First of all am i a mold expert ? well i guess that depends on what it means to be an expert, I have studied about mold for about the last 10 years, I have talked to a number of mold inspectors over the last 10 years, i have been trained by the Dewald Drying Institute in water damage which your goal is to dry structures out and prevent mold. So you decided if am a mold expert , I’ll say i know a lot about mold but there is tons more to learn.
First things first if you do have mold you have a moisture problem no doubt you have a leak or high humidity/condensation so address the problem. Fix the leak, get a dehumidifier. And while your at it make sure areas like basements and closets are not to cluttered because that can cause lack of airflow.
Will mold kill you ? well i guess it could if your are highly allergic, or if you have a very weak immune system . It’s also possible that it may not bother you at all, but bottom line fix the moisture problem clean up the mold
I get the question regarding black mold which they are referring to is Stachybotrys, first of all you can’t really tell what kind of mold by the color and the bottom line fix the moisture problem, clean up the mold no matter what the color or what kind of mold it is. BTW there are over 100,000 types of mold but once again who cares. Fix the moisture problem and clean up the mold.
WILL BLEACH get rid of mold, well sometimes, if the mold is on a hard non porous surface such as a tub or a sink it very well may work very well but if its a porous surface such as grout, wood or drywall then it’s not the best product to use because it will not penetrate down to the root , It may hide it and fool you into thinking you got rid of it but chances are it did not and it will show up again.
WHAT TO USE to get rid of mold, there are a number of products on the market that work quite well you can simply just clean it with soap but one of my favorite products is Concrobium you can find it one of the hardware stores and it’s a safe and easy product to use.
How do i know if i have mold, well one rule that works most of the time is if you smell that musty older than its mold also if you see it , but do keep in mind mold is not always black and comes in different colors.
If I KILL the mold is that enough,? it’s best not only to kill mold but to remove it, dead mold can still cause problems if you are allergic to it .
How do i prevent mold ? mold is caused by moisture, moisture that could come from high humidity or a leak, fix the leak and make sure you dry out what is wet as fast and safely as possible, control humidity with a dehumidifier. Try to keep a humidity level between 35 and 50..
Can i clean mold myself or do i need to hire a mold remediation company.
Small areas can be handled by the homeowner if they choose to as long as you take a few precautions, gloves, N95 mask and when i say small areas i mean under a 10 sq ft more than that you may want to hire a professional.
Should we do a mold test ?
Most of the time like 99% of the time no need. Bottom line fix the moisture problem and clean up the mold.
So in summary, no one wants mold, so keep a dry environment, if you have a water damage dry it out imdeity, use a dehumidifier in areas that have typical high humidity such as a basement, clean up small areas of mold when you see it if you are confident to do so.