doing it yourself include the possibility of making things worse. “People might have a problem in the basement, or they might get water damage from a roof leak in a bedroom and rip out the sheetrock themselves. If they don’t seal off the area, but take the sheetrock through the house to bring it outside, they’re releasing spores throughout the rest of the house,” Golemboski says.
According to the EPA, when mold occupies an area smaller than 10 square feet, it’s likely safe to handle it yourself if you follow guidelines for safety and containment. However, larger areas may warrant the help of a professional who will have the expertise and materials to do the job right. “When we go in there, we make a containment zone, seal off the area, and run airscrubers. So, if there is mold behind sheetrock, and we take it out, it doesn’t spread throughout the house,” Golemboski says.
While hiring a professional may mean additional cost, having expert input can help you determine what can be cleaned and salvaged and what needs to be discarded to prevent re-infestation. “Most hard surface items can be kept if treated properly. Most paper goods, if there’s any mold growing, you can’t keep. Furniture cushions, mattresses, soft goods, and any clothing that are infected are usually discarded,” Blair says.
Most homeowners have an emotional response to the presence of mold, and it’s easy to fall prey to scare tactics. Before you hand your home over to any contractor, it’s wise to get more than one estimate and check references, Golemboski says. “I’ve run across homeowners who say, ‘It’s up in the attic.’ Mold’s not good in the attic, but there’s usually no transfer of air from the house to the attic. But, they’ll [unscrupulous contractors] tell people, ‘You can’t be living here right now, you’ve got to get this done right away,’ which is really overkill. So, you really want to check and look into the company.”
Types of Mold
As many as 300,000 or more different types of mold exist, according to the CDC. With so many variations, only laboratory testing can definitively identify a mold sample. However, in mold remediation, the CDC advises that it may not be necessary to determine the type of mold present since the same techniques and precautions should be applied for any kind of mold.
If you’re concerned about mold in your home, here are some types you’ll want to know about:
Cladosporium, Penicillium, Alternaria and Aspergillus
- These are the most common indoor molds identified by the CDC. They can thrive on moistened carpet, wallpaper, wood, wood products, and other household materials. They have been associated with upper respiratory diseases, such as asthma, and may be harmful for people with existing lung conditions.
Stachybotrys chartarum or Stachybotrys atra:
- This is a greenish-black mold that is not as common as other molds, though it isn’t rare. It is one of the toxic black molds, meaning it can produce mycotoxins, which can be harmful. Toxic black molds themselves are not toxic to humans, according to the CDC. It is likely to be found on moistened fiberboard, paper, dust, lint, or gypsum board.