Moldiplication?

When I was a kid my parents bought my sister and me a couple of small, white rabbits as Easter presents. Both of them were female. When they were fully grown we wanted baby bunnies again, so we traded one of them for a male. As you might have guessed, it wasn't long before things got out of hand and we had more baby bunnies than we could handle. I'd never seen anything multiply as quickly as those rabbits. That is, until I was introduced to mold.

Mold is everywhere, so we might as well get used to it. We might not always see it or smell it, but the spores are present in every place, indoors or outdoors. The only thing that keeps mold at bay indoors is maintaining an environment where the spores can't grow for long without drying out and dying.

The important thing to remember about mold spores is that they're opportunists. The opportunity they're looking for is moisture at the right temperature that persists for more than 24 hours. Once they find the right conditions, spores begin the work of multiplying. Then you get a rabbit scenario, only exponentially worse. I call it moldiplication.

Now, just because you have some excess moisture, it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to get rapid mold growth after 24 hours. Several factors apply, such as the number and type of mold spores present and the temperature and humidity of the environment, among other things. Still, given enough time, mold will always gain a foot hold in a damp environment.

The best way to combat mold is to prevent it in the first place, of course. Like I mentioned earlier, it's an opportunist, so take away the opportunity at every turn. If you have a leaky roof, water pipe, shower pan or other source of gradually building moisture, get it fixed right away and dry up the water quickly and completely. I promise the problem will not go away on its own no matter how long you wait, and it's sure to become more serious and expensive the longer you put it off.

Still, sometimes you get a moisture problem in a place where it isn't easily noticed right away. If that happens and mold forms, the quicker you act, the less chance there is of it getting out of control. The question then becomes whether you should try to clean it up yourself or call in professionals. That's a judgment call we all have to make for ourselves, but mold clean up isn't an easy task, and after all, isn't it dangerous?

We've all heard of the dreaded " toxic black mold". That term is a bit misleading. The mold itself isn't actually toxic, but certain mold does produce mycotoxins. According to the CDC:
There are very few reports that toxigenic molds found inside homes can cause unique or rare health conditions such as pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss. These case reports are rare, and a causal link between the presence of the toxigenic mold and these conditions has not been proven.
In 2004 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) found there was sufficient evidence to link indoor exposure to mold with upper respiratory tract symptoms, cough, and wheeze in otherwise healthy people; with asthma symptoms in people with asthma; and with hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals susceptible to that immune-mediated condition.

That's not really the definitive answer most of us were probably looking for, so caution with mold is still warranted. But what if you don't think the mold you have is the toxic kind, or you're not allergic to it and you want to just leave the it there? There are literally thousands of types of mold, and since there isn't any way to know which type of mold you have without laboratory tests, the CDC and the EPA both recommend removing all mold found indoors, regardless of the type. That's sound advice. Besides being gross, smelly and potentially hazardous to your health, there are other practical reasons to have mold removed. Mold will continue to spread if it isn't removed, causing damage and discoloration to the things on which it grows. It'll even cause wooden structures to rot.

So, knowing that you won't necessarily become sick from trying to remove the mold yourself, should you call in mold experts to remove it anyway? The answer is probably yes. That is, if it's more than a little bit growing on a non-porous structure. After all, spraying a little bleach on the mold and wiping it off the wall isn't a permanent solution, as our technicians have seen many times in homes where the owners thought they'd solved the problem themselves, only to have it return with a vengeance. Think about it: If mold has appeared on the surface of a wall or ceiling, then that means there's likely a lot more of it embedded behind the surface.

Remediating embedded mold requires a very thorough process that includes sealing off the area to prevent spores from spreading when the mold is disturbed; removing porous materials that are affected (such as drywall); removing the mold from other surfaces (like wall studs) and treating them with microbial agents that kill mold and prevent its return; using dehumidifiers to eliminate all excess moisture in the area; careful disposal methods that make sure the spores from the removed mold are contained and unable to contaminate other areas; and a thorough air duct cleaning if the central heat and air system is affected.

Knowing all that, doesn't it make sense to give us a call when you notice moldiplication in your home or building?