Mold Prevention Frequently
Asked Questions
Q. I live in a
valley, about 200 yards from a large creek. My house is 2 years old. The
builder took out only a few trees. There are a mix about 50/50 of pines
and hardwoods in my front yard (North). We have lots of ferns that grow
on the West side of the house. I have lots of mildew and mold - on the
house, porch, trees and black stuff on my dogwood trees.
My question is - do you
think it would help if we raked the front yard down a few inches to clear
the years and years of old leaves that have broken down?
A. Getting rid of
decaying vegetation such as accumulated leaves and pine needles is a smart
move on your part to reduce airborne mold spores in the area of your
home---spores that will travel in air current movements to enter your
home's open windows and doors and fresh air intake of your heating/cooling
system. You should also consider cutting back or down any trees or big
landscaping that block sunlight from hitting your home. The ultraviolet
light rays in sunlight are natural mold killers. Living in a wooded
environment means that your home is going to be bombarded on a regular
basis by elevated levels of airborne mold spores, with resulting mold
contamination of your home. Consider installing what is called a "mass
media", very thick hepa filter in the return portion of your
heating/cooling ducts to continually remove airborne mold spores from the
breathing air of your home. You also would be wise to mold test your
entire home to determine how severely it might already be mold-infested.
Follow the mold inspection and testing tips at
http://www.moldinspection.com.
Q. I live in South
Florida where power washing the roof is become a seeming integral part of
the annual 'house cleaning rituals' Is there any product which can be used
to treat a roof so that mould will not grow on it, thus eliminating the
need for the roof to be power washed at intervals?
A. To prevent mold
growth on your roof, there is not substitute for periodic [every few
months, not once a year] high pressure washing of the roof surface to
remove deposited/landed mold spores and organic dust/dirt, upon which the
mold feeds to grow into mold colonies. Use borax laundry detergent, a
natural mold cleaner, as the cleanser to mix with the spray water. The
borax residue will help inhibit future mold growth. To further help
reduce the mold growth, at least once per year, after you have done an
initial cleaning with borax, let the roof dry and then spray [with a
regular sprayer, not a high pressure sprayer] with one or two wet coatings
of the EPA-registered fungicide ShockWave [
http://www.moldmart.net ]. After the fungicide has dried naturally
[killing any remaining mold spores and mold colony growths], then spray
one more time with Borax in the high pressure sprayer to leave a borax
residue as a mold inhibitor.
Q. We have built a
new bathroom. What would be the proper steps to seal the drywalled walls
and ceiling? I have already painted a coat of PVA primer on them. Should
we be putting a fungicidal coating on next, before paint? Are high gloss
paints more effective in preventing molds from happening?
A.
You are very wise to worry about mold prevention. Your next step should be
to spray at least one or two wet coatings of your choice of Mold Home
Remedy Recipes, available at
http://www.moldmart.net, on the painted walls to kill any invisible
mold spores which may have landed on the surface. Then, spray the
protective fungicidal coating Tim-bor. Paint the
bathroom walls with an oil-based, high gloss painting to seal the wall
against exterior moisture penetration [e.g., from high humidity of
showering, tub baths]. Have an exhaust fan that exhausts bathroom air
directly to the outdoors wired in the bathroom so that the fan turns on
whenever you turn on the bathroom light. The exhaust fan will exhaust
humid bathroom air. Both Mold Home Remedy Recipes and Tim-bor
are available online at Mold Mart.
Subject: Which material
is less susceptible to mold growth?
Q. Can you tell me
which materials (i.e. used for bathroom floors and walls, under sinks, and
so on) are less likely to produce or encourage the growth of mold, and
other toxic pollutants? And which ones are more likely to collect these
things?
A. The very best is
to use marble, or ceramic tile, set in concrete with adequate amounts of
waterproofing compounded mixed into the setting concrete beneath the
marble or ceramic tiles, and into the cement grout between the tiles. Mold
cannot eat cement, marble, or ceramic tile.
Both marble and ceramic
tile can be washed easily and frequently to remove deposited mold spores
and organic durt or dirt [mold food]. By using enough waterproofing
compound in the setting cement and in the grout, the tile or mable is an
effective moisture barrier to keep moisture from rising up [wicking up]
from the concrete or wood or earth beneath the marble or tiles. Similarly,
surface water [cleaning, spills, flooding] on top of the marble or tiles
will not penetrate the marble or tiles to get to any wood surfaces beneath
the marble or tiles. Marble and ceramic tile can be installed on either a
concrete floor, or a properly built wood floor.
Subject: Mold prevention
in window repair
Q. I was just
cleaning my house and found mold on the window ledge. They all have to be
replaced. I did not wash the area with bleach I wiped them all down with
PineSol. Let the area air dry. I live in the North West near Canada. If
I make new window ledges what kind of wood should I use to help prevent
this and the caulking what kind?
A. Pre-treat the wood
on all surfaces and edges with at least two wet sprayings of
MoldZyme Mold
Cleaner and Odor Remover, followed, upon drying, with one or two
wet coatings of EPA-registered
fungicidal coating
Tim-bor. Both
effective products are available from our
online mold products catalog. Then paint with a semi-gloss or gloss
enamel paint [oil-based paint is best]. You would be wise to check the
humidity of your home and do mold testing to see if your home is mold
infested.
Q. Are house plants
dangerous for people allergic to mold and house dust?
A. Yes, because
indoor plants thrive well indoors with regular watering. Mold loves to
grow on plants, dead plant material, soil and fertilizers. The mold growth
throws into the air large number of airborne mold spores which can mold
cross contaminate the house and cause mold health problems for occupants.
Having no LIVE or DEAD indoor plants makes for good mold prevention. Only
plastic and silk plants are safe because of no mold spore generation.
Q. I plan to build a
new home in Yellow Springs, Ohio. We want to take all the reasonable steps
to provide good air quality. We have key concerns regarding the ductwork.
What specific recommendations do you have to reduce the possibility of
mold growth in a new home in the duct system and basement?
A.
To prevent mold growth in the duct work and heating/cooling
equipment, consider such steps as using sheet metal ducts (with NO
INTERNAL insulation to trap dirt and mold spores and to foster mold
growth). The insulation of the ducts should be on the outside of the
ducts, isolated from the air flow of the ducts themselves. Sheet metal
ducts can be cleaned of mold growth if necessary, whereas
internally-insulated ducts and ducts made of other materials become
throw-away during mold remediation efforts. Install several high output
ultraviolet lights inside the system to kill airborne bacteria, viruses
and mold spores. In the return air duct, it would be extremely useful to
have a mass media hepa filter, changeable hepa filter to capture incoming
mold spores. Mass media means about 6 inches thick or thicker hepa filter,
and it requires special ductwork housing of course. You order the mass
media filter to be installed with the system from the beginning. Follow
manufacturer’s guidelines for the cleaning and replacement cycles for the
hepa filter itself (which goes inside a housing unit in the return air
duct).
Q.
I do not have a mold or mildew problem but I want to employ
some preventative control in the attic of my one level home in Boynton
Beach, Florida. What can I do?
A. Spray all attic
wood surfaces (including beneath insulation) and all roof timber surfaces
and the attic side of the roof decking with at least two wet coatings of
the USDA-approved
MoldZyme Mold & Mildew Cleaner (let it kill any mold spores on the
surfaces for at least one to two hours before fan drying with air flow
being to the outdoors to quickly dry the sprayed area), followed (upon
drying) with spraying at least one to two wet coatings of the fungicidal
protective coating EPA-registered
fungicide
Tim-bor (let set for one to
two hours before fan drying after each spraying). You can buy both
fungicides at our
online mold products catalog. Living in Florida means high humidity.
Check your year-round humidity in the attic and through your entire home.
If the humidity is 60% or greater, you are inviting mold to be permanent
your house guest. You may have to use programmable dehumidifiers to reduce
the level as close as you can to a mold discouraging 30-40%.
Q. We are about to
carpet (a portion of) our dry basement. Our son has mild asthma
tendencies. So long as we keep the humidity 30-40% to discourage any type
of mold (that shouldn't even develop anyways) and keep it vacuumed with a
HEPA vacuum cleaner like we do the rest of the house AND use an Air
Filtration system in the basement recreation room, we should be safe,
right? Also, we will be using carpet tacks, NOT glue, to affix the carpet
(in the rare instance we ever would have to pull it up). My questions are,
(1) what type of preparation might we want to do BEFORE laying the carpet
and or pad ? There currently is tile down now and it will be staying there
with the carpet and pad going over the top of it. (2) Is one particular
type of pad cleaner, better, than another?
A. Your mold
prevention precautions are very well thought out. I would add 2 more
preventive steps. First, find out if your home has a mold problem
[anywhere which can cross contaminate your entire house] by using our
do it yourself mold test kits to mold test the basement, all rooms
above, attic, and the outward air flow from each heating/cooling duct
register for the possible presence of elevated levels of airborne mold
spores, in comparison to your outdoor mold control test. Assuming there is
no mold infestation problem found in your mold testing, your second
preventive precaution would be spray at least one or two wet coatings of
the
USDA-approved
MoldZyme Mold & Mildew Cleaner on the basement ceiling, walls and
floors prior to carpeting. Buy a synthetic rubber-based padding for
additional mold protection. Then spray at least one or two wet coatings of
Tim-bor fungicidal coating as a mold protectant on the ceiling, walls, and
floor, and on both sides of the padding and carpeting to be as installed.
Read about both EPA registered mold killers in our section which lists the
25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation found in
the previous section of this chapter. Keep your humidity in the
mold-discouraging 30 to 40% range with a programmable dehumidifier in the
basement.
Subject: sealing the
outside of concrete blocks to stop moisture/water intrusion in new home
construction
Q. We are currently
building a home with US Homes Inc. I have heard conflicting advice about
sealing concrete block prior to applying stucco. Some have said that you
should do it to prevent water intrusion and US Homes says not to do it
because it will not allow the concrete block to "breath" thus trapping
moisture between it and the drywall. What is your advice?
A. Use an effective
waterproofing sealant on the outside of the concrete block is very
advisable to help keep water out of your home. You should also
only install drywall in the finished home when you have done mold
pre-treatment of interior block surface, wood timbers used, and drywall
[both sides]. Use a hidden moisture meter to determine if the masonry wall
is dry enough to do interior finishing. Then spray all such materials at
least twice with the USDA-approved
MoldZyme Mold &
Mildew Cleaner, and then with at
least two coatings of the EPA-registered fungicidal coating
Tim-bor.
Make sure there is adequate ventilation in the basement and that the
indoor basement humidity stays less than 60% including prior to your move
in. You may need to use a programmable dehumidifier to keep indoor
humidity to a mold-discouraging level [the best is 30 to 40%]. Learn about
new home mold at
Mold Removal. You can buy the above-referenced fungicides
at our
online mold products catalog.
Q. The use of carpet
in schools has become somewhat of a controversial issue. Could you offer
comments on the benefits/risks of carpet in schools?
A. For the sake of
occupant health, carpeting and padding should not be used in schools,
commercial buildings, and homes to deny mold food to eat and a place to
hide (hidden mold growth is a huge problem). The best floors for mold
prevention are concrete (with adequate amounts of compound in the concrete
mix), marble (set in cement with waterproofing compound), ceramic tile
floors (set in cement with waterproofing compound, and as the tile grout),
and vinyl tiled floors. If new concrete floors are being poured, in
addition to waterproofing inside the concrete mix, there should be a
thick, highest quality water moisture prevention membrane (not just
plastic sheeting) installed beneath the concrete to prevent ground
moisture from wicking up through the concrete.
Subject: Mold prevention
tip for bathroom closet construction
Q. I am redesigning
a master bedroom. I would like to put two closets for clothing in the
bathroom. There will be a vent in the bathroom ceiling but I am concerned
about mildew or mold growing on my clothing. Is this something I should be
concerned about? I live in Southern California so the climate is pretty
dry, if that is an issue.
A. That would be
okay if you install a powerful exhaust that takes humid bathroom air
directly to the outdoors. You would need to run it during and after all
showers and tub baths. You might also consider utilizing in the bathroom
(away from tub and shower) a programmable dehumidifier which keeps
bathroom humidity to a mold discouraging 30 to 40º. You should need plenty
of ventilation in the attic area if you want to avoid mold growth on your
clothing. I would recommend that you install a full louver doors to allow
plenty of air movements. Inside the closet, be sure to treat all the wood
studs, dry wall, and other building materials with at least 2 wet
sprayings of the USDA-approved
Mold & Mildew
Stain Cleaner, followed up, after
drying, with one wet coating of the
EPA-registered fungicidal coating
Tim-bor. Both are available online. The floors and walls, including the
floor of the closet should be ceramic tile set in cement which has
adequate amounts of waterproofing compound. The tile should have cement as
the grout (in any color you desire) with waterproofing compound. Closet
walls and the louver doors need to be treated with not only MoldZyme and
Tim-bor in preliminary mold prevention, but also with a glossy or semi
glossy enamel paint and/or with a clear plastic coating painted on as
barriers to water penetration of the building materials.
Subject: New home mold
prevention steps
Q.
I am constructing a house in Tennessee and would
like to have it treated for
mold while it is being built. Can you recommend a company in TN that can
do this for me?
A. Inspect all
timbers for black or dark blue mold stains and mold growth which need to
be removed by power planing, power grinding [with wire brush attachment],
power sanding, and/or timber replacement. Then spray all construction
timbers, drywall, plywood, on all surfaces and edges with at least two wet
sprayings of EPA-registered
fungicide MoldZyme which is manufacturer-rated to kill mold on both
porous and nonporous surfaces. After final drying, spray one wet coating
of the EPA-registered fungicidal coating
Tim-bor on all surfaces. It
would be much more effective and affordable if you did it yourself, or
supervised a handyman to do the spraying. Read the safety and
effectiveness recommendations for mold treatment and remediation at
http://www.moldinspector.com/mold_removal.htm. To find a Certified
Mold Inspector in Tennessee, please visit the Certified Mold Inspector
Directory online at:
http://www.certifiedmoldinspectors.com.
Subject: Closet mold
prevention tip
Q. I just found black
mold in our bedroom closet and would like to know how to get rid of it.
Our bedroom is always cooler and never has enough circulation. Is this a
common problem?
A. To help prevent
closet mold, leave the closet door open, or replace it with a louvered
door so that there can always be air movement into and out of the closet.
Check the indoor humidity in the bedroom closet, the bedroom and the rest
of the house with a digital hygrometer, $30 from a large hardware or home
improvement store. Keep your indoor humidity to 30-40% to discourage mold
growth. You may need to run programmable dehumidifiers to control your
indoor humidity.
Email your mold questions to
moldconsultant@yahoo.com
to get a direct answer from Mold Expert Phillip Fry. |
