Q. This has been an irritating, ongoing problem.  We have tried several steps and the mold is very persistent.  Our situation is this...we built a woodworking shop (wood frame on cement slab with a cement floor).  Interior heated by electricity and maintained at 62 degrees.  A sliding window can provide ventilation but is usually closed due to inclement weather ( north Oregon coast).  Major power tools (saws) are vented to a dust collector and there is an air filtration system (to 1-5 microns).  We are consistently developing mold on the faces and interiors of the storage cabinets.  The mold seems to more persistent in one corner of the room, primarily where finish sanding is being done.  We also use a sanding collection table. Desiccants are being used but the mold returns. We are considering using desiccants inside the cabinet as well as drilling cross ventilation holes in the cabinet walls. Is this advisable and do you have any other suggestions to help us resolve our problem. [June 3, 2005]
         A. A humid, wooded environment like you live in is ideal for mold growth. You would be wise to run a programmable dehumidifier inside the workshop to keep indoor humidity to a mold-discouraging 30 to 40 percent. You can also use the number one electronic air cleaner [Friedrich, rated number one in effectiveness by Consumer Reports magazine] to continually remove airborne mold spores from the workshop air. Even though you already have an air filtration system, you may well need two filtration/purification machines [your present one and the Friedrich] to adequately remove almost all airborne mold spores and airborne dust [that does not get captured in your dust collector] from your workshop. Your idea to drill cross ventilation holes in the cabinet walls is excellent to enable the air movements and effectiveness of both the dehumidifier and the electronic air cleaner to get at the air inside the cabinets to prevent mold problems.  To kill present visible and visible mold spores and mold growths, use a mold home remedy recipe. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation.

        Q. We have mold in our house - we are in the process of having it cleaned - it has failed the clearance test 3 times. The "Engineer" came out on Monday and met with the cleanup people. He advised them to cover the walls (the ones they had cleaned) because they are outside walls with plastic and re-clean the floor, before they retest. They already have the ceiling covered with plastic. The reasoning for this is that they do not want air from the attic or air from the outside walls coming in. In my opinion all they will be testing is the floor - air - and plastic. Is this common. I believe the test is failing because there is still mold in the 2 rooms they have not cleaned. Can you give me your option or a site that I can go to get information on the standards for testing and clearance. I feel that the clearance people are manipulating the test. If the house passes under these conditions and when we are in the middle of putting it all back together - and find that there is more mold Who is liable for the future damage? The ones that cleared the property -the cleanup people or us? [July 21, 2002]
           A. You don't want plastic covering the ceilings and walls of rooms that have been remediated while those rooms are getting clearance testing. You want to know if there is mold in the ceilings, walls, floors, hvac, etc. of the remediated rooms. You need to hire a Certified Mold Inspector to provide you with honest and thorough clearance testing and with remediation protocol suggestions for getting rid of your mold. You are absolutely right that mold infestation areas not yet treated elsewhere in your home can also cause remediated areas to fail clearance testing. Most mold remediators do a bad job of mold remediation. Make sure that your remediators have satisfactorily completed ALL of the necessary remediation procedures at Mold Remediation. Worry about future mold problems by making sure that today's remediation efforts have been successfully completed. Most mold remediation jobs leave the property in as bad or worse condition as before the mold remediation began because of short cuts taken by most mold remediators.

          Q. We returned from a two week vacation to find water covering half the first floor of our home. It was running out of the sides of the house and I pulled a couple of bags out of my closet that were moldy already. The cause was a water supply line leak in the foundation. The walls tested damp 18 in. up two days after the carpet, water etc. was removed and blowers and dehumidifiers placed through out. We are concerned about mold in the walls. The contract adjuster for our insurance company cannot come out for 11 more days because he is so busy. He also is telling us the sheet rock can be salvaged. What are the standards for dealing with water damaged walls that have been wet for an undetermined amount of time? Are we right to think all the damaged sheetrock should be removed? Thank you---resident of Sugar Land, Texas. [July 6, 2002]
          A. Remove and throw away all of the water damaged drywall and insulation at least 4 ft. up. Once buildings material have been wet for more than 24 hours, mold can begin growing on the materials and INSIDE the building materials. You will also have to mold decontaminate or replace the wall timbers, and maybe your flooring. Follow the mold removal suggestions provided at  Mold Remediation. To offset the inadequate mold remediation recommendations of your insurance adjuster, you need to have the insides of the walls and the flooring and beneath the flooring tested at your expense by a Certified Mold Inspector. Insurance company mold inspections and testing procedures are designed NOT to find and NOT to report to homeowners any discovered mold infestations.

           Q. Our house was diagnosed with toxic mold and we have undergone the remediation process. We are having 2 separate mold testing companies do our clearance test prior to reconstruction. The first company came to the house and immediately removed all of the plastic barriers throughout the entire house prior to testing. They also turned off the dehumidifiers and HEPA filters and never turned them back on when they left. We questioned whether the removal of all of the plastic was a proper procedure knowing that  if there was still mold present behind the barriers, cross-contamination of the rest of the house would be the result and additional remediation would have to include the entire house again. Living in Texas, the humidity levels were above 65% without dehumidification and these units were off for 3 days before I discovered that fact and went inside the house to turn them on. I believe that a more cautious approach should have been used. An assumption should have been made that  the house was still contaminated until proven otherwise. The plastic barriers should have been removed in sections or slit open in suspected areas and tested with the plastic being replaced and re-sealed prior to moving on to another area. This would have certainly cut down on the cross contamination. Our worst fears were confirmed when the second company came and did find additional toxic mold that was not properly remediated. They concurred that the first company acted improperly in their handling of the plastic removal and failure to turn the dehumidifiers and HEPA filters back on.  The first company insists that they acted properly. What are the proper procedures to follow for a clearance test? [May 31, 2002]
          A. Inadequate and poorly done mold remediation and ineffective testing are reasons why the Professional Certification Institute was established to remove ignorance and bad techniques from the mold industry. You are absolutely correct that barrier [containment] walls must not be removed until each separate contained area is cleared as mold-safe in the written lab results for the clearance testing. Second, with the containment walls having been prematurely removed, you should have the entire home tested for mold infestation. Third, to give you an honest and realistic clearance mold test, all hepa industrial filters and other fans should be turned off for 24 hours preceding the taking of the clearance tests. The hepa filters can then be turned back on right then until the lab results come in giving a clean bill of health to your home. As to the running of the dehumidifier in a humid environment [like many areas of Texas], don't shut off the dehumidifier until just before the clearance testing [to stop unnecessary air movement during the test process]. Then after the test procedures have been carried out, the dehumidifier can be turned back on right then to continue controlling the high humidity problem which is probably one of the major causes of the mold problem in the first place.

          Q. My family and I purchased a house about a year ago. We bought house insurance etc. Recently, the tiles in our kids bathroom have come loose and we have discovered a black colored mold on the backs of them. How do we know if we should be concerned? Our insurance company sent out a revision on its mold policy after all the news about it. We just want to be sure that our kids are safe. Any advise is appreciated. [May 15, 2002]
          A. If the home was built prior to Jan. 1, 1985, the tile and the glue holding the tile to the floor will have to be first tested for the presence of health-threatening asbestos. If either or both items contain asbestos, they will have to be removed safely by an asbestos abatement company [expensive]. To fix this source of mold contamination, you must first find and stop the water intrusion that enables the mold to grow beneath the tile. If this is tile on a concrete slab, the slab has either no moisture barrier. an inadequate one, or a degraded barrier. If so, the concrete will need to be treated with a special chemical to make the top inch of the concrete into a water barrier that can withstand the water pressure pushing upward from the ground. Learn the 25 steps recommended for safe and effective mold remediation.

          Q. We developed mold in our parsonage last year and it was covered by insurance.  The insurance company paid out about $100,000. to get rid of it, but it is back we discovered it on April 29th 2002.  The insurance company did not replace the air-handler or the metal return air vent in the parsonage. The insurance company does not want to re-open the claim.  Can you help me? [May 14, 2002]
          A. Because of ignorance and bad techniques by improperly trained mold remediators and because of job shortcuts taken by many mold contractors, many mold remediation jobs leave a property in just as bad a mold problem condition [or often worse] than before the job started. When a home or building has been mold infested, almost always there is a serious mold contamination problem in the hvac equipment and ducts [which continually take in airborne mold spores from the contaminated area of the building].  If the hvac equipment and ducts are not replaced with new or properly remediated [rarely done well by most mold remediation companies], the dirty hvac equipment and ducts will cross-contaminate the rest of the house or building that may have been mold remediated. You should ask a local insurance-oriented attorney or personal injury attorney for help in presenting your case for re-opening the claim based on the insurance company and mold remediation company's failure to properly remove mold contamination from the hvac equipment and ducts.

          Q. We have what we think is black mold in our crawlspace.  A month ago we had a pipe leak out a little water and our kitchen sink backed up. Roto-rooter came out and snaked the pipe, they found a pipe cap loose that caused this.  I am very concerned as we have three kids.  No one has any symptoms except the 2 year old has a runny nose and a slight cough.  I am very scared.  We are running a de-humidifier and air purifier until someone can come out and take a look at it.  Our crawlspace has some black patches under the plastic and lots of cardboard boxes with damage under them. It smells extremely musty in there also. [April 30, 2002]
          A. Having mold in your crawl space is very dangerous because the mold infestation can easily grow into the floors and walls above the crawl space. Wearing proper protective gear [discussed at Mold Remdiation ], some one needs to remove and discard the moldy cardboard boxes and any box contents that cannot be disinfected with the mold removal suggestions in the mold remediation book Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Remediation, & Testing. You need to inspect and mold test very thoroughly the crawl space and the timbers in the crawl space area, as well as your testing the room air [use mold culture plates] in the rooms above the crawl space. Use do it yourself mold test kits available from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store. Follow the mold testing tips provided at: Mold Testing . To kill any present mold growths, use Mold Killer fungicide as part of your carrying out the mold removal suggestions provided at Mold Remediation .

          Q. Our home has recently been tested for mold following a plumbing leak behind the bathroom wall that was probably leaking for several months. Stachybotrys came up positive with a tape lift among other molds.  I would like to remedy this problem myself following your tips. Now that the mold has dried due to no further water source, we were told that the mold may now be airborne looking for moisture within the house.  So I am looking to remodel the restroom and do mold removal. I came across ozone generation equipment that claims to kill the airborne mold. [April 21, 2002]
          A. Ozone can possibly kill airborne mold, but it cannot and will not kill the enzyme roots of mold that is growing in porous building materials like drywall and lumber. The U.S. E.P.A. considers ozone treatment to be dangerous and ineffective for mold remediation. No professional mold remediation company [that wants to do an effective job of mold removal] will utilize ozone treatment as its treatment strategy. Removing mold is hard work---follow the suggestions provided at Mold Remediation.

          Q. My husband and I manage a self storage facility in northern California.  In the halls and some of the units, we find a white almost light powder substance that covers the cement floors and concrete walls. If left to grow it will get 2 or 3 inches deep and and sweeps out like fluffy dust or feather like substance.  My husband has tried treating the walls and floor with a bleach and water mixture and it seems to help for a short time but then returns.  Our question is this, what is this growth and how can we get rid of it.  We have had some complaints from our customers about the growth on their stored belongings.  Your help would be greatly appreciated. [April 8, 2002]
          A. Your first step is to identify the mystery powder. Collect a few ounces of it into a ziplock bag upon which you attach a label with your facility name, precise test location, and date of testing, and send the mold samples to a mold lab for mold lab analysis and mold species identification. If lab results show that you have mold growth, your next step is to identify the source of the water or moisture that enables the mold to grow, and the source of food fueling the mold growth [besides your tenants' possessions]. Check the humidity level through out the building and all of the rental units. If the humidity is above 50%, that may well be the source of the problem. The higher the humidity is above 50%, the more that the humidity can drive the mold growth water wise all by itself. The source of food might be dust and dirt on the concrete floors and walls. Chlorine bleach does not permanently kill mold growth--it only changes the color of the mold. Learn why bleach is ineffective at Bleach and Mold. For total mold kill, use a mold home remedy recipe

          Q. We found out that our dishwasher was leaking.  When I removed the dishwasher, the cabinets on either side had black mold.  Should I be concerned?  Is this a health hazard? [April 8, 2002]
           A. Absolutely "yes". Your family can get very sick from this mold infestation, and your property can be destroyed in value by the mold contamination. You need to remove the affected cabinets immediately and replace them with new ones AFTER you have opened up both the floor and wall in the flooded area to uncover any hidden mold problems. Follow the 25 step mold removal suggestions provided at: Mold Remediation.

          Q. I have just looked up your site on my computer about mold. In my family room last year by my computer I could smell mold. I took down the cork boards that where on the out side wall and found that one of the cork boards had black mold growing on it. I threw the cork board away and cleaned the wall with bleach. I called my home owners and they sent out someone and they said their was no moisture in the wall. I keep telling them water was coming in from somewhere and some how to make the mold. Finally my home insurance AAA sent in this mold service and today I have been told I have (stachybotrys) mold ,and they don't know what they will pay for under my home owners insurance. My adjuster says he doesn't thank they cover mold. They already gave me a check for around $ 500.00 the other day to replace the sheet rock in the family room, but now they are saying because of the mold that tested positive for stachybotrys that no one can tear the wall open to replace the damage. They are sending a contractor over to try and figure out where the water was coming from to cause the mold. They also said upstairs in the master bathroom it tested positive for cladosporium mold. So I don't know what to do. I am in no situation to move out or do I have any extra money to get rid of the mold I am waiting to hear from my insurance group about what my options are. I have had a lot of joint & muscle pain and I have not felt good. Now I am worried. I have had a lot of problems with memory and a lot of joint pain to wear I can barley get down stairs. My Doctor told me I have fibromyalgia. Now I am wondering if all my health problems are from the mold? [April 4, 2002]

         Q. I recently bought a home that was built in the 30's and is built from sawmill lumber. There where no sheetrock walls, all where solid wood with old wallpaper with the cloth paper behind it. When I took down most of it, it had black dust everywhere, some I left up and sheet rocked over. We have sheet rocked the whole house now. There were spots on the walls and ceiling that had a lot of crystalized places on the wood, now covered. There were places in the floor that were rotted and we cut out the rot only and replaced, but some of the black was still there. We covered with thin paneling in the kitchen, and plywood in the bedrooms. Can this still leak out from the walls? This house was very musty when we got it, had no idea about mold at the time. I am remodeling the house, since i started living in it as i work on it , I have started noticing that  I can't stay interested in the same project very long, had headaches, nosebleeds, a lot of mood swings, a lot of forgetfulness, my joints all over hurt, and very unrestful at night and during the day. I usually am constantly working on anything, but fill lightheaded a lot. When I leave and go visit  friends for two - five days ,  I always feel better there. By covering all that black dust up, how can I test for mold now. I know that there was a lot of it. Could it of been mold dust , I know it wasn't just dirt. And will my insurance pay if the house was like that to begin with? Please advise before i sink more money, which I've already have, into it to finish. [March 31, 2002]
          A. Move yourself and your family out of this mold hell immediately. Don't take anything with you so you don't cross-contaminate your temporary living quarters.Don't spend any more time in your contaminated home without wearing personal protective gear such as one-piece, 3M brand face shield with breathing respirators [from Home Depot], rubber gloves [paint dept., Home Depot], and complete body Tyvek suit. Some of your mold health symptoms [can't stay interested in the same project very long, headaches, mood swings, forgetfulness] are a strong indication that the hidden mold might be the deadly toxic mold Stachybotrys that destroys brain tissue. You need to have the covered up mold tested by fiber optics inspection and inside wall direct mold sampling and air mold testing, plus air mold testing of the various rooms of your home. Find a Certified Mold Inspector in your area. If mold testing confirms that you have covered up mold growth in the wood, all of your new wall coverings will have to be removed to facilitate mold remediation. The steps involved in effective and safe mold removal are explained at Mold Remediation. You also need to have your body tested for the presence of mold growth in your body. The best type of medical doctor to visit [for blood testing for mold antibodies and lung biopsy for mold growing in your lungs] is a pulmonary [lung] specialist. Learn all abut mold health and available medical mold diagnostic procedures and medical mold treatment procedures.

          Q. I have a serious mold problem in my crawl space. Every floor joist has mold on it including the insulation around the duct work. I'm sure the inside of the ductwork has it also. I have solved the water problem and now I am tackling the mold. What would be the best way to clean the joists and prevent the mold re-growth. I am looking at Borax & Vinegar, Soap & water, and Lime and water. I imagine all the insulation will have to be replaced. I'm not sure if I should replace the ducts or if duct cleaning really works. [Feb. 27, 2002]
          A. Learn the effective mold removal and mold extraction procedures. Use Mold Home Remedy Recipes.

          Q. Our house is infested by the dangerous kind of mold.  We have been asked by our insurance to move out because its been a while that everybody in the house are sick and we could not find out what was making us sick until we found out about the mold. I would like to find out since our furniture and clothes are contaminated, is it necessary to keep them, or do they need to be destroy? [Feb. 16, 2002]
          A. If there is insurance mold coverage for the mold infestation arising from a specific insured water intrusion incident, you should work hard to get insurance money to replace everything new. Under no condition should you move the personal property with mold contamination to another location without first doing mold remediation of the mold contaminated items. If you cannot get adequate an insurance mold settlement to pay for all new items, then you can clean the personal effects following the suggestions in the mold remediation book Do it best yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Remediation, & Testing Guide.

          Q.  Please help us!  On 5/01/00 my husband & i discovered 4,000 gal. Water under our 35 plus year old home.  The cause was a leaking cold water pipe under our house.  After my husband & i notified our insurance co. He placed a pump under our house to drain the water so a plumber could cut out & replace the leaking copper pipe.  The insurance co. Authorized a contractor (who was overseeing all work that would be done to our home) who in turn subbed out the drying out of all the moisture under our home by installing huge dehumidifiers on top of our carpeted hardwood floors.  Against great protest from me the man who was installing these dehumidifiers told me he'd been in business 25 years & this was the method that was used to pull out all the moisture.  I told him he would literally destroy my home as he would force up from under our home (which had an 18" crawl space - no slab foundation, only soil) all mold, mildew, & spore contaminants & force it up through our sub flooring, hardwood floors, & inside all the walls in our house.  That is exactly what happened.  After 2 1/2 weeks of the dehumidifiers running our home was destroyed.  September 2000 the green light was given for our home to be gutted, however the insurance co. Refused to remove the sub flooring & all the wood as i had requested.  Our home was "packed" out sometime in august for contents to be decontaminated & or destroyed.  A company specializing in the removal of asbestos did the clean up.  June 2001 we moved back in to a newly rebuilt shell of a home, all wood floors replaced, all new drywall & insulation in each interior/exterior wall, & new carpeting.  Shortly after moving back in i began having headaches that would not go away, difficultly with memory, concentration, dizziness & loss of balance, sneezing, itching of my nose constantly, eyes, sore throat, wheezing, a painful tightening in my chest, at times difficulty breathing, runny nose despite the use of claritin that i was already on, extreme difficulty in logical thinking/learning, memory loss & increased difficulty in remembering things, loss of concentration, & as time went on the definite feeling of being 'disconnected' from what was going on around me, constantly tired/fatigue, skin redness (with myself, daughter, granddaughter, grandson, & son, that goes away when we are away from the house for several hours, i.e. Going to school all day & returning around 2:30 p.m. Or later) both my granddaughter & i now have rashes on our face & i am now having difficulty staying asleep throughout the entire night.  Also, after moving back every time my dog comes into the house he sneezes constantly & he doesn't look well.  When all this first started it became very evident that i was very allergic to mold, mildew, & spores. This was confirmed by testing.  Everyone is being tested for allergy to these horrible contagions.  I have been told just yesterday 2/13/02 that all living in our house must leave.  A quarter of a million dollars has been dumped into rebuilding our home.  We are going to have it retested by another environmental hygienist.  Given the above information as to all that has been done to the 'shell' of our home after it was finally gutted, do you believe the house will ever be habitable? Oh, even at my request our attic was never addressed.  We were told it was it wasn't likely that our attic would be affected.  Thank your very much for your response.  Please advise us -- could you refer us to a hygienist here in San Diego? [February 15, 2002]

             A. To answer whether your home can ever be habitable in view of the terrible mold problems and inferior mold remediation that your home has suffered, consider having a Mold Inspector inspect and test your home and analyze whether the home can be saved. The problems you are experiencing AFTER extensive mold remediation, most remediation jobs have just as great a mold problem, or even greater, afterwards as before the job started because most mold remediators make one or more of the following mistakes: (1) use of Chlorine bleach or other ineffective mold disinfectants rather than a strong disinfectant like Mold Killer---see Mold Killer---learn why bleach is ineffective to kill mold at Bleach and Mold; (2) failure to replace or scrape/power sand mold-contaminated timbers to mold-free condition; (3) failure to apply two complete and wet sprayings of a mold home remedy recipe to the cleaned out area to prevent future mold-growth; and (4) failure to find and thus treat ALL of the mold-contaminated spots that are hidden inside walls, ceilings, floors, hvac equipment and ducts, crawl spaces, basements, and attics.  Read the 25 steps for safe and effective mold removal.

          Q. I live in Falls Mills, Virginia, and in July we were flooded. also a second flood happened in august.  my home was completely surrounded by water and high enough that my duct work and insulation had to have gotten soaked.  my insurance adjuster has yet to go under my home and i have talked with several contractors working for us about this.  one said he didn't think the insulation got wet because of the black material covering and another said if it got wet it would just dry out.  my family if plagued by sinus drainage, scratchy throat and my husband is on a second round of antibiotics while I am on my third.  I am not a person that usually gets sick and never take the flu shot. I have been referred to an ear-nose-throat medical doctor and I plan to ask for cultures to see just what I have that I cannot get rid of.  I have called the health department and the county building inspectors and lots of other numbers given and cannot get anyone to come inspect my home.   i have been hesitant to call my insurance company-state farm- because four months after they started paying out money for repairs they had the person to send me a letter of cancellation.  I wrote a letter myself and sent it to the president of state farm , their lawyers, the Virginia insurance commissioner and my congressman.  needless to say they called in 10 days and apologized and wanted to keep me as a client.  my adjusters supervisor admitted to my husband on the phone that they should have totaled my home.  my husband is disabled and i have to work but i can't continue to take off sick time for doctors and i would like to know my next step of finding my problem.  I did see black mold growing on the outside of the home during reconstruction of foundation and i have several floors that are weak and know carpet and some flooring will have to be replaced.  will my home be condemned and not livable? if the insurance decides to total will they give me the balance owed?  I have put 30,000 already trying to fix my broken home will they be liable to give balance or should I find a lawyer?  do I have to get rid of all my possessions that are in my home? what about clothing?  just how do you go about decontaminating home, clothing, decorations, etc.??? [Feb. 11, 2002]
          A. Your first step is to test underneath your home and throughout your home following the testing suggestions provided at: Mold Testing. Unless you know the identification of the mold species growing in your home, you will be at a great health disadvantage in dealing with your indoor mold problem. You should also know the steps necessary to properly remediate your home. Please follow the mold remediation suggestions provided at: Mold Removal. As far as collecting adequate insurance payments from the insurance company, you need to hire either a public insurance adjuster [works just for you against the insurance company and on a commission basis] or a lawyer who specializes in suing and collecting from insurance companies. Learn all about making mold claims against insurance companies and mold lawsuits in the in-depth ebook Mold Legal Guide.

          Q. Recently myself and other employees have purchased and used a self-test kit and the results have indicated that we have Stachybotrys in the building. After getting a confliction test result from our employer and demanding they clean the building which mind you has now been 8 months in the making, they have indicated to us that they will clean the room doing a "deep cleaning" of the room next to the infected room. They have indicated that this process will only take 8 hours to complete. The room has ceiling tiles and also dry wall, they have agreed to replace the tiles but not the dry wall. Many of us have been very ill and cannot seem to get anything done. Is it possible for an infected room to be cleaned in 8 hours and if drywalls are not replaced, can we expect a cleaner environment? Please keep in mind that we work for a police department and are in the work area for 16 hours on a regular basis. [Feb. 7, 2002]
          A. "Deep cleaning" sounds like a fancy term for "cleaning" and cleaning is not enough to remove the sources of the mold problem. The water problem must be found and fixed first. Then follow the mold removal suggestions provided at: Mold Remediation. If there is mold growing in the drywall, it will have to be replaced. The entire building needs to be professionally tested to locate mold contamination points and to identify all of the dangerous molds that might be present.  
      
          Q. I have really appreciated your sites in regard to mold. My eight month old home was flooded by a defective toilet in June. One of Farmers Insurance's agents wanted me to spray a little bleach on the black spots to make it "go away". You like that??? I finally had to go to her supervisor and get a different adjuster. I feel as though I have been to hell and I am so ready to come back. In Oct the insurance finally got all their paperwork in some type of order and work was finally started. Now after several testing, they have finally declared that the mold has grown up under the base plates surrounding the house. With only two by fours standing where else could it be hiding. I feel as though I am dealing with a bunch of monkeys. Anyway...now we are in the process of having engineers coming out to decide how to lift this house and replace the base plates. I am searching for an attorney because we are talking about a $350,000 two story eight month old home. I think with the mold issue we need to bulldoze it down and start all over. Just thought this story would be a nice one for you to read.  Thanks again for a great site. [Feb. 7, 2002]
          A. Replace the base plates is great idea. In addition, when the home has been jacked up, the entire exposed work area [after removal of moldy plates and clean up of the affected area] needs to be sprayed at least twice with a Mold Home Remedy Recipe and at least twice with the a Mold Home Remedy Recipe fungicidal protective coating.  Follow carefully all of the mold remediation suggestions at Mold Removal. You need to look inside all wall cavities of the first floor with a fiber optics inspection device to see if mold has spread from bottom plates into walls on top of the floor deck. You should also be test the air through out your home for the presence of elevated levels of mold spores and/or particularly dangerous mold spores. 

          Q. My husband and I are about to purchase a home with severe water damage. The property is a foreclosed property and was abandoned for a couple of years. The bank never winterized the home and due to the extreme cold temperatures here in Buffalo, a pipe from the upper bathroom broke and water leaked for approximately 6 months. We are purchasing the house for a song and intend on doing the major gutting of the property. If we use a mold home remedy recipe and follow your mold removal procedure what do you think are our chances of getting rid of the mold? We are planning on removing all of the walls, floors, sub floors and ceilings that were water damaged. At this time the mold is dormant since its about 12 degrees outside but do you think we are making the mistake of out life? [Feb. 7, 2002]
          A. Yes, you can do it successfully. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediaiton. What is most important to you is that you bought the property "for a song" because the cause of removing all of the mold-contaminated building materials and chemically-treating the home EVERYWHERE with a Mold Home Remedy Recipe and  afterwards with the fungicidal coating, and then rebuilding with new, mold-free construction materials will be very high. Be sure to buy a hidden moisture meter, a hygrometer, and a fiber optics inspection device to help you in finding all of the hidden mold-contamination places. Carefully check your hvac equipment and duct work for mold contamination [very likely for both]. If contaminated, replace with new equipment and duct work. As you do the work, continually test the work area with do it yourself mold test kits, available from a large hardware, home improvement, or safety store, to monitor your progress in getting rid of the mold problem. Visit: Mold Testing.

          Q. I live in Ocala, Fl and my furnace service man for two years has been telling me that my 5 yr. old (now) Carrier Heat pump has a lot of mold in it and showed me the inside with the insulation and the blower blades with the fine black dots on them. Every once in a while I get a whiff of mold smell when the furnace kicks on as I sit right under a vent that is closest to the heat pump.Should I invest in this or his he using "scare tactics" to get me to invest my money in something worthless? [Feb. 1, 2002]
          A. Before you replace your HVAC equipment, your must first: (1) find the non-HVAC sources of water problems and resulting mold contamination that are probably the cause of mold being in your hvac equipment; and (2) correct all non-HVAC water and mold problems. If you need to replace the HVAC because of severe mold contamination, also replace the ducts. If you pay to have your hvac and ducts just cleaned and disinfected of mold, only about 70% of the surface areas can be accessed for cleaning and disinfecting [with a Mold Home Remedy Recipe].

          Q. My boyfriend and I recently discovered extensive mold in our kitchen which is currently being tested. Even without the results, our situation looks grim. The mold is black, leading us to believe it's toxic. There is also a lot of dry rot behind the portion of the wall that has fallen away. We suspect this type of damage in other areas of the house as well. Unfortunately, due to a sudden and severe change in income, we barely have enough to get the bills and mortgage paid. At this time, regardless of lab results, we cannot afford to make repairs or pay for decontamination. Can you offer us any advice? Our homeowner policy does not cover mold. We considered going after the man who sold us the house in February of 1999, as time has proved he hid several other problems. However, we are not able to prove any of it. Selling the house is not an option, as we can't afford to purchase another one, nor could we legally sell a mold-infested house. We are extremely frustrated and worried. Do we have any options or are we just screwed? [Jan. 25, 2002]
          A. Your first step is to protect yourselves from breathing in harmful mold spores. Do you have a friend or family members you can live with temporarily while you do your own mold remediation?  If so, move there, but don't take any personal possessions or clothing with you without first decontaminating them from mold. If you stay in the home, as soon as possible, buy one or more Honeywell-brand hepa portable air purifiers from an appliance store, Lowe's or Home Depot. By running hepa filters 24 hours in several areas of your home, you can reduce airborne mold spores big-time. If you see any moldy areas, until you can afford to take remedial steps, cover those areas completely with 6 mil thick clear plastic sheeting [use duct tape to make tight fit on edges of sheeting]. Your first remediation step must be to find the source[s]
of water intrusion that is causing your mold problem. Until you fix water and moisture problems, you will be unable to control your mold problems. One area at a time, as you can afford it, follow the 25 do-it-yourself home mold remediation steps provided at: Mold Removal
          
          Q. Some people at work are having bronchial problems, etc.  There had been a leak in our building and testing revealed stachi, alterneria and acremonium. Some women are still having medical problems. If they have been ill and the removal of the mold is true, can their previous exposure still be giving them problems? [Jan. 21, 2002]
          A. The continued illnesses can be possibly attributable to one or more of these causes: (1) the mold remediation was not complete and there is still mold contamination in the remediated area [this is not an unusual situation because many mold remediation companies fail to do all of the steps required for effective mold removal such as using the proper fungicide and proper anti-microbial coating on the entire work area before the damaged area is re-built; (2) there are additional mold contamination points in the building that have not yet been discovered and remediated; (3) the persons may have cross-contaminated their cars and homes by taking mold spores from their place of work on their clothing, hair, and skin; and/or (4) they may need medical treatment to remove mold now growing INSIDE their bodies.

          Q. We had a pipe break in the water line in our bathroom. It ran for days. We have ripped out all of the carpet and padding. We ran a dehumidifier. It dried out but still have some mold on the walls. The sub floor is ok and drywall seems to be ok. I hear that bleach kills. Also, ozone machines. Can se sand the dry mold off the walls? [Jan. 23, 2002]
          A. Bleach is not a permanent kill of mold. Mold in a bleached area often returns a few weeks later. Learn why bleach is ineffective for killing mold on porous surfaces like building materials at Bleach and Mold. Ozone is not good because ozone cannot reach the roots of the mold that are growing into porous materials such as drywall and timbers. Follow the mold removal and mold remediation tips. REMOVE and REPLACE all mold damaged drywall. Clean and sand timbers to clean condition or replace. Treat the entire area during the cleanup and remediation process several times with a mold home remedy recipe---and before installing new building materials sprayed on all surfaces and edges with a mold home remedy recipe fungicidal coating.