HealthyLife October 2013

Practices for cleaning mold are typically the same and under the stairs within the storage closet and also in our involve sectioning off the areas in a home where the mold workout room, which are both in the basement. It looked spores are growing. The next step is to clean the home’s air almost like charcoal on canvas, but it was certainly not art,” by using a negative air filtration unit. Removing mold in a Wolfe says. “It had an extremely strong mildewy smell. I sufhome typically takes one day, but can vary depending on fer from numerous allergens, so I easily get congested and the size of the job, Pierne explains. sneeze. I could hardly let myself stay in that area for long. It “If you find mold, my recommendation is not to touch it was moisture gone wrong, for sure.” yourself. Assume all mold is dangerous,” Pierne adds. “You To get rid of the mold, Wolfe added new, non-carpeted should have the area inspected by a licensed industrial hyflooring, knocked down the walls that were affected by the giene company.” mold, and hired a drywaller to replace them. “We mopped To prevent mold from growing in the first place, be aware of and cleaned, and now occasionally use a dehumidifier and any water intrusion or leaks. “Mold cannot survive without waair conditioning to keep a check on moisture,” she says. ter. The heavier the water damage, the worse the mold probOnce Brightwell learned she had mold, she felt validated. lem will be. High humidity can supply enough water for mold “Sam is a healthy child. He takes vitamins and eats well,” she to grow as well,” DiNapoli says. “Keep your says. “That was why I knew something home dry and ventilated. Even in winter it else was making him sick.” is a good idea to bring fresh air into your Brightwell had a full remediation of “The more severe home and flush out the old air.” her basement. “They put air scrubbers Practicing good housekeeping is also in, which took out the contaminated air reaction to important to avoid mold. “You want to and put the clean air back in. They briskeep a clean basement. Don’t store emptle-brushed everything, and used moldmold would be ty corrugated boxes such as the ones resistant paint,” she says. “They cleaned that came with your TV or computer,” everything we wanted to save with speassociated with Stone says. “They absorb moisture and cial cleaning agents designed to get rid breathing problems. are potential breeding areas for mold.” of mold spores. They even sealed all the Stone also recommends installing comcracks in the walls where moisture could People with mercial-quality dehumidifiers in crawl get in.” To prevent mold from returning, spaces and basements. Dehumidifiers pull Brightwell purchased a sump pump that immunodeficiency excess moisture out of the air and keep contains a battery back-up. the air dry. “If you have to empty your de“Getting rid of the mold in our home problems, infants and humidifier every few hours, it’s not doing made such a huge difference in Sam’s elderly are enough,” Stone says. “You will need a dehealth. He had literally missed a solid humidifier with an automatic pump-out, two months of school due to being sick most at risk.” or one that directs the water to a drain in from the mold. Ever since the remediathe floor to get it out of the house.” tion, he hasn’t missed one day,” she says.

— Steve DiNapoli, Kristin Wolfe of Danbury found mold “Now my kids can play in our basement environmental professional about a year after being in her new all they want.”

HL at Big East Environmental house, after several downpours. “It was in Norwalk