Who ‘Dun’ It?
I’ve visited thousands of properties over my past four decades of mold inspecting and there seems to be a recurring theme…Someone caused it!
That’s right. Someone is responsible when mold forms and contaminates a structure. Whether a residence, small business, or a commercial or institutional property, there is always one clear event that has happened. Water intrusion!
Construction defects, a fancy term for building mistakes, can be blamed for some of this. But often, it is a simple plumbing issue where a pipe is leaking inside the wall or from a toilet overflow. But I have found more frequently that it is the homeowner, maintenance worker, or manager that actually allows the mold to start growing due to their own inaction. Failure to dry wet building materials quickly enough almost always results in mold growth.
Believe it or not, generating moisture (long showers, boiling potatoes on the stove), then failing to properly ventilate it outside will raise humidity levels high enough to cause mold to grow.
I visited two properties just yesterday. They were both renters complaining the landlord wasn’t taking care of them quickly enough. Yes, of course, the landlord or property manager should respond quickly to dry the area and prevent it from happening again. But in both cases, it is clear the tenant had caused the problem!
Caught Mold Handed
In one case, a guest (relative) had been caught in a rainstorm and his duffle bag got soaked. He tossed it in his closet figuring it would dry on its own. It did, but not before causing mold growth on it and everything around it.
In the other, the tenant kept her bedroom windows “blacked out” with heavy quilts. Every time the humidity rose in the home; the cool window surfaces would condense this humidity into droplets which ran down and eventually caused the entire window sills to become heavily contaminated with mold. If airflow had been allowed to reach the glass, it would have prevented this from happening. You can prove the importance of this (if you have forced air heating) by noticing that the vents (registers) are placed dead center under every window in every room!
Lessons: Ventilate! Keep things dry! Clean up overflows, spills, and leaks! Call a professional if you don’t think you can handle the situation properly. You DO have a say in whether mold comes to visit YOU!
Of course, you can give me a call anytime. I’m here for you and your health.
-Jim
