Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Toxic Mould
Prevention, Inspection, Testing and Remediation from Canadian Residents
<<February
06, 2005>>
A.
We are considering purchasing a home that
has just been built here in Alberta. A few weeks ago my realtor informed
me that a clamp on the main bathroom sink broke off in the middle of the
night, sending water throughout the main floor and down the stairs to the
finished basement. The water was discovered the next morning after it
happened. The flooring on the main floor was ripped out (down to the
plywood) and the basement was completely gutted down to the studs. Fans
were used to air out the floors and the wet gyproc was taken out.
I walked
through the house today and everything seemed dry to me. The basement had
been completely re-drywalled. I know this because it was completely
finished when I walked through before the accident. I could not smell
anything that would indicate mould or mildew. It is extremely dry up here
in the winter. Although I feel much better after seeing what was replaced
and taken out, I still have a nagging feeling I should protect myself
"just in case". We do wish to purchase this property but of course want to
protect our investment. What do you suggest?
Q.
All of the timbers inside the walls, the new
gypsum boards, and the entire cleaned out area should have been inspected
for mould growth, mould remediated, and then sprayed with at least two wet
sprayings of a fungicide, followed up by the application of antimicrobial
coating. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective mould remediation at
http://www.moldinspector.com/mold_removal.htm. At this point in time,
since you really like the home, you should use our do it yourself
mould test kits [which we can send to you in Canada] to mould test the air of the
basement, each room, attic, and the outward air flow from each
heating/cooling duct register.
<<February
02, 2005>>
 Q.
We live in Canada in a 4 year old house. Over the last two weeks, we have
been smelling this unusual smell in the basement. It is very difficult to
determine what it is. It is sort of stagnant old type of odor. The smell
comes and goes throughout the day. It is particularly worse around dinner.
There are no signs of mice or any other anima. We have no pets either.
The smell is now coming through the vent of
my son’s room which is on top floor, yet there is no smell at all on the
main floor. It seems to be concentrated in the ceiling area of the
basement near the front door (it is an unfinished basement). Yet the vent
up to my son’s room is on the other side of the basement. There are no
signs of mould or moisture along the walls or floor. We are going crazy to
figure it out! Do you have any suggestions? We need to stop this very
annoying odour!
Mould growth in a home in Windsor,
Ontario, Canada.
A.
basements are famous for high humidity
and/or water leaks and mould growth. The strange smell may well be from
mold. Protect your family’s health by an in-depth mould investigation. You
need to inspect your basement and your entire house very closely for
visible mould growth by following the steps in http://www.moldinspection.com.
You also need to basement and the entire house with out
do-it-BEST-yourself mould test kits, now available for delivery in Canada
at our online mould products catalog.
<<February
01, 2005>>
Q.
My wife and I bought a 50 year old house in
Barrie, Ontario 3 years ago. I started sleeping in the basement guest room
and became rather ill – dizziness and then pneumonia.
For 3 years running, I have contracted
pneumonia, and I am thinking it is something in the basement. Whether I am
in the workshop area or the guest room or anywhere for a prolonged period
(3-4) days), I seem to feel real woozy and running nose and stuffed up
nose.
The illness cleared up but I am still
stuffed and I wonder if it is a basement air quality thing. My immune
system is low because it has not affected my wife. Can you help me?
A.
To find out if your serious mould health
problem might be related to your living in mould contamination, you should
mould test the basement and your entire house with our do-it-yourself mold
test kits we can express to you in Canada. Any
existence of molds in your home can be associated with your health
conditions. You also need to see your physician immediately. Here are
other helpful suggestions:
To get rid of the mould threat to your health
and real estate investment, check your home or other building for water
intrusion problems. Make sure your kitchen and bathroom exhaust vents go
directly to the outside, not into your attic or inside walls. Check your
home or building carefully for roof, siding, plumbing water leaks,
construction defects, or maintenance degradation, which permit water to
enter your home.
Properly vent the attic to allow moisture to
escape rather than collect in the attic. Attic mould easily grows into the
walls and ceilings below. Check all areas of your house or building year
round (including basement, crawl space, each room, attic and garage) for
the possibility of high indoor humidity with a $30 hygrometer from a large
hardware store, Home Depot, or Lowe’s.
If the humidity exceeds 50-60% some or all
of the year, you have invited mould to be your permanent building resident.
Use a programmable dehumidifier to keep indoor moisture to a
mold-discouraging 30-40%. Air conditioning systems should be checked to
ensure that they drain properly and do not retain moisture. Moisture along
with dust particles that occur in the system, creates a breeding ground
for mould that spread via the heating/cooling system through out the house
or building. You should visually check all areas of your home or building
with a flashlight and your sense of smell (e.g. duct registers, attic,
crawl space, basement, etc.) in accordance with the physical mould inspection tips provided at Mould Inspection. You should use our do it
yourself mould test kits to mould test any visible mould growths, the air of
each room, basement, crawlspace, attic, garage, the outward air flow from
each heating/cooling duct register, and inside the passenger compartment
of your vehicles (often mould cross contaminated if your home or office is
mould infested). If there is even a hidden mould problem inside the
basement, crawlspace, attic, walls, ceilings and the heating/cooling
system, usually detectable airborne mould spores will make it into the air.
If the indoor mould levels are elevated in comparison to your outdoor
mould control test, you know that you probably have a serious mould problem which
needs further investigation and possible mould remediation. Watch the
mould test kits for 7 consecutive days.
Use our self-analysis forms for analyzing
the results of your various mould test samplings. If any of the test
kits show a large number of mould colonies of one or more different
types of mould (visually different to you), you can also submit the
mould test kits mold laboratory for
mould analysis and mould species identification.
Complete mould test instructions,
self-analysis procedures, and testing techniques are explained in the
website section
Mould Inspection. If mould test results indicate a problem, you may then
want to hire a Certified Mould Inspector to use fiber optics to inspect
inside walls, ceilings, floors and the heating/cooling ducts for evidence
of physical mould growth and to do in depth mould investigation and
inspection.
Learn the
25
steps recommended for safe and effective mould remediation. Buy the
best air cleaner to remove airborne mould spores from your home, apartment
or office air to protect your family or co-workers against breathing in
elevated levels of airborne mould spores. This electronic air cleaner is
rated the most effective by the leading, non-profit USA consumer products
testing organization. Become your own effective mould expert to improve
your personal home or apartment environmental safety and/or the
environmental health of your workplace and investment properties by
reading all three of our mould advice, email delivered books. Read
Mould
Health Guide, $15;
Mold Legal
Guide, $15; and
Do-It-BEST-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation,
$15). To order, please visit
Mold Mart. Become a Certified Mould Inspector and Certified
Mould Remediator through our distance training program. For details,
please visit
Ecology College Online.
Home • Real People & Mould • Workplace Q & A • Mould In Schools • Mould Advice • Real Estate & Mould • International FAQ • Realtor Mould • Canada-Mold-Questions • Mold-FAQ-2005 |
