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green building : healthy living - "Certified Mold Specialist"

By: Michael Richmond

Mold spores are everywhere in our world. An air sample will show you that mold spores can be found in even the most clean homes or buildings. All they need is a warm, moist area are to provide the environment to infect the organic material at hand. In the woods, mold attacks any dead organic material (particularly wood) and turns it into a form of fresh soil for new plant growth. Anyone can discover mold in a building by the strong, bleach like smell commonly found in the dark and damp place of your building. There seems to be no place where mold will not grow, and given the chance, it will affect millions of buildings each year.

The clearing of mold from a facility is never a simple project. Affected owners can toss out all the mold-infected material and disinfect the area with a mixture of bleach and water. This process, however, will not resolve the mold issue if it is hidden behind the walls, floors, and plaster. When the problem is found inside the construction, the repair of the mold problem is going to be a major project and it will be expensive.

Reports by the EPA and other health organizations have determined mold a serious health hazard. It is unwise to ignore the mold problem because it will only get worse over time. Those individuals with allergies and other health issue will be more powerfully affected, but mold will have an adverse affect on all inhabitants of the building. Don't forget that the HVAC system recirculates the mold spores throughout the building. Mold is an unseen health problem that will not go away without professional action to remove all infected material in the building.

Mold is always the product of a water leak or serious humidity issues. Mold cannot be permanently removed unless the water source is found and corrected. This is where most solutions fail. Water leaks means a structural issue must be addressed before the real cleaning program can solve a mold issue.

Consumers are advised to avoid mold remediation services that simply apply a special cost of paint or spray the area with a fungicide. Unfortunately, far too many mold services that charge a large fee to do a poor clean up of the mold infested area. Mold remediation is almost always a bigger job and more costly than anyone might imagine, and this calls for trained professionals to inspect and remediate the problem.

Mold remediation is not generally covered under an insurance policy under "Water Damage." Broken pipes, natural floods, and storm damage may be covered events in a policy, so do not neglect the real source of water invasion. You might be lucky and get the insurance company to cover the cost of the repair.

Finally, do wait to clean out a flood, sewer back-up, or broken pipe problem. Mold starts to grow in 24 to 48 hours, and that will make the clean up worse. If you can't get a service out right away, pump out the area and remove all wood, cardboard, and fiber materials from the area. Once the water is out, force fresh air into the area to dry the room as quickly as possible.

Article Source: http://www.greenbuildingarticles.com

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