What you need to know about MOLD!

Most of us have heard of mold, but don’t really know much about it. Until it makes it sick, or we notice that something in our refrigerator that has grown a layer of green, black, or white yuck, we don’t really think about it. MOLD is a living fungus that exists all around us. It grows in our houses.

Mold spreads easily because it sends out tiny spores that the air carries these spores everywhere. The spores are invisible and their goal in life is to be warm, damp, and find food. The trouble is many common materials in our homes are what give them life. Things we take for granted as part of our daily lives such as clothing, carpet, wallpaper, ceiling tiles, dust, and books, when existing in the right temperature and humidity cause mold to flourish and spread unless they are disinfected.

 Not everyone experiences symptoms when exposed to mold, just as not everyone reacts to pollen in the air during the spring and summer, or cat dander all of the time. Even if this is true in your case, it doesn’t mean that it’s healthy to be breathing mold. Some possible ill effects of mold are runny nose, itching or burning eyes, cough, asthma, or other respiratory problems.

Taking Action

Since you usually can’t see mold, your first clue that you may have it is a damp, musty, or mildew like odor in a room or particular area of your home. Mold often grows after you’ve had some sort of water problem. Even something like an overflowing toilet or leaky washing machine can attract mold spores. Since mold grows fast and can invade at anytime, you should have a mold disinfectant available (#761 Industrial Germicidal Cleaner). This is especially true if you live in a damp or humid climate, use a humidifier, and daily temperatures range between 40 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. There are definite steps you should take when you find mold, as you don’t’ want it to be a permanent houseguest.

It’s important that you eradicate every sign of mold as it will just keep spreading if you don’t.

Before you attack the mold and handle any chemicals, be sure to protect yourself from breathing in the spores or making skin contact. You should wear eye goggles, a mask over your nose and mouth, and rubber or latex gloves. Your clothing should be made from a washable fabric, as you’ll need to put them through the washer and dryer as soon as you’ve finished your mold disinfectant project.

?If your home has many of the conditions that make it extra susceptible to mold, vacuum carpets and clean hard surfaced floors regularly. Be especially vigilant in damp areas. Any time you have a leak, repair the problem that caused it right away. Use your mold disinfectant since the spores are so difficult to detect.

If you have mold on your deck, sidings, or roof, use a pressure- washing product or hire us.

Mold is something you definitely don’t want to live with. A little diligence and good cleaning habits will help you avoid this annoying problem.

Before painting be sure to wash with a disinfectant and allow to thoroughly dry.  I suggest using a sealing primer before painting.

Many older homes have a ventilation problem as no insulation was in the exterior walls and certain inside corners are not properly heated and mold grows.  Caulking of these old aluminum windows is also extremely important.

Sometimes we will add in exterior paint a product known as M-1 which is a mildewcide. M-1 Advanced Mildewcide Paint Additive is now EPA registered, and proven to be the world's finest & most effective additive by the US Navy. Mildew, mold and algae just can't grow on the dry film containing M-1. Just think of all the places you won't have to clean again - basement and exterior walls, decks, railings - anywhere mold likes to grow.

Most exterior paints have some form of mildewcide added to them.  Exterior paints particularly semi-gloss finish are used a great deal of the time in interior trim and door painting because they dry slower and as a result help level the brush marks when a brush is used to apply the paint.

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