MOLDS AND MILDEWS - FACTS AND TREATMENT

The difference between molds and mildews - Molds are the source of all your problems indoors and out, mildews are a similar organism but are not the cause of the black growths due to damp conditions. Mildew is a growth affecting plant growth, it is the white powdery dust found on your garden plants after a hot humid summer. Therefore do not get the two mixed up, this article only refers to the mold which grows under the following conditions, inside your building:
Warmth
Humidity over about 50%
A good source of food
Food can be damp wood, materials, painted surfaces, particleboard, any areas where there is damp foodstuffs left lying around, or dirt in areas generally with poor ventilation Molds seem to thrive best on cellulose materials (straw, hay, wood carpet, and they love most of all the paper covering on gypsum based plaster boards, which is why your bathroom looks even worse than it would if it were of just brick construction).
Wetting and water ingress on an untreated basis will grow a good colony of molds in a very short time so get those fixed and leave the area to be dried as soon as possible. Ventilate all areas throughout your home as a matter of course. Molds grow in unventilated areas. Where you have air conditioning and a sealed building, the HVAC system filters must be continually checked and changed. Are yours, when you complain about the air quality in your building? Keep your systems dry and cleaned out.
We have spent many hours cleaning duct covers and it is onlythrough poor maintenance that these are left in the condition that they are. If you have blocked filters, then molds will grow on the dust. Then they get sucked in through the system and straight into the air that you breathe. Open windows if you can.

MOLD REMEDIATION:

Clean more often, more thoroughly.
Change filters to HEPA - type
Keep the area as dry as possible.
Fix water leaks
Ventilate as much as possible
Heavy infestation is seen as brown or black patches on the affected area. You may not be able to smell mold infestation so do not assume that in a very wet area you will not have mold growth.
Once the area is dried out, the following can be used to remove mold:
Propionic acid as a constituent of a proprietary mold remover. This is the most effective mold remover and is perfectly safe for use.
Bleach and hypochlorite is not really effective at all, and is not safe to use in large concentrations, nor with any other chemical
Borax and borates can be effective -borax is already in regular use as a wood fungicide, but will not remove the staining from molds - phosphoric acid can do this in preference to bleach. Heavy stainingcan be covered by painting but only when the area is dried thoroughly.

MOLD PREVENTION

Mold causes 'farmers lung' but you should never get this disease from your house, nor will you need your house pulled down! Your mold infestation will never be that great unless you have a building which is severely damaged by damp. It can happen. Help yourself, though by using a dehumidifier if you do have to live in damp conditions, and always use one after water damage through flooding.
Cleaning surfaces properly is probably the most effective way of surface mold prevention.

AFTER CARPET CLEANING AND FLOODING

Your carpets will harbour mold if they are not dried properly after cleaning. So open all the windows and ventilate the room properly while drying. A good carpet cleaning system will dry the carpets up to 90% dry and the carpet should be completely dry within 1 - 2 hours. Vacuum cleaning with clean filters will finish the cleaning process when the carpet is dry. Then you could use a dehumidifier, if you think there is a high level of humidity remaining. It can happen, even in the driest areas. Flooding, followed by carpet restoration in which we wash the wet carpet, naturally means the whole area has to be dried quickly, and this is done by a dehumidifier. Never put a rubber - backed mat onto a drying carpet - mold will quickly develop underneath it, and then penetrate the whole carpet.

POOR INDOOR AIR QUALITY

If you have unexplained symptoms of breathing problems and general low levels of unwellness then first thoroughly clean your house, change the filters to your ducting and air conditioning unit and vacuum the carpets well with cleaned filters. Open the windows and let fresh air in to the house. Often this is all that is needed.
Many factors can contribute to poor air quality - toxic fumes from carpets, furniture, some solvents, artificial deodorisers, spray polish so do not assume that mold infestation is present unless you can see that you have long standing water staining in the same area, or you have had recent flooding.
Your house will feel damp and may have a background smell.

HOW TO DEAL WITH YOUR CELLAR OR BASEMENT

If you have a cellar, then check that - these are favourite places for mold infestation since they are frequently damp or flooded. The cellar will need treatment - do not expect to treat the rest of the house and leave the cellar! You will find fabrics paper and cardboard stored in cellars always to contain patches of molds, so consider leaving a cellar empty.

HOW TO DEAL WITH THE ATTIC

Not usually as damp as a cellar, the attic will be damp if there is a leak in a water pipe or a roof leak.
The remedy here is obvious.