Kill mold – Suggestions to remove mold and Prevention
Tom Kraeutler, an expert on home improvement and host of national-level responses sundicated Money Pit Home Improvement Radio, questions and provides useful tips on how to identify, prevent and remove mold safely.
Question:
My wife and I are in dire need of advice about killing a mold problem in our house.
In summary, brown spots began appearing and spreading our son four years old, about four months ago, bedroom ceiling. Concerned that there moisture and mold, possibly permeating from the attic, we called on several companies specializing in mold remediation and was informed that indeed it has mold that grows on drywall, insulation and wood above our son's room. However, each contractor proposed a different method and the product to kill mold (Ammonia compared to hydrogen peroxide compared with biocide). Costs also vary from $ 3,000 to $ 7,000.
Confused by the conflicting information we received, we called in an independent mold inspector to assess the situation and provide expert advice. For $ 900, the inspector Print visually inspect the attic and performed both swab and testing of air quality. The swab technique were sent to a lab, which confirmed the existence Two types of mold growing in our son's room (green and white, also known as Cladosporium and Penicillium), and air quality tests done in the attic and our son's room became extremely poor. The inspector then recommended a mold remediation contractor which again provided conflicting information on how to solve the problem.
We are very concerned about the health of our family and want to properly remedy the situation and remove the mold as soon as possible.
Answer:
The presence of mold is a potentially serious problem because of the impact it can have on the health of your son, to kill mold and prevent their return is vital. For some advice on this exact situation, I turned to my trusted friend target = "_blank" title = "Jeff May"> Jeff May, a professional air quality certified and author of several books on mold and mold remediation, including my house is killing me.
Jeff warns that kill and remove mold alone will not solve this problem. You could spend thousands of dollars in remediation and unless the source of moisture is removed, the problem will reoccur.
So your first task is to find out how the moist air is infiltrating the attic. The most common sources of moist air are home bathrooms and dryers that are venting in the attic (or ceiling), air leaks around attic pull down stairs, and air leaks recessed lighting. Leaky duct work in an attic can be a source of moisture, especially if you use a humidifier heating with hot air.
Is the investment in your attic all black and dirty? Then you have a greater cleaning "mold cleaning job> because all the layers have to be re-mediated. If you have an old tile roof, the cheapest approach is to have all covers and liner replaced. At the same time, can cause the insulation and moldy drywall removed and replaced, which is not really a mold removal, however.
Jeff also warns that if there is mold on the ceiling of the bedroom, your child should not be sleeping there. Take everything out of the room and clean all dust from the elements.
Surprisingly, Jeff and I worked in a house with a situation very similar to a television program that had been involved. It turned out that the isolation Aspergillus was full of mold and removing mold us to isolate be replaced as well as clean the entire structure.
Another keys to help prevent mold and mildew in the target = "_blank" title = "mold in the attic" attic space> above is for make sure the attic is well ventilated. In the 20 years I spent as a professional home inspector, who rarely saw an attic that is vented enough to actually do a good job of preventing moisture buildup and mold that can result. The truth is that mold becomes an issue when the murder was not moisture wood is low enough. N = no moisture from the mold. It's as simple as that. For most households, the best method of attic ventilation is a combination singing continuous soffit vents. They work together to prevent and kill mold by washing attic moisture in the colder months when the mold is more likely forming and heat flush in the summer to help keep cooling bills low.
About the Author
Tom Kraeutler is the Host, Founder and Chief Home Improvement Evangelist of The Money Pit. He is a hands-on home improvement broadcast journalist and the kind of guy homeowners want to call at midnight when their basement floods. He first earned his home improvement stripes as a professional home inspector, amassing over 20 years experience learning how houses are put together, and how they fall apart!
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