Toxic Black Mold
Removal & Remediation Techniques
for mold-infested homes, apartments, condominiums, offices, and workplaces
in USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Europe,
the Caribbean, South America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia!

I have mold in my apartment. I have been living in my apartment for about 2 days with these machines running all night long. I have been having a little trouble breathing and my throat is sore, a little. My apartment complex landlord said nothing other than cutting my wall out, and placing these machines to run all night. [Dec. 7, 2003]

You should be living elsewhere during mold remediation. You will also need to mold decontaminate all of your clothing and personal possessions [explained in detailed in the book Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation available at Mold Mart]. Mold remediation releases huge numbers of airborne mold spores that can make you very sick. Also it is likely that the mold remediation is being done in a substandard way --- to know all of the steps required for safe and effective mold remediation, visit: Mold Removal Guide or know more about Mold Scams and find out the Top 10 Mold Mistakes to Avoid. More expert mold tips:

You need to find and repair the water source that enables mold to grow in your home or building. That might be a roof, leak, siding leak, plumbing leak, sewer line leak, or high humidity. In order to prevent mold growth resulting from high indoor humidity, you need to use several programmable dehumidifiers that run to keep your indoor humidity year-round in the 30 to 40% range that discourages mold growth. If humidity is 50 to 60% or higher, humidity alone can drive mold infestation. An even higher humidity level is like an invitation for mold to be your permanent house guest. To measure your year-round humidity in your attic, basement, crawl space, and all rooms of your home or building, you need to use a digital hygrometer [about $30 in the thermometer department of Lowe’s, Home Depot, or a large hardware store].

You need to know how seriously and where your home might be mold contaminated. Samples of any visible mold should be collected using the Scotch tape lift sampling method explained on Mold Mart. Your next step to solve the problem is to mold test the air of each room, basement, crawl space, attic, and the outward air flow from each heating/cooling duct register for the possible presence of elevated levels of airborne mold spores, in comparison to an outdoor mold control test. Elevated mold levels signify a possible serious mold infestation problem and health threat. Buy do it yourself mold test kits at a large hardware or home improvement store.

Hire a Certified Mold Inspector. To know how to do mold remediation and mold removal safely and effectively, please visit the: Mold Removal Guide.  You should also read our 3 new books [Sept., 2003]: (1) Do-It-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, & Remediation; (2) Mold Health Guide; and (3) Mold Legal Guide--- visit: Mold Mart. If you are a tenant, you can also learn more about landlord mold liability to tenants by visiting: Landlord Liability.

If your family is experiencing health problems that may be mold related you need to consult with your doctor as soon as possible. Learn about how doctors diagnose and treat mold health illnesses in the in depth ebook Mold Health Guide.  Serious health problems and visible mold growth combined together would suggest that you move immediately to a mold-safe place to live until your home has been effectively mold inspected, tested, and remediated.

Don’t take any clothing or possessions with you unless you first mold decontaminate all items prior to moving so that you don’t mold cross-contaminate where you move to. Mold decontamination for all types of personal property plus your home or building itself is explained in easy-to-follow instructions in the in depth ebook Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, & Remediation.

I live in a townhouse complex that has recently been discovered to be infected with mold in the roof /attics. Our engineers made references to "The New York Protocol" in their report when discussing "...protocols that are used when investigating mold in interior spaces..."  Are you familiar with this protocol and if so, is it credible?

The engineers tell us that 100% of the roof must be replaced simply because there is some mold growth present on the roof sheathing and it is the only way to rid ourselves of the mold problem. It seems excessive to replace wood that is not infected because "...there are mold spores in the air..." Any advice/comments are greatly appreciated! [April 7, 2003]

You should replace all building materials that have mold growth in them or on them that cannot be mold remediated by such techniques as a power planer or wire brush attachment to a grinder. Replacing good wood just because it might have mold spores but not mold growth is probably wasteful of your money. You can read the NY mold specifications on our website: Mold. The NY standards do not call for replacing non-mold damaged timbers. You should get at least two more professional evaluations of your mold problem with new bids. To know all the steps required in effective mold remediation, visit: Mold Removal