Canada Toxic Mould Inspection & Remediaton

Canadian  Guide  on  Black  Mould  Prevention,  Mould  Inspection,  Mould  Testing, 
Mould  Remediation,  Mould  Abatement,  Mould  Training,  & Mould  Products
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Effectively mould test & mould remediate your entire home for toxic mould or any type of mould growth by hiring available Canada Mould Inspectors and Canada Mould Remediators.
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Certified Mould Inspector & Certified Mould Remediator.

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Home Remedies for Killing Mould, Asthma, Hypertension (High blood pressure) & Sinus Infection.

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To find a Certified Mould Inspector or Remediator in your area, or to be trained and certified as a mould inspection, testing, remediation, and prevention expert, please visit: Certified Mold Inspectors.

Questions and Answers about Mould Remediation, Mould Removal, Mould Decontamination, and Mould Extraction

Also, please visit our other question and answer areas. Visit:  

               
Real People & Mould   
Legal Q & A      
 

[Oct. 6, 2003]

Q. I HAVE NOTICED MOULD GROWING ON THE CEILING IN MY  UPSTAIRS BATHROOM , IN ONE GENERAL AREA.  THIS AREA IS NOT BIG, BUT I DON'T WANT THE PROBLEM TO GROW.  IT SEEMS TO BE BLACK IN COLOR AND SORT OF "SPOTTY",  JUST SOME BLACK SPOTS ON THE CEILING.  WHAT IS THE BEST HOME REMEDY FOR GETTING RID OF THIS?  PEOPLE HAVE SAID JUST PLAIN BLEACH....WILL THIS SOLVE MY PROBLEM?

            [April 1, 2003]
         Q. We had a flood in our office during the last rain in 3 of our offices.  there was a definite mildew smell.  we have pulled up the carpet and will have new carpet put in over the weekend.  the offices have been wet before during previous rains and the landlords would have the water extracted from the carpets.  This time it was beyond doing the water extracting and the carpet was pulled. do we need mould testing?
         A. Yes, you need mould inspection and testing of the insides of the walls touched by the floods, and of the air in the office, and of the hvac ducts to discover whether or not elevated levels of dangerous moulds are present. Floods are very dangerous mould-wise because of the heavy wetting of the insides of floors, and any other affected areas reached by the flooding water. To locate a Certified Mould Inspector, visit: http://www.mouldprofession.com . Learn all about mould inspection, testing, and remediation by visiting http://www.mould.ph and http://www.moldinspector.com. You also need to make sure that the source of the flooding is permanently corrected by the landlord.
          
         [March 31, 2003]
         Q. A recent roof leak resulted in mould 3 days later in a closed linen  closet. There was a line several inches long in the ceiling crease. We had the mould tested and it showed high levels of aspergillus/Penicillium and basidiospores. The air outside the closet showed minimal levels of Alternaria and unidentified condida. We have tried unsuccessfully many times to get a bid for remediation from the people who did the testing. What do you suggest? Can we wallboard over the plaster wall with wallboard after using a fungicide? or does the plaster have to be torn out. Could this be done by a handyman or does the situation call for searching for another remediation co. We would appreciate your advice. 
         A. You need to inspect and test for possible mould infestation IN the ceiling, ABOVE the ceiling, IN the walls, and IN the attic. Leaking water can cause mould growth where ever the water travels. Mould grows where water flows. You also need to test the air of the attic, other rooms, and hvac ducts for elevated levels of mould spores. To hire one of our Certified Mould Inspectors, please visit: Mould Profession  To use our do it yourself mould test kits with our expert mould laboratory mould analysis & mould identification, visit: Mould Mart.  Once you know WHERE the mould growth and elevated levels of mould spores are present, you can do the mould removal work yourself by using the suggestions provided at Mould Removal or use one of our Certified Mould Remediators.

         [Feb. 15, 2003]

Q. We have a mould [note: non-USA spelling of mould] problem in our attic, due to lack of ventilation. It has been tested and discovered to be "Aspergillus Penicillum". I have reports off the internet that states that this mould can cause cancer, asthma, pulmonary mycosis etc.  My wife and kids vacated the house because I didn't want to take chances with their health. I would like to correct this mould problem myself, can you tell me how serious this is? Am I OK to stay in my house as long as the attic is blocked off with visqueen plastic sheeting? Most of the mould is (1) on the bottom side of the roof deck; (2) on the end of the insulation directly above the outside walls; and (3) some staining appears on the (attic side)-of the ceiling-drywall and but the mould has not bleed thru to be visible from the inside. The protocol, I am guessing, would be to wear protective gear and remove all shingles roof ply, attic insulation. Now, is it necessary to remove all drywall or can this be treated with bleach over the stains and only remove any severe stains???

A. Aspergillus and Penicillium are two of the top 3 dangerous moulds. Your idea is excellent to seal off the attic area from the rest of the home with plastic sheeting while you do the mould remediation--- that safety procedure to contain the mould spores into the remediation area is called mould containment. To know whether it is safe for you to live downstairs during your mould removal efforts would require you to test the air in the rooms downstairs and in the hvac ducts and equipment to determine whether those areas contain elevated levels of mould spores, a condition that would be unhealthy for you. You can use our do it yourself mould test kits with our mould laboratory analysis; please visit Mould Mart. Do not use bleach to kill mould because it doesn't---find out why bleach is a loser for mould killing by visiting Mould Killer. You goal is to replace ALL mould damaged or mould infested building materials. If the mould is growing into the attic top side of the drywall but does not appear visually from looking upwards at the ceiling in the rooms below, you still need to remove such mould laden drywall.  Besides removing all mould contaminated construction materials, you will also need t spray the cleaned out area twice [wet spraying] with an effective EPA registered mould fungicide. For more info on proper protective gear, industrial hepa filters, and other important matters, please read the mould remediation and removal pages of both Moulds and Mould Removal.

         [Feb. 11, 2003]
         Q. I have had a lot of moisture under the house, on and off for years and some flooding.  It apparently never totally dried out. We had to have some floor joists replaced due to  floor movement. I live at the shore. They are placing foundation fans under the house to dry it out.  There is a lot of mould. How can we treat it, when the contractor is still working? 
         A. You should inspect and mould test both the rooms inside your home and the area beneath your home to detect whether those areas harbor elevated levels of mould spores, and what types of mould species. If mould spores from beneath your home have contaminated the rest of your home, your health risks and mould remediation efforts and costs are going to be greater than if your mould problems exist only in the area beneath your home. To stop the mould problems, you will need to use a crawl space vent fan that turns on to exhaust outward high humidity air when the humidity level under your house exceeds 40%. You will need to stop your home flooding problem, whatever that entails your having to do. You need to remove and throw away all mould damaged materials and replace them with new, mould-free materials. You will need treat the entire area at least twice with effective EPA-registered  mould fungicide and once with Timbor fungicidal coating. After you do the above steps, you should re-test both the rooms inside your home and the area beneath your home to detect whether those areas harbor elevated levels of mould spores. Please visit the mould testing and removal pages of Mould and Mould Inspector.

         [February 1, 2003]
         Q. We live outside of Baltimore, Maryland in a 7 year old house.  Late last week we had a copper pipe break in our hot water baseboard heating system.  About 6 gallons of H20 flooded our first floor from the bathroom above. We were able to catch most of the H20 in buckets, and wiped up the minimal amount left on the hardwood floors.  There is an area about 16 feet by 20 feet that appears to be affected in the drywall ceiling above.  Some of the insulation in the ceiling is wet. The insurance company was not able to send out a cleaning crew for 5 days.  The hardwood floor is completely dry, and there is no more dripping from the ceiling. The broken pipe is repaired. The cleaning company now wants to come out, set up a dehumidifier, and put some anti fungal agent on the floor.  I'm concerned that the agent will damage our hardwood floors and cause significant odors throughout the house. 
         A. You should test the discolor or destructive effect of the fungicide you wish to use on hardwood flooring, carpeting, etc. in an out of the way corner or spot under furniture before you use it.  Any smell from a fungicidal use will not stay in your home if the home is thoroughly aired out after the fungicide dries.  Any building materials inside the ceiling or walls that were wet for more than 24 hours have a great chance of causing serious mould growth. You need to take the mould threat to your home seriously if you don't want to destroy both your health and the value and the future sale ability of your home. You need to hire a Certified Mould Inspector to do a careful inspection and testing of the entire house for elevated levels of mould spores and to use a fiber optics inspection device and mould testing inside ceiling and wall cavities that got wet in the flood. Spraying a fungicide is only good for killing mould that it hits. You need to remove all water and mould damaged building materials and then spray with 2 coatings each of effective EPA-registered  mould killer fungicide and Tim-bor fungicidal coating. Please read the mould removal and remediation pages on Mould and Mould Inspector.

[Jan. 27, 2003]

Q. We are having our house mould remediated and I inquired of our homeowner's insurance claims adjuster concerning our household contents. He said that I would not be allowed any contents mould removal monies because none of the porous items such as furniture, bedding, clothing, drapes, towels, sheets and items of such nature were directly damaged by the water leak that caused my mould problem. Is he right or just minimizing the amount that is due to our family that we deserve? 

A.  By having mould contamination in one place in your home, your home will almost certainly have airborne mould spores carried by air currents enter into all areas of your home and onto all of your personal property.  It is porous building materials and personal possessions which are the most difficult to remove mould infestation from because mould spores and mould colony growth into and inside the porous materials. Mould cannot enter and hide in non-porous materials such as Formica kitchen counters, non-upholstered wood furniture, and metal appliances such as your refrigerator, dryer,  clothes washer, and dishwasher. Mould remediation of hard surfaces such as Formica requires just wiping off the surface with a clean cloth wet with either rubbing alcohol or Borax laundry detergent [mixed 15% solids to water content].  Collecting for mould damage from insurance companies is very difficult. Your first step is to document the presence of mould spores and/or mould growth in elevated levels in your porous materials such as upholstered furniture, clothing, and carpeting/padding. If there is a serious mould problem in your porous possessions, you can prove it with the expert inspection, testing, and mould laboratory services of one of our Certified Mould Inspectors.

          [Jan. 8, 2003]

Q. I have repaired a leak in the ceiling but there are bad water stains above my bed. The attic shows a little black mould on the ceiling drywall. What is the best method of removal, is there a spray or is patching the drywall the answer. (hard because of the popcorn ceiling)?

A. Drywall that has had water damage and  mould growth needs to be replaced with new drywall. Do the entire ceiling to make sure you got all of the mould and to be your finishing/painting uniform in looks. Once you removed the damaged drywall, you will want to inspect and test the ceiling timbers for mould problems. Follow the mould removal tips provided at the Mould Removal page.

         [July 21, 2002]
          Q. We have mould in our house - we are in the process of having it cleaned - it has failed the clearance test 3 times. The "Engineer" came out on Monday and met with the cleanup people. He advised them to cover the walls 
(the ones they had cleaned) because they are outside walls with plastic and re-clean the floor, before they retest. They already have the ceiling covered with plastic. The reasoning for this is that they do not want air from the attic or air from the outside walls coming in. In my opinion all they will be testing is the floor - air - and plastic. Is this common. I believe the test is failing because there is still mould in the 2 rooms they have not cleaned. Can you give me your option or a site that I can go to get information on the standards for testing and clearance. I feel that the clearance people are manipulating the test. If the house passes under these conditions and when we are in the middle of putting it all back together - and find that there is more mould Who is liable for the future damage? The ones that cleared the property -the cleanup people or us?
           A. You don't want plastic covering the ceilings and walls of rooms that have been remediated while those rooms are getting clearance testing. You want to know if there is mould in the Mould ceilings, walls, floors, hvac, etc. of the remediated rooms. You need to hire a Certified  Inspector to provide you with honest and thorough clearance testing and with remediation protocol suggestions for getting rid of your mould. Visit: Certified Mould Inspectors. You are absolutely right that mould infestation areas not yet treated elsewhere in your home can also cause remediated areas to fail clearance testing. Most mould remediators do a bad job of mould remediation. Make sure that your remediators have satisfactorily completed ALL of the necessary remediation procedures at Mould Removal. Worry about future mould problems by making sure that today's remediation efforts have been successfully completed. Most mould remediation jobs leave the property in as bad or worse condition as before the mould remediation began because of short cuts taken by most mould remediators.

           [July 6, 2002]
          Q. We returned from a two week vacation to find water covering half the first floor of our home. It was running out of the sides of the house and I pulled a couple of bags out of my closet that were moldy already. The cause was a water supply line leak in the foundation. The walls tested damp 18 in. up two days after the carpet, water etc. was removed and blowers and dehumidifiers placed through out. We are concerned about mould in the walls. The contract adjuster for our insurance company cannot come out for 11 more days because he is so busy. He also is telling us the sheet rock can be salvaged. What are the standards for dealing with water damaged walls that have been wet for an undetermined amount of time? Are we right to think all the damaged sheetrock should be removed? Thank you---resident of Sugar Land, Texas.
          A.. Throw away all of the water damaged drywall and insulation at least 4 ft. up. Once buildings material have been wet for more than 24 hours, mould can begin growing on the materials and INSIDE the building materials. You will also have to mould decontaminate or replace the wall timbers, and maybe your flooring. Follow the mould removal suggestions provided at our website: Mould Removal. To offset the inadequate mould remediation recommendations of your insurance adjuster, you need to have the insides of the walls and the flooring and beneath the flooring tested at your expense by a Certified Mould Inspector. To find one in your area, please visit the Texas section of the Inspector section of our website Mould Professionals. Insurance company mould inspections and testing procedures are designed NOT to find and NOT to report to homeowners any discovered mould infestations.

          [June 7, 2002]

Q. We bought our house 5 years ago, knowing nothing about mould at the time.  We have a Cape Cod style home, with attic areas behind cubby hole doors in the bedrooms.  It is VERY humid in these areas.  When we bought the house, we noticed a small section on the underside of the roof in one of the cubbie holes that had spotty gray mildew, but it was small and did not appear to be spreading.  After having learned a lot about mould in the past month, I took another look at this "little area".  Now it appears to have spread to cover about 50% of the plywood on the underside of the roof are on the North side of the house.  The south side gets a lot of sun and the plywood there looks like new.  But the north side is very shady and that is where I see all this mould.  It is BLACK. Being that this moldy material is plywood, is there any way to clean and stop the mould from growing, or does all this plywood roof decking material absolutely have to be replaced?

A. Your first step is to collect a sample of the suspected substance and send it to our lab for mould analysis [is it mould? and what specific mould in identification?]. You should also test the air of the attic using a mould culture plate.  Follow the mould testing suggestions provided at: Mould Testing. After having collected a sample for mould laboratory identification purposes, your first removal step would be to kill visible mould with a strong mould fungicide. Visit  Mould Killer. Follow the  removal steps explained at: Mould Removal. If you can NOT remove the mould from the plywood by the aggressive use of such techniques as abrasive blasting, power planer, power sander, etc., then you should replace the plywood [and thus the roof]. Be sure that who ever does the mould testing and the mould remediation wears proper protective gear [explained in the Mould Killer section of this website.

          [June 4, 2004]

Q. We have discovered that the new rubber roof installed at my mothers house was not installed properly, allowing water to get in under the roof, and into the sidewalls. There is now a musty smell in the kitchen cabinets attached to the suspect kitchen wall. My question is, How can we get rid of the mould in the sidewalls (and rockwool insulation)? How difficult is it to get the contractor's insurance company to pay for remediation? Will the heat of summer kill the mould in the sidewalls?
           A. Heat will not kill the mould. You will need to throw away all mould-contaminated wall materials. If mould is growing on wall framing timbers, you will need to either replace the moldy timbers or power plane, abrasive blast, scrape, and/or sand them to good, non-moldy condition. After the mould removal job is done, you will need to chemically treat the cleaned out area. Follow the mould remediation suggestions provided at Mould Removal.  As far as any legal rights you may have against the contractor, you should seek the advice of a competent local construction liability attorney.

         [May 31, 2002]
          Q. Our house was diagnosed with toxic mould and we have undergone the remediation process. We are having 2 separate mould testing companies do our clearance test prior to reconstruction. The first company came to the house and immediately removed all of the plastic barriers throughout the entire house prior to testing. They also turned off the dehumidifiers and HEPA filters and never turned them back on when they left. We questioned whether the removal of all of the plastic was a proper procedure knowing that  if there was still mould present behind the barriers, cross-contamination of the rest of the house would be the result and additional remediation
would have to include the entire house again. Living in Texas, the humidity levels were above 65% without dehumidification and these units were off for 3 days before I discovered that fact and went inside the house to turn them on. I believe that a more cautious approach should have been used. An assumption should have been made that  the house was still contaminated until proven otherwise. The plastic barriers should have been removed in sections or slit open in suspected areas and tested with the plastic being replaced and re-sealed prior to moving on to another area. This would have certainly cut down on the cross contamination. Our worst fears were confirmed when the second company came and did find additional toxic mould that was not properly remediated. They concurred that the first company acted improperly in their handling of the plastic removal and failure to turn the dehumidifiers and HEPA filters back on.  The first company insists that they acted properly. What are the proper procedures to follow for a clearance test?
          A. Inadequate and poorly done mould remediation and ineffective testing are reasons why the Professional Certification Institute was established to remove ignorance and bad techniques from the mould industry. You are absolutely correct that barrier [containment] walls must not be removed until each separate contained area is cleared as mould-safe in the written lab results for the clearance testing. Second, with the containment walls having been prematurely removed, you should have the entire home tested for mould infestation. Third, to give you an honest and realistic clearance mould test, all hepa industrial filters and other fans should be turned off for 24 hours preceding the taking of the clearance tests. The hepa filters can then be turned back on right then until the lab results come in giving a clean bill of health to your home. As to the running of the dehumidifier in a humid environment [like many areas of Texas], don't shut off the dehumidifier until just before the clearance testing [to stop unnecessary air movement during the test process]. Then after the test procedures have been carried out, the dehumidifier can be turned back on right then to continue controlling the high humidity problem which is probably one of the major causes of the mould problem in the first place.

          [May 15, 2002]
          Q. My family and I purchased a house about a year ago. We bought house insurance etc. Recently, the tiles in our kids bathroom have come loose and we have discovered a black colored mould on the backs of them. How do we know if we should be concerned? Our insurance company sent out a revision on its mould policy after all the news about it. We just want to be sure that our kids are safe. Any advise is appreciated.
          A. If the home was built prior to Jan. 1, 1985, the tile and the glue holding the tile to the floor will have to be first tested for the presence of health-threatening asbestos. If either or both items contain asbestos, they will have to be removed safely by an asbestos abatement company [expensive]. To fix this source of mould contamination, you must first find and stop the water intrusion that enables the mould to grow beneath the tile. If this is tile on a concrete slab, the slab has either no moisture barrier. an inadequate one, or a degraded barrier. If so, the concrete will need to be treated with a special chemical to make the top inch of the concrete into a water barrier that can withstand the water pressure pushing upward from the ground.

          [May 14, 2002]
          Q. We developed mould in our parsonage last year and it was covered by insurance.  The insurance company paid out about $100,000. to get rid of it, but it is back we discovered it on April 29th 2002.  The insurance company did not replace the air-handler or the metal return air vent in the parsonage. The insurance company does not want to re-open the claim.  Can you help me?
          A. Because of ignorance and bad techniques, most remediation jobs leave a property in just as bad a mould problem [or often worse] than before the job started. When a home or building has been mould infested, almost always there is a serious mould contamination problem in the hvac equipment and ducts [which continually take in airborne mould spores from the contaminated area of the building].  If the hvac equipment and ducts are not replaced with new or properly remediated [rarely done well by most mould remediation companies], the dirty hvac equipment and ducts will cross-contaminate the rest of the house or building that may have been mould remediated. You should ask a local insurance-oriented attorney or personal injury attorney for help in presenting your case for re-opening the claim based on the insurance company and mould remediation company's failure to properly remove mould contamination from the hvac equipment and ducts.

          [April 30, 2002]
          Q. We have what we think is black mould in our crawlspace.  A month ago we had a pipe leak out a little water and our kitchen sink backed up. Roto-rooter came out and snaked the pipe, they found a pipe cap loose that caused this.  I am very concerned as we have three kids.  No one has any symptoms except the 2 year old has a runny nose and a slight cough.  I am very scared.  We are running a de-humidifier and air purifier until someone can come out and take a look at it.  Our crawlspace has some black patches under the plastic and lots of cardboard boxes with damage under them. It smells extremely musty in there also.
          A. Having mould in your crawl space is very dangerous because the mould infestation can easily grow into the floors and walls above the crawl space. Wearing proper protective gear [discussed on Mould Removal], some one needs to remove and discard the moldy cardboard boxes and any box contents that cannot be disinfected with the mould removal suggestions in our book Do it yourself Mould Prevention, Inspection, Remediation, & Testing. You need to inspect and mould test very thoroughly the crawl space and the timbers in the crawl space area, as well as your testing the room air [use mould culture plates] in the rooms above the crawl space. Follow the mould testing tips provided at: Mould Testing. To kill any present mould growths, use Mould Killer as part of your carrying out the mould remediation suggestions provided at Mould Removal.

          [April 21, 2002]
          Q. Our home has recently been tested for mould following a plumbing leak behind the bathroom wall that was probably leaking for several months. Stachybotrys came up positive with a tape lift among other moulds.  I would like to remedy this problem myself following your tips. Now that the mould has dried due to no further water source, we were told that the mould may now be airborne looking for moisture within the house.  So I am looking to remodel the restroom and do mould removal. I came across ozone generation equipment that claims to kill the airborne mould.
          A. Ozone can possibly kill airborne mould, but it cannot and will not kill the enzyme roots of mould that is growing in porous building materials like drywall and lumber. The U.S. E.P.A. considers ozone treatment to be dangerous and ineffective for mould remediation. No professional mould remediation company [that wants to do an effective job of mould removal] will utilize ozone treatment as its treatment strategy. Removing mould is hard work---follow the suggestions provided on the website page: Mould Removal.

          [April 8, 2002]
          Q. My husband and I manage a self storage facility in northern California.  In the halls and some of the units, we find a white almost light powder substance that covers the cement floors and concrete walls. If left to grow it will get 2 or 3 inches deep and and sweeps out like fluffy dust or feather like substance.  My husband has tried treating the walls and floor with a bleach and water mixture and it seems to help for a short time but then returns.  Our question is this, what is this growth and how can we get rid of it.  We have had some complaints from our customers about the growth on their stored belongings.  Your help would be greatly appreciated.
          A. Your first step is to identify the mystery powder. Collect a few ounces of it into a ziplock bag upon which you attach a label with your facility name, precise test location, and date of testing. If lab results show that you have mould growth, your next step is to identify the source of the water or moisture that enables the mould to grow, and the source of food fueling the mould growth [besides your tenants' possessions]. Check the humidity level through out the building and all of the rental units. If the humidity is above 50%, that may well be the source of the problem. The higher the humidity is above 50%, the more that the humidity can drive the mould growth water wise all by itself. The source of food might be dust and dirt on the concrete floors and walls. Chlorine bleach does not permanently kill mould growth--it only changes the color of the mould.

          [April 8, 2002]
          Q. We found out that our dishwasher was leaking.  When I removed the dishwasher, the cabinets on either side had black mould.  Should I be concerned?  Is this a health hazard?
        A. Absolutely "yes". Your family can get very sick from this mould infestation, and your property can be destroyed in value by the mould contamination. You need to remove the affected cabinets immediately and replace them with new ones AFTER you have opened up both the floor and wall in the flooded area to uncover any hidden mould problems. Follow the mould removal suggestions provided at: Mould Removal.

          [April 4, 2002]
          Q. I have just looked up your site on my computer about mould. In my family room last year by my computer I could smell mould. I took down the cork boards that where on the out side wall and found that one of the cork boards had black mould growing on it. I threw the cork board away and cleaned the wall with bleach. I called my home owners and they sent out someone and they said their was no moisture in the wall. I keep telling them water was coming in from somewhere and some how to make the mould. Finally my home insurance AAA sent in this mould service and today I have been told I have (Stachybotrys) mould ,and they don't know what they will pay for under my home owners insurance. My adjuster says he doesn't thank they cover mould. They already gave me a check for around $ 500.00 the other day to replace the sheet rock in the family room, but now they are saying because of the mould that tested positive for Stachybotrys that no one can tear the wall open to replace the damage. They are sending a contractor over to try and figure out where the water was coming from to cause the mould. They also said upstairs in the master bathroom it tested positive for Cladosporium mould. So I don't know what to do.  I am in no situation to move out or do I have any extra money to get rid of the mould I am waiting to hear from my insurance group about what my options are. I have had a lot of joint & muscle pain and I have not felt good. Now I am worried. I have had a lot of problems with memory and a lot of joint pain to wear I can barley get down stairs. My Doctor told me I have fibromyalgia. Now I am wondering if all my health problems are from the mould?

A. Living in a moldy environment can cause severe health problems of many types. Because Stachybotrys has been discovered in your home, you and your family need to move out immediately [taking nothing with you to avoid cross-contamination of mould into another area]. If your home were on fire, you would vacate your home immediately---mould can also badly burn you and your family in health damage. To help you collect for mould from your homeowner's insurance policy, you need to obtain the services of a public insurance adjuster [who works solely on your behalf against the insurance company on a reasonable commission basis].   

         [April 1, 2002]
          Q. THANKS for your informative website!!!! I have hypersensitivity pneumonitis from a moldy house .....,,built a new home 3 yrs. ago..still sick..had testing done..found 43,000 cfu's of mould in the cold air return culture ..cut the furnace open to expose air conditioner A coils and found chunks of drywall and insulation inside...during summer these materials lying in the air conditioner drain got wet and of course mould grew....I recently had the air ducts cleaned and they sprayed the coils and ducts with Sporicidin...will this kill the mould or should I have the furnace replaced?   I'm sick of  being sick!!! please help...
          A.  Sporicidin is not as effective in killing as utilizing Mould Killer.The next low-cost way to try to solve the sick furnace/duct hvac problem is to have one of our  Certified Mould Inspectors or someone else you hire---if that qualified technician wears proper personal protective gear and if there is no one in the house during the process and for about 4 hours afterwards---open up the return side of your hvac air handling equipment. While the system is operating on fan ventilation mode, diluted [100 parts water to 1 part chemical] Mould Killer [benzalkonium chloride] could be misted by a misting machine into the return entry into your furnace/air handling equipment for a long time period [e.g., eight hours] to totally kill all mould, viruses, bacteria, and other contaminants inside the hvac equipment and duct work. Four hours after the process is completed, you would then mould test [using our Certified Mould Contractor to do the testing, or our do-it-yourself mould testing kits] the air coming out of the various hvac registers/ducts to determine whether or not more misting is required to kill all hvac contaminants.  The best way [in a perfect world!] is to replace your entire hvac equipment AND ducts with NEW ONES. Unless there is insurance coverage available because the mould was caused by an insured water problem, or unless you are well-off financially, replacing everything is very expensive and usually not an available choice to most families.
         
          [March 31, 2002]
          Q. I recently bought a home that was built in the 30's and is built from sawmill lumber. There where no sheetrock walls, all where solid wood with old wallpaper with the cloth paper behind it. When I took down most of it, it had black dust everywhere, some I left up and sheet rocked over. We have sheet rocked the whole house now. There were spots on the walls and ceiling that had a lot of crystalized places on the wood, now covered. There were places in the floor that were rotted and we cut out the rot only and replaced, but some of the black was still there. We covered with thin paneling in the kitchen, and plywood in the bedrooms. Can this still leak out from the walls? This house was very musty when we got it, had no idea about mould at the time. I am remodeling the house, since i started living in it as i work on it , I have started noticing that  I can't stay interested in the same project very long, had headaches, nosebleeds, a lot of mood swings, a lot of forgetfulness, my joints all over hurt, and very unrestful at night and during the day. I usually am constantly working on anything, but fill lightheaded a lot. When I leave and go visit  friends for two - five days ,  I always feel better there. By covering all that black dust up, how can I test for mould now. I know that there was a lot of it. Could it of been mould dust , I know it wasn't just dirt. And will my insurance pay if the house was like that to begin with? Please advise before i sink more money, which I've already have, into it to finish.
          A. Move yourself and your family out of this mould hell immediately. Don't take anything with you so you don't cross-contaminate your temporary living quarters.Don't spend any more time in your contaminated home without wearing personal protective gear such as one-piece, 3M brand face shield with breathing respirators [from Home Depot], rubber gloves [paint dept., Home Depot], and complete body suit [available from Mould Inspector]. Some of your mould health symptoms [can't stay interested in the same project very long, headaches, mood swings, forgetfulness] are a strong indication that the hidden mould might be the deadly toxic mould Stachybotrys that destroys brain tissue. You need to have the covered up mould tested by fiber optics inspection and inside wall direct mould sampling and air mould testing, plus air mould testing of the various rooms of your home. To find a Certified Mould Inspector in your area, please visit the website: Mould Professionals. If mould testing confirms that you have covered up mould growth in the wood, all of your new wall coverings will have to be removed to facilitate mould remediation. The steps involved in effective and safe mould removal are explained on the website: Mould Testing. You also need to have your body tested for the presence of mould growth in your body. The best type of medical doctor to visit [for blood testing for mould antibodies and lung biopsy for mould growing in your lungs] is a pulmonary [lung] specialist.

          [March 30, 2002]

Q. We bought a new home 4 months ago.  After a recent heavy rain, we noticed a leak around and under a north side window.  The sheetrock is bulging in a few places but we do not see any evidence of black mould.  Our insurance currently will not cover mould because they do not offer this coverage due to past problems in Texas.   The builder visually looked at it and said we do not have any mould.  He says you'd see it if we did.  We want to be sure but he says if they have to inspect it and we would be possibly out of the house for a while, it might take a long while, be intrusive, and  there is no need for it.  They just want to fix the leak and patch the sheetrock.  I asked if they were so sure we do not have any mould and  they just fixed the leak,  would they write a legal contract to guarantee that there is no mould and to make them responsible for any future problems in this area after the first year warranty.  Of course, they do not want to do that! What should we do here?  Should we make them inspect the area?  What does a test for mould intale and does it really require you to move out?  To test  the area, do they have to take out the wall or is there a less intrusive way?  Can they spray the area with a chemical.   They said they could not and they would have to use bleach.  How else would we know if we had mould?   We feel like we are getting the run around and they are afraid of what they might find.  Help please!         

A. You don't have to leave the home to have the suspect area mould tested for possible mould infestation. The builder wants you to give up on mould testing your home for mould contamination. The mould tests you need are as follows and can be done by our Certified Mould Inspectors in your area [see Inspector Directory section Mould Professionals]: (1) fiber optics inspection INSIDE for mould hidden inside the damaged walls; (2) sampling air INSIDE damaged wall for mould testing to identify excessive levels of mould and types of mould; and (3) sampling of air in the affected rooms and other areas of your home [to check for possible cross-contamination of other areas by airborne mould spores]. To correct mould contamination, the work can be done inside a containment area WITHOUT your having to leave the home during the mould remediation. Please visit  Mould Removal.

          [Feb. 27, 2002]
          Q. I have a serious mould problem in my crawl space. Every floor joist has mould on it including the insulation around the duct work. I'm sure the inside of the ductwork has it also. I have solved the water problem and now I am tackling the mould. What would be the best way to clean the joists and prevent the mould regrowth. I am looking at Borax & Vinegar, Soap & water, and Lime and water. I imagine all the insulation will have to be replaced. I'm not sure if I should replace the ducts or if duct cleaning really works.
          A. For effective mould removal and mould extraction, you need to do the following: (1) wear personal protective gear and erect mould remediation containment walls as explained on our web page Mould Removal; (2) spray the entire work area with at least two wet coatings of Mould Killer---see page Mould Killer;  (3) clean out the moldy areas with a mixture of water and Borax laundry detergent; (4) re-spray the entire area with two more wet coatings of Mould Killer; (5) scrape and power sand all timbers to clean condition [mould-free]; (6) re-spray with two more wet coatings of Mould Killer; (7) spray with one coating of an EPA fungicidal coating; and (8) test the air of the crawl space for any remaining mould infestation problems using our do-it-yourself mould test kits---see do-it-BEST-yourself Mould Test Kit.

          [Feb. 16, 2002]
          Q. Our house is infested by the dangerous kind of mould.  We have been asked by our insurance to move out because its been a while that everybody in the house are sick and we could not find out what was making us sick until we found out about the mould. I would like to find out since our furniture and clothes are contaminated, is it necessary to keep them, or do they need to be destroy?
          A. If there is insurance mould coverage for the mould infestation arising from a specific insured water intrusion incident, you should work hard to get insurance money to replace everything new. Under no condition should you move the personal property with mould contamination to another location without first doing mould remediation of the mould contaminated items. If you cannot get adequate an insurance mould settlement to pay for all new items, then you can clean the personal effects following the suggestions in the book Do it yourself Mould Prevention, Inspection, Remediation, & Testing Guide that is available by mail or online purchase at the Product Catalog page.

          [Feb. 15, 2002]
          Q.  Please help us!  On 5/01/00 my husband & i discovered 4,000 gal. Water under our 35 plus year old home.  The cause was a leaking cold water pipe under our house.  After my husband & i notified our insurance co. He placed a pump under our house to drain the water so a plumber could cut out & replace the leaking copper pipe.  The insurance co. Authorized a contractor (who was overseeing all work that would be done to our home) who in turn subbed out the drying out of all the moisture under our home by installing huge dehumidifiers on top of our carpeted hardwood floors.  Against great protest from me the man who was installing these dehumidifiers told me he'd been in business 25 years & this was the method that was used to pull out all the moisture.  I told him he would literally destroy my home as he would force up from under our home (which had an 18" crawl space - no slab foundation, only soil) all mould, mildew, & spore contaminants & force it up through our sub flooring, hardwood floors, & inside all the walls in our house.  That is exactly what happened.  After 2 1/2 weeks of the dehumidifiers running our home was destroyed.  September 2000 the green light was given for our home to be gutted, however the insurance co. Refused to remove the sub flooring & all the wood as i had requested.  Our home was "packed" out sometime in august for contents to be decontaminated & or destroyed.  A company specializing in the removal of asbestos did the clean up.  June 2001 we moved back in to a newly rebuilt shell of a home, all wood floors replaced, all new drywall & insulation in each interior/exterior wall, & new carpeting.  Shortly after moving back in i began having headaches that would not go away, difficultly with memory, concentration, dizziness & loss of balance, sneezing, itching of my nose constantly, eyes, sore throat, wheezing, a painful tightening in my chest, at times difficulty breathing, runny nose despite the use of claritin that i was already on, extreme difficulty in logical thinking/learning, memory loss & increased difficulty in remembering things, loss of concentration, & as time went on the definite feeling of being 'disconnected' from what was going on around me, constantly tired/fatigue, skin redness (with myself, daughter, granddaughter, grandson, & son, that goes away when we are away from the house for several hours, i.e. Going to school all day & returning around 2:30 p.m. Or later) both my granddaughter & i now have rashes on our face & i am now having difficulty staying asleep throughout the entire night.  Also, after moving back every time my dog comes into the house he sneezes constantly & he doesn't look well.  When all this first started it became very evident that i was very allergic to mould, mildew, & spores. This was confirmed by testing.  Everyone is being tested for allergy to these horrible contagions.  I have been told just yesterday 2/13/02 that all living in our house must leave.  A quarter of a million dollars has been dumped into rebuilding our home.  We are going to have it retested by another environmental hygienist.  Given the above information as to all that has been done to the 'shell' of our home after it was finally gutted, do you believe the house will ever be habitable? Oh, even at my request our attic was never addressed.  We were told it was it wasn't likely that our attic would be affected.  Thank your very much for your response.  Please advise us -- could you refer us to a hygenist here in san diego?

             A. To answer whether your home can ever be habitable in view of the terrible mould problems and inferior mould remediation that your home has suffered, consider having Mould Inspector inspect and test your home and analyze whether the home can be saved. The Certified Mould Inspector for San Diego is Mould Inspector manager Phillip Fry, whose email address is moldconsultant@yahoo.com. The problems you are experiencing AFTER extensive mould remediation, most remediation jobs have just as great a mould problem, or even greater, afterwards as before the job started because most mould remediators make one or more of the following mistakes: (1) use of Chlorine bleach or other ineffective mould disinfectants rather than a strong disinfectant like Mould Killer---see Mould Killer; (2) failure to replace or scrape/power sand mould-contaminated timbers to mould-free condition; (3) failure to apply two complete and wet sprayings of an antimicrobial coating  to the cleaned out area to prevent future mould-growth; and (4) failure to find and thus treat ALL of the mould-contaminated spots that are hidden inside walls, ceilings, floors, hvac equipment and ducts, crawl spaces, basements, and attics.  


          [Feb. 11, 2002]
          Q. I live in falls mills va and in july we were flooded. also a second flood happened in august.  my home was completely surrounded by water and high enough that my duct work and insulation had to have gotten soaked.  my insurance adjuster has yet to go under my home and i have talked with several contractors working for us about this.  one said he didn't think the insulation got wet because of the black material covering and another said if it got wet it would just dry out.  my family if plagued by sinus drainage, scratchy throat and my husband is on a second round of antibiotics while i am on my third.  i am not a person that usually gets sick and never take the flu shot. i have been referred to and vent and i plan to ask for cultures to see just what i have that i cannot get rid of.  i have called the health department and the county building inspectors and lots of other numbers given and cannot get anyone to come inspect my home.   i have been hesitant to call my insurance company-state farm- because four months after they started paying out money for repairs they had the gall to send me a letter of cancellation.  i wrote a letter myself and sent it to the president of state farm , their lawyers, the van insurance commissioner and my congressman.  needless to say they called in 10 days and apologized and wanted to keep me as a client.  my adjusters supervisor admitted to my husband on the phone that they should have totaled my home.  my husband is disabled and i have to work but i can't continue to take off sick time for doctors and i would like to know my next step of finding my problem.  I did see black mould growing on the outside of the home during reconstruction of foundation and i have several floors that are weak and know carpet and some flooring will have to be replaced.  will my home be condemned and not livable? if the insurance decides to total will they give me the balance owed?  i have put 30,000 already trying to fix my broken home will they be liable to give balance or should i find a lawyer?  do i have to get rid of all my possessions that are in my home? what about clothing?  just how do you go about decontaminating home, clothing, decorations, etc.???
          A. Your first step is to test underneath your home and throughout your home following the testing suggestions provided at: Mould Testing. Unless you know the identification of the moulds growing in your home, you will be at a great health disadvantage in dealing with your mould problem. You should also know the steps necessary to properly remediate your home. Please follow the removal suggestions provided at: Mould Removal. As far as collecting adequate insurance payments from the insurance company, you need to hire either a public insurance adjuster [works just for you against the insurance company and on a commission basis] or a lawyer who specializes in suing and collecting from insurance companies. 

          [Feb. 7, 2002]
          Q. RECENTLY MYSELF AND OTHER EMPLOYEES HAVE PURCHASED AND USED A SELF TEST KIT AND THE RESULTS HAVE INDICATED THAT WE HAVE STACHYBOTRYS IN THE BUILDING. AFTER GETTING A CONFLICTION TEST RESULT FROM OUR EMPLOYER AND DEMANDING THEY CLEAN THE BUILDING WHICH MIND YOU HAS NOW BEEN 8 MONTHS IN THE MAKING, THEY HAVE INDICATED TO US THAT THEY WILL CLEAN THE ROOM DOING A "DEEP CLEANING" OF THE ROOM NEXT TO THE INFECTED ROOM. THEY HAVE INDICATED THAT THIS PROCESS WILL TAKE ONLY 8 HRS TO COMPLETE. THE ROOM HAS CEILING TILES AND ALSO DRY WALL, THEY HAVE AGREED TO REPLACE THE TILES BUT NOT THE DRYWALL. MANY OF US HAVE BEEN VERY ILL AND CANT SEEM TO GET ANYTHING DONE. IS IT POSSIBLE FOR AN INFECTED ROOM TO BE CLEANED IN 8 HRS AND IF THEY DRYWALL IS NOT REPLACE CAN WE EXPECT A CLEANER ENVIRONMENT. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND THAT WE WORK FOR A POLICE DEPT AND ARE IN THE WORK AREA FOR 16HRS ON A REGULAR BASIS...
          A. "Deep cleaning" sounds like a fancy term for "cleaning" and cleaning is not enough to remove the sources of the mould problem. The water problem must be found and fixed first. Then follow the removal suggestions provided at: Mould Removal If there is mould growing in the drywall, it will have to be replaced. The entire area will need to be treated with Mould Killer. The entire building needs to be professionally tested to locate mould contamination points and to identify all of the dangerous moulds that might be present.  
      
          [Feb. 7, 2002]
          Q. I have really appreciated your sites in regard to mould. My eight month old home was flooded by a defective toilet in June. One of Farmers Insurance's agents wanted me to spray a little bleach on the black spots to make it "go away". You like that??? I finally had to go to her supvs. and get a different adjuster. I feel as though I have been to hell and I am so ready to come back. In Oct the insurance finally got all their paperwork in some type of order and work was finally started. Now after several testing, they have finally declared that the mould has grown up under the base plates surrounding the house. With only two by fours standing where else could it be hiding. I feel as though I am dealing with a bunch of monkeys. Anyway...now we are in the process of having engineers coming out to decide how to lift this house and replace the base plates. I am searching for an attorney because we are talking about a $350,000 two story eight month old home. I think with the mould issue we need to bulldoze it down and start all over. Just thought this story would be a nice one for you to read.  Thanks again for a great site.
          A. Replace the base plates is great idea. In addition, when the home has been jacked up, the entire exposed work area [after removal of moldy plates and clean up of the affected area] needs to be sprayed at least twice with Mould Killer and at least twice with the antimicrobial coating.  Follow carefully all of the mould removal suggestions contained on web page: Mould Removal. You need to look inside all wall cavities of the first floor with a fiber optics inspection device to see if mould has spread from bottom plates into walls on top of the floor deck. You should also be test the air through out your home for the presence of elevated levels of mould spores and/or particularly dangerous mould spores. 

          [Feb. 7, 2002]
          Q. My husband and I are about to purchase a home with severe water damage. The property is a foreclosed property and was abandoned for a couple of years. The bank never winterized the home and due to the extreme cold temperatures here in Buffalo, a pipe from the upper bathroom broke and water leaked for approximately 6 months. We are purchasing the house for a song and intend on doing the major gutting of the property. If we purchase the Benzalkonium Chloride and follow your mould removal procedure what do you think are our chances of getting rid of the mould? We are planning on removing all of the walls, floors, sub floors and ceilings that were water damaged. At this time the mould is dormant since its about 12 degrees outside but do you think we are making the mistake of out life?
          A. Yes, you can do it successfully. What is most important to you is that you bought the property "for a song" because the cause of removing all of the mould-contaminated building materials and chemically-treating the home EVERYWHERE with Mould Killer and EPA-registered antimicrobial coating, and then rebuilding with new, mould-free construction materials will be very high. Be sure to buy a hidden moisture meter, a hygrometer, and a fiber optics inspection device to help you in finding all of the hidden mould-contamination places. Carefully check your hvac equipment and duct work for mould contamination [very likely for both]. If contaminated, replace with new equipment and duct work. As you do the work, continually test the work area with our do it yourself mould test kits to monitor your progress in getting rid of the mould problem. Visit: Mould Testing.

          [Feb. 1, 2002]
          Q. I live in Ocala, Fl and my furnace service man for two years has been telling me that my 5 yr. old (now) Carrier Heat pump has a lot of mould in it and showed me the inside with the insulation and the blower blades with the fine black dots on them. Every once in a while I get a whiff of mould smell when the furnace kicks on as I sit right under a vent that is closest to the heat pump. Should I invest in this or his he using "scare tactics" to get me to invest my money in something worthless?
          A. Before you replace your HVAC equipment, your must first: (1) find the non-HVAC sources of water problems and resulting mould contamination that are probably the cause of mould being in your hvac equipment; and (2) correct all non-HVAC water and mould problems. If you need to replace the HVAC because of severe mould contamination, also replace the ducts. If you pay to have your hvac and ducts just cleaned and disinfected of mould, only about 70% of the surface areas can be accessed for cleaning and disinfecting [with Mould Killer].

          [Jan. 25, 2002]
          Q. My boyfriend and I recently discovered extensive mould in our kitchen which is currently being tested. Even without the results, our situation looks grim. The mould is black, leading us to believe it's toxic. There is also a lot of dry rot behind the portion of the wall that has fallen 
away. We suspect this type of damage in other areas of the house as well. Unfortunately, due to a sudden and severe change in income, we barely have enough to get the bills and mortgage paid. At this time, regardless of lab results, we cannot afford to make repairs or pay for decontamination. Can you offer us any advice? Our homeowner policy does not cover mould. We considered going after the man who sold us the house in February of 1999, as time has proved he hid several other problems. However, we are not able to prove any of it. Selling the house is not an option, as we can't afford to purchase another one, nor could we legally sell a mould-infested house. We are extremely frustrated and worried. Do we have any options or are we just screwed?
          A. Your first step is to protect yourselves from breathing in harmful mould spores. Do you have a friend or family members you can live with temporarily while you do your own mould remediation?  If so, move there, but don't take any personal possessions or clothing with you without first decontaminating them from mould. If you stay in the home, as soon as possible, buy one or more Honeywell-brand hepa portable air purifiers from an appliance store, Lowe's or Home Depot. By running hepa filters 24 hours in several areas of your home, you can reduce airborne mould spores big-time. If you see any moldy areas, until you can afford to take remedial steps, cover those areas completely with 6 mil thick clear plastic sheeting [use duct tape to make tight fit on edges of sheeting]. Your first remediation step must be to find the source[s] of water intrusion that is causing your mould problem. Until you fix water and moisture problems, you will be unable to control your mould problems. One area at a time, as you can afford it, follow the do-it-yourself home mould remediation steps provided at the Mould Removal page.
          
          [Jan. 21, 2002]
          Q. Some people at work are having bronchial problems, etc.  There had been a leak in our building and testing revealed stachi, alterneria and acremonium. Some women are still having medical problems. If they have been ill and the removal of the mould is true, can their previous exposure still be giving them problems?
          A. The continued illnesses can be possibly attributable to one or more of these causes: (1) the mould remediation was not complete and there is still mould contamination in the remediated area [this is not an unusual situation because many mould remediation companies fail to do all of the steps required for effective mould removal such as using the proper fungicide and proper anti-microbial coating on the entire work area before the damaged area is re-built; (2) there are additional mould contamination points in the building that have not yet been discovered and remediated; (3) the persons may have cross-contaminated their cars and homes by taking mould spores from their place of work on their clothing, hair, and skin; and/or (4) they may need medical treatment to remove mould now growing INSIDE their bodies.

          [Jan. 23, 2002]
          Q. We had a pipe break in the water line in our bathroom. It ran for days. We have ripped out all of the carpet and padding. We ran a dehumidifier. It dried out but still have some mould on the walls. The sub floor is ok and drywall seems to be ok. I hear that bleach kills. Also, ozone machines. Can se sand the dry mould off the walls?
          A. Bleach is not a permanent kill of mould. Mould in a bleached area often returns a few weeks later. Ozone is not good because ozone cannot reach the roots of the mould that are growing into porou