Mold: Treat Both the Symptom & The Source

When the matter of “mold” is brought up regarding a home, school or commercial property, fear and anxiety are often the initial emotions. “What are the health concerns?” “Are my children at risk?” “What about the value of my property?” “Who do I call?” “How can I remedy the problem?”

Conversely, there are people that retain a casual attitude concerning buildings that harbor mold. “It’s no big deal.” “Mold has been blown out of proportion.” “It’s in nature and always been here.” “I can deal with it.”

No matter what your opinion may be, there are several facts we understand about mold that can not be disputed. Mold is everywhere and plays an important part in nature.

Molds can be beneficial as in penicillin. They can be detrimental, as in an allergen. They can also be destructive to building materials if gone unchecked. Mold must have a moisture source in order to grow. And finally, mold caused by this excess moisture doesn’t belong in a building and should be removed.

Hype and hysteria aside, one must understand that mold within a structure is, in fact, water damage. A common mold / water damage scenario takes place in many cold, northern climate attics. Secondary water damage occurs when vapor pressure in a home seeks an improperly ventilated attic. Frost forms on the attic sheathing from this warm, moist air. When this frost thaws on sunny winter days, the building’s attic will become humid. This humid air has no place to go as the attic’s ventilation is either compromised or insufficient. Frost then reappears and the moist attic cycle continues. Mold develops when, over time, the moisture issue is not addressed.

In many cases water damage and mold of this sort are discovered during a real estate transaction home inspection. A clean up may be as straight forward as a simple home remedy. If the damage is more significant, a professional remediation contractor or environmental consultant may be needed.

In most cases, attic insulation will need to be removed as a result of the cleaning process. New technology in the form of cryo-blasting (dry ice blasting) is an economical solution when faced with a larger scale attic issue. This technology cleans both the molds and associated staining, leaving a “like new” attic appearance. Proper engineering controls are put in place to assure a clean and safe work place.

It can’t be stressed enough that the source of the water intrusion must be identified and remedied or the problem (mold) will reoccur. Do not just treat the symptom (mold) alone; treat both source (moisture) and symptom.