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Email your UK mould questions to mould expert Phillip Fry at envirodangers@yahoo.com for his FREE answer and help.

Q. How bad is household mould for children under 2? How should it be cleaned? Thank you, Liz.

A. Thank you for the email. Regardless 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 from Aspergillus mould and death  from Stachybotrys mould. You can learn about all of the mould health symptoms by reading the mould health sections of Mould and Mold Inspector.  You should also read mould expert Phillip Fry's ebook 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. 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.

 
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,

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.

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 in Northern Ireland

A. 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 mould expert Phillip Fry's ebook 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  

Q. 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 boric acid powder. Read about bleach and mould.

Q. Would you be so kind as to send an email informing me of any mould training and mould certification 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,
You can be mould trained and certified in the United Kingdom online at Mold Training.
 

Q. 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!.

 
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. 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.

A. 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 mould expert Phillip Fry's ebook Do It Yourself Mould Prevention, Inspection, Testing, & Remediation.

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