Q. I am a stay at home mom of two in Canada, and I have animal and seasonal allergies and asthma. Early last year my allergies became quite bothersome. I went to get my allergies tested again and I was now strongly allergic to everything including all moulds and dust. (excepting almost all foods) I have taken all of my carpets out, put in an expensive air cleaner and live on antihistamines and inhalers. This past winter my whole family has been sick with colds, ear infections that won’t go away, bronchitis etc. My husband and I wake up every morning with sinus headaches. We have put a couple of small holes in our walls looking for mould. We found mould in our attic covering a couple sheets of wood. We are getting our roof done next week and having our plywood replaced but it is still going to be on a couple of trusses. I have also found mould under our bathroom trim. What I need is advice on how to clean or get rid of the mould and if you think we should have our whole house tested. We are scraping the money together for our roof and do not know how to get our house healthy without it costing a lot of money. Any help would be great. [April 29, 2005]
        A. Attic mould can easily grow into the walls and ceilings below. In addition, airborne mould spores can travel in air currents to mould cross contaminate your entire home and its heating/cooling system by entering your open windows and doors and your heating/cooling system fresh air intake. You would be wise to follow the do it yourself mould inspection and mould testing tips provided at Mould Inspection. Your finding mould under the bathroom trim is a good indication that you may have mold growth inside walls and ceiling. You need to cut small test holes to check for internal wall and ceiling mold infestation. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective, do-it-best-yourself mould remediation.
 
         Q. I am a physician [M.D. and surgeon]. Consider a residence with a 700 sq. ft. attic that is accessed thru a trap door in a bedroom closet on second story. It is not used for storage or never entered except for rare repairs. Attic has adequate soffit, baffle and ridge venting. What is the health risk to the residents of exposure to any attic mold in  this situation where there is NO circulation of attic air into the vent system and air-space of the living quarters? [December 19, 2004]
         A. Doctor, your questions are logical and well-put. The better the questions, the better are my answers! Attic mold easily grows into the insides of the ceilings and walls below. Moreover, elevated levels of airborne mold spores from the attic mold can escape through the attic venting [you so well described] to re-enter and cross-contaminate the house through open windows, open doors, and the fresh air intake of heating/cooling systems. It is also common that there are holes or cracks in the heating/cooling service ducts running in the attic area which can allow airborne mold spores to enter the heating/cooling ducts for re-distribution throughout the entire house. On a more practical note, if the homeowner ever wishes to re-sell the moldy home in the future, prospective buyers are going to lose interest in the home after their hired mold inspectors or even regular home inspectors report an attic mold infestation problem, or worse.  If your home has an attic mold problem now, learn the 25 steps recommended for safe and effective mold remediation and mold abatement.

        Q. I recently looked in my attic a noted that the OSB sheathing is black in color. Is this mold? It appears that the attic may not be vented properly. Is this a concern and what should I do about it. [July 8, 2004]
       A. It is very likely that the blackness you see is mold growth. Attic mold easily grows into the ceilings and walls below. In addition, airborne mold spores from the attic mold can easily travel in air currents to mold cross-contaminate your entire home and its heating/cooling system. Your first step is total home mold testing with do-it-yourself mold test kits from a large hardware or home improvement store or with a Certified Mold Inspector. Your first and most affordable mold investigative step to learn the severity and the extent of the possible mold infestation is to use do it yourself mold test kits [self observation of results over a 5 to 7 day time period, or send to a mold laboratory for mold lab analysis] to mold test the air of each room, attic, basement, crawl space, 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 an outdoor mold control test which you should also do. If you see any visible mold growth, from each moldy area, scrape some of the mold particles into a separate mold test kit per testing location for observation over a 5 to 7 day time period, and/or for mold lab analysis. When scraping mold into a mold test kit, you would be wise to use a breathing air respirator [Home Depot or Lowe’s or a safety store] so that you don’t breathe in extra mold spores that you put into the air by scraping some mold-like substances into each mold test kit.   Mold test kits come with detailed use instructions to make your tests informative and helpful in mold problem diagnosis.  Learn how to do your own, self-observation analysis of mold test kit results at Mold Testing Interpretation. You can also read online our copyrighted form “Self-Analysis & Interpretation of Visible Mold Growth in Do-It-Yourself Mold Test kits.” Use do it yourself mold test kits from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store.  Learn the steps required for safe and effective mold remediation and mold abatement.   You should install very effective attic ventilation to help keep attic humidity to a low-range. You may have to install a programmable dehumidifier in the attic, as well. Or alternatively, you might install an exhaust fan that turns on at pre-set temperatures and/or preset humidity levels [60% or more indoor humidity enables mold to grow big-time]. You will need to remove and replace the blackened OSB and any other mold-contaminated building materials. You will need to either clean all timbers of mold growth [e.g., power planer, power grinder with wire brush attachment, power sander] or replace with mold-free lumber.
        Q. I have a customer wanting to buy a condominium and mold was discovered in the attic from the bathroom fans venting into the attic. The insulation is black with mold as well as the plywood sheathing on the roof. The seller thinks that if he just redirects the vent to the outside this should be all that is needed. Now, I think this is just the first step. Is it safe for the insulation to stay where it is and the roof plywood to stay  without any clean up? [June 30, 2003]
        A. The insulation will have to be thrown out. The mold growing on the wood will have to be completely removed by a power planer and a wire brush attached to a grinder----or, better, replaced with new mold-free materials. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation.

 
Advanced case of mold growth on the outside and inside of a drywall ceiling, caused by a
roof leak which enabled mold to grow in both the attic and the ceiling below.


Close up photo of mold growth on the underside of roof plywood sheathing in attic.


Attic mold infestation. The bluish green mold is Penicillium, the second most danger toxic mold.


Serious loft [attic] mold growth in a home in the United Kingdom.