Mold Remediation
 
Wallpaper and Mold: Wall Paper Mold Remediation

Wallpaper is worse than paint for causing mold because it seals water in the wall and provides food for mold growth.

         Q. We recently purchased a home built in 1978.  After stripping the wallpaper around windows and above doorways, we have found black mold on the walls.  I am 14 weeks pregnant and we have 3 small children in our home aged 7 years, 4 years, and 11 months. How can we get rid of the mold and is it unsafe for us to be in the home now? My 11 month old has bad eczema and we have ripped out all the carpet and put in new laminate flooring hoping to improve his eczema. [May 12, 2005]
         A. Your son's eczema problem may be adversely affected because of your family living in mold infestation. Skin rashes are a common mold health symptom. Read the top 100 mold health symptoms on the home page of Mold Inspector.  Mold loves to grow and hide behind wallpaper, as well as liking to eat wallpaper paste and the wallpaper itself. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation.  A pregnant woman living or working in mold infestation risks birth defects and miscarriage. In view of your family's health situation and the severity of the mold health threat, you would be wise to live temporarily in a mold-safe place until your home has been completely mold remediated and it passes clearance testing as being mold-safe. Learn more about mold inspection and mold testing at Mold Inspection and Mold Mart.

        Q.  We have been making improvements to our home and decided to take down the wall paper in our den.  When we took the wallpaper down we noticed all the mold that was behind the wallpaper. The room is 450 square foot and the two walls that face the outdoors are the ones that have all the mold.  This room was an add-on.  We have lived here for almost 10 years and never took the wallpaper down.  There was never any indication that we had mold until we removed the wallpaper.  My question to you is...Do you think this should be covered by our home owners insurance?  [May 11, 2005]
         A. Your photo's illustrate very substantial water damage and mold growth in the wall beneath your former wallpaper. [Editor's Comment: Please note that one of the submitted photo's is published at the bottom of this webpage]. Would you be so kind as to permit me to use your photo #13 on my mold websites without mentioning your name to protect your privacy and confidentiality? You  will need to find and fix the water leaks that caused those problems. You will need to remove, discard, and replace the  damaged building materials in accordance with  the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation. Most homeowner's insurance policies EXCLUDE mold damage from insurance coverage. If a policy did not have such a commonly-found mold coverage exclusion, there will be other policy barriers against mold claims payouts, such as denial of coverage because the mold being a pre-existing condition [mold has been there prior to insurance coverage], or that  mold is a maintenance issue and not a sudden and accidental type of problem covered by insurance. Review your insurance policy's provisions with your insurance agent and an independent insurance adjuster [works solely for your well-being on a commission basis]. Check with an insurance attorney if you need legal interpretation of the tricky wordings used by insurance companies.

        Q. I live in a double wide trailer in Georgia.  The trailer is on a permanent foundation and set-up just like a house.  We have redone all 3 bathrooms (put in house sinks, commodes, etc), the kitchen has been replaced (new cabinets, flooring, etc), we just put on a metal roof, vinyl windows and vinyl siding.  Throughout all this, I have room by room been wallpapering the house.  I began about 4 years ago in the living room...about a year ago I did the master bath.  Well, I noticed a blue looking "leaking"  come through the paper.  I called Home Depot out to look at it as I thought it was a wallpaper defect (in two rooms?)....they had no explanation.  A few weeks ago, I pulled down the wallpaper in the L.R.  and found mold!?!  That is what was causing the blue leakage.  It was even in places that didn't have the blue seeping through.  I cleaned the walls w/ bleach water and put on Kilz w/ Mildew protection and re wallpapered.  I will be doing the same in the bathroom.  We had a leaky roof that was just replaced (there was no explanation as to why it was leaking) w/ a metal roof, we will be putting up gutters in the next year.  What caused the Mold behind the wallpaper when there was none on the wall when I put the paper up? We have done various work around the house throughout and never saw any mold until the wall paper incident...what can we do to prevent this from happening again, and how will I know if there is mold behind my other wall papers (if it isn't showing through)?  Will we still breath it in even if it is under the paper?  What do you recommend we do (we have spend all our money on the repairs)?
          A. Mold loves to hide and to grow behind wall paper. Mold eats the drywall or other surface behind the wall paper, the glue that holds the wall paper to the wall, and the wall paper itself. There are mold spores everywhere in your home and everywhere outside. Airborne mold spores from outdoors enter your home through open windows and doors. What causes a problem for you is one of the following problems: (1) too many mold spores coming into the house because you live too close to many plants, trees, woods, etc.; and (2) if those mold spores have a moisture source inside your home to enable the mold to reproduce and to grow as it eats organic, cellulose materials like drywall, wall paper, wood, etc. The roof leaks your home has experienced are one obvious source of the water for past mold growth. Second, by living in Georgia, you live in an area that has a naturally high level of humidity. If the indoor humidity exceeds 60 percent some or all of the year, the high humidity is all the moisture that is necessary for mold to grow on your personal effects, in and on walls, ceilings, etc. You may need to place into your home one or more dehumidifiers that are programmed to keep running until a targeted humidity level [such as mold safe 30 to 40% humidity] is achieved. Bleach is ineffective for killing mold on porous surfaces such as wallpaper and walls---visit: Bleach Mold. Kilz kills nothing---it is only to hide water damage stains and a paint primer prior to painting. Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation.

Mold Cleaning, Remediation, Abatement, and Removal Tips
       Learn the 25 steps for safe and effective mold remediation.