Mold and How to Cope With It

After giving it much thought we decided to blog about an important subject that many of us may be facing in the coming weeks. Mold is in the future of many of us caused by the very wet snowy winter months. Wet basements and damp moist areas are breeding grounds for mold. We found this article recently that we think could be helpful in eleminating it. Many of us are allergic to mold and mildew and it can be debilitating. Here is some of what was written in the article :

Mold has been around forever, in thousands of shapes and forms. It’s as common as air and earth (in fact, both will most likely have mold spores in them). The one type of mold that has gathered so much publicity is actually rare.
Stachybotrys Chartarum is known as black mold, even though Stachybotrys isn’t always black, and there are many other types of mold that are also black in color (go figure). The goal is eliminate mold in the home, which in theory (and usually in function) is simple eliminate the moisture, and the mold cannot live.
For mold infestation, you need three things:
1. Mold spores (easy to find, since they’re everywhere)
2. Porous, organic materials (drywall, paper insulation, carpeting, wood - parts of your home)
3. Moisture (leaky faucets, sweating pipes, poor or blocked foundation drainage, bathroom ceiling fans that are vented into the attic and not outside, a dryer vent that blows into an enclosed area, etc.) Eliminate the moisture, and the mold problem is also eliminated. Plain and simple.
Now, let’s say you have a moldy area, and you’ve removed the water issue. Here are a few tips for permanent cleanup:

* If you’re sensitive to mold, use gloves, protective clothing and a mask to prevent the inhalation of excessive mold spores.
Remove moldy materials such as carpet, drywall, wood, etc. and replace with new materials after cleaning and disinfection.
* If the area is in a crawl space, line the gravel or dirt with heavy-duty plastic to prevent ground moisture from rising.
* For dark areas in bathtub or on shower caulking, spray a commercial mildew remover on the areas as needed.
* Make sure your furnace and air conditioner condensation lines, dryer vents, stove fans, and bathroom ceiling fans are all directed to areas outside the home. Problems have occurred in the past in attics and crawl spaces with improper installation.
* Immediately fix any cracked or loose tiles in the shower or tub area. Moisture will get behind the tile into the drywall and mold will grow.

We hope you find this helpful.