A. To identify the mould species to know how dangerous/toxic it might be, you should collect a physical sample of the window mould growth, or use the Scotch tape lift sampling technique [explained on Mold Mart] and to send this sample to Mold Inspector Laboratory for mould analysis and mould identification. You should also use our mould test kits to sample the air in the various rooms of your home to determine whether any or all of the rooms have elevated levels of airborne mould spores, a sure sign that you have a serious mould infestation problem. You will need to remove all of the materials that have mould growth, treat the cleaned out areas with antimicrobial coating, and then re-grout with new glass grout. You also need to find the water source that drives this window mould growth. One very likely cause is that during part or all of the year, the rooms may have too high a humidity. Buy a digital hygrometer [about $30] in the thermometer section of Lowe's or Home Depot to check the humidity level of each of your rooms, attic, crawl space, and basement on a year-round basis. A humidity level of 30 to 40% discourages mould growth. A humidity level above 60% makes mould growth possible water-wise. The higher the humidity is above 60%, the worse the mould problem.
 

           [February 13, 2003]
           Q. We are in the process of building a new home and during construction the workers had a mishap. When the plumber installed the pipes, he did not close all the valves, thus when a brick worker turned on a faucet to get
water, the master bath upstairs and the kitchen downstairs began to flood. The damage seems to be minimal but I am worried about future problems from this water damage. The builder dried up all the excess water and ran our air exchange system for 2 days. The sheet rock seem in the kitchen ceiling had approximately a 6 foot bulge and the builder said that they only needed to replace the seam. Also about a 4 foot circumference of the newly installed hardwood floor began to mildly warp in the kitchen on the main floor. The builder said that all they need do after it dried was sand out the warped areas and the floor would be fine. Am I being misled by my builder, or could the damage described be repaired so easily. I am spending a lot of money on the house and do not want future problems such as warping in the ceiling or flooring and mould damage down the road. What is your advice?
           A. You are wise to worry about the possibility of mould growing inside building materials and inside walls and ceilings from that flood. You need to have all of the same, plus the room air the various rooms of your home, inspected and tested by a Certified Mould Inspector. mould infestation inside your home can destroy the value of your home and harm your family's health in a big way. Visit New Home Mould. It would be a good precaution to remove all water damaged building materials, throw them away, and then treat the affected area with two wet sprayings of the antimicrobial coating. Of course, the builder will tell you there is no mould problem because: (1) most builders are not well-informed on mould issues; and (2) the builder does not want to spend much money repairing any water and mould damage caused by the flood.

           [February 10, 2003]
           Q. Thanks for being out there!  I visited the site of our lot where our new home is being constructed. The first floor is down and the the basic first floor of the structure is up.  It has been snowing, warming up and the snow has been melting during this time.  I noticed mould on the underside, in the rafters on at least half of the house.  There are still some icicles hanging from the rafters.  On the first floor the wafer board is soaked and the melting snow can be heard dripping down into the basement.  At first I thought that the builder might have something he could spray on this and kill the mould. I then went to Lowe's to ask some questions.  An assistant manager there suggested I have the builder cut the bad pieces out and replace them. I asked him if we could spray the wood with bleach water to kill the mould.  He said you might be able to try that but the mould would probably keep coming back. He said you might be able to spray it with Kilz but he wasn't sure and referred me to the contractors desk for more advice. Those folks aren't in on Sunday so I drove home just about as down in the dumps as I've ever been.  I could not find an inspector for the Clarksville, TN area so I'm wondering if you can help me???  Where do I start, what should I do.  I'll call the builder's office tomorrow and see if he is aware that we've got a serious problem.  I just cringe thinking that we are spending all our savings on this house and it's already making me sick.  We "HAD" lots of plans for the house but I don't know now. I think about the insulation under the house being next to the mould and we were going to put in a drop ceiling but I can't imagine doing that now.  
           A. The water damage and the resulting mould growth have to be dealt with by strong measures.  First, you should test the mould with our do-it-yourself mould test kits [including laboratory mould identification] to know what types of moulds are already growing in your new home under construction. Visit website Mold Mart.  Second, for professional inspecting and mould testing of your mould problem, mould Inspector will supply you with the name and contact information of a Certified Mould Inspector in your area.  Third, you should read the New Home mould page of Mould Inspector.  Fourth, you need to require that the builder REMOVE all moldy lumber and replace it with mould-free lumber. The advice you received from the Lowe's assistant manager to cut out bad lumber pieces and that bleach isn't a permanent mould kill is correct. His suggestion about Kilz is wrong because Kilz does not kill mould. It hides blemishes in preparation for painting. The home needs to be covered on its roof and exterior walls/windows with plastic sheeting to keep out rain and snow at the end of each construction day. All new building materials need to be inspected for mould problems before use and stored off the ground and under plastic sheeting. After all moldy materials have been replaced, the house timbers, plywood, and all other construction materials need to be inspected by either yourself or a Certified Mould Inspector to make sure no moldy lumber has been used. After such successful examination, all timbers, plywood, chipboard, etc. needs to be sprayed with  two coatings of anti-microbial coating.  Please read the testing, mould removal, and mould remediation pages of Mould.Ph and Mould Inspector.  

           [February 7, 2003]
           Q. We had a new home built with a full poured-concrete basement less than 2 years ago. Recently, we discovered several areas in the basement (which has a walk-out wood framed wall on the south side) where water was condensing on the concrete walls. The southwest and northwest corners had the most condensation with moderate amounts of mould growth, which we scrubbed off with bleach water. Less than a week ago, we discovered a more menacing problem beneath the landing at the bottom of the basement stairs. There was a high degree of moisture behind the fiberglass insulation on the OSB board (there is no plastic vapor barrier or drywall here). It was wet (with visible mould growth) as far up the OSB as we could reach. The contractor that built our house may be able to come and more thoroughly assess the problem next week. Your input would be greatly appreciated as would an estimate of the cost charged for inspection and testing of specific mould growth spots. We live in Southeast Indiana.
           A. Bleach is NOT an effective mould disinfectant. Learn why and what you should really use to kill mould at Mould Killer. Your first step is to document the extent of your mould problem with a very thorough toxic mould inspection and mould testing in all rooms of your home, plus attic, and hvac ducts. Yes, with the serious mould problem you are experiencing, you will have airborne toxic mould spores traveling and landing through out your home and contaminating your entire home, including your home hvac equipment and ducts. Most of our Certified Mould Inspectors are also Certified Mould Remediators or Certified Mould Contractors. Thus, you can obtain a detailed bid for getting rid of the mould from your home from our company's mould professional who serves your area. In removing the mould from your home, you need to follow the mould remediation and removal advice provided on the remediation and removal pages of our websites: Mould.Ph and this website [Mould Removal]. Your most important task is to stop the entry of water into your home, whether the water entry is by wall leaks, plumbing leaks, condensation of high humidity, etc. Your Certified Mould Inspector will try to find the water source of your mould problem. The condensation on the walls is probably a direct result of high humidity inside your home. Your inspector will use a digital hygrometer to check and record the humidity percentage of every area of your home. Above 60% humidity is a sure invitation for mould growth. Your targeted humidity level [through the use of programmable dehumidifiers] is 30 to 40%, a low humidity level that discourages mould growth.

           [February 4, 2003]
           Q. My mother is allergic to mould, (I think, anyway), because since moving into a basement condo she has been constantly sick.  She also suffers from pain in her hips and joints. While staying in my house her joints stop hurting. This is why I think it could be her condo.  I also was thinking maybe mould was causing her constant sinus infections and sore throats. I have talked her into building a small new house with a basement. I talked her out of a slab foundation for fear of mould problems. So my question.... How can we be sure that the new house will be Ok?  Is there some kind of mould inspection that can be done prior to her moving in? I would hate for her to have to go through anymore problems. She is older with heart problems and just had to have her tonsils out because of all the infections. She is in her 60's! Kind of hard on her to have tonsils out at that age. I am concerned because there is a lot of water that lays on the ground. They assured us that it would be taken care of, but I do not trust builders much anymore after my bad experiences.
          A. You need to work with an architect to protect you in the design and building of the new home. Some of the issues that the architect will worry about is to make sure that: (1) the building site has good drainage AWAY from the home; (2) that the foundations and basement walls are properly waterproofed and that there is a water drainage system installed underground around the foundation and basement walls to carry water away from the basement foundation, walls and floors [e.g., by utilizing such items as pea gravel around drainage pipes in holes to carry water away by gravity or to an outdoor sump pump]; (3) keeping the under construction home covered in plastic sheeting to protect it against rain when the workers go home after every work day; (4) keeping building materials off the ground and covered completely and securing with plastic sheeting; (5) building the home with mould-free building materials instead of commonly use moldy construction materials; (6) installation of an exterior moisture barrier beneath the exterior siding or other exterior skin of the home; (7) installation of a mass media hepa filter into the return duct of the hvac system; (8) installation of powerful ultraviolet lights [to kill mould and other biological contaminants] in the hvac ducts; and (9) overall, to make the home waterproof. If there is no water problem, there is no mould problem. You can also hire one of our Certified Mould Inspectors to be your mould consultant for the design and building of your mother's healthy home, and to watch over the construction in progress to make sure that thre is no built-in water or mould problem.  Please visit: New Home Mould.

          [July 6, 2002]
           Q. Back in the spring of 2001.  MY HUSBAND AND I BOUGHT OUR NEW HOME. IN  JANUARY  WE NOTICED OUR KITCHEN FLOOR WAS CHANGING COLORS, IN THE SHADES OF BLACK, PINK, PURPLE AND YELLOW.   WHEN INSPECTING OUR CEILINGS IN OUR BASEMENT WE FOUND LARGE AMOUNTS OF mould.  IT WENT THROUGH OUR SUB FLOOR AND THROUGH OUR KITCHEN TILE. WITH IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS BOTH OF MY PETS HAVE BEEN SICK. WE HAVE A PUPPY WHICH GETS BLEEDING FROM HIS NOSE AND MOUTH. AND ALWAYS PANTING. THE OTHER DOGS HAS HAD MANY PROBLEMS WITH HER LEGS, ALWAYS HAVING MAJOR PROBLEMS GETTING UP AFTER LYING DOWN. AS FOR ME I JUST IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS HAVE HAD MAJOR SINUS PROBLEMS, HIVES ON MY SKIN.  CYSTIC INFECTIONS ON MY FACE, DARK CIRCLES UNDER MY EYES. AND JUST LAST MONDAY I HAD A MAJOR BREATHING ATTACK. WHICH ALSO GAVE ME FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS. HIGH FEVER, HEAD ACHES AND CHEST TIGHTENING AS WELL AS SHORTNESS OF BREATH. I JUST THOUGH THAT ALL THIS WAS BROUGHT ON BY STRESS,  NEVER THINKING IT WAS THE mould. WE WERE TOLD THAT IF OUR HOUSE HAS mould WE CAN'T SELL IT. IS THIS TRUE?????? IS OUR HEALTH AND OUR HEALTH OF ARE PETS A RISK?
WHAT DO WE DO?????????   PLEASE HELP.
           A. The large amounts of visible mould and the serious health problems which you and your pets are experiencing should suggest to you that your home is possibly not safe to live in until you arrange for your home to have a mould inspection, mould testing, and mould remediation. You and your pets need to find a much healthier place to live NOW until you eliminate your mould infestation problem. Follow the mould inspection suggestions found at Mould Testing. Follow the mould removal tips found at Mould Removal.  Yes, you may find it very difficult to sell a mould infested home for at least 3 reasons: (a) buyers are learning to avoid homes that have environmental problems like mould infestation; (b) you will have to disclose the existence of the mould infestation to all prospective buyers if you don't completely remove the mould contamination and have your property pass a mould clearance test [after mould remediation]; and (c) many smart buyers now put and utilize mould inspection and mould testing provisions into the home purchase contract as one of the conditions of the contract that must be satisfactorily resolved prior to the closing of the home's purchase.

          [June 27, 2002]
           Q. I am a new home purchaser in the Daytona Beach Florida area. My home is being
built by ____ Company and the home is in the pre-stucco stage. Dry wall has been installed too. It has rained constantly for the last two weeks, and the block is very wet, as well as some of the drywall, due to the lack of stucco that has allowed rain to drip into sections of framing and drywall. There is actually one area that has standing water on the foundation. Do I need to be concerned about mould? It is likely that the insulation is wet too. What should be my next course of action?
With the recent news on increased litigation and health problems, I am concerned.
           A. Your first step is to hire a Certified Mould Inspector to carefully inspect the home and to mould test the construction materials that have been wet for over 24 hours [the time period required for mould to start eating your home]. Find a Certified Mould Inspector in your area by visiting the website: Certified Mould Inspectors. If you do not pay for your own expert outside testing, you will never know whether your home already has mould growing in it now. Having test results in hand that indicate a serious mould problem will help you motivate the builder to remove water and mould damaged building materials and to chemically treat the affected areas. Please follow the remediation steps at: Mould Removal. If you do not want to live in a mould hell, you must make sure that your home is thoroughly tested, and then thoroughly remediated if mould has started to grow on the drywall, wood timbers, stucco, insulation, etc.

           [June 21, 2002]
           Q. I am having a new home built in Springfield, Missouri area. Rainfall was high during initial stages of construction. Home is closed in and roof is on. Subfloors and studs are still exposed. Testing reveals presence of mould. What would you recommend be done at this stage to take care of this new home mould problem?
           A. Replace all moldy lumber with mould-free lumber and then treat the entire framing and plywood/chipboards/subfloors/underside of roof decking of home with antimicrobial coating. For more info on mould removal, please visit: Mould Removal.

           [May 19, 2002]
           Q. I am in the process of buying a new modular home. While delivering my home to the lot, the driver struck a traffic light causing a leak in the roof. The home was not set on the foundation nor sealed for 2-3 weeks. After the home was set, I noticed that my 8 year old daughter's room had suffered serious water damage. (my daughter has asthma and has allergies one of them being mould) The ceiling, wall and carpet were all wet. The Builder replaced the ceiling drywall, trim and painted the wall with Kilz to the kill the green mould. They have told me that the carpet is fine. The carpet has a musty smell and discoloration. I have insisted that the carpet be replaced and would like to have your opinion.
          A. Have everything [including carpeting and padding, and maybe even the floor beneath the wet carpet area] that was wet removed and replaced with new or you will have permanent mould problems and major health effects. If necessary, hire a lawyer to write a warning letter to both the builder and the modular home manufacturer, and maybe even to the transport company that actually damaged your home. You must replace with new---accept nothing short of that! Kilz does NOT kill mould or anything. It covers up water stained areas as a paint primer to prepare the surface for a new coat of paint. After replacement with new items, have your home mould tested to make sure that is no residual mould infestation. Learn about testing by visiting: Mould Testing.

          [May 2, 2002]
          Q. I am in the process of  having a house built, and I have some concerns about possible mould problems in the future.  The house has not been wrapped or sided, and insulation has been put in place.  With the heavy rainfall over the past few days, a good portion of the insulation has been
saturated with water.  My husband went to the site and found that the drywallers are hanging drywall right over this wet insulation.  We were told by the builder, that the wet insulation is not a concern as it will eventually dry.  I think that is a ridiculous comment.  Doesn't it make sense to
protect  the home from the elements first and then put the insulation and drywall?
          A. You should consider stopping construction, and having the insides of the walls and the room air tested for mould infestation by one of our Certified Mould Inspectors. To find a Certified Mould Inspector in your area, please visit: Certified Mould Inspectors.  If you don't check this problem out now, you may end up living in a mould hell with disastrous health consequences and a loss in value of your home because of built in mould infestation. Visit our web page: New Home Mould.

          [April 29, 2002]
          Q. We have a new home we have been trying to correct a leak since we moved in in December - apparently it has been leaking throughout construction. It is leaking through the roof into the attic then down the interior and exterior walls and now under the flooring.   Have questioned the builder about mould, who states since it hasn't been a long time problem that
everything will dry and be fine?
          A. mould spores when wet for just 24 hours will begin to eat and digest your home. In just one week, mould infestation can become overwhelming.  You need to hire one of our Certified Mould Inspectors to thoroughly inspect and mould test the ceilings, walls, floors, hvac equipment and ducts, and the room air of your home to identify elevated levels of mould spores and types of mould present in your home. Visit Certified Mould Inspectors .
         
          [April 12, 2002]
          Q. PURCHASED A NEW HOME IN ORLANDO, FLORIDA 7 YEARS AGO.  ABOUT TWO YEARS AFTER I MOVED INTO THE HOUSE IN THE RAINY SEASON  I WOULD GET A LITTLE WATER IN MY DINING ROOM TO THE  FRONT OF THE HOUSE  AND I THOUGHT IT WAS COMING THROUGH THE WINDOWS.  EACH YEAR IT GOT A LITTLE WORSE AND   A FEW YEARS AGO I CALLED THE BUILDER AND  SHOWED HIM THE PROBLEM AND  HE SAID IT  WAS A ROOF PROBLEM
AND THEY WEREN'T RESPONSIBLE  FOR IT.   I HAVE A TILE ROOF.  SO I  HAD
A NEPHEW  IN CONSTRUCTION WORK AND  I GOT HIM TO FIX THE PROBLEM-ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. HE SAID WHEN THE TILED THE ROOF THEY DIDN'T  KNOW WHAT THEY WERE DOING AND  HE WORKED ON IT AND GOT THE LEAKING TO STOP.  IN THE COUPLE  YEARS BEFORE THAT IT HAD GOT MY CARPET WET OFF AND ON AND LEAKED DOWN THE  SIDE OF THE WINDOW AND INTO THE GARAGE WHICH IS RIGHT NEXT TO THE DINING ROOM.  SINCE THEN THE  CORNER OF OF THE CEILING IN THE GARAGE HAS TURNED BLACK
(I THOUGHT MILDEW- BUT IT COULD BE A BLACK mould) AND ALSO IN THE MASTER CLOSET  MY SHOES AND PURSES ARE ALL mouldING AND ALL MY A. C. VENTS THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE ARE RUSTING.  ALSO THE THE PAST FEW YEARS I HAVE BEEN TO SEVERAL DOCTORS COMPLAINING OF CHRONIC FATIGUE (WHICH I  HAVE BEEN BLAMING ON MY THYROID  PROBLEMS ) WHICH  I AM ON THYROID MEDICINE AND  STILL HAVE  THE FATIGUE. I HAVE DIFFICULTY BREATHING AND COUGH AND SNEEZE A LOT.  DOES THIS SOUND LIKE A mould PROBLEM AND IS THE BUILDER ANYWAY RESPONSIBLE?   I AM PLANNING ON HAVING A TEST DONE BUT BEFORE I SPEND THE MONEY I  WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF YOU THINK I MIGHT HAVE  A PROBLEM? 
          A. With the bad water and mould problems you are facing in this house and your very severe health problems, your first step is to immediately move into a mould-free place until you have thoroughly mould tested your home and completed mould remediation in your home. mould laboratory analysis of the visible mould and of air samples from your attic, the hvac ducts, and the air inside the rooms of your home will document any mould problems, including the identification and quantification of the types of moulds that may have infested your home. Please follow the mould testing tips provided at Mould Testing and Mould Removal.

          [Feb. 20, 2002]
          Q. We are in the process of purchasing a newly constructed home that had some mould problems upon the home's final inspection. The rafters in the basement for the main level had mould present. The basement had flooded previously about 3 inches deep due to loss of power to sump pump. The mould was removed and the wood has been treated and passed further tests. We are requesting some sort of additional home warranty for the mould problem. Do you forsee further problems with this situation?
          A. Make sure that all of the wood surfaces were treated at least twice with  antimicrobial coating---see Mould Removal. You should either use do-it-yourself mould test kits or hire one of our Certified Mould Inspectors to thoroughly mould test all rooms of your home plus hvac equipment and ducts for elevated levels of mould and for dangerous moulds like black mould spores and toxic mould spores. If mould laboratory test results show only normal levels of mould spores and no black mould spores or toxic mould spores, that's great news. You should also obtain a written guarantee from the seller that any mould infestation problems arising in the next 10 years [more or less depending on your negotiating strength] anywhere in your home will be paid for and taken care of by the seller.

          [Feb. 19, 2002]
          Q. I am currently having a house built and discovered that on some of the boards in the ceiling have black mould growing on them.  The Builder says this is common for boards coming from the lumber yard and that this is not a mould to be concerned about.  They have said they will spray the mould with bleach water and then spray a sealant over it.  They have not done drywall yet so it is still exposed.  Is this mould something I should be concerned about or is it normal in new constructions?
          A. No way!  Have all of the mould stained or mould contaminated lumber replaced completely with mould-free lumber. Of course, much lumber mould often comes from the lumber supplier or the lumber mill, but that's no excuse for lumber with mould to be used in YOUR HOME where the mould would be built into your home right in the middle of your walls, ceilings, and floors. Insist on mould-free lumber, and, also, on having all of the timbers sprayed twice with mould Killer fungicide [to kill any present mould and mould spores] and twice with anti-microbial coating [to kill future mould growth] before insulation and drywall is installed.

          [Feb. 13, 2002]
          Q. I am trying to obtain sources of  information regarding air conditioning metal ductwork versus flex ductwork (the plastic kind that looks like the hose used to vent my dryer).  I currently own a home that has insulated galvanized metal ductwork and am planning to build a new home.  Currently, most of the new homes that I see being built are using an insulated round flex plastic ring ductwork. I am concerned that this type of ductwork will deteriorate over time and could also let bacteria form in its crevices and that I would be better off to stay with insulated metal ductwork.

Do you know where I could locate any comparison studies that have been done on these two types of ductwork or sources where I could obtain this type information? 
          A. It is better to build with the traditional sheet metal ducts because they do not have crevices to trap black mould spores, toxic mould spores, and other mould spores. In addition, the absence of crevices in smooth, traditional sheet metal ducts make it hard for mould growth to happen. Moreover, sheet metal gives about a 70% "bounce" increase in the effectiveness of duct-installed ultraviolet lights to kill mould. Killing mould with uv takes substantial uv light energy.

          [Feb. 26, 2002]
          Q. I would like know what is the best solution to my mould infestation problem. My problem is that we found mould on our new framing lumber that we just bought to build our new home.   The mould was identified as Aspergillus/Penicillium. We live in Del Rio, TX.  The mould was not noticeable when lumber arrived, and the framing began. Five days into the framing and  a weekend of  very cloudy and high humidity was all it took for the mould to start growing.  Needless to say, we stopped construction.   I would greatly appreciated your help.
          A. You are to be commended for having the foresight to stop construction until you have removed all mould growth and mould infestation. You need to scrape and power sand all lumber to clean condition [no mould stains or mould growth remaining]. Then spray wet with two coatings of antimicrobial coating to provide an antimicrobial coating on the timbers to prevent future mould growth. For info on antimicrobial protective coating, please click on: Mould Removal.

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