Joseph Margherita

Holiday Mold

We get an increasing number of frantic calls during the holidy season from people complaining about mold growing all over there living rooms and they don't know why. Before you have to spend money on mold removal read a few tips below.

Well here are a few possible reasons:

• Decorations were brought in from a contaminated basement or attic and the mold came in with it. If you keep holiday decorations in an area that is prone to mold you need to take some precautions. The easiest is to store items in plastic containers that can be wiped clean before bringing them into the main part of the house.
• A natural Christmas tree is alive. Before and even after it was cut it was living outdoors surrounded by animals and insects on or around it. Trees also have various molds living on them and reproduce with pollens. Before you bring a live tree into your home, hose it down. And remember not to keep it more that a couple of weeks. The other option is an artificial tree, but remember to be careful about how and where it is stored (see above).
• Firewood is often contaminated with mold and mildew. It was a growing tree with animals and insects living on and in it. Someone chopped it down and stacked it outside to dry. The inside of the wood doesn't have the same defense against mold as the bark does and mold begins to grow on the exposed areas. Be careful of this before you bring the wood into your home and stack it by your fireplace. The answer to this is to use Duraflame logs or to leave the wood outside and bring it in as needed.

I hope this helps you keep your home mold free during the holidays and I would like to wish everyone a safe and prosperous New Year.

Why Have a Professional clean the windows at that house your showing.

While there are many things you can do to greatly improve the appearance of a house, professional window cleaning is one thing that often gets overlooked. Moreover, it’s generally far more affordable (not to mention faster) than you might think. Anyone considering putting his or her home on the market should definitely look into the benefits of window cleaning.

Why Window Cleaning Is So Important
Structurally, a dirty window is every bit as sound as a clean one; unlike painting or weather-coating, cleaning windows is an entirely aesthetic choice. However, if providing a view to the outside world can be considered a window's function, dirty ones function very poorly. Not only do dirty windows block natural light from your home, they also take away from the appearance of your house both inside and out. What is the point of having a phenomenal view if the windows are so dirty it can’t be seen? Appearances are everything, when you simply want clients to have a good impression of the house you’re selling--having clean, clear windows is essential.

Hiring Professional Window Washers
Cleaning windows is something that many homeowners might initially feel comfortable doing themselves. After all, many new homes have windows that are relatively easy to access. However, just because you CAN do a job yourself doesn't mean that there aren't benefits to hiring a professional to do the job.

• It’s safer. Pros have the proper equipment, and are trained in how to use it. Going to the local rental place for a 40-foot ladder isn’t a safe option for the homeowner however.

• Lint Free Towels are better than Paper Towels: Pros use lint-free towels to wipe the windows and frames dry. Paper towels leave paper dust on the glass and newspaper leaves your hands with ink stains.

• They look better: Pros don’t use Windex or dish detergent. They use professional cleaners that don’t leave a soap residue or streak.

• They stay cleaner: The professional cleaners also remove the static charge, which attracts dirt, from the glass.

• Stains are removed safely: Your house’s gutter has been leaking water down the same spot in the window for years, and now the glass is stained. Pros have cleaners that can remove those hard water stains and drip marks from windows without scratching them.

• It’s faster: One professional window cleaner can clean about 1,000 square feet of glass on the first floor glass in an hour, and in about an hour and a half on the second floor. For the average homeowner, using Windex and paper towels, it can take about four hours on the first floor and possibly all day on the second floor since he or she would have to stop to mover the ladder from window to window.

• Guarantee: Pros offer a seven-day guarantee if rain dirties your windows. Do you offer yourself the same?

That's a very interesting question, and the answer depends on where the mold is and what caused it to grow. Before going any further, let me just say that you should always have a house checked for mold before purchasing. I recommend having air samples taken by a professional. Be aware that the do-it-yourself kits at stores like Home Depot are not accurate. And since you're most likely spending your life savings on this home, now is not the time to cut corners. Remember, moisture is your enemy in this situation.

The first step is to locate the mold. Is it in the attic, basement, inside the hall closet wall? If the mold is in the attic it may be due to a leak in the roof--past or present. If that's the On the other hand, if the attic mold is a result of poor ventilation in the attic, then things become a bit more complicated. Having it removed can be expensive, but attic mold is rarely toxic and if the house is a good buy it's definitely worthwhile.

If the mold in the basement, does it flood? If it does so every time it rains there's a greater chance that the mold down there is of the toxic variety. (Let me advise that something as simple as gutter cleaning can prevent tens of thousands of dollars in damage to a home, and should be performed regularly.) Black mold, for instance, needs a lot of moisture and time to grow, and if the basement is always wet then chances are this type of toxic mold is present.

If the basement is just damp, and it can be dried out with some landscape changes and a gutter cleaning, then you don't have a big problem. Just have the basement treated by, say, adding a dehumidifier and keeping track of the moisture levels and it should be fine.

If the mold is growing in an unexpected place like the hall closet, then I would worry about a leaking pipe behind the wall. In this case, first figure out where the moisture is coming from. For example, un-insulated air conditioner ducts can cause huge problems and may take a lot of money to fix, and a leaking shower pipe could have been dripping for months allowing black mold to take hold. Mold in an odd place is a big red flag.

If your as to how serious the mold situation is in your prospective new home, ask for a free consultation and estimate from a mold remediation company.

Attic Mold

Mold growth in attics, a common occurrence here in the Northeast, is a result of leaks and lack of adequate ventilation-both of which are preventable.
The most common cause is an improperly vented attic. The attic is designed to have air circulating through it. If it doesn't as a result of poor design, too much insulation, or incompetence by the builder, problems arise. In the winter, for example, hot air escapes through the ceiling and into the attic. If this hot air is not vented properly, it will come in contact with the cool underside of the roofing and cause condensation. Consequently, you'll see black mold growing around the roofing nails that protrude into the attic. The condensation then forms water droplets, which can drip onto the floor of the attic or sometimes run down the wall and into the cavities below resulting in "hidden " mold, which can be the source of health problems.

The second most common cause is a leak in the roof. Homeowners should inspect their attics frequently to check for this. The third most common reason for attic mold is an improperly vented bathroom fan or dryer vent. If warm moist air gets into any area, the overall humidity rises and the chance of mold growth increases. Vents should always be directed outside. Once the mold has taken hold it will start to stain the roof sheeting black. Whether or not this is a toxic strain, any home inspector will call attention to it and stop the sale of a house. The insulation may also be affected and may need to be changed.

Treating the attic for mold should be a three-step procedure. First the attic is sealed off from the rest of the house. Then a hepa vacuum is used to remove the accumulated dust and debris. Second all of the trusses and sheeting are sprayed with a fungicide. We use Calbrite, which has a hydrogen peroxide base, is biodegradable and nontoxic, and has a faint odor that disappears when the product dries. Be aware that while some remediators use bleach, it's a bad idea because it can penetrate the wood, yet it doesn't kill the roots of the mold. Finally we use an ozone treatment to reach the nooks and crannies fungicides can't get to. Ozone pumped into the attic at very high levels oxidizes the remaining mold spores, leaving the area mold-free and sanitized. If your remediation expert does not use ozone and says he can pump heat into the attic to kill the mold,, look for another company. An attic's temperature in summer can reach over 125 degrees, and if there is mold, it will thrive-high heat has no effect.

Keep Your Shower Curtain Clean

One of they most effective ways to prevent mold from forming in your bathtub is to regularly clean your shower curtain. Give it a machine-washing once every few weeks. If the curtain is made of vinyl, it can be cleaned with hot water and a mild detergent put it in the wash with your towels and they will help scrub it clean. In addition to keeping it clean, periodically replacing your shower curtain is a good way to prevent mold. Mold resistant shower curtains are also available, and can also be a good idea.

Clean Your Bathtub and Shower Walls

Regularly cleaning your bathtub and shower walls is the best way to prevent mold. At least twice a month, use a commercial mildew cleaner and scrub brush to give your tub and shower walls a thorough cleaning. When performing this task, take care to pay special attention to the area surrounding your shower grout, as it is very susceptible to mold. It may seem like tedious work, but if your tub and shower walls are left unattended, mold is certain to form. When your shower is clean you can also spray a coating of car wax on the walls. This will act as a moisture barrier keeping them clean. Take extra care not to spray it on the floor, it will make it very slippery.

Moisture is your enemy

I know that this sounds impossible in your bathroom, but you can make a difference with some common sense. Don't leave wet towels crumpled up on the floor, hang them so they dry quickly, this goes for your bath mat too. Turn the vent on when showering, if you don't have a vent try to crack open a window or leave the door ajar. Use a squeegee to push water down the drain, and off of anywhere it can accumulate. Keeping the moisture to a minimum is the easiest way to prevent the mold from growing and having it turn into a problem that needs a professional mold removal company to remediate.