What Should I Do About My Home’s Mold Infestation?

This issue revolves around two important facets: human health and property value.

Some people are hypersensitive to mold or are at risk because of other complicating health factors, while others have little or no reaction to the presence of high concentrations of mold and its spores. Of concern, however, is the possibility that unaffected individuals may eventually become impacted if exposed to high mold and spore populations over extended periods of time.

We live in a mobile society, where moving from one home to another is common, consequently, homes are often sold multiple times. With the recent media coverage of illnesses related to moldy homes, most home buyers are wary of purchasing a residence that is known to have had a mold problem. Thus, the market value of such homes will generally be much less than comparable but uninfested homes. Few people willingly purchase an expensive item that will potentially make them sick!!

Currently there are no laws requiring the removal of mold growth from homes, so if your health has not been impacted and you don’t care about declining property value, then perhaps the most appropriate response is to just ignore it.

As of 2003, however, a new law took effect in California requiring home owners and landlords to disclose the presence of mold infestation to prospective buyers and renters. The consequences of non disclosure can be financially devastating, when a previous owner is legally required to buy back the moldy home.

You should clearly understand that the removal or “remediation” of structural mold by a professional remediation company often ranges from approximately $5000 to tens of thousands of dollars. Moreover, because there are currently very few federal or state laws governing the remediation of mold, there are an abundance of “professionals” who do less than adequate work or who run actual sham operations. So, before you choose to proceed with professional remediation, get estimates from at least three companies, which you have determined to be reputable and competent. Such information is available by contacting industrial hygienists, who specialize in mold inspections, to assess the honesty and competence of remediation companies. Because these industrial hygienists are normally tasked with inspecting and testing homes after the remediation has been completed to determine if the work was done completely and correctly, they know who does good work and who frequently fails such testing.

Current industry standards for the remediation of mold in residences revolve around guidelines established by the New York City Health Department, which proscribe increasingly more stringent remediation procedures as the size (area in square feet) of the infestation increases. When he total combined area is less than 10 square feet, these guidelines indicate that the homeowner may be able to remove the infestation without professional help.

Of primary importance is the understanding that no amount of mold removal will be effective until the source of the excessive structural moisture has been removed first. Stop all water leaks, and prevent future leaks and spills FIRST!!

Small area remediation of mold it generally accomplished by wiping the infested area with numerous pieces of clean paper towel lightly dipped into a 1:5 dilution of bleach. Use each towel to wipe only a small area, then discard the towel. Although bleach (sodium hypochlorite) can kill mold and its spores, the primary objective is to REMOVE the infestation, not just kill it and leave it in place. Antigens (chemical substances which cause allergies) are affixed to the cell wall exteriors of the mold and spores, and are equally allergenic whether the mold is alive or dead. Thus removal, not just killing them, is essential. If you are capable of removing and repairing drywall and suspect that water was retained within a wall or other cavity, remove the mold infested portion of drywall, and then clean away mold from exposed wooden framing with wipes dipped in the bleach solution.

Note that even gentle air movements and any jolting of the structure near the infestation site will likely cause millions to trillions of mold spores to become airborne. Airborne spores readily travel throughout the house, contaminating everything that they land on – so work very gently, seal off all infested areas with plastic wrap and duct tape, and finally gently place any infested structural materials that were removed into plastic bags before transporting them to the trash can.

If you have sufficient reason to want the mold remediated either by yourself or professionally, then you will almost certainly want to know that the infestation has been sufficiently removed. Although a visual inspection is essential in assessing whether the entire impacted area has been cleaned, it alone can provide neither proof of sufficiency nor acceptable documentation. Mold spores are microscopic (invisible to the naked eye), so samples must be collected and analyzed with a microscope to determine whether the population of spores has been reduced to an acceptable level by the remediation process. This testing is performed by industrial hygienists, who specialize in mold investigations. If the sample analyses indicate that the spore concentration is acceptable, then a document can be produced certifying that the remediation project was performed successfully. This certificate is considered sufficient to prove that the structure has been restored to healthful conditions, and it helps to retain property value when you disclose the mold issue upon the sale or rental of your home.