Common Mistakes That We All Make In Working With Mold and What We Can Learn From Them

Is it efflorescence or mold on cinder-block or cement

This is an easy mistake to make. We all learned about efflorescence in the early months of remediation training. So it's a tendency to see white stuff on a cinder-block wall and assume that it is simply efflorescence. Efflorescence is simply water intrusion or saturation, water receding from said material,then water saturation again, over and over and over. As water recedes, the minerals and salts are left behind. This over time, builds up and produces a white “crystal” type of formation called efflorescence. The catch is this, it is not always efflorescence. It can actually be mold. How do you tell? Think crunchy cereal vs cotton candy. If it is crunchy, and hard, its efflorescence. If it's soft and powdery like cotton candy, it’s microbial.

Moisture meter readings are showing that the whole home is wet

Moisture meters are a great tool with a number of limitations. Probably the most consistent surface to measure the moisture is sheetrock, or lumber. Other surfaces become very difficult to measure. My best advice is to measure an area of the substrate that you are sure is dry. Perhaps it is the tile in a bathroom. Measure the far corner of the bathroom, away from the toilet or sinks. That seemingly dry area still may read 30 or 40 or more. Don't panic yet. That reading, as long as you know it is dry, is now your baseline. Then as you move the moisture meter closer to the problematic areas, you are simply looking for a significantly higher reading than what was in the known dry area. The difference between the known dry area and the suspect area is now fairly easy to determine. Can you quantify how wet it is? Probably not. But you can allow time and install equipment to dry the wet areas so that the difference between the previously known dry area and the wet areas is minimal.

Oh, that's just a little mildew in the bathroom

This is one that I hear all of the time. Homeowners, licensees, realtors, and inspectors alike will often say, “Well, there are some signs of mold in the bathroom, but that is normal”. I disagree. No, it’s not normal, and it is an indicator of potentially a much bigger issue. Every home has a mold load level. Some homes have a very low mold load, and some have a very elevated mold load. Likely most are somewhere between those two leaning towards medium to high. The important thing to understand is that visible mold, anywhere in the home, is a manifestation of an elevated mold load in a home. Otherwise, the mold would not be in significant enough numbers to begin to colonize. I am often called to a customer's home, and they tell me that something is wrong with their bathroom. They keep cleaning the mold, and it keeps coming back. I explain that barring a major leak or water event, the mold is thriving in the bathroom, because the entire home has an elevated mold load. Consider this: at no point could the mold in a home have all communicated with each other and said, “Every spore in the home needs to go to the bathroom, we will have a colonizing party there”. It just doesn’t work that way. What is happening is there are lots of mold spores in the air throughout the home, and it happens to be manifesting itself wherever there is adequate moisture. The same scenario plays out in windows, and window sills, particularly on the north side of the home. Customers feel their windows are leaking and that is the genesis of the mold. Well, the more likely explanation is the windows are condensating, and the elevated mold load in the home is causing the mold to grow in the window sills, and in the window tracks.

The customer had a fairly significant flood, and it’s been awhile since it occurred. Surely the hardwood flooring and subfloor are dried out.

Actually, Probably not. It takes a long long time for hardwood flooring, vinyl flooring and even carpeting to dry out completely. Do not assume that things are dry under a floor covering simply because the flood occurred months ago.

This home simply needs a quick fog treatment, and all will be well.

Oftentimes the home seems so clean, the mold load is almost inexplicable. These are often the toughest homes to get a good “after test”. I believe the reason for this is we have too much faith in the fog treatment. Every home has its own issues. Hoarders' homes are tough, and we tend to understand that going into the job, and we allow for significant ppm and dwell time. We also know that the sink/drains will need work and the window sills will need to be cleaned. We also often fog the HVAC system twice because of the smell in the home. Immaculate homes are “traps”. We see them as an easy fix, and sometimes they are, but often they are not. Take your time, fog every home with the same discipline you would with a very challenging indoor environment, and it will pay dividends.

I can’t find the filter or the air intake, it should be ok.

This is almost always going to turn out to be a sub-par treatment. Locating the thermostat, the furnace, the filters and the return air vents are absolutely critical to doing the job correctly. Do not forget to remove the filter. Do not assume it will be okay if you leave it in the furnace. And certainly do not assume that if you can't find the air returns, there probably are none. All of this can usually be figured out by talking to the homeowner, and taking time to properly prepare at the beginning of the treatment.