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Top Ten Mould (Mould)
Mistakes To Avoid
1. USING CHLORINE BLEACH TO KILL MOULD. Do not use ineffective
chlorine bleach to try to kill mould growth and mould spores. Bleach is too
weak even when freshly manufactured to kill mould. Bleach that sits on
store shelves and in your home continually gets ever weaker over the
passage of time. In addition, read the manufacturer’s usage directions on
the bleach container. The manufacturer does not recommend its use to kill
mould. Bleach is NOT an EPA-registered fungicide.
2. USING OTHER INEFFECTIVE PRODUCTS TO KILL MOULD---such as
Kilz, regular paint, paint containing a mildicide element, any paint,
Lysol, ammonia, and other household cleaners and disinfectants. Painting
over a mould problem does not solve it---it only hides the problem
temporarily and gives the mould something delicious to eat---the paint
itself.
3. ASSUMING THAT AFTER A WET AREA IS DRY, THAT IT IS NOW MOULD
SAFE. Mould needs moisture to grow and to multiply as its eats your
home building materials and personal possessions. This moisture can come
from high indoor humidity [above 60% some or all of the year], roof leaks,
siding leaks, and plumbing leaks. If mould spores and mould colony growth
run out of moisture, they do NOT die. Instead, they become dormant, and
can wait millions of years for access to high humidity or a future water
intrusion. Dormant mould can make mould-sensitive persons sick. Even the
smell of dormant mould can make some people very sick.
4. ASSUMING THAT THERE IS NO MOULD PROBLEM BECAUSE OF NO
VISIBLE MOULD GROWTH. The worst mould infestation problems are often the
ones you cannot see INSIDE floors, ceilings, walls, basement, attic, crawl
space, and the heating/cooling equipment and ducts. Airborne mould
spores are invisible to the eye, very light, and are easily carried in air
current movements or in the air flows of your heating/cooling system to
mould cross-contaminate your entire house from just one hidden mould
problem. Use our do it yourself mould test kits to mould test the air of
your basement, attic, all rooms, and the outward air flow from each
heating/cooling register for the possible presence of elevated levels of
airborne mould spores, in comparison to an outdoor mould control test. Use a hidden moisture meter
to scan all walls and floors for hidden water problems. Use a fiber optics
inspection device to check for mould growth inside wall, floor, and ceiling
cavities.
5. TRUSTING THAT MOULD REMEDIATION CONTRACTORS KNOW WHAT THEY
ARE DOING. Most mould remediation companies cause and leave more mould
problems AFTER the alleged remediation than before their work because of:
(a) failure to find and fix all of the mould infestation locations in a
home or building due to incomplete mould inspection and mould testing; (b)
poor and inadequate training; (c) failure to utilize proper mould
containment procedures and effective mould remediation techniques; (d)
taking shortcuts that undermine the remediation effort; and (e) sometimes
fraud and dishonesty on the part of the contractor. Insist on hiring only
Certified Mould Inspectors, Certified Mould Contractors, and Certified Mould
Remediators who have been trained and certified by the Certified Mould
Inspectors & Contractors Institute [Certified Mould Inspectors].
6. TRUSTING THAT INDUSTRIAL HYGIENISTS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
ARE EXPERTS IN MOULD PREVENTION, INSPECTION, TESTING, AND REMEDIATION.
The only people who truly care about your family’s health and home
investment are yourself and your family. Although there are many mould
knowledgeable and mould experienced industrial hygienists, most are not.
Hiring an industrial hygienist [trained in industrial safety and health]
to find and fix mould problems is often like hiring a dentist to treat your
heart problems. Hire a Certified Mould Inspector if you value your family’s
health and home investment. Some government websites often promote
ineffective and outdated mould remediation ideas like using bleach to kill
mould. Government employees do not have the personal experience of having
to work in the real world to find and kill real mould that is often hidden
in home walls, ceilings, floors, heating/cooling systems, attic, basement,
and crawl space.
7. SPRAYING SOMETHING ON THE MOULD WILL TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM.
Only EPA-registered fungicides can kill mould, but just spraying visible
mould does not solve mould problems. You need to kill all visible mould
encountered in mould remediation, but it needs also to be removed from the
home or building, and all of the water and mould damaged building
materials need to be thrown out and replaced with mould-free building
materials. In addition the cleaned out area needs to be treated with wood protectant. Learn all of the steps required for
safe and effective mould remediation at
Mould Removal
8. THINKING THAT A NEW HOME IS MOULD FREE. Today’s new
homes often come with built-in mould infestation problems because:
(a) moldy building materials are received from the builder’s
supplier---today's timbers are not kiln-dried as in earlier times, and
thus contain a high internal moisture content that makes mould growth
possible in the timbers;
(b) the builder and its supervisors and employees fail to do
quality control to inspect for, and, thus, prevent moldy building
materials from being used in the home’s construction;
(c)
the builder stores the inventory of building materials on the outside
ground with no plastic sheeting to protect the building materials from
rain [which thus supplies the necessary water to enable mould to grow in
and on the materials];
(d) the construction crew fails to cover the entire home under
construction with plastic sheeting at the end of each construction day to
protect the building materials from rain [which thus supplies the
necessary water to enable mould to grow in and on the materials]. The roof
and side walls need to be protected against rain until the entire roof,
siding, windows, and doors are totally installed to seal out rain;
(e) the builder fails to inspect and test the home for mould growth
while it is being constructed and at the home’s completion; and
(f) use of modern building materials like chip wafer boards,
drywall (plasterboard), & plywood--- all of which moulds love to eat.
(g) failure to spray all
wood-based construction materials on all surfaces with at least one
spraying of the EPA-registered wood
protectant----visit:
Mould Mart.
9. IGNORING POSSIBLE MOULD
HEALTH SYMPTOMS BEING SUFFERED BY ONE OR MORE FAMILY MEMBERS OR
CO-WORKERS. Be concerned about possible mould problems if one
or more occupants is suffering from unexplained health problems such as an
ongoing itchy eyes, bloody nose, sinus problems, headaches, nose
congestion, runny nose, skin rashes, skin sores, coughing, breathing
difficulties, difficulty in remembering things and in thinking clearly,
feeling disconnected from the world around you, and/or chronic fatigue.
Please remember that some occupants may experience mould health
symptoms, while others may have none, with all living or working in the
same mould-infested area. People differ significantly in their sensitivity
to mould.
10. IGNORING HOME MAINTENANCE PROBLEMS & MOULD CLUES. You
contribute big-time to becoming a mould victim when you ignore roof leaks,
plumbing leaks, sewer line leaks, water stains on ceilings, the indoor
smell of mould, visible mould growth, high humidity [60% or more to drive
mould growth from humidity alone], a wet or damp basement, and a wet or
damp crawl space. |
