and remediation

By Cathy Shouse

It’s fairly well known that having mold in the home is a health hazard. But knowing what to look for and what to do about mold can involve some research, and sometimes it seems there are no easy answers. So, it’s important to pursue best practices when it comes to the potential of mold growing, and to seek professional help when needed.

Sheri Ann Richerson is an author who is known for homesteading, which means having a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. She wrote “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Year Round Gardening,” as well as “101 SelfSufficiency Tips,” among other titles. But when it came to her own challenges with mold, she found out there was a lot to learn.

Richerson lives in an older home, although newer homes may also have mold, which is caused by a unique set of circumstances. Experts say the root cause that creates an environment for mold to grow is an environment that has high moisture.

“We were using the basement as our pantry, and we went downstairs and found mold growing on the canning jars that had food in them,” Richerson said. “So, we investigated further and, sure enough, the dampness was causing a mold issue. I was unable to keep anything down there because of this.”

Also, she had always suffered from allergies but her symptoms seemed to worsen and she eventually attributed that, in part, to the mold in her house.

Once it was determined that moisture was bringing mold, she learned that a dehumidifier could help to reduce moisture. She went online and purchased dehumidifiers that specified they could be used for an entire house. But when those didn’t get the job done, she called in a company to help, and they said overloading the unit can cause it to catch on fire.

“They warned me about using one of those whole house dehumidifiers, and they installed a nice, new commercial dehumidifier, as well as a sump pump,” Richerson said. “The heavy-duty ones have filters that need changed and are very heavy. My basement is now dry. There is no more mold issue.” The company also reinforced the basement walls and added a wetness barrier.

Since fixing the mold last summer, her health issues seem to be gradually improving.

Richerson said that if someone has a limited mold issue, restricted to a small space, they might potentially handle it themselves. However, if there is any doubt about the seriousness of the situation, she recommends getting an expert evaluation.

“I was told by FEMA when they dropped off a cleaning kit years ago, when there was a lot of rain and flooding in the area, that bleach could get rid of mold,” she said. “If you try this, wear gloves and I would recommend wearing an N95 mask because mold can make you really sick.”

One difficulty in finding mold is that it is often in interior walls and hard to see.

“Another place I found mold that people don’t think about, at least I didn’t, is we had a toilet that sweat really, really bad,” Richerson said. “When we tore the toilet out and replaced it, the whole area behind the toilet tank was covered in mold.”

Purdue University has some useful online information. One article cautioned about needing to rebuild or renovate after flooding, and outlined the dangers of moisture building up in wood. Wood should have a moisture content of less than 15 percent, and homeowners can rent or purchase a moisture meter at a hardware store or lumberyard. In severe cases, consider having a professional do an inspection. Wood can take weeks to dry out but having patience can avoid the need for thousands of dollars of remediation work later. a