“The black mold is so bad inside one metro rental home that a mom and her five kids are moving out after a mold expert said the levels are the second highest he’s ever found. The landlord says he had no idea the mold had gotten so bad, but he now promises to fix it.” (Read the full article on Fox4KC.com)

The trouble comes in when the land lord, well meaning I’m sure, recommended vinegar as the solution. Its somewhat like handing someone a coat hangar to fend off a charging rhinoceros - not much good.

If you’ve found black mold in your home, take it seriously. The long term consequences of black mold exposure can be devastating and even deadly. If you’re looking for professional help, choose a remediator carefully. Experience is key.

Know someone who has been affected by black mold or have our own story to share? Send us your story!

Keep fighting!

Black mold removal can be a real trial

Understand The Process

Whether you try to do it yourself or hire a company it’s a good idea to know how the black mold removal process is handled. That way, you’ll be prepared for any issues that might come up and you’ll be knowledgeable enough to make sure the job’s being done right – no matter who’s doing the work.

Identify The Source

The first thing you should do with black mold removal is identify the source of the moisture problem. If you don’t know where the moisture (and, therefore, the mold) is coming from, you won’t get it stopped and the mold will continue coming back. Flooding, water leaks – including slow ones, and even high humidity can all contribute to the growth and recurrence of black mold.

Stop The Leak

Stopping the moisture or the leak from causing further damage is the first step with black mold removal. From that point, the cleanup needs to begin. Black mold isn’t something you can just spray with an antibacterial spray like Lysol and forget about.

Contain The Spores

If the area is a small one and you’re going to handle the cleaning of it yourself, you should first seal off the room so that mold spores don’t drift around. They can easily get into the air, mix in with dust and dirt, and get carried throughout the house. By isolating them to one room and not letting them get into the rest of the house, you’ll be better off and healthier. The cleanup will be easier, as well.

Avoid Further Contamination

Even for a small area, it’s important to seal off the room so you don’t risk any further contamination in the rest of the house. Once you’ve sealed the room, make sure the moldy area is damp. If it’s dry, mist it lightly. Dry mold spores are very quickly airborne. Keeping them damp is another way to help cut down on contamination.

Use Air Power

If the room you’re working in has a window, it’s a good idea to open it and place an exhaust fan in it, because any mold spores that do get airborne will be drawn that way and removed from the house. If you don’t have a window in the room, don’t just run a fan – you’ll just blow the black mold spores around and risk inhaling more of them.

Don’t Miss A Spot!

When you clean the area – which should be done with soap and a sponge – make sure you clean the moldy area first, and then expand your work to clean the entire room. Mold spores are tiny, and you want to make sure you get all of them so they don’t try to cause you health problems in the future. If you’re unsure about your ability manage the black mold removal from your home, do the safe thing and hire a professional to handle the job for you.

Suspect a leak?

It really doesn’t take much for mold to start growing. If you see it, especially if it’s black mold, you’ll want to do two things: remove it, and prevent it from coming back. To get rid of the problem, you need to get rid of the source of the moisture. Check carefully for leaks, and for places where moisture and wetness collect. Along the edges of sinks, tubs, and showers are important places to check. You’ll also want to make sure that the pipes under the sink or for the shower or tub aren’t leaking.

If you notice a leak, have it fixed right away. If you don’t have a vent fan in your bathroom – especially one near the shower area – it can be worthwhile to have one installed. If it’s used when the shower is running it’ll take a lot of the moisture out of the bathroom. Just leave it on until you get ready to leave the room, and you should help avoid any mold problems that way. Those kinds of things will help prevent mold from coming back, but they won’t get rid of the issue that you already have. If it’s black mold, it can easily make you sick. Getting rid of it is important.

“What if I only have a small area that needs remediation?”

You can clean small areas of mold with a soap and water solution and a sponge. Make sure to clean the area thoroughly and get all the infestation. It doesn’t take much for mold to return, and even a few spores can start it growing again. If the area isn’t wet when you start to clean it, the spores can get into the air and spread throughout the house. Make sure to dampen the area if the mold is dry. You can also use bleach when cleaning, but you’ll need to be very careful what surfaces you use it on. Bleach can damage a lot of different things.

After you’ve cleaned the black mold, rinse the area thoroughly and make sure it dries completely. You can use a fan or a hair dryer to give yourself some peace of mind. That way, you won’t be risking more mold because you got the area wetter than it was before. Black mold grows quickly, so keep an eye on the area you cleaned for a few days and see if you notice the mold coming back. If you do, it might be time to call in a professional.

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt

The spores of black mold float in the air, and they’re too small to see. If you breathe them in and they start to make you sick, you should never assume that they will go away on their own. The mold will spread, and the problem will only become worse. Knowing what black mold is and what kinds of problems the spores will cause in the human body are both very important, so that the symptoms can be recognized and addressed in a home or a business.

Understanding The Symptoms

Symptoms of black mold include watering and irritated eyes, sneezing, runny nose, chronic fatigue, chronic coughing, and headaches. It can also produce nausea and vomiting, and extreme cases of exposure can cause bleeding in the nose and lungs. Most people are treated for the problem before it becomes too serious, but some people are more sensitive to black mold than others.

“I’ve got the symptoms! What do I do now?”

If you or your loved ones or coworkers are experiencing any of these symptoms on a consistent basis, you may be exposed to black mold without realizing it. If that’s the case, you should find the problem and have it taken care of quickly, before symptoms become any worse. A professional mold remediator (learn how to choose the right one) should be the one to treat the mold, and people with symptoms should be seen by their doctor, just to rule out any serious concerns.

Get It Cleaned While You’re Gone

Once a person with symptoms gets away from the black mold spores, the symptoms should clear up in a short amount of time. While that person is away, a professional mold remediation company can come in and address the black mold problem. The mold is often seen from water damage, but it can also appear anywhere that stays wet a lot, such as in a kitchen or bathroom, or somewhere that has a leaky pipe.

Under a sink is a common place for black mold (learn about where mold grows), or along the baseboard where a washing machine sits. It can also be found in the corners of bathrooms where the dampness from the shower lingers too long. Businesses can get black mold in the bathrooms, around the water cooler, or in the employee kitchen.

Beware of Water Damage

If water damage has occurred on the property (learn how to remove it) – if it’s been flooded, for example – black mold could be anywhere. A professional mold remediator may have to remove the drywall, treat the wooden beams in the walls, and replace the drywall with new materials in order to ensure that the mold problem is stopped. While that can be expensive, it is well worth the trouble to have it done, especially when the health and safety of a family or a business may be at stake.

Stay tuned for more as we expand this guide.

Stachybotrys, also known as black or toxic mold, is quickly becoming a problem not only in homes and buildings, but in pocketbooks of building owners, contractors, and insurance companies.

There has been a large rise in black mold legal claims being filed, many of which are getting serious attention from the courts.

In addition, insurance claims that are not being properly recognized by the insurance companies are being transferred to the court system as well.

What impact is this having upon the economy? While you may not have been personally affected by a loss resulting from black mold claims, the losses occurring around the country are affecting us all.

Here are some of the reasons why we all should care about an increasingly reported black mold problem.

Reasons Why Mold is Important to Us :

• Mold problems are not distributed evenly across the country:

  Losses due to mold claims are, for instance, thirty times greater in Nevada than they are in Wisconsin. New home construction and the use of air conditioners has helped contribute to an increase in mold claims in the western and southwestern states.

  This uneven distribution of claims means certain builders and lenders are taking the brunt of all the claims, leaving them little profit and often forcing them into bankruptcy.

• Juries are awarding multiple millions of dollars:

  There are already several instances of individuals or groups being awarded multi-million dollar lawsuits. These suits bankrupt lenders, raise insurance costs, and put builders out of business.

  This is increasing costs drastically, as builders themselves need to purchase more costly insurance to cover their losses.

• Insurance companies and lenders are greatly impacted:

  Both lenders and insurance companies are experiencing high rates of loss due to black mold claims. Insurance companies are paying out millions in claims, and lenders are being affected by bankruptcies filed by both homebuilders and building owners.

  Those increases are, of course, passed onto the public.

• Mold is now a “class action” negligence:

  The losses incurred with black mold suits are so high due to the fact that plaintiffs are no longer limited to an individual residing in a home.

  There are employees suing companies, companies suing builders, tenants suing property owners, etc. One doesn’t need a big imagination to see how vast the class action lawsuits can become.

Do You Want to be a Homeowner?

With the presence of black mold increasing along with the increase in home construction and natural disasters, it only stands to reason that building owners, builders, lenders, and insurance companies will continue to take the brunt of losses claimed to be from mold.

While we may not fit into that category, most of us would like to be homeowners one day, and the negative effect the excess litigation will have on the fees charged by these affected companies will have a great impact on the cost to purchase housing and insurance in the future.

For this reason, we all need to be made aware of the economic costs of black mold.

Further Recommended Reading :

• 10 Health Risks of Toxic Mold
• 10 EPA Mold Prevention Tips

Joslyn from the Moldblogger Team

In late 2005, America watched as New Orleans and parts of Texas were deluged with water washing in from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Wilma.

The hurricanes themselves cause little water damage, though the storm surges and levee failures that followed created large-scale flooding disasters that will take years, if not decades, to rebuild.

The duration of the flooding, along with the extent and number of structures flooded made the probability of mold a certainty.

Mold’s number one fuel is excess moisture, and when there are homes covered in water for weeks at a time, there is no likelihood of the homes drying out any time soon. In addition to the floodwaters, homes were subject to high levels of humidity in the air.

This meant that when the floodwater receded, the homes still did not have the proper ventilation needed to completely dry out. Extensive and wide-spread black mold was the unfortunate consequence that quickly followed.

Mold Contamination in Homes

Not many people could turn on the news that year without seeing the footage of the flood-ravaged homes.

Many homes were labeled as hazards, and occupants were unable to return for their belongings due to the dangerous instability and mold contamination.

Black mold covered entire floors, rotting out floorboards and spreading up walls. Not only did mold become a problem indoors, but exposed wood and other home materials quickly became victim as well.

Because many residents were unable to return to their home for several months, the extent of the damage was beyond repair.

Most homes were marked for destruction, and they are being torn down after one final walk through for hurricane victims. Homes that survived the fierce winds of the hurricane did not escape the terminal destruction caused by the excess and continued exposure to water and moisture.

Many people lost their homes and businesses to black mold. An estimated 60-80% of buildings in New Orleans alone were severely flooded and saturated to the point of needing demolition.

Those Not Directly Affected by Flooding Still Experience Mold Problems

Mold was a problem in other areas not affected by such prolonged flooding.

The excess moisture and water from a hurricane affects not only the interior of homes, but also the landscaping, the foundation, and the roofing. All of these are problems that can cause mold to grow.

If landscaping is disturbed enough to allow water to flow under the foundation and up the walls, mold can become a big problem, especially because it will go unnoticed for some time. Water can infiltrate the insulation and damage the floorboards.

Much of this will be unseen until it begins to seep through the structures, although odors and health problems may begin before the mold is actually seen.

Roofs may leak and ceiling tiles may develop mold on the exterior side of the house. Mobile homes are known for dry wall ceiling tiles, and they readily absorb the moisture and create a breeding ground for mold.

This type of growth is apparent, as the tiles will swell and the staining will show through almost immediately.

Further Recommended Reading :

• Dealing with Mold After Flooding
• 10 Health Risks of Toxic Mold

Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team

In the late 1930s, stachybotryotoxicosis was reported in humans working on farms in Russia. People who were affected are those who handled hay or feed grain infested with S. chartarum.

Some of the individuals who were infected had burned the straw or even slept on straw-filled mattresses that had rampant growth of Stachybotrys chartarum. The infested straw can be described as black in color from growth of the fungus.

Common Symptoms

Common symptoms in humans that have stachybotryotoxicosis are rashes, especially in areas subject to perspiration, dermatitis, pain and inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and throat, conjunctivitis, a burning sensation of the eyes and nasal passages, tightness of the chest, cough, bloody rhinitis, fever, headache, and fatigue.

The workers who were infected developed symptoms within two to three days of exposure to the fungus. Some members of the Russian teams investigating this disease rubbed the fungus onto their skin to determine its direct toxicity.

The fungus induced local and systemic symptoms similar to those observed in naturally occurring cases.

Mold in the Media

It was seen in recent years that a cascade of reports about toxic molds was constantly seen in the national media. The New York Times Magazine, August 12, 2001 issue, ran a front page story on toxic mold.

Television news shows have run entire programs on Stachybotrys contamination of homes to alert the public and educate them on how dangerous these molds can be. Because of the sudden media coverage of this fungus, it has resulted in multimillions of dollars of litigations.

It also caused a lot of problems for homeowners and building managers who must deal with the human issues.

Further Recommended Reading :

• How Does Black Mold Affect Economic Costs?
• 10 Things You Should Know About Mold

Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team

Mycotoxicosis is the term used for poisoning caused by ingestion of a mycotoxin.

For the past 15 years in North America, evidence has slowly accumulated implicating this fungus as a serious problem in homes and buildings that must be dealt with quickly and efficiently.

Black mold is also tagged by specialists as one of the causes of the “sick building syndrome.”

What do Mycotoxins Cause?

In 1993-1994 in Cleveland Ohio, there was a very unusual outbreak of pulmonary hemorrhage among infants. Researchers then found out that Black mold was growing in the homes of the sick infants.

This incident alone increased the publics awareness of molds in homes and buildings. They also brought this fungus to the immediate attention of the medical community hoping for answers.

How Do I Know if I Have Mycotoxins?

To determine any growth of S. chartarum (Black Mold) in your home would only require visual inspection and/or air and surface sampling. Because black mold is not readily airborne compared to other fungi, air sampling in a contaminated indoor environment may show low levels of spores in the air.

Thorough examinations of potential sites of contamination, especially in covered and protected places, is a must to determine where the fungus occurs and the level of contamination.

If areas contaminated with S. chartarum are discovered, do not attempt to solve the problem without following recommended safety procedures for working with toxic molds, especially if heavily contaminated.

Get advice or professional help if there is a serious problem.

Further Recommended Reading :

• The Effects of Mycotoxins
• 10 Health Risks of Toxic Mold
• 7 Ways to Know if a Mold is Dangerous

Joslyn from the Moldblogger Team

When we talk about molds we usually think about those pesky growth of fuzzy materials in our old shoes, or furniture that has been in storage for quiet some time. Not much of a health risk right?

Wrong! In the past decades or less, we have only started to realize and understand the possible health risks that may happen when we inhale, ingest or when our skins come in contact with molds.

An example of how dangerous molds can be is the Stachybotrys chartarum fungus or most commonly known as black or toxic mold.

Black mold was first described as Stachybotrys atra by Corda in 1837, when samples were found on a wallpaper collected in a home in Prague.

This fungi is a member of the Deuteromycetes, order Moniliales, family Dematiaceae, and is common on plant debris and in soil.

Mold requires constant moisture in order to grow.

Stachybotrys chartarum, or black mold is a fungus that has become notorious as a mycotoxin producer that can cause animal and human mycotoxicosis.

S. Chartarum is a greenish-black mold that is commonly found outdoors and sometimes found in damp or flooded homes.

Further Recommended Reading :

• Mycotoxins and The Effects of Black Mold
• Dangerous Mold: Who is At the Greatest Risk?

Joslyn from the MoldBlogger Team