Mold Prevention: Educate Yourself

Although there hasn't been a specific question on this topic, its an important subject that any property owner should be aware of.

Mold growth can be devastating

When it comes to mold growth, the old saying "one ounce of prevention is worth one pound of cure" really is true. Mold removal is usually an expensive process with the average cost of a claim often ranging from $15,000 to $30,000.

The key to preventing mold growth is to eliminate the conditions where mold will thrive. Mold needs moisture, darkness and heat to grow. This means that a pipe leaking in a wall can make an ideal environment for mold growth in a very short time.

By controlling and limiting the conditions that lead to mold growth the chances of having a problem with mold growth can be dramatically reduced.

For more in depth information, read this article on preventing mold growth. It goes into more detail on ways to prevent the conditions for mold growth.

Locating and Identifying Mold Growth

Mold growth can catch you by surprise if you don't know what to watch for and if it's just left alone the consequences to your health and pocketbook can be very high. This reader may be facing just such a problem:

"A week ago I noticed that my bathroom sink had leak, it was just a small leak and I was able to fix it myself but now I've noticed that the bathroom has a musty odor to it. When I looked under the sink I saw some small black spots on the wall. What should I do?"

If your leak went unnoticed for a long enough time there could be serious water damage under the sink. That unaddressed water could have provided the moisture needed for mold growth. The longer that pipe leaked, the more water was provided and the more mold growth will present.

For more information on finding and identifying mold growth you can read this article on how to tell if there is mold in your home, it goes into more detail on what to look for. When small mold growth spots are visible they are often just the tip of the iceberg and there could be mold growth absolutely covering the inside of the wall.

If you suspect mold growth in a room it is strongly recommended that you call a professional. When mold is disturbed, millions of spored get released into the air and they can be harmful when breathed in, especially to children, the elderly and anyone with allergies or a weak immune system. If the area is not properly cleaned and disinfected there is a chance that the mold growth will return after time.

Mold: Can't just wipe it away.

It's been a productive day here at the Mr. Fix It web department, the first issue of the newsletter has just gone out and it seems that we still have time to address a question really quickly. As a brief side note, we won't use any names here unless specifically authorized beforehand.

With that said, on to our first question.

Our reader asks: "I think I may have mold growing in my laundry room, can I  just take care of it with some disinfectant spray?"

The short answer is no, you can't. If you see mold growing on the wall there's a very good chance that it's already been growing in the wall. Simply killing the mold on the wall won't solve the problem and it will continue to return.

Your best option is to get a trained professional to assess the situation. Many companies that handle mold remediation will do an assessment for free to confirm whether you have a case of microbial growth or not.

If you have mold growing in your wall, the wall will need to be opened up so that all the mold can be killed and any contaminated material can be removed. Often times mold growth is the result of an unaddressed leak or other form of water damage so it may be necessary to address that as well.

For further reading, please refer to these sites on mold and its removal and some information on the possible health risks from the Mold Help Organization.