Mold Resulting From Improper Drying

One of the leading causes of mold contamination in homes throughout New England is water damage. 

With the consistently cold weather we've been having this winter, pipes are freezing and bursting, resulting in water damage in homes and commercial buildings in the traditionally colder areas of the country.  To make matters worse, some of the warmer parts of the country have been hit with freezing temperatures lately.

 If this happens to you, you may try to clean it up yourself.  But we recommend you not try it.  Here's why.  You'll be successful in removing the standing water from the areas you know are wet, and when you're finished you'll think "that's dry enough.  It will dry on its own."  But just because it looks dry and feels dry does not mean it is really dry. There will be moisture within walls, under the carpet, and in other places you can't see.  And that's all mold needs.  A little bit of moisture and a little bit of time.  In fact, mold will start to grow within the first 48 hours.  Fortunately the cold temperatures will slow the mold growth, but not for long. As soon as the air starts to warm up, the mold  will get out of control.

Then you'll be calling your insurance company for mold remediation coverage, and you will be told there is a limit on your mold coverage.  It's usually $5,000 or $10,000 depending on your policy, on both the mold removal and the repairs that will inevitably be required.

So you have avoided a small expense and have incurred a large expense.

So what's the moral of the story?  If you have water damage, call a professional water mitigation contractor who has both the knowledge and the equipment to do the job properly. Check out the website of Water Out Southern New England http:www.water-out.com.  

If you think you might have mold as the result of water damage, call us at Enviro-Clean, or contact me, Eric Anderson, on our website www.envirocleanmold.com.

Bottom line is this: If water gets in your home or business, get the water out as quickly as possible, thoroughly dry the entire area, and have the moisture levels in the structure tested to make sure it's totally dry. 

Case Study - Cleaning a Soap Factory

Enviro-Clean, Inc. doesn't stop at mold remediation. Our skilled technicians have utilized their remediation training and skills for small oil spills, odor removal, pest removal, and bio-hazard cleanup.

One of my favorite jobs was a soap dust clean-up in a 25,000 square foot major soap manufacturing plant here in Rhode Island.  Almost a decade of dust had settled on nearly all of the surfaces within the plant. 

The manufacturer had recently landed a large contract but it was contingent on the plant meeting certain hygiene guidelines.  The soap manufacturer called ECI and we didn't disappoint.  ECI technicians and managers alike braved heights, high temperatures and a daunting task but prevailed in the end.  Take a look:

 

 

Mold Prevention -- Emergency Drying

Mold and water go hand-in-hand.  One of the most common causes of mold is incomplete or improper drying after water damage resulting from flooding from a storm, a burst pipe or the failure of an appliance or heating system.  If professional drying is not started with 24 to 48 hours, mold is very likely to form and spread.

Water-Out Southern New England is the premier emergency drying company in New England, and is a sister company of Enviro-Clean, Inc.  Water-Out responds to water damage emergencies 24/7/365, and we've traveled all over the country to provide emergency drying services to clients in need.  Just a few of the places we've been:

• Florida - Stuart, West Palm Beach, Destin, Pensacola, and Perdido Key in 2004 for Hurricanes Charlie, Frances, Jeanne and Ivan, and Santa Rosa for Hurricane Dennis in 2005
  
• Mississippi - Gulfport, Waveland, Pass Christian and Bay St. Louis for Hurricane Katrina in 2005
  
• Louisiana - Metarie, Gretna, Baton Rouge, LaPlace and New Orleans for Hurricanes Gustav and Katrina
• Texas - Houston, Port Arthur and Liberty for Hurricane Ike in 2008
  
• Iowa - Cedar Rapids for the floods in June 2008
  

The following pictures are from a commercial building in Cranston, Rhode Island.  The sprinkler system let go and flooded the building.  If you look closely you'll see that the water level in the basement is almost all the way to the ceiling!

Hidden Moisture? Hidden Mold!

• A mold inspection consists of sensory perception.  Can you see mold? Smell it?  We look for sources of moisture because we know this basic truth --where there is moisture, the right temperature and an organic food source, there will be mold.  
• The "looks dry, smells dry, feels dry" method is old school and ineffective.
• Through the use of ever-improving technologies, our ability to find mold has taken giant leaps forward. 
  
• In addition to moisture meters and boroscopes, we use FLIR Thermo Imaging, the same kind of infra-red technology used by the military and law enforcement agencies. 
  
• With these high-tech cameras, we can find moisture that remains hidden behind walls and ceilings.  And that leads us right to what we're looking for -- hidden mold. 
• Check out these pictures. The dark areas in the FLIR photos indicate moisture.  We confirmed the presence of moisture with a moisture meter. 

It looked dry, felt dry, smelled dry.  But it wasn't dry.

 

Sometimes the Problem is More Than Mold

We all know that mold contamination negatively affects indoor air quality. In other words, when a building has a really bad odor, mold is often to blame, at least in part.  But there can be a whole host of other reasons for bad odors, and they can be pretty nasty.

Imagine a house where the garbage has piled up for months, cats or other pets run wild, and the house is infested with rodents and insects.  Get the picture?  

This is what we call "distressed property".  The house is full of e-coli and other bacteria and pathogens. Sure, there's plenty of mold throughout the house, but that may be the least of the problems. Sadly, sometimes we find elderly people living in these squalid conditions. 

Take a look at these photos.  From the second we stepped into the house, the odors just knocked us over.  

In cases like these everything has to go, and it's a dirty, difficult job.  The garbage and trash has to be removed and disposed of, along with animal waste and contaminated materials.  Then the cleaning begins. 

The process of cleaning a distressed property is not unlike our standard protocols for mold remediation.  Usually there is a lot more damage to the structure, though. Hardwood floors that have been saturated with cat urine, for example, is hard to save.

As they say, pictures are worth a thousand words.  Take a look...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Top Three Causes of Mold

People often ask me "what is the biggest cause of mold contamination in homes and commercial buildings?" The highly technical, scientific answer is "it all depends". There are a lot of factors that contribute to mold problems, but we know that there are some essential conditions without which mold has no chance: moisture, food source,  oxygen, and temperature.  So, what conditions produce the most mold problems?  Here are my Top Three Causes of Mold:

1. Poor ventilation in the attic.  Often mold in the attic isn't found until the house hits the market and a home inspector pokes his (or her) head up there and sees the black spots or white fuzz.  This is usually results of poor ventilation, and can be compounded by inadequate insulation or a bathroom ceiling fan vented into the attic. 

2. Damp and wet basements.  We all love to finish our basements, don't we? Even if we live in areas with high water tables. So, what happens?  The basement gets damp and stays damp.  And that includes wood joists, carpeting, and wall board, all excellent food sources for mold.

3. Do-It-Yourself water damage clean-up.  If you have the unfortunate luck of experiencing water damage from a pipe burst, hot water tank break, washing machine hose pop out or any other source of emergency water damage, call an expert in water removal and drying. They will be able to find moisture hidden behind walls and under flooring, and they will use professional equipment to dry the area properly and thoroughly. If you try to do it yourself with a wet vac,you will almost certainly leave some moisture behind.  And that's where you'll find mold later.  As you may know, insurance coverage for mold is very limited, so don't take that chance.

Do you have a a question about mold?  Get straight answers from an expert. 

  

Case Study: Mold Found in Home

Enviro-Clean recieved a call from a homeowner who had discovered black mold growing and spreading throughout her house. Upon inspecting the home, Eric Anderson found extensive mold growth throughout the kitchen and dining area, bathroom, and the stairwell leading to the second floor. Upon further examination he found black mold growing behind vinyl wallpaper in the finished basement, as well as in the children's toy closet. It was apparent that the mold had migrated from the basement area to other parts of the house following primary traffic patterns.

In conversations with the homeowner Eric learned that there had been a flood in the basement approximately 1 ½ to 2 years earlier. The homeowner submitted a claim to her insurance carrier, and received a $2,000 settlement. However, she opted to dry the wet area herself with a wet vac rather than hire a professional cleaning company.

Eric suggested that the homeowner call her insurance carrier regarding the mold problem, which she did. The insurance carrier brought in an environmental engineer who, after inspecting the premises, confirmed Enviro-Clean's findings.

Enviro-Clean was hired to remove the mold from the house which was done successfully for a total cost of $32,455. Additionally, the insurance company paid the homeowner's contractor $107,000 for follow-up repairs. (This was prior to the insurance company limiting mold coverage to $10,000.)

The moral of the story? Proper and thorough drying at the time of the flood would have saved the homeowner a great deal of anxiety and inconvenience, and would have saved the insurance carrier almost $140,000.

Is Bleach a Good Mold Killer?

Chlorine bleach is well known for killing bacteria, and it has no rivals when it comes to removing color.  But is bleach effective in killing mold?  Not really. Here's why:

1. It is too diluted and thus too weak to permanently kill mold unless the mold is simply sitting on top of a hard surface like a counter top or sink.

2. What little killing power chlorine bleach does have is diminished significantly as the bleach sits in warehouses and on grocery store shelves or inside your home or business [50% loss in killing power in just the first 90 days inside a never opened jug or container] Chlorine ions constantly escapes through the plastic walls of its containers.

3. Chlorine bleach's ion structure also prevents chlorine from penetrating into porous materials such as dry wall and wood--- It just stays on the outside surface, whereas mold has protected enzyme roots growing inside the porous construction materials. When you spray porous surface molds with bleach, the water in the water solution soaks into the wood while the bleach chemical sits atop the surface, gasses off, and thus only partially kills the surface layer of mold while the water penetration of the building materials fosters further mold growth.

4. Chlorine Bleach is not registered with the EPA as a disinfectant to kill mold. You can verify that important fact yourself when you are unable to find an EPA registration number for killing mold on the label of any brand of chlorine bleach.

Is Mold Lurking Above Your Head?

 When was the last time you climbed up into your attic? 

Right.  It's not something most people do very often.  So if you had mold in your attic, which is not uncommon, how would you know?  Right again -- you wouldn't know.

If you are concerned, or just plain curious and have nothing better to do, take a look in your attic and see if you notice any of the following tell-tale signs of mold:  

1. Black spots on the attic sheathing – usually heavier on the north side of the house.
2. Solid black wood – it almost looks like it has been burned or covered in soot.
3. Black staining on wood around nails, or rusty nail heads
4. White or pale fuzz-like substance, powder or film on the sheathing and rafters

OK, it looks like you have a mold problem.  Now what?

First, let's figure why your attic has mold.  Here are some of the most common causes: 

1. Poor ventilation creating condensation on the sheathing
2. Inadequate insulation allowing warm air from the house to enter the attic space during the winter months
3. Bathroom ceiling fan venting into the attic
4. Leaking roof

There are times when a homeowner can take care of the problem himself or herself, but this is not one of those times.  We recommend a professional investigation.    By the way, spraying with bleach alone is not an effective way to get rid of mold.  If you want to make it invisible, sure, bleach works just fine.  But if you want it gone, that's another story. Stay with me here.

Depending on the age of the roof, here are your options: 

1. Replace the roof shingles and remove the sheathing in the process
2. Abate the mold using a 2-part cleaner/disinfectant followed by an encapsulant that may come with a long-term warranty
3. Dry-ice blasting 

A mold professional will work with you to find the most cost effective way to eliminate your mold problem.  And remember, if you don't feel comfortable with the recommendations of your mold remediator, get a second opinion.  It's your house. 

For more information about mold removal 

  

Massachusetts Commercial Building With a Mold Problem

Enviro-Clean, Inc. recently completed a large commercial mold remediation project in Massachusetts.  The corrugated steel ceiling in this picture had collected condensation and organic debris resulting in severe mold growth.  Here is a  "BEFORE" Picture:

Enviro-Clean's dedicated remediation team braved high temperatures and humidity working off of lifts to get the job finished. We placed the affected area under containment and negative air, donned our PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and went to town HEPA vacuuming, scrubbing and treating with Fiberlock Shockwave and re-HEPA vacuuming the affected areas.  Here is an "AFTER" picture:

A True Success story and great learning experience