If you live in an older home, the probability that mold exists somewhere in your bathroom is pretty high, especially if the floor or walls are damaged in any way. Most people do not realize how hazardous mold can be to their health and do not go looking for mold in their homes when they really should. It can exist in several different areas, but the bathroom tends to be one of the best places to find it in large quantities since this room is naturally moist and large amounts of water travel in and out of it every single day.
There are a number of things that you can do to help prevent mold growth in your bathroom and most of them do not require much effort or money to be effective. One of the first things that you need to do is make sure that the entire floor of your bathroom is waterproofed. Whether you have tile, linoleum, marble, or anything else on the floor, it should be completely water tight to stop water from getting to the floor joists underneath. Water damage affects many bathroom floors across the country and the last time you want to happen while you are in the bathroom is the floor collapsing out from under you. The areas directly around the bathtub and toilet are particularly at risk, since both of these items can and commonly do overflow.
Something else you should worry about is the condition of the drywall on the ceiling. The steam created by hot water in the tub or shower is absorbed by this drywall on a regular basis if it remains trapped in the bathroom and is not allowed to escape to the outside of the house. Not only can this cause mold growth on the upper walls and ceiling, but it can also cause the drywall to buckle and collapse on you. The best way to let it out is either through a window or by installing an exhaust vent, which most building codes require be in the bathroom. You should have at least one of these two things in the bathroom, if not both. Leaving the window open for steam to escape may not always be practical due to bad weather outside.
The last thing that you need to do is keep a check on the plumbing around the toilet and under the sink. The toilet should not clog up and overflow often; if it does, you should have the lines checked by a professional.
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home. Show all posts
Friday, January 18, 2008
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.
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.
Getting Rid of Mold On Your Own
The last thing that anyone wants to discover in their home is mold, but unless you do at least a casual inspection of your property on a regular basis, you might end up finding it in larger quantities than you are capable of dealing with. Mold is a health hazard for anyone that comes into even just indirect contact with it, since the spores float in the air that we breathe every single day. Larger quantities are noted indoors than outdoors only in environments where there is an excess growth of mold somewhere in the property that needs to be taken care of as soon as possible. If you discover a growth that is large and appears to be more than you can handle, do not be afraid to hire a professional to get rid of it for you.
However, if you cannot afford a professional mold remediation, then there are a number of things that you can do to get rid of the mold in your home. If you discover it on a non-porous surface, then you can get rid of it using normal chemicals that are advertised as killing mold, such as Tilex.
Most of the time, though, you will find it growing on items like drywall or on organic materials like floor joists or papers and cardboard boxes that have gotten wet. Standing water in your home will be one of the worst areas for mold to grow in, since species such as the deadly Stachybotrys atra enjoy this level of moisture and thrive heavily on it. Remove standing water from your home wherever it may occur, even if it is just a slow drip underneath the kitchen or bathroom sink. It is these slow leaks that cause the majority of the problems, not the huge bathtub or toilet overflows.
If you have experience in interior remodeling, you can perform the removal of materials contaminated by mold yourself. Hiring a professional to do this for you can be expensive, but as long as you take the proper safety measures, doing it yourself is much less so.
Purchase some protective, disposable clothing made of plastic and a respirator from a local hardware or department store. Purchase them online if you need to, but do not continue the remediation without them. Breathing in or coming into contact with mold and its spores can be hazardous and bring about long term health problems.
However, if you cannot afford a professional mold remediation, then there are a number of things that you can do to get rid of the mold in your home. If you discover it on a non-porous surface, then you can get rid of it using normal chemicals that are advertised as killing mold, such as Tilex.
Most of the time, though, you will find it growing on items like drywall or on organic materials like floor joists or papers and cardboard boxes that have gotten wet. Standing water in your home will be one of the worst areas for mold to grow in, since species such as the deadly Stachybotrys atra enjoy this level of moisture and thrive heavily on it. Remove standing water from your home wherever it may occur, even if it is just a slow drip underneath the kitchen or bathroom sink. It is these slow leaks that cause the majority of the problems, not the huge bathtub or toilet overflows.
If you have experience in interior remodeling, you can perform the removal of materials contaminated by mold yourself. Hiring a professional to do this for you can be expensive, but as long as you take the proper safety measures, doing it yourself is much less so.
Purchase some protective, disposable clothing made of plastic and a respirator from a local hardware or department store. Purchase them online if you need to, but do not continue the remediation without them. Breathing in or coming into contact with mold and its spores can be hazardous and bring about long term health problems.
Checking Out Your House For Mold
Checking your home for mold is something that every homeowner should do if they want to protect their investment and the health of their family, since mold has been known to cause health problems for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Breathing problems and numerous different types of infections have arisen from breathing in or coming into contact with mold and its spores, not to mention the allergic reactions that some people have. Around one third of the population is allergic to mold, but most people do not realize that even dead mold spores can cause allergic reactions.
There are a number of reasons that you should check for mold in your home and signs that should tell you where to check. Any room that has a large amount of water going in and out of it every day should be considered at risk for mold growth and while this usually includes the bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room, it can also include the basement.
The basement should be considered for another reason: it is underground. Humidity builds up easily in basements, especially those that have not been properly waterproofed. Water can leak into this room from the outside of the house, but it can also leak in from cracks in the concrete formed by ground water. If you have any plans on finishing your basement with drywall, you should get the water issues in the basement solved as thoroughly as you can.
The floor of your bathroom and kitchen should also be completely waterproofed. You can install any kind of flooring that you like (although hardwood is not recommended) as long as it is sealed so that water does not get underneath and soak into the floor boards. This can rot the floor over time and cause it to fall right out from underneath you, but before that happens, mold growth is very common.
Mold has also been known to grow on bathroom and kitchen ceilings and walls because the steam has nowhere to go. Both of these rooms should have exhaust vents that will pull the steam out of the room. If not, it becomes absorbed by the ceiling and upper walls and will cause mold growth.
Another problem occurs when people put carpet in moist areas of their home. While most people do not put carpet in the kitchen, some have been known to put carpet in the bathroom. Since water is dripped onto the floor almost every single day in the bathroom, this is one of the worst bathroom remodeling ideas going. No matter how careful you care, mold will eventually start to grow underneath this carpet and you will have to throw it out.
There are a number of reasons that you should check for mold in your home and signs that should tell you where to check. Any room that has a large amount of water going in and out of it every day should be considered at risk for mold growth and while this usually includes the bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room, it can also include the basement.
The basement should be considered for another reason: it is underground. Humidity builds up easily in basements, especially those that have not been properly waterproofed. Water can leak into this room from the outside of the house, but it can also leak in from cracks in the concrete formed by ground water. If you have any plans on finishing your basement with drywall, you should get the water issues in the basement solved as thoroughly as you can.
The floor of your bathroom and kitchen should also be completely waterproofed. You can install any kind of flooring that you like (although hardwood is not recommended) as long as it is sealed so that water does not get underneath and soak into the floor boards. This can rot the floor over time and cause it to fall right out from underneath you, but before that happens, mold growth is very common.
Mold has also been known to grow on bathroom and kitchen ceilings and walls because the steam has nowhere to go. Both of these rooms should have exhaust vents that will pull the steam out of the room. If not, it becomes absorbed by the ceiling and upper walls and will cause mold growth.
Another problem occurs when people put carpet in moist areas of their home. While most people do not put carpet in the kitchen, some have been known to put carpet in the bathroom. Since water is dripped onto the floor almost every single day in the bathroom, this is one of the worst bathroom remodeling ideas going. No matter how careful you care, mold will eventually start to grow underneath this carpet and you will have to throw it out.
Benefits of a Home and Mold Inspection
Home inspections are the most important thing that you can have done before you purchase a home, since many, many people who have not had them done have thoroughly regretted it. Those who do not have home inspections are typically the victims of problems with their home that cost thousands of dollars to have repaired, even though the seller of the property insisted that there was nothing wrong with it at all. It is important to include a clause in your purchase contract that states that the contract is not valid until a home inspection and if possible, a mold inspection, has taken place. This will ensure that there is either nothing wrong with the home that you wish to purchase or it will let you know every problem that there may be. Home inspections are vital to make an informed decision on whether you want to purchase a particular property or not.
Several areas of the home will be inspected, including the electrical system, plumbing system, roof, basement, foundation, attic, air conditioning system, and any other structural part of the home. If there is any hidden damage to the home that an untrained eye may not be able to detect, then this inspection will reveal it to you. Failing to have a home inspection done before you purchase a property can cost you thousands of dollars, especially if you plan on renovating the property for profit. House flippers have failed to have home inspections done in the past and have gone terribly over their budget due to problems they did not know existed.
Any water damage done to the home in the past that has not been repaired should be reported to you, as well. Mold inspections should always be done whether water damage is found or not, even though mold is more likely to grow in homes that have had water damage. Mold cannot survive without moisture and any problems with the plumbing should also yield clues as to whether mold might be found in the home, especially near the area of the leak.
The price of mold and home inspections is not too cheap, but when you think about the possible money that you could be saving, the cost is pretty negligible. When you purchase a structurally sound home not in need of many repairs for a good price, you will most likely not miss the money spent on these inspections and if you turn down a home due to the inspections revealing problems that could cost you large sums of money, you will be more than thankful for having it done.
Several areas of the home will be inspected, including the electrical system, plumbing system, roof, basement, foundation, attic, air conditioning system, and any other structural part of the home. If there is any hidden damage to the home that an untrained eye may not be able to detect, then this inspection will reveal it to you. Failing to have a home inspection done before you purchase a property can cost you thousands of dollars, especially if you plan on renovating the property for profit. House flippers have failed to have home inspections done in the past and have gone terribly over their budget due to problems they did not know existed.
Any water damage done to the home in the past that has not been repaired should be reported to you, as well. Mold inspections should always be done whether water damage is found or not, even though mold is more likely to grow in homes that have had water damage. Mold cannot survive without moisture and any problems with the plumbing should also yield clues as to whether mold might be found in the home, especially near the area of the leak.
The price of mold and home inspections is not too cheap, but when you think about the possible money that you could be saving, the cost is pretty negligible. When you purchase a structurally sound home not in need of many repairs for a good price, you will most likely not miss the money spent on these inspections and if you turn down a home due to the inspections revealing problems that could cost you large sums of money, you will be more than thankful for having it done.
Wet Basements and Mold
Those of us who have basements in our homes see it as either a curse or a blessing, depending on the condition of it. You can leave the drywall and carpet out of the basement and use it for storage like many homeowners do or you can put it in and use it for an extra bedroom, family room, or an area to entertain guests. The bad thing about using the basement sometimes, though, is that if it is not properly waterproofed, you can have some moisture and humidity issues to deal with later on if you are not dealing with them already. No one wants to stay in a humid, smelly basement for long and this will turn off any guests that you might want to have over in that area.
Take care of any indoor water issues first. This can include bursting water pipes, hot water heater (that really should be in the basement and nowhere else) or if you use a portion of the basement as a laundry room, it can be a malfunctioning clothes washer. Make sure that your dryer has a vent so that the excess humidity will be directed to the outside of the house. It is also a good idea to never hang clothes up to dry in the basement, unless it is just a single article or two. Water evaporates from the clothing and settles into the air, creating humidity. Clothes should also be dried in the electric dryer as soon as they are done washing to help reduce this problem.
Another thing you should do, especially if you use the basement for a laundry room or if you have an extra bathroom in it, is install an exhaust vent. You can do this in more than one spot if you need to, depending on the size of your basement. This will displace some of the humidity to the outside of the house and not allow it to be soaked up by the ceiling.
Another thing to worry about when you have a humid basement is mold. Mold loves to grow on any dead organic material and once it starts growing, you will be hard pressed to get rid of it without removing the source of the water first. If you have water issues in the basement, make sure these are taken care of before putting any carpet down, since carpet that becomes molded is hard to clean and any padding underneath it that becomes contaminated will have to be torn up and thrown away.
Take care of any indoor water issues first. This can include bursting water pipes, hot water heater (that really should be in the basement and nowhere else) or if you use a portion of the basement as a laundry room, it can be a malfunctioning clothes washer. Make sure that your dryer has a vent so that the excess humidity will be directed to the outside of the house. It is also a good idea to never hang clothes up to dry in the basement, unless it is just a single article or two. Water evaporates from the clothing and settles into the air, creating humidity. Clothes should also be dried in the electric dryer as soon as they are done washing to help reduce this problem.
Another thing you should do, especially if you use the basement for a laundry room or if you have an extra bathroom in it, is install an exhaust vent. You can do this in more than one spot if you need to, depending on the size of your basement. This will displace some of the humidity to the outside of the house and not allow it to be soaked up by the ceiling.
Another thing to worry about when you have a humid basement is mold. Mold loves to grow on any dead organic material and once it starts growing, you will be hard pressed to get rid of it without removing the source of the water first. If you have water issues in the basement, make sure these are taken care of before putting any carpet down, since carpet that becomes molded is hard to clean and any padding underneath it that becomes contaminated will have to be torn up and thrown away.
Not All Molds Are Dangerous
No one wants to find mold in their home, but sometimes finding it is the first of our worries. There are a lot of questions that need to be asked after that and most of the time, when a person goes looking for mold in their home, they do not realize this. The questions have to do with what kind of mold it is, what caused it, how to get rid of it, how long it will take, and how much it will cost. This is a lot of headache to deal with, as you can imagine, and while you are dealing with it, the company that you hire to get rid of the mold problem may try to take you for a ride.
What is meant by this? Well, the mold problem that you discover might not be that big of an issue, after all. Cosmetic molds like Ceratocystis can grow in homes and not be a threat to you or the structure of your home at all and yet, some dishonest mold remediation companies will try to convince you that you need a full scale removal done and that this mold is dangerous. This is unfortunate and people get scammed out of thousands of dollars because they simply do not know that cosmetic molds exist.
Ceratocystis is a mold that is a blue-ish color and it will appear on the wooden components of your home and sometimes will even be built into the home itself. This is not a good thing, but it is not enough of a bad thing that you need to worry extensively about how you are going to get rid of it. It will not do any damage to the wood over time and it is not going to harm your health, so why worry?
The only real drawback of this mold in your house is that it is unsightly if it appears in a visible area of your home. If it is outside, you can remove it with sandblasting or pressure washing, but these methods are not recommended for indoors, since they can be pretty messy. You can wash it off indoor surfaces with a scrub brush and a mixture of water and borax detergent. After you finish this, you should remove the water or humidity problem in the area that the mold was found in, if you can, to help slow its return.
What is meant by this? Well, the mold problem that you discover might not be that big of an issue, after all. Cosmetic molds like Ceratocystis can grow in homes and not be a threat to you or the structure of your home at all and yet, some dishonest mold remediation companies will try to convince you that you need a full scale removal done and that this mold is dangerous. This is unfortunate and people get scammed out of thousands of dollars because they simply do not know that cosmetic molds exist.
Ceratocystis is a mold that is a blue-ish color and it will appear on the wooden components of your home and sometimes will even be built into the home itself. This is not a good thing, but it is not enough of a bad thing that you need to worry extensively about how you are going to get rid of it. It will not do any damage to the wood over time and it is not going to harm your health, so why worry?
The only real drawback of this mold in your house is that it is unsightly if it appears in a visible area of your home. If it is outside, you can remove it with sandblasting or pressure washing, but these methods are not recommended for indoors, since they can be pretty messy. You can wash it off indoor surfaces with a scrub brush and a mixture of water and borax detergent. After you finish this, you should remove the water or humidity problem in the area that the mold was found in, if you can, to help slow its return.
Mold, Water Damage, and Condos
If you have just moved into your first home, you may not realize just how much work and effort it takes to keep up a house, even if it only has one bedroom in it. People who live in condominiums and have homeowner’s association fees do not generally have to deal with the maintenance of the building’s structure, but those who have houses are responsible for the entire thing from the ground up. Living in a condo can have its benefits and its downfalls, but if you do not want to have to take care of the structure of the building (if it is an apartment-style complex), then having one of these instead of a house may be for you.
If you are considering renovating a condominium inside a larger apartment-style complex, then you should realize that there are things that you can do and things that you cannot. For instance, replacing the tub and tile in the bathroom is acceptable, but moving the plumbing around to suit your new design is probably not. Structural changes to the inside of a condo are generally something that you need to have approved first. Changing the location of a light in the room also should be inquired about, since this will involve having electrical work done.
Mold growth and water damage in the condominium, though, will be your responsibility. Everything inside the walls of the condo belongs to you and you can do as you wish with most of it, but any mold growth and water damage that occurs inside it will also be your responsibility, especially if it is your fault that it is there. If you have allowed the bath tub to overflow or the dishwasher malfunctions, then that would make it your responsibility to have the problem fixed. If it is due to bad plumbing in the complex, though, you may have a claim.
The condo that you are purchasing should come with exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom and if it does not, look around for a window in both these areas. The kitchen and bathroom are areas that are prone to mold growth and water damage if the humidity stays too high. As with any home, you do not want to have appliances that use a lot of water and malfunction on a regular basis. You will be better off purchasing new ones in the long run.
The exception of mold growth being your responsibility is only if the mold spread into your condo from another part of the building. If the entire complex has a problem, then you are not liable. Have a clause on mold inserted into your purchase agreement to protect yourself from mold damage that already exists in the condo.
If you are considering renovating a condominium inside a larger apartment-style complex, then you should realize that there are things that you can do and things that you cannot. For instance, replacing the tub and tile in the bathroom is acceptable, but moving the plumbing around to suit your new design is probably not. Structural changes to the inside of a condo are generally something that you need to have approved first. Changing the location of a light in the room also should be inquired about, since this will involve having electrical work done.
Mold growth and water damage in the condominium, though, will be your responsibility. Everything inside the walls of the condo belongs to you and you can do as you wish with most of it, but any mold growth and water damage that occurs inside it will also be your responsibility, especially if it is your fault that it is there. If you have allowed the bath tub to overflow or the dishwasher malfunctions, then that would make it your responsibility to have the problem fixed. If it is due to bad plumbing in the complex, though, you may have a claim.
The condo that you are purchasing should come with exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom and if it does not, look around for a window in both these areas. The kitchen and bathroom are areas that are prone to mold growth and water damage if the humidity stays too high. As with any home, you do not want to have appliances that use a lot of water and malfunction on a regular basis. You will be better off purchasing new ones in the long run.
The exception of mold growth being your responsibility is only if the mold spread into your condo from another part of the building. If the entire complex has a problem, then you are not liable. Have a clause on mold inserted into your purchase agreement to protect yourself from mold damage that already exists in the condo.
Mold Problems in Condos
Purchasing a condominium may be a good option for people who do not wish to be responsible for taking care of the structure of their home; this means that the electrical, plumbing, and general maintenance of the property would be the responsibility of the condominium’s management, not yours. It may depend on your individual agreement to purchase a condo on the property, though.
To protect yourself from being liable for mold damage that may already exist in the condo before you purchase it, you should have a clause addressing that issue inserted into the purchase agreement. This means that if mold spreads to your property from someone else’s or if the toilet overflows in the condo above yours, then the management will take care of any repairs that will need to be done. Before purchasing a condominium, you should always take good care to read all of the paperwork and make sure that you are comfortable with everything included in it. If something makes you uncomfortable or seems unreasonable, you may want to consider purchasing one from somewhere else.
If you discover a mold problem in your condo and it is due to no fault of your own, having it taken care of can be difficult, depending on the honesty and response of your complex’s board. The first thing that you need to do is start a paper trail of complaints and requests that the problem be taken care of. Never do this verbally, because this will not hold up in a court of law. You need written proof of when you complained and sometimes this is best done by sending a certified letter, so you know that the intended party received it.
The next thing that you need to have is hard proof that there is a problem. Hiring a mold inspector to look at the condo and do a report on it first is something that you will need to have if you want to prove that there is an issue with the property that needs to be taken care of. The unfortunate burden of proof is on you, since it is not the responsibility of the complex to prove that there is not a problem.
Small mold issues can be taken care of by you at not much expense and this is often better than trying to get the condominium board to do it for you. Inform them that there is an issue, though, if the mold returns after you cleaned it up. The source of moisture needs to be removed.
Remember, mold problems that originate inside the unit are your responsibility, but if the mold or source of moisture comes from outside your unit, it is their responsibility to have it taken care of.
To protect yourself from being liable for mold damage that may already exist in the condo before you purchase it, you should have a clause addressing that issue inserted into the purchase agreement. This means that if mold spreads to your property from someone else’s or if the toilet overflows in the condo above yours, then the management will take care of any repairs that will need to be done. Before purchasing a condominium, you should always take good care to read all of the paperwork and make sure that you are comfortable with everything included in it. If something makes you uncomfortable or seems unreasonable, you may want to consider purchasing one from somewhere else.
If you discover a mold problem in your condo and it is due to no fault of your own, having it taken care of can be difficult, depending on the honesty and response of your complex’s board. The first thing that you need to do is start a paper trail of complaints and requests that the problem be taken care of. Never do this verbally, because this will not hold up in a court of law. You need written proof of when you complained and sometimes this is best done by sending a certified letter, so you know that the intended party received it.
The next thing that you need to have is hard proof that there is a problem. Hiring a mold inspector to look at the condo and do a report on it first is something that you will need to have if you want to prove that there is an issue with the property that needs to be taken care of. The unfortunate burden of proof is on you, since it is not the responsibility of the complex to prove that there is not a problem.
Small mold issues can be taken care of by you at not much expense and this is often better than trying to get the condominium board to do it for you. Inform them that there is an issue, though, if the mold returns after you cleaned it up. The source of moisture needs to be removed.
Remember, mold problems that originate inside the unit are your responsibility, but if the mold or source of moisture comes from outside your unit, it is their responsibility to have it taken care of.
Mold on Wood Paneling
For some people, the threat that is feared the most is the threat that they cannot see. This is understandable, since if you can see your threat, you can assess how you can best deal with it. Something that tends to be a threat to the health of the people in your home is mold growth and if you have this in your home, you may or may not realize it. Sometimes mold is hidden inside the walls, ceiling, or floor, and we will not know without having a mold inspector come to the house and do some testing.
You can do an inspection of your home for visible mold growth, though, fairly easily. Sometimes you will run across a splotchy patch of drywall in your bathroom or other moist room in your home and you will instantly be able to identify that there is a mold problem in the house. Other times, finding the mold will not be this easy, because the mold is simply invisible. At least, when you look at it the wrong way. Finding mold takes a little detective work sometimes and this is best done with a flashlight.
If your home has wooden paneling anywhere inside it and you have a problem with mold in one area of the house, turn the light off in the room with the paneling and shine the flashlight along the surface of the wood. This will give the mold a little bit of depth and it will show up much better than if you shine the light directly onto the surface at a 90 degree angle. These molds usually belong in the genii Aspergillus or Penicillium and are very easily overlooked if you do not use this flashlight method.
You can clean the mold off the wood paneling with chemicals that are advertised as being able to kill mold, but you may want to be careful just what you put on the surface if it is real wood and not imitation of any kind, especially if you plan on keeping it as a part of your home. If the growth returns after a few days or weeks, though, you may want to consider removing it completely, since the growth may be embedded into it.
The reason for wood paneling in some homes is that they have been flooded and the previous owner could not afford to put drywall back in the damaged areas. If you can afford to remove wood paneling that has no drywall behind it, you really should do this. Replace the paneling with paperless drywall, since mold has a harder time growing on these slabs of drywall than others.
You can do an inspection of your home for visible mold growth, though, fairly easily. Sometimes you will run across a splotchy patch of drywall in your bathroom or other moist room in your home and you will instantly be able to identify that there is a mold problem in the house. Other times, finding the mold will not be this easy, because the mold is simply invisible. At least, when you look at it the wrong way. Finding mold takes a little detective work sometimes and this is best done with a flashlight.
If your home has wooden paneling anywhere inside it and you have a problem with mold in one area of the house, turn the light off in the room with the paneling and shine the flashlight along the surface of the wood. This will give the mold a little bit of depth and it will show up much better than if you shine the light directly onto the surface at a 90 degree angle. These molds usually belong in the genii Aspergillus or Penicillium and are very easily overlooked if you do not use this flashlight method.
You can clean the mold off the wood paneling with chemicals that are advertised as being able to kill mold, but you may want to be careful just what you put on the surface if it is real wood and not imitation of any kind, especially if you plan on keeping it as a part of your home. If the growth returns after a few days or weeks, though, you may want to consider removing it completely, since the growth may be embedded into it.
The reason for wood paneling in some homes is that they have been flooded and the previous owner could not afford to put drywall back in the damaged areas. If you can afford to remove wood paneling that has no drywall behind it, you really should do this. Replace the paneling with paperless drywall, since mold has a harder time growing on these slabs of drywall than others.
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