Thursday, September 27, 2007

Rooms The Most At Risk For Mold

There are a number of places in your home that mold may start to grow and theoretically, they can grow anywhere in the house, but there are some areas that are more at risk than others. Any room in the house where there is an excess amount of moisture going through it every single day is particularly at risk for mold growth and this risk should not be underestimated. A casual inspection every few weeks or every month should be done, if not due to the cost of having mold removed from the house, but also due to the health effects that mold can cause if it is let to thrive.

The very first room that you need to be concerned with is the bathroom. This is the mold center of the house 99 percent of the time, since more water passes in and out of this room than any other. Every member of your family takes a bath or a shower every day (at least, they should) and this means gallons upon gallons of water moving to and from the room, either in the form of steam or liquid. The liquid form is the most dangerous to the floor, especially if the floor is not waterproofed. This will cause not only mold growth, but also water damage to the floor joists that can cause it to rot over time. Long term damage such as this has been known to cause toilets and tubs to fall through the floor, resulting in an expense that most people do not have the money to pay for immediately.

The steam produces a problem for the ceiling and upper walls if there is nowhere for it to escape to. Most building codes require that there be a window or an exhaust fan installed in the bathroom, but you should really have both of these. The fan will remove the steam from the room and direct it outside where it will do no damage to anything.

The next room you should take care of is the kitchen. Whether you have a dishwasher or do your dishes by hand, there is always a chance that water will be spilled onto the floor and seep into an area that you cannot completely dry. This is usually because your floor is not completely sealed or has cracks in the flooring. Mold can also grow due to the steam coming from your stove, but this problem can be solved if you have an exhaust vent installed over it.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
New York Basement Water Removal companies across the united states.

Renter’s Rights Concerning Mold

Even though we know that mold exists everywhere around us, having excess amounts of it in our homes or workplaces can be hazardous to our health and should be taken care of as soon as it is noticed. If you are renting an apartment or a house and discover a mold issue on the property, you need to take this up with your landlord as soon as possible. There are a number of rights that a renter has and being guaranteed a safe and sanitary living space is most certainly one of them.

As long as the mold issue was not caused by you, your landlord is responsible for having any removal done. You can also hold the landlord responsible for any medical bills that you may incur due to being exposed to the mold, but depending upon your relationship with your landlord, having them take care of the problem may be enough for you. If your landlord has been good to you throughout the course of your stay on his or her property and you wish to continue renting from them after the incident is over, it could be in your best interest to not cause too much trouble over the issue. If you feel that your landlord has neglected the property and has allowed it to fall into disrepair and has repeatedly ignored your request for maintenance and mold removal, then seek the maximum the law will grant you under the circumstances. You should seek the compensation that is right for your situation.

The first thing that you need to do, no matter how much you trust your landlord, is send him or her a certified letter stating that mold exists on the property along with proof of this. You can obtain this proof most easily by performing a do-it-yourself mold testing kit and sending in the results or you can hire a mold inspector to look at the property.

If you do not receive a response from your landlord, a second letter should be sent in the same manner and state that you will withhold your rent until the matter is solved. This should get the reaction that you want, but sometimes even this is not enough.

The last thing that you need to do if you do not feel that your landlord has responded in a timely fashion is to send yet another certified letter and state your intent to move and bring legal action within a certain amount of days unless the problem is taken care of immediately. At this point, charging your landlord for any medical bills you may have incurred that are directly related to mold exposure is completely ethical and acceptable.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut water damage contractors and other states and cities such as
Chicago mold remediation companies across the united states.

Removing Mold And The Equipment You Need

The process of removing mold from your home can be a long and tedious one, depending on how large the infection is and whether you are choosing to take care of the problem yourself or have a professional take care of the problem for you. The most efficient solution for those who have the money, but not a lot of time is to have a professional mold remediation company remove the mold and all affected materials from the property, but not everyone can afford to have this done. So, the option of removing the mold yourself is available, but only for those who have the knowledge and proper equipment to do so.

You can perform most mold removal projects on your own, but projects that require you remove material from walls, floors, or ceilings are best undertaken by those who have experience in interior remodeling and renovation. Scrubbing mold off of certain areas of the home is fairly easy and is an efficient way to deal with a mold problem, as long as the mold has not embedded itself into the surface. Drywall is particularly at risk for having to be replaced if the mold infection becomes too extensive.

You will need buckets of water and the cleaning solution of your choice, along with sponges, rags, or whatever you decide to use while doing the cleanup. Wearing latex or rubber gloves is recommended for this, since coming into contact with mold can cause skin rashes. Heavy trash bags will be needed to dispose of waste in.

Something else you may want to purchase is a respirator, particularly if you are going to be opening up any walls and releasing mold spores into the air. An N-95 respirator can be purchased from your local hardware store and is the lowest level of protection available. If you want more protection than that, you can purchase a half or full face mask respirator with a HEPA filter attached to it.

Wearing disposable protective clothing is also recommended if the mold problem is extensive in any area of the house. Protective shoe covers should also be worn and duct tape used to seal up the gaps in the suit on the wrists and ankles.

Something else you may want to purchase is an air purifier with a HEPA filter built into it. This will help clean the air in your home and remove almost anything you can think of, including mold spores stirred up by the removal, and your health will improve. Depending on your financial situation, you may not be able to afford this, but if you can afford it, purchasing one of these air purifiers will be one of the best health investments you can make.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York water damage restoration contractors and other states and cities such as
Connecticut mold remediation and water damage restoration companies across the united states.

Mold Prevention All Over the House

Mold growing in your home can be a serious problem not only for you, but also for the building itself. The negative health effects it can have on you, your family, and your pets are bad enough by themselves, but when you add the structural damage it can do, what it costs to have it removed, and how unsightly it can be, it is a nightmare for any homeowner to deal with. There are a number of places in your home that are at risk for mold growth and you should do a casual inspection of these areas often, since it can start to grow in about 48 hours.

The bathroom is the worst area of the home at risk for mold because this room sees so much water going in and out of it every day. Hopefully everyone in your home takes a bath or a shower at least once a day and if they do, then this is somewhere around or even over a hundred gallons a day. Steam collects and becomes soaked up by the ceiling and will cause mold to grow there over time. Ceilings have been known to collapse due to this kind of moisture buildup, so having an exhaust vent installed in the room to let the steam outside into the atmosphere is a good idea. The bathroom floor should also be waterproofed. Hard, non-porous surfaces are not good environments for mold to grow on, but if they get underneath to the wooden sub-floor, they will thrive.

The kitchen is another area of the home at risk and an exhaust vent should be here, too, and preferably located over the stove. This is also an area that needs to have a water tight floor, since it is also a place where spills of liquid happen often. Dishwashers and ice makers in the refrigerator also have a tendency to malfunction if they are old or in disrepair.

Basements have their own humidity problem to deal with most of the time and you can fix this by repairing any water leaks that may be there and installing a dehumidifier can also help. If you do laundry or have an extra bathroom here, an exhaust vent is a must. Replacing window wells and piling more soil around the foundation of your house can help stop water from seeping inside, as well.

Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.

Monday, September 24, 2007

What Moldy Food Should You Discard?

Having an argument with yourself while ducked into the refrigerator on what you should have for breakfast, lunch, or dinner is a common occurrence if you have a full refrigerator, but something that is just as common is arguing with yourself over what you should do with an item in the fridge that has a little mold growing on it. Mold grows on a lot of things in the fridge, but we do not always know which items are safe to remove the mold from and keep. What do you do if you find something in your refrigerator that has mold on it? Well, it just depends on what the food is that you are talking about.

Mold grows on everything in the fridge eventually and that is just a fact that we have to live with. Food will not keep forever, no matter how well you try to preserve it most of the time. Jars of jellies, jams, marmalades, and preserves are among the worst offenders when it comes to mold growing on them in the fridge. These are items that you should throw away if you discover mold growing inside the jar, because since they are soft items, the “threads” of mold can reach throughout it and contaminate the entire jar. Throw these away.

Fruits and vegetables need to be checked carefully on a regular basis once you get them home and taken out of the plastic bags that you collect them in when you are at the grocery store. Condensation builds up in these bags and will cause mold to grow. One contaminated fruit will cause anything else it is touching to become infected, as well. Throw any contaminated fruits and vegetables away and wash anything it was touching that does not appear to be contaminated.

Anything in your fridge that has a high amount of moisture in it should be discarded after mold is seen growing on it, because it can contaminate the entire item very easily. Dense items like hard salami or blocks of cheese can simply have the moldy areas cut out (as long as it is an inch around and under the molded area) and these will be fine to consume afterward.

Any baked goods such as bread or cake should be discarded if mold is growing on them. These are porous surfaces and can possibly be contaminated beyond the surface.

Soft cheeses, yogurts, casseroles, hot dogs, lunch meat, and etcetera need to be discarded after old is seen growing upon them. These items tend to have a high content of moisture and will probably be contaminated throughout their entire depth.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.

Tips to Prevent Water Damage at Home

Water damage occurs most commonly in the bathroom and in the kitchen, but most of the time this damage can be prevented if a few simple measures are taken on a regular basis. Water damage is not only unsightly because it tends to discolor things in your house such as the drywall or the floor, but it also damages the internal structure, as well. Drywall that absorbs too much water will eventually begin to sag due to the weight and the paper on the drywall will become detached.

The kitchen and the bathroom are the two rooms that can add the most value to your home if you choose to sell it, so keeping them in good condition is crucial if a house you purchase is simply an investment. Even if it is not just an investment, keeping these two rooms in good condition is a good idea to keep the quality of life in your home at a good basic level.

Having a vent located in the bathroom and in the kitchen over the stove is necessary to help prevent water damage to the ceiling and upper parts of the walls. You will see these vents located in the bathrooms of most motels and hotels these days, in an effort to protect the room from water damage. Most commercial properties that have bathrooms with showers have these vents because they realize that this is necessary to make their property last as long as possible. If steam has nowhere to go, mold will also begin to grow on the ceiling and walls over time and having that removed is a whole other problem.

Plumbing in your kitchen or bathroom should be inspected often, as well. Even leaks that are only small drips can cause water damage and especially mold growth over time.

Toilets and bathtubs should be allowed to overflow as little as possible, especially in bathrooms that have carpet installed instead of tile or even carpet installed over tile. Tile floors should be completely sealed by caulking to be sure that water does not get to the floor boards underneath.

Water damage and mold can be prevented in the bathroom closet if wet items are not left on the floor. Mold can start to grow as little as 24 hours after a wet item is abandoned and this mold will contaminate any other clothes that are thrown on top of it.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Mold Remediation and
water damage restoration companies across the united states.

Tips To Protect Your Family And Food From Mold

What is the most important major appliance in your house? Most people would probably say their refrigerator and I would probably agree, but do we really keep them clean as often as we should..? The fact is that refrigerators are not kept as clean by busy families as they should be in order to keep a healthy household. Leftovers are put in the fridge and often get left there for days or something even weeks at a time before finally being thrown away after they have gotten spoiled. Liquids get spilled, frozen foods are left to thaw on the shelves, and just general mess gets left everywhere. A refrigerator might be cleaned out once every 4 or 5 months by a busy family, but if you keep a watch on the items in your refrigerator and the messes plaguing its shelves, you will not have to do this very often.

Look around in your refrigerator and figure out what is outdated and spoiled. If you keep jelly or jam, you probably know that these get molded after a while, either on the top of the food itself or on the inside of the lids. These soft items and other things like yogurt, sour cream, soft cheeses, individually sliced cheeses, and just generally anything with a high moisture content need to be thrown away. The entirety of the food will probably be completely contaminated with mold even though it might only appear to be on the surface of the food.

If you bring fruit or vegetables home from the grocery store and just chuck the plastic bags they’re inside into your produce drawer like that, you’ll probably end up with some moldy and rotted fruit not too long after. What happens in this situation is that condensation builds up inside the bag and mold starts to grow on anything inside it. Just take the fruits and vegetables out of the bags and make sure that none of the fruit already have mold growing on them. If they do, throw them out and wash anything that was in close proximity to it.

If you see any eggs that are cracked in the carton, these need to be thrown away, too. Bacteria growing on the outside of the egg will get inside and contaminate it.

If mold starts growing on a block of cheese, what you should do is take a knife and cut around and under the moldy spot on the block and remove it. Don’t touch the knife to other parts of the cheese to avoid cross-contamination.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.

Preventing Mold When Home-Canning

Odds are fairly good that if you have a vegetable garden or any fruit trees in your yard that you know how to go about canning these items so that you can have them year-round. Whether you can tomatoes so you will have them during the winter or pickle cucumbers, growing our own food and preserving it at home has been commonplace in American culture for a very long time. Pickles, jams, jellies, marmalades, soups, or chutneys have been being made in homes across the country and the world for quite a while and it is still going on today because some people prefer home-made goods to their commercial counterparts.

There are benefits to both growing and canning your own food at home, even though a process that is similar is used by commercial food canners worldwide. One benefit is that you have the knowledge of just how sterile the equipment being used to preserve your food is. You know how clean the items are that you are using to can your food. When you purchase these items in a store, you do not know whether the equipment used was clean or not. You also have the benefit of knowing what pesticides, if any, were used on the fruits and vegetables that you are preserving. You do not have to be exposed to more pesticides and chemicals than you would use to protect your own garden from insects and different kinds of rodents.

One problem with home-canning, though, is that if it is not done properly, mold can start to grow inside the jars of food that you thought that you were preserving so well. Mold grows in everything that is preserved eventually, anyway, but it can occur much sooner if the food that you can in your kitchen is not properly preserved. Most home-canning guides suggest that you date everything you can and use it within a year to avoid spoilage.

Mold-contaminated jars can be a problem, but you can avoid this problem most of the time by making sure the equipment that you use is sterile. You can sterilize glass jars by filling them and your canning pot with hot water (not boiling) and bringing the pot to a slow boil for around 10 minutes. This should effectively remove all microbes and spores from the water.

Any food you can should be washed and thoroughly inspected. Questionable items should not be canned, but thrown away.

Food should also be packed loosely in the jars so that the food inside can be completely heated throughout. If the temperature does not get high enough, it will not be completely sterilized. Mold spores, bacteria, and yeast can continue to grow even in high temperatures.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.

Mold in Our Homes

While there is no real way to completely get rid of the mold that exists in both our outdoor and indoor environments, there are some things that we can do to keep mold from growing on our food and our belongings. This typically happens when items like clothing are improperly stored or when foods are improperly preserved in our refrigerators. Whatever the cause may be, it is very likely that we can prevent these instances of mold from occurring if we just exercise a little diligence in the maintenance of our homes.

Mold likes to grow in the refrigerator, especially in jars of jellies and jams, but as long as we keep our refrigerators clean and free of contaminated items, mold will not grow as quickly. Take an inventory of the items in your refrigerator and make sure nothing is sorely outdated. Outdated items can be used for a short period after they expire, but if they start to show discoloration or mold growth, they should be thrown away immediately. Fruits and vegetables that show signs of mold growth should also be thrown away and anything else they were touching, especially other fruits and vegetables, should be washed.

Mold also likes to grow on clothing that has been packed too tightly into a closet space or other container. Air needs to be able to circulate through the entirety of the closet and some closets have air vents located in them to help with this, but if you pack clothes too tightly, then the vent cannot do its job.

If you have baby bottles in your kitchen, then you might have a problem with getting them completely dry if you do not have a dishwasher. If you have to wash your dishes by hand, then the best thing to do in order to keep mold from beginning to grow inside these and other oddly shaped bottles is to dry them the best that you can and put them in your freezer immediately after. Leave them in there until you need the bottles again.

Wet clothes or towels should never be tossed on the bathroom floor or into a hamper and left there. Any clothes that you throw on top of them will become contaminated with mold after they have been left there after anywhere from 24 to 48 hours. Some molds will grow after 24 hours, but many require up to 48 hours to begin to multiply. Wet clothes should be washed immediately.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.