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What you should be looking for is water leaks or moisture damage. Mold loves moisture and air. As warned be wary of mold inspectors. I would ask the guy/ gal who said mold was behind cupboards what caused it. Sounds fishy to me unless there is a water leak above. Fix the leak and then check for wall moisture levels and/or damage that in most cases needs to be torn out and replaced. Concrete and stucco can be cleaned, tested, treated, dried, barrier coated, and painted. In many cases the work must be done under negative pressure to protect occupants. I’m sure your neighbors would like to know, so they can close windows during that time.
I worked in the field for 30 years and we advised schools and government buildings on leaks (look for invasive bugs/critters) and helped remediate. Paint overs don’t solve mold problems. Mold pops through eventually. Has the level of molds made your home uninhabitable? The county or state should have an industrial hygiene or indoor air person who can help you determine if you should be concerned and what you should ask contractors. Borescopes and robotic cameras are used by the better firms to check problem areas. Some even allow you to watch sampling and repairs remotely so you know the job was done right. If you are still living in the home make sure the sleeping area is safe. I run a HEPA air cleaner with a CADR of 245 in my bedroom. (I was sensitized by the job.) Replaced carpet with Florida wood flooring and use a dehumidifier to control moisture levels somewhat. Beyond that check into nasal rinses and work with your doctor(s). |
Check appliances for leaks. The dishwasher, refrigerator, and washer can developer musty odors and should be cleaned.
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Lots of household molds dry out and go dormant if the humidity is 50% or less. A musty smell isn’t necessarily mold. If your house was left with the AC off for a few weeks or months, the humidity can actually soak into the drywall, carpets, and other places. It can take several weeks of lower humidity for damp drywall to dry out. Recently we have had humidity close to 100% at night. Opening your windows when the humidity is high outside can slow down the drying process. Sometimes people have their carpets steam-cleaned before they move, then turn off the AC. It can take quite a while for a carpet pad to dry out after a cleaning. Are the cabinets behind which mold is thought to be growing on an outside wall? Is your wall stucco? Does the stucco get wet when it rains or when the sprinklers run? In some situations water can get through stucco and can soak concrete block. Sometimes it’s wet where the block meets the concrete pad because of outside water, and that can lead to very high humidity in the walls, which could transfer to the insulation and then to the Sheetrock. Another possibility is water from a leaky sink or a garbage disposal or a dishwasher or from condensation on some pipes seeping under or behind cabinets. This can even find its way under tile, especially if the tile was put down with an adhesive instead of with mortar. I’m nervous about mold-inspectors being in cahoots with remediation companies, as this can lead to solutions that go beyond what is necessary. Sometimes testing by a second company is a good idea. Before ripping out your walls, it’s important to figure out the source of moisture that is leading to high humidity allowing mold growth. Sometimes, eliminating that source will stop mold in a month or two as walls dry out. One thing that is pretty easy to do is to carefully pry off the baseboard under your kitchen cabinets and look for traces of moisture. |
ALWAYS leave on some air conditioning or heating as appropriate to the weather. I have a thermostat that I can control remotely and can run it hotter or colder as needed to control moisture. Love the control!
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Do not identify mold in your home.
Any future sale will be predicated on your duty to disclose that you have a mold home, if you have secured a documented mold report. William S. Cook Public Adjuster |
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Many molds are not dangerous to humans. Did you look up each type of mold to see if it was? Was the ac left on in the house while it was for sale? Check for roof leaks, or clogged gutters which might make water run down the inside of your walls. It might be as simple as checking your gutters, cleaning them and then allowing the mold to dry out. First check if any of those molds are dangerous to humans before you start ripping things out.
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My sister lives in NW Fl, and they had mold issues in their previous house. It was a mess, and did get into walls/areas that you wouldn expect. They hired an expert mold remediation group that were able to verify exact locations of the mold before having to tear the walls down, so, I'd say, go ahead and hire an expert team.
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I was smelling musty mold in the master bath simultaneously smelling bleach because the shower tile was scrubbed. I finally found the culprit! ... removed the toilette tank lid. Both were covered big time with BLACK MOLD!
I bought a new fridge. The ice maker dispenser on the outside was covered in mold. I stuck my phone under it and took a picture. The plastic drain lines of the dishwasher were moldy too. We bought a 5yr old house, winter only resident. |
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Before moving to the Villages we lived on a beach in Florida and suffered through
3 hurricanes in 2 years. A serious problem the Owners ran into after the Hurricanes was mold. In order to identify if it existed and if it was the "bad" kind we all put Petri Dishes throughout the condo units. They usually can be bought at Lowe's, etc. They will identify the nature of the mold (good or bad kind) and you can then take action, (e.g. Company to fix, etc.) I would start with that first to see if you have a problem?:popcorn: |
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<250 CFU/m3 Low/Normal (CFU/m3 = colony forming units/meter cubed) 250-1,000 CFU/m3 Moderate/Borderline >1,000 CFU/m3 Active Growth/Sporulation >5,000 CFU/m3 Very Active Growth/Sporulation CFU/m3 = Colony Forming Unit/ cubic meter Regarding Hyphal fragments: Hyphal Fragments: These are components of fungal growth; it is common to find small hyphal fragments in outdoor air and possibly in indoor dust. But their presence in indoor air samples, if in quantity or in large segments, suggests an active fungal colony in the building. Their presence in a surface sample in quantity or in large segments indicates that active fungal growth is present or nearby, or that fungal material has been disturbed in the building. Check: indoormicrobialspecialist.com they are expert regarding Mold contamination. You can find them in Google under this heading: MOLD INSPECTIONS & MOLD ASSESSMENTS (HIUSA) just search for mold inspections the villages. |
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