 FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
About Mould Problem, Mould Removal, Health
Problem, Toxic Mould, Mould Analysis, Mould Inspector, Black Mould, Mould Products, Mould
Services, Mould Training, Mould Inspection, Mould Testing, UK Home Inspection, etc.
FAQ Collected from the
International Mould Questions Collection, 2003-2005.
Q.
How bad is household mould for
children under 2? How should it be cleaned? Thank you,
Liz.
A.
Thank you for the email. Regradless of
age, living or working in mould infestation can easily cause serious health problems, problems
so serious that they can become permanent health afflictions, allergies, sinusitis, or in
worse cases, cancer [Aspergillus mould] and death [Stachybotrys mould]. You can learn about
all of the mould health symptoms by reading the mould health sections of http://www.mould.ph
and Mould
Inspector.com. You should also read our new book Mould Health Guide which
includes information on all of the mould health problems, plus diagnosing mould health
problems, and curing mould health problems. You can buy this in depth, health-saving book at
Mold Mart.
Q.
Dear Mr. Fry,
I am planning to build a
house in Amman, Jordan in few years and was horrified to discover that mould is just
a fact of life there! All of the buildings are made from stone blocks. From what my
sister-in-law has told me the water condensates on the walls that have contact with the
outside air. We are not sure this is actually what is happening, but that appears to be the
cause. My father-in-law has applied some sort of mould resistant sealer on the interior walls,
but it didn't help. One interior wall that was not in contact with outside air became moldy
with the paint bubbling and peeling off. Everyone there just accepts this as normal and
just cleans up with bleach and repaints every so often. There is very little air conditioning
in these houses (the summers are mild, winters cold), they use window units if they must, but
most people don't need them. The heating is mostly done by radiators in the winters, some
people use portable kerosene heaters instead.
My question is this: How do I build a house
there that won't get moldy? It will have to be stone block like all the others, but will
most likely be on the top floor of a 3 or 4 story building. I may be able to get central
heat, but I've never seen dry wall there. I don't know what insulation would be available
either.
Thank you for any advice you can offer
me.
A.
What is the humidity level indoors
year-round? To discourage mould growth indoors, the indoor humidity level needs to be in the
30 to 40% range. If humidity is 60% or greater some or all of the year [e.g., from the
condensation problem], there will be a big mould problem. You need to buy a digital hygrometer
[about US $30 in USA, but I don't know
where you are located] to monitor year-round indoor humidity. It is light weight and can be
shipped by Fed Ex or DHL to Jordan. If there is an indoor humidity problem, we sell the best
dehumidifier available [especially at a reasonable price for its high quality]. Visit:
Mold Mart
for product info. We could ship it via Fed Ex or DHL to Jordan, but what are the Jordan import
duties for your family to receive a dehumidifier as an import? I don't know. Another
recommendation: On both the outside and the inside of the stone blocks, you need to plaster
both with a concrete plaster into which you have mixed an adequate amount of waterproofing
chemical powder to make the concrete totally impervious to penetration by water or high
humidity. If you have any follow up questions, please let me know. Thanks----Phil
Q.
Dear Philip,
Hope you can help
Our house is experiencing black mould forming
where the ceiling meets the wall (exterior walls) and where the wall returns to the double
glazed windows.
It also is penetrating the centre of a north
facing gable. It only happens in the winter months.
I have tried fungicidal wash, but it isn't
working.
Can you advise please.
Paul
A.
You need to physically remove the mould
growth down to clean, mould-free wood, spray it wet with a fungicide [hydrogen peroxide is
available at low-cost from your drug store], re-paint, and then spray with a liquid plastic
sealer to keep future outdoor moisture from getting to the wood to drive mould growth. Study
the procedures involved in safe and effective mould remediation at
Mould Removal
Q.
Hello, hoping you can give me some advice.
I'm aware that mould can cause problems for health in the home and while I don't see any
visible mould at the moment, I'm concerned that it may be developing with me realizing it.
Two weeks ago the next door neighbor's house
had a burst pipe. Unfortunately they were out all day and as a result the water came through
one ceiling, and through the walls into two rooms, soaking the walls in parts and also parts
of the carpets.
It seems to have dried out now though the
wall in one room feels a bit tacky (the wall paper came off easily after the flood so now
exposed) and there is a faint smell of something in both rooms affected.
We dealt with the matter by blasting the
heat, lifting the carpets and opening windows etc. There is repair work to be done to plaster
on the ceilings and wall paper etc plus new carpet but I was wondering if by doing that we
would be simply 'papering over the cracks' so to speak. Should we do anything else with regard
to having something applied to stop mould?
To top it all, a leak has now sprung in our
flat roof and the water is dripping down into one of the rooms following heavy rain.
Hope you can give me some advice, thank you,
Anne (N Ireland)
A.
Dear Anne,
Thank you for referring your mould
(mould) problem to us. The following are ultimate mould prevention and remediation tips.
Please read them thoroughly and feel free to get back to us if you have further questions.
Since moulds basically develop in wet and
humid surfaces, you need to find the water source that enables mould to grow in your
apartment. If it is a water leakage such as plumbing leak, etc., it’d be wise to hire a
plumber to fix it. If it caused by high indoor humidity, you need to use several programmable
dehumidifiers that run to keep your indoor humidity year-round in 30 to 40% range,
discouraging moulds to grow.
If you are suffering any mould health problem
(please visit Mould Types
for mould symptoms), you need to consult with your doctor as soon as possible. Learn about how
doctors diagnose and treat mould health illnesses in our new book Mould Health Guide.
Serious health problems and visible mould growth combined together would suggest that you move
immediately to a mould-safe place to live until your home has been effectively mould
inspected, tested, and remediated. Don’t take any clothing or possessions with you unless you
first mould decontaminate all items prior to moving so that you don’t mould cross-contaminate
where you move to. Please visit
Toxic Mould Health Guidebook.
Mould decontamination tips for your household
properties such as kitchen utensils, clothing, furniture, photographs, books, carpets, etc.
are readily available in our Do It Yourself Mould Prevention, Inspection, Testing, &
Remediation Mould Book (available online at
Mould Legal Guidebook . These Mold Inspector Laboratory,
Ltd.. mould books will be delivered via e-mail.
If you are from USA or Canada, you can
avail of efficient mould products with free delivery. Please visit
Mold Mart
for details.
Q.
Hi there! Beside using bleach solution to get rid of moulds and fungi indoor, especially the
toilets, what other products are available? Which is the most effective ones?
Kindly advise urgently. From: Bessie
A.
Thank you for your
question. Do NOT use bleaches (particularly Chlorine) to kill mould
(mould) or disinfect moldy areas. It is NOT an effective or lasting killer
of mould and mould spores. Bleach is good only for changing the color of
the mould, and in slowing down mould growth for about 3 weeks. Chlorine
Bleach is NOT registered with the EPA as a disinfectant to kill mould. You
can verify that important fact yourself when you are unable to find an EPA
registration number for killing mould on the label of any brand of
chlorine bleach. To kill mould growth now existing and to help stop any
future growth, use the EPA-registered mould fungicide which is both highly
effective and low-cost. An even stronger
mould killer to use when mould growth is particularly heavy or large in
area is EPA-registered To order AfterShock ,
please visit Mold
Mart
If you are outside USA or Canada, it is
advised that you get your own copy of a compiled ultimate mould prevention, inspection,
testing and remediation book available at
Mould Legal Guidebook . This book features mould decontamination tips for your
household properties such as kitchen utensils, clothing, furniture, photographs, books,
carpets, etc.
Q.
Would you be so kind as to send an email informing me of any training in the UK regarding
Fungus / Mould removal and Mould Training in general. I look forward to receiving your reply.
Regards, Chris (UK)
A.
Dear Chris,
Thank you for inquiring about the
international mould (mould) training. Professional Certification Institute (PCI) accepts
students from any part of the globe.
The successful training had just ended last
January 15-17, 2004 while the scheduled soonest incoming class will be on February 19 - 21.
Please visit the Mould Training Schedule for more details about the PCI mould training.
For your convenience, you can also become a
mould expert without leaving UK through our Home Mould Training program. You will be provided
with sufficient devices and aids to conduct your own study at home. After a considerable
length of time, you will be given a written exam and once our mould training instructors are
satisfied of your answers, you will be given a certification and relative benefits as a mould
expert.
Please visit this link for more details:
Mould Training for Mould
Inspector, Mould Investigator and Mould Remediator Aspirants.
Q.
Dear Phillip,
I live in a usually dry climate "The Central
Highlands, Central Queensland, Australia" and we use "water coolers" to cool our houses. On
the odd day or week it is actually humid and we are told we can't use the water to cool our
homes as it could cause mould. I know this is correct, and I was wondering if you could tell
me, what is the level of humidity which will cause mould, ie. 5 days of 80% dew point, or 2
days at 60%. relative ??? and what does a hygrometer measure, dew point or relative.
We are new to all this weather watching!.
Thanks. Grace
A.
You are wise to be concerned about
the impact of water-based cooling systems on mould problems. The desert area homes in western
USA that use evaporative cooling [water coolers] often have serious mould problems from: (1)
creating too high of indoor humidity level; and (2) water leaks into the building materials
from the water supply line to the evap cooler [especially if mounted, as usual, on the roof].
What is too high? Mould can grow quite well at 60% or higher indoor humidity. You need to buy
a low-cost digital hygrometer to continually monitor your indoor humidity levels. Please visit
Mold Mart
and
Mould Removal for more details.
Q.
Dear Mr. Fry,
I have black coloured
mould coming through my ceiling in various spots in the house I live in. We are renters, and
the landlords seem unwilling to fix the problem. Is there anything I can do to get rid of the
mould so it does not pose a health risk to my five children? We are on a limited budget so
cost-effectiveness is a concern. Also, exactly how dangerous is mould and should I have the
air quality tested? Thank you so much for your help in advance, I have made multiple phone
calls and come out with no more information than I started with. Your service is well
appreciated.
Cindy (Canada)
A.
Dear Ms. Cindy,
Thank you for the e-mail. Exposing yourself
to moulds (moulds in USA) is like putting your health and your family's to risk. It is
important to know the toxicity level of your place. Here are helpful suggestions relevant to
your current mould problem.
Review your landlord-tenant contract. Your
landlord may have potential legal liabilities to his tenants for mould damage to tenants'
health, medical bills for medical mould testing and treatment, loss of earnings because of
mould problems, mould damage to tenants' personal properties, moving expenses, testing, and
remediation of the rental units. Seek out the advice of an attorney specializing
landlord-tenant law or environmental law. Consider using Tenant Notices to Landlord about
Mould available online, please visit
Landlord Liability.
Mould decontamination tips for your household
properties such as kitchen utensils, clothing, furniture, photographs, books, carpets, etc.
are readily available in our Do It Yourself Mould Prevention, Inspection, Testing, &
Remediation Mould Book (available online at
Mould Legal Guidebook .
It is also advised that you visit
Mould Types for additional
information about mould types, habitats, and other characteristics.
|
