Mold Can Turn the House of Your Dreams into a Nightmare
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Added: 01/02/2004
Type: Summary
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Mold Can Turn the House of Your Dreams into a Nightmare
After months of searching, you have found the house of your dreams. Your bid was accepted, financing will be a breeze, and all that remains is the home inspection. To your eye, the house looks fine. But to the inspector’s eye, dangerous mold lurks, threatening the health of your house, and your family. Steps can be taken, however, to bring your dream house back to health.
Mold is a common organism that is present both indoors and out. It doesn’t need much to reproduce and grow – air for spreading its spores and a damp surface to grow on, like a bathroom or basement wall, air conditioning ducts, or the wall behind your refrigerator. Mold isn’t fussy about food. Paper, drywall, ceiling tiles, wood, plaster, wallpaper, and carpeting all are suitable sources of nourishment.
Left unchecked, mold can cause numerous health problems. Most common are breathing difficulties and fungal infections, especially in people who have allergies, lung diseases, or reduced immunity from chemotherapy, AIDS, or immune disorders. Other symptoms include a stuffed nose, wheezing, and itchy eyes. More serious problems, including constant headaches and nervous system abnormalities, have been reported in the news but have not been scientifically linked to mold.
Unless you are specifically looking for it, you are most likely to find out about mold during a home inspection. "Mold is equally common in old houses and in new construction," says Dwayne Monaco, the operations manager for Northeast Environmental in Mamaroneck. "Anything that causes dampness, whether a small leak, poor ventilation, or flooding, creates the right environment for mold to grow."
Dealing with a mold problem requires two steps: treatment and prevention. Minor mold growth requires nothing more than cleaning with bleach and water. More serious problems should be referred to a remediation company like Northeast, which has a Certified Microbial Remediation Supervisor on staff. "We follow a set procedure to get rid of mold and keep it from coming back," explains Monaco.
"We seal off the area of the house with the mold problem, bring in a negative air machine to prevent mold spores from traveling to other areas of the house, and filter any air exhausted from the containment area. All sheetrock, carpeting and furniture is removed and all surfaces are vacuumed with a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter vacuum that removes and traps mold spores. Finally, we wipe down all surfaces with a water and anti-fungal solution."
The best treatment is prevention, when possible. Repair any chronic causes of moisture, like cracked pipes or a leaky roof. After one-time flooding from a broken pipe or severe storm, dry the wet area, clean the carpet, and wash down walls and floors with a diluted bleach solution. Use an air conditioner or dehumidifier during humid weather. Install ventilation fans in bathrooms, kitchens, and other high-moisture areas. Before moving into your home, repaint bathrooms and other damp rooms with paint that contains mold-killing additives.
In addition to mold remediation services, Northeast Environmental offers underground and above-ground storage tank removals and tank installations. Northeast also handles hazardous material spills, clean-ups, site remediation, and sub-surface investigations.
The Company’s main headquarters are located at 225 Valley Place Mamaroneck, NY; their satellite office is located in North Salem, NY. For additional information, visit the Company’s website www.northeastenvironmental.com or call 914-777-1930.
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