Can I Sue If I Bought A House With Mold
The seller is required to give you a mold certification unless you agreed to purchase the house without it. You could sue the seller, but you would need to prove that the seller knew or should have known of the existence of the mold before the sale. A real estate or personal injury lawyer can help you.
What Are The Signs There’s Mold In Your House
First, mold tends to grow in places with high moisture. Have you had water damage recently or a leak in your home? Check these areas for visible mold growth.
Mold can appear in a variety of colors, including white, gray, brown, black or green. It may have a rough or velvety appearance, and it often grows on walls, ceilings, under floorboards, or on wood or wallpaper. Also, pay attention to the odors in your home. Mold tends to smell earthy or musty.
And lastly, keep track of your health for possible symptoms. Mold may cause asthma attacks , running noses, sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, difficulty breathing, skin irritation and more.
Mold Inspection And Testing Experts Ny Metro
Mold is a serious matter that should not be overlooked. A persons health can be adversely affected by indoor mold contamination that causes them to experience an array of medical issues. Immunocompromised individuals, children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to its affects.
Whether youre involved in a real estate transaction, are a property manager, an insurance firm, a contractor or homeowner buying a new home or dealing with a mold problem or someone looking for more information you can rely on Mold Authority for answers and solutions.
We strive to provide A1 services to our clients and our thorough testing methods ensure that any issues your property has will be discovered and you will be provided with a real solution, in order to Permanently Correct the Problem.
Call us today at to schedule your Mold Inspection and BREATHE EASIER with the peace of mind you deserve.
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Prevent Mold With Proper Ventilation
Daily routines such as breathing, cooking, drying clothes and showering result in excess hot air in your home. When combined with cold walls well, you know the result.
It is not expected from you to stop breathing or taking a shower, but what you can do is make sure that proper ventilation is installed in key rooms such as bathroom, laundry room and kitchen. If the weather allows you, open the windows every time you cook, take a shower or wash/dry your clothes. Moreover, you can also dry your clothes outside if the weather permits.
How To Test For Toxic Mold
If you have mold in your home, your nose is one of the most inexpensive devises you can use to detect it. Mold smells, and chances are, you’ll be able to detect the distinctive odor that taints the air around moldy walls, carpeting and other objects. The struggle is in understanding when mold is dangerous to your family or home.
The term toxic mold is a little confusing. Some molds, like Stachybotrys chartarum or black mold, produce mycotoxins, toxic substances that cause health problems in some people. There is no direct link yet between mold-produced toxins and serious conditions like idiopathic pulmonary hemorrhage in infants, but there are concerns that exposure to these toxins can exacerbate existing lung conditions and allergies, and possibly cause problems in otherwise healthy people. Common molds that aren’t considered toxic also have the potential to cause reactions in some people, which makes it important to get rid of any type of mold you find in your home as soon as possible, particularly if you suspect that someone in your family is having a reaction to it.
Mold can be scary. There are potential health implications for your family, and a mold outbreak can take a financial toll, too. Once established, mold can be very invasive, releasing millions of spores into your home. Many homeowners’ insurance policies now exclude or limit coverage for mold related problems.
First up, let’s learn a little more about household mold.
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How Mold Affects Your Health
Mold produces irritants and allergens that can cause various reactions when inhaled or touched. Reactions to mold are often allergic symptoms such as sneezing, red eyes, runny nose and skin rashes.
Sensitive individuals may experience immediate reactions when in contact with mold. Others, on the other hand, might have delayed symptoms .
Individuals with asthma may have an especially hard time when in a room with mold. Mold can trigger asthma attacks while irritating the throat, lungs, nose and eyes.
People who dont suffer from allergies or asthma may also experience irritation in the eyes, nose, lungs and throat.
One mold species, in particular, can be more hazardous than others Stachybotrys chartarum. This species is generally referred to as black mold or toxic mold. Despite the name, this mold is actually more greenish in color and is gooier in texture compared to other species.
Black mold can grow on surfaces high in cellulose and low in nitrogen. These include fiberboards, paper, dust and lint. This mold requires constant moisture in order to grow, so its commonly found near water damage, leaks and after floods.
While mold, in general, isnt toxic or poisonous, some species such as black mold can produce toxic byproducts. One of these is called mycotoxins. However, little research is available as to how it affects peoples health .
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How Long Does It Take To Get Rid Of Mold In A House
You can never completely remove mold from your house a small number of mold spores will always exist indoors and are a natural and helpful part of our world. However, if water or moisture is left unchecked inside your home and mold begins to colonize, it can pose a serious health risk. Mold remediation can quickly and safely remove a mold infestation from your home or office. Depending on the size of your problem, mold remediation might take anywhere from one to seven days to wipe out the major sources of mold in your home.
Mold growths can establish within 24-48 hours, so it is important to act immediately if you have a water spill or leak especially if you live in a hot or humid climate. If you are past the point of DIY and need professional help, mold remediation teams will come to your location, assess the extent of the mold problem, identify and rectify all water leaks and sources of dampness, identify all mold sources , use specialized equipment to contain and prevent migration of mold spores, safely remove contaminated materials, treat infested areas with approved antimicrobial sprays, dehumidify and dry the appropriate areas, and seal areas as needed.
Treating The Affected Areas
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In The Walls And On The Floor
From top to bottom, mold growth is likely in a bathroom. In addition to the places mentioned above, pay attention to any water leaks coming from the walls or floors these leaks can cause mold to grow quickly. Bathroom rugs are also known to harbor mold, and are usually not washed as often as they should be.
Some tips to keep your bathroom free of mold
- Use a ventilation fan during your bath or shower, and keep it on for at least 30 minutes after
- Use a dehumidifier or air conditioner to keep humidity levels down throughout your home
- Keep all surfaces, including counters and floors, clean and dry
- Check for leaky faucets and pipes
How To Remove Mold
- Wear old clothes and shoes that you can launder or throw away after the cleanup work.
- Wear special N-95 or P-100 respirators, in addition to goggles and gloves.
- Set an old box fan or a cheap new one in a window to ventilate the room while working. Throw it out when you’re done cleaning, because the spores are almost impossible to clean off. Tape plywood or cardboard around the window openings so the spores can’t blow back in.
- Wrap and tape moldy carpeting in 6-mil plastic, and double-bag mold-infested debris in garbage bags for disposal.
- To control airborne spores, moisten moldy areas with a garden sprayer while you work.
- Turn off your furnace and air conditioner and cover ducts and doors to contain spores.
- Keep your wet/dry vacuum outside when you vacuum.
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A Qualified Environmental Lab Took Samples Of The Mold In My Home And Gave Me The Results Can Cdc Interpret These Results
Standards for judging what is an acceptable, tolerable or normal quantity of mold have not been established. Sampling for mold can be expensive, and standards for judging what is and what is not an acceptable quantity of mold have not been set. The best practice is to remove the mold and work to prevent future growth. If you do decide to pay for environmental sampling for molds, before the work starts, you should ask the consultants who will do the work to establish criteria for interpreting the test results. They should tell you in advance what they will do or what recommendations they will make based on the sampling results. The results of samples taken in your unique situation cannot be interpreted without physical inspection of the contaminated area or without considering the buildings characteristics and the factors that led to the present condition.
When Should A Mold Inspection And Mold Testing Be Considered
- When visible mold is not present, but the smell of mold is. Here a mold inspection and mold test can reveal whether there is indeed elevated mold, and where it is located.
- There have been plumbing leaks or water issues and there is a suspicion that elevated mold may exist in the air and/or behind walls.
- Post Mold Removal Clearance Testing to ensure that the previous mold issue has been resolved and mold counts have returned to levels found in normal environments of the same type.
- Health Concerns: In some cases, a doctor or the patient has a health issue that they cannot pinpoint the cause but seems to be related to mold symptoms . Here, a mold inspection and test may help to confirm whether the doctors or patients suspicions that a mold problem exists.
- For real estate transactions for the protection of Buyers and Sellers.
- Landlord/Tenant disputes as to whether there is a mold problem.
- Someone thinks they see or smell mold but are not sure.
- Someone is interested in a general Indoor Air Quality test of their environment.
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No project is too big or too small for our network of mold testing specialists. We’ll help make the process easy by finding just the right professional for your project. Search your zip code to get started.
How Do I Get Rid Of Mold
It is impossible to get rid of all mold and mold spores indoors some mold spores will be found floating through the air and in house dust. The mold spores will not grow if moisture is not present. Indoor mold growth can and should be prevented or controlled by controlling moisture indoors. If there is mold growth in your home, you must clean up the mold and fix the water problem. If you clean up the mold, but don’t fix the water problem, then, most likely, the mold problem will come back.
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How Can I Test For Toxic Mold
If you suspect or fear toxic mold is growing in your home, you wont need any special tests. A test such as the viable test kit we learned about above will detect all kinds of molds present. By sending your petri dish to a lab, you can get a better idea of which types of molds that are growing and then take the correct actions.
The next step should always be to consult a professional for further tests and investigations. Test kits are more of a guidance than something to fully rely on.
Its also important to understand that simply because its called toxic mold, it doesnt mean its toxic to you. As we mentioned above, molds that produce mycotoxins can affect some individuals, while others wont be affected.
However, if you suspect that you have been exposed to toxic molds, your doctor can run a few tests. A blood test can help to determine if youve been poisoned by checking biotoxins in your blood .
Checking For Visible Mold
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How To Test For Mold
You probably dont need to do mold testing or buy a mold test kit, especially if the fungus is visible. Because the health effects of mold vary from person to person, the CDC says that if you can see it or smell it, it should be removed, no matter what type of mold is in your home.
While its not possible to completely eliminate mold in your house, you can prevent a build-up by cleaning up any wet or damp spots and fixing any existing water leaks.
Neither the CDC nor the EPA recommends doing routine mold samplingsboth organizations point out that there are no federal limits for mold in buildings, so people cant check their apartment complexs compliance with the law, for example. Plus, the testing can be expensive.
How To Prevent Mold And Mildew On Windows
Mold on windows is often the result of condensation. It starts by growing at the bottom of the windows, where the glass meets the window frame, but it can also grow around window frames.
The main problem with mildew growing on windows is that people sometimes do not even notice they have it. Since mold is often darker, it is a lot easier to spot it than mildew. Even though mold typically doesnt feed on windows themselves, it can easily destroy wooden frames of your windows.
Since mildew is more often seen on windows than mold, it is very important to get the discoloration tested out to determine what you are dealing with. Together with a mold or mildew test, mold experts will inform you about the best way to treat the problem you are dealing with in order to prevent its further growth.
Both mildew and mold on windows are the result of condensation thus, to prevent mold, it is very important to stop the condensation itself from happening.
First things first, in both mildew and mold prevention processes, it is important to regularly ventilate your rooms. If the weather permits, keep your windows open to let fresh air dry the window frames. Pay special attention to kitchen and bathroom windows as steam can be one of the mildew and mold triggers.
The influence of dust on mildew and mold growth is often overlooked. It is essential to regularly clean your homes interior, especially window frames, to prevent mold and mildew from finding additional food sources of their growth.
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