The Invader Within: What to Know About Mold in Your Home or Business

It’s happened to most of us
You open a bag of sandwich bread or check the refrigerator for an orange and see it: a fuzzy green growth that stops the quest for a snack and maybe even dims your appetite. You’ve met mold, one of the most widely spread and commonly occurring life -forms on Planet Earth.

Home and business owners can underestimate the severity of mold in their structures and the degree of difficulty involved in removing it. Simply cleaning with bleach and water often will not fully solve the problem. Proper mold remediation requires identifying and eliminating sources of moisture and the careful removal and disposal of mold-damaged items. Mold remediation is best performed by professionals that understand the required processes and procedures.

When working with home and business owners on mold damage remediation jobs, communication is key. Many insurance agents and adjusters, as well as property managers, derive benefit from a basic introduction to molds, mold growth and what people can do to help prevent mold issues. As families and workers spend more time indoors, a little knowledge could go a long way toward resolving mold issues before they start.

What is Mold?

While it may not be the most pleasant thing to ponder, a fact of life and nature is that mold is found in virtually every environment in which people live, work and play, indoors and outdoors. The total mold species count, while unknown, numbers in the hundreds of thousands. Molds thrive in soil, on plant life and on decaying organic matter. In nature, this helps in the process of natural decay and rebirth. Molds come in a variety of colors, from ghostly white to black, gray, green and blue. There are even references to mold in ancient Greek, Roman and Hebrew literature, including:

“If the defiling mold reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mold has spread in the house, it is a persistent defiling mold; the house is unclean. It must be torn down - its stones, timbers and all the plaster - and taken out of the town to an unclean place.” Leviticus 14:43-45 (New International Version).

In many ways, fungi are beneficial to mankind and can be found on dinner plates (mushrooms and cheese), in bread and other baked goods (yeast) and even in hospitals as lifesaving drugs (penicillin).

In homes and businesses, however, mold growth can be unsightly, unpopular and detrimental to both the health of people and the structures in which they live and work.

Mold Growth

Requirements: In order for mold to take root, grow and thrive, it requires four key components. These are:

• Spores (Molds reproduce by releasing tiny spores into the air. These spores land on any available surface and will grow on those which offer favorable conditions.)
  
• Food (Molds will ingest virtually any organic substance, including insulation, wood, paper and carpet.)
  
• Oxygen and suitable temperature (While most molds prefer room temperatures between 70 F 85 F to grow, it can exist in considerably colder and hotter environments.)
  
• Moisture (Since it is impossible to remove all mold spores and potential food sources, the critical element in mold growth prevention in homes and businesses is moisture control and elimination.)

Keys to Preventing Mold Growth

The most important factor contributing to mold growth is moisture. Mold requires a steady source of water, which can come from practically any source including:

• Floods
  
• Leaky pipes and roofs
  
• Rooms with high humidity (like bathrooms and basements)
• Improperly sealed door and windows
  
• Condensation
  

Conducting regular inspections of homes and businesses can help spot and resolve sources of moisture before mold growth can take root and spread. Promptly repair leaks and ensure a dry foundation by establishing drainage systems that lead water away from a home or business. Maintain a consistently low indoor humidity level (between 30-50%) and ensure proper ventilation of rooms that naturally produce more moisture than others (e.g., venting clothes dryers to the outside).

Properly working and maintained air conditioning systems can help accomplish this. Some people opt to use stand-alone dehumidifiers to aid the process. You may consider having an indoor air quality inspection and possible air duct system cleaning performed, especially if there is visible mold growth in these systems.

If a home or business experiences water damage (e.g., flood, plumbing failure, structural deficiencies) make sure a qualified water damage mitigation and restoration specialist is called quickly to completely dry the structure. Drying and/or removing saturated materials helps deny mold a place to grow. Mold concerns are heightened in areas that have experienced large-scale flooding, such as crested rivers and hurricanes. In these cases, many thousands of structures may experience simultaneous water damage and become more likely hosts for mold growth.

Regularly inspect homes and businesses for musty odors. Clean mold off hard surfaces in bathrooms and avoid storing soggy or damp materials of any kind inside. Look for signs of water stains on ceilings, walls and window sills. Add additional insulation or sealing to areas that commonly exhibit condensation, such as pipes and windows. Avoid installing carpets in basements and bathrooms.

Mold & Health Considerations
While completely eliminating human exposure to mold is impossible, keeping it to a minimum, particularly in indoor environments like homes and offices, is important. People may first report the musty odor of mildew. If growth is left unchecked, other health issues may arise. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) report these conditions can include:

• Eyes, nose, throat and skin irritation
  
• Sneezing
  
• Headaches
  
• Trouble breathing
  
• Heightened asthmatic reactions
  
• Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (an uncommon ailment similar to bacterial pneumonia)
  
• People with pre-existing suppressed immune systems can be more vulnerable to repeated mold exposure
  
• Repeated exposure (like time spent daily in a home or business) can lead to increased sensitivity to mold exposure over time.

In some cases, mold growth may be so extensive or in areas (e.g., crawlspaces, subfloors, wall cavities) that a professional mold damage remediation specialist is required to resolve the problem. Certain types of mold damage scenarios can require the use of sealed areas and negative air pressure to ensure proper mold remediation.

Most importantly, home and business owners must know that the best possible mold remediation can be for nothing if the original source of moisture feeding its growth is not identified and eliminated.

In most ways, mold is a critical part of how nature functions. By helping break down organic matter and returning it back to the cycle of life, mold plays a key role in a healthy outdoor environment. However, when human comfort and health clash with mold growth in indoor environments, like homes and businesses, steps must be taken to stop and address the situation. While there are many things home and business owners can do to help aid this process, some jobs require the services of professional and certified mold remediation specialists.

RAINBOW INTERNATIONAL® INDUSTRY LEADER AND INNOVATOR.

Rainbow International provides “best practices” with integrity and the highest of standards in restoration and cleaning services. Utilizing the most advanced equipment, innovative technologies and a built-in accountability system, our professional emergency crews complete every job rapidly to assure an uncompromising commitment to service excellence and customer satisfaction. Ultimately, we don’t just restore homes and businesses; we restore value, stability, and peace of mind.

Established in 1981, Rainbow International, a subsidiary of The Dwyer Group®, offers over 300 global service locations. As a premier provider of restoration and cleaning services, Rainbow International deploys professional emergency response crews with advanced equipment, state-of-the-art technology and training to restore property, contents and, ultimately, peace of mind. Insurance, commercial and residential customers depend on Rainbow International to mitigate damage and restore contents for businesses and homes suffering from water, fire, smoke, odor and mold situations.

For more information please visit www.rainbowintl.com/nwi. For additional white papers or to offer suggestions for future topics, please visit www.rainbowintl.com/best-practice or join our “Rainbow International Restoration and Cleaning” group on LinkedIn.