Buncombe County Government, NC Cooperative Extension, 20 Mar 2008

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From YouTube: On the Home Front: Making Mold & Mildew Disappear

Description

Nancy Ostergaard with Cooperative Extension teaches us some of the causes of household mold and how to clean it properly.

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I'm Nancy Ostergard and I'd like to welcome you to this episode of on the homefront during this segment. We're going to be talking about mold what it looks like and some prevention methods and how to clean it up. Should you find it in your home.

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Mold commonly develops on the areas that are damp warm, poorly, ventilated and dark. It thrives in our warm humid weather. It is also problem when moisture is trapped in an area in your home bathrooms, closets, basements or crawl spaces are prime sites. You can prevent mold by keeping surfaces dry, clean and well. Ventilated. Mold should not be permitted to grow and multiply indoors, because health problems can occur in building materials and your furnishings can get damaged. People are mainly exposed to mold by breathing spores or other tiny fragments.

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You can also be exposed through skin contact and by swallowing it some of the most common health problems caused by indoor, mold or allergy symptoms. Although other more serious problems can occur, such as nasal and sinus congestion, cough wheezing, and/or, breathing difficulties, sore throat, skin and eye irritation. Upper respiratory infections, including sinus, all of the long-term presence of indoor mold growth, may eventually become unhealthy for anyone. Those affected more severely are infants and children.

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Elderly people, individuals with respiratory conditions, are sensitivities such as asthma and allergies, persons having weakened immune systems, for example, people with HIV infection, chemotherapy patients and organ transplant recipients for more coverage. Mold has been given on the news over the past few years and the number of phone calls I have received of increase. The number one question I receive is about testing. The answer is always no. The EPA and all the universities and various health organizations recommend not spending your money on testing to find a mold problem.

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You can use your eyes to look for mold growth and use your nose to locate the source of the suspicious odor. If you see mold or if there's an earthy or musty smell all you should assume a mold problem exists.

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Other clues, they're signs of excess, moisture or worsening of allergy like symptoms, look for visible mold growth, it may appear cottony, velvety or granular, and have various colors of white grey brown, black, yellow or green mold often appears as a discoloration staining or fuzzy growth on the surface of building materials or furnishings when mold is visible. Testing is not recommended search areas around the home where there are noticeable mold, odors, look for signs of excess, moisture or water damage; also look for water leaks, standing, water, water, stains and condensation problems.

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An example would be if you see watermarks or discoloration on a wall, sealing carpet, woodwork or other building materials, search behind and underneath materials like carpet or carpet, pads wallpaper, vinyl flooring, sink cabinets and especially stored items. In particular. Those stored items placed near outside walls are on cold floors. Sometimes you'll have to be destructive to your home to inspect and clean, where mold and moisture are hidden, especially if it is in a wall. Cavity.

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Some of the common indoor moisture sources are flooding condensation caused by indoor humidity, that is too high or surfaces that are too cold movement through basement walls and slabs, roof leaks, plumbing leaks, overflow from tubs sinks or toilets, firewood stored, indoors, humidifier use, inadequate venting of kitchen and bath humidity, improper venting of combustion appliances, failure to vent clothes, dryers exhaust outdoors, including electric dryers line, drying laundry indoors and house plants. Watering them can generate large amounts of moisture.

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Once you keep indoor surfaces as dry as possible, a 60% relative humidity, a properly sized air conditioner, a dehumidifier, should help you maintain this level, but you will need a hydrometer in order to know what your relative humidity is.

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When removing mold, you must protect yourself. The following can help minimize your exposure wearing rubber, gloves. I got outer clothing like long sleeves and long pants that can be easily removed in the work area and laundered or discarded a medium efficiency or high efficiency, filtered dust mask at a minimum using m95 or equivalent. After you have protected yourself, you need to protect others. This is done to minimize the spread of mold spores to a larger area, enclosed all molding materials in plastic, either bags or sheets before carrying them through the house.

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Hang plastic sheeting to separate the work area from the rest of the house. Remove outer layers of work, clothes in the work area and wash them separately or bag them up for disposal. Damn clean, the entire work area to clean up, settle contaminants and dust, porous materials that have absorbed moisture and have mold growing on them need to be removed, bagged and thrown out. These materials may include sheetrock insulation plaster carpet, carpet, pads wood products other than solid wood and paper products.

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Non-Porous materials with surface mold growth that can be cleaned well and kept dry can be saved. The non porous materials like hard plastic, concrete, glass, metal and solid wood can usually be cleaned. Cleaning must remove and capture the mold contamination, because dead, spores and mold particles still cause health problems if they are left in place to clean the non-porous materials, thoroughly scrub all contaminated surfaces using a stiff brush, hot water and non ammonia soap or detergent or commercial, cleaner, collect excess cleaning liquid with a wet/dry vac mop or sponge rinse.

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The area with clean water and collect the excess rinse water you'll want to dry the area as quickly as possible, using fans, if necessary.

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After you, clean the contaminated surface of all visible mold and other soiling, a disinfectant may be used to kill mold mist in the cleaning to disinfect you mix 1/4 to 1/2 cup of bleach per gallon of water and apply to surfaces where mold growth was visible before cleaning the solution can be applied with a spray bottle garden, sprayer sponge Don about whatever method you choose to use collectively, runoff of the bleach solution with a wet/dry vacuum sponge a mop, do not rinse or wipe the bleach solution off the area being treated.

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It must be allowed to dry on the surface, always handle bleach with caution. Remember to never mix bleach with ammonia as toxic chlorine. Gas may result, which can also irritate eyes, nose, throat and skin always work with fresh air window or doors open, protect your skin and eyes from contact since bleach is very corrosive and may damage some materials. I would suggest testing the solution on a small area before starting the treatment for additional information regarding this segment or any other housing issue. Contact me nancy Ostergard, at the Buncombe County Cooperative Extension Center.

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