Archive for February 2007
Better to be safe than sorry
February 27, 2007, 8:48 amHere’s a great blog post that includes a passage on how the author was able to take action upon realizing he had a mold situation. I think as more people become aware of the potential presence of mold you’ll see far more people being pro-active, if not preventative.
“Whoa, I can’t go down there. You’ve got standing water there for some reason,” he said. I looked where the beam of light fell, and sure enough, I could see the pools of standing water and mud. It was the middle of a bone-dry summer. The DirectTV installer ended up drilling a hole through the brick facade of the house, and pulling the cable through the wall. But before he left, he said something to me that ended up saving us a ton of money: “You ought to have that water looked at, buddy. There shouldn’t be standing water under your foundation.”
His comment stood out in the back of my mind. A few weeks later, I was talking to a friend from California, who is a realtor, and we were chatting about how business was going. She said something about how California insurers were having lots of problems these days with “black mold litigation”, which was having an effect on her ability to sell houses and get them insured. Hmm, I thought. Standing water. Black mold. Water + wood = mold. Maybe I should have this checked out.
To make a long story short, I decided to hire a building inspector, and he ended up finding that around 25% of our home’s pier-and-beam foundation had been rotted out, and that there was a large mold colony under the house. Somehow–and to this day I dont know how this happened–the original inspector hired by my wife had completely missed both the wood rot and the mold. (My wife, unlike me, isn’t particularly careful about these things, and she bought the house before we got married.) The lawyer in me went straight to work.
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the legal, General category)
California school district saves thousands with Screen Check product
February 27, 2007, 8:44 amTampa, Fl. 2/26/2007 10:52 PM GMT (TransWorldNews)Tampa, Fl.– Indoor environmental screening of the home or work environment is important for individuals with allergies, chronic sinusitis, rhinitis, emphysema, asthma, atopic dermatitis, immune deficiencies, etc. In keeping with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) 1997 recommendations, it is desirable to identify and remove common allergens and modify the home or office to reduce the level of ubiquitous (common) allergens.
Before one can remove allergens and/or pollutants effectively, it is essential to understand if they exist and in what quantity. Now there’s the do-it-yourself www.IndoorAirTest.com - Screen Check products and evalu-aire test equipment. A revolutionary technique that helps identify indoor air contaminants.
The San Bernardino School District in California has been using the evalu-aire and Screen Check products for some time stated: “Our IAQ toolkits (evalu-aire/Screen Checks) are a big hit. We’ve used them for a year now and they have saved our school districts thousands of dollars. And thanks again.”
—Administrator | 1 comment
(posted in the Resources category)
Moldy Home Burned To The Ground
February 20, 2007, 9:43 amCheck out this crazy story from KOIN News 6 in Oregon:
SANDY, Ore. - A home in Sandy once filled with mold is now a pile of ashes.
Two years ago, Renee Haynes and her family won a landmark toxic mold case against Adair Homes.
She says that immediately after moving in, she, her husband and their two young boys became chronically ill. Months later, they discovered the walls filled with mold. Doctors said they had mold poisoning.
“We found the mold accidentally and the builder told us it wasn’t a big deal — that it was overplayed by the media,” Haynes said.
A jury found the builder guilty of faulty construction and awarded the Haynes $400,000.
Sunday, firefighters burned the home as a training exercise. Officials say everyone on the fire was decontaminated and hosed down afterward.
—Administrator | 3 comments
(posted in the News category)
Home Builder Utilizes Advanced Preventive Mold Applications on Custom Homes
February 13, 2007, 9:40 am| Global Prevention Services Providing State of the Art Microbial SolutionsCustom home builder, S.W. Building Concepts, has recently begun utilizing the most advanced pretreatments to prevent mold and other microbial growth in their homes. Mold problems in residential and commercial buildings have been a growing problem for builders and building owners in recent years. However, new technologies now allow buildings under construction to be proactively treated with safe EPA-registered products to prevent future microbial growth.
“As a custom home builder I am only too aware of how mold can negatively affect home owners and the huge financial impact it can have on builders,” stated Howard Fisher, President of S.W. Building Concepts. “Our goal is to provide homeowners their dream, a well built custom home that meets all of their needs, including protection from mold. We researched the market for an effective proactive solution and found that Global Prevention Services had just what we needed.” Global Prevention Services (GPS) provides a breakthrough preventative approach to the persistent problem of mold in all types of buildings. The leading edge technologies used by GPS provides clients a viable, affordable and proven mold prevention solution for the first time in history. “Proactive solutions to prevent future mold growth appeals to builders and homeowners no matter whether we are talking about a $150 thousand dollar home or a custom $5 million dollar home,” reported Michael Himelfarb, CEO of Global Prevention Services. The effectiveness of the GPS products and application techniques allows GPS to offer an industry best limited warranty of five years for new construction and an industry best two years for most other applications. About Global Prevention Services Global Prevention Services has been in the forefront of treating buildings with mold problems and providing preventive mold solutions to residential and commercial facilities for years. The company provides unprecedented final results, validated by 3rd-party testing of the client’s choice, in a process that is the least disruptive option available. About S.W. Building Concepts S.W. Building Concepts is a Scottsdale, Arizona based company, specializing in the construction of the highest quality luxury homes using the finest products and management available to insure an outstanding finished product. To learn more about the company they can be reached at 480-657-7674. |
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| Jeanette Kurtz Executive Vice President Global Prevention Services 480-951-3600 info@NoMold.com |
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the Resources category)
CorrosionConnection.com - New Website Helps Battle Corrosion, Rust, Mold and Mildew
February 13, 2007, 9:38 amCorrosion Products, Services and Solutions all brought together for the consumer in an easy to use web portal to help fight and prevent the damages of Corrosion, Rust, Mold and Mildew.
(PRWEB) February 12, 2007 — A new website created for everyday customers to battle corrosion, rust, mold and mildew launched today called CorrosionConnection.com. The new website, www.CorrosionConnection.com, will allow home, auto, and boat owners the opportunity to discover how to prevent and solve all problems with corrosion, rust, mold and mildew and have products and services in the same place.
The creator of the site, Ed Aster, has long dealt with the effects of corrosion on his home, cars and boat from living on a Caribbean island. Every time he tried to find a solution or a product to clean the rust off his boat or protect his home from corrosion, he had to search through the internet for hours to find a few tidbits of information that would apply to his problem. He got tired of it so he decided to create a website for the other home, auto, and boat owners that face corrosion everyday, and bring all the products, services and solutions to one easy to navigate website.
CorrosionConnection.com is different from the other corrosion based websites available, it is geared towards the everyday consumers and not someone with an engineering degree.
CorrosionConnection.com is divided into three easy to use sections, Home, Auto, and Marine which cover the interior and exterior of home, RV’s, Motorcycles, Boats and more. Each of these sections is broken down into informative categories that offer information on preventing and solving corrosion problems and also offer products and services for that category.
Practical, easy to use, informative and here to help, www.CorrosionConnection.com is now the source to solve your corrosion problems.
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the Resources category)
Fight damp, fight mold
February 4, 2007, 9:30 amHere’s a helpful little snippet from the Seattle Times. They emphasize one of the most important strategies towards mold prevention which is to fight dampness in general:
Q: I brought up boxes stored in a basement, and they have a musty smell. How do I get the musty odor out?
A: If the boxes look moldy or smell musty, there’s biological growth on them. It’s best to dispose of them and get new ones.
But if the boxes are needed for specific purposes, aren’t badly infested and you want to retain them, then treat them this way:
• If you can see mold growth, wait to clean it off until the materials are thoroughly dry. Prematurely cleaning the mold will grind it into the paper and cause stains that are often impossible to remove.
• Move the boxes to a dry environment with plenty of air circulation to dry them thoroughly and render the biological growth dormant. If stored for an extended period under these optimum conditions, the boxes eventually will no longer smell. At this point, the mold growth is dormant, not dead. Given the right conditions — damp, dark, little air circulation — the problem literally will bloom again. You can try killing the mold, if the area is small and obvious, by dabbing it with a solution of 10 parts water to one part chlorine bleach. But mold can be hidden beyond reach in the accordion folds of corrugated boxes.
• Brief exposure to sunlight and circulating air outdoors also may help get rid of the mildew smell.
• Remember that mold is a hazard. If you suspect or see mold, wear protective clothing — including gloves and a mask — while cleaning.
If you have any adverse health effects, contact a physician.
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the Resources category)
Mold Prevention Tips from WEAU NBC13
February 1, 2007, 9:16 amHere’s a helpful article from WEAU NBC13 regarding tips to prevent and/or remove mold. Here’s an excerpt:
There are thousands of different types of mold, and though many mold particles can’t be seen with the naked eye, others can accumulate into visible spots in moist areas of your home. And though many molds aren’t toxic, some can irritate your respiratory system, aggravating asthma or allergies.
When it comes to problems in your home, mold may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but safety experts will tell you it’s all too common.
“Pretty much mold’s going to be in every home, everywhere in the natural environment,” Home Safety Expert Steven Senor said.
Experts say where it strikes depends on two things, warmth and moisture. Meaning areas with high humidity like bathrooms, laundry rooms or kitchens will be most susceptible.
“If you can see on the walls or on the corners it looks darkish or grayish that means there’s mold that’s visible,” Senor said.
And where visible mold lies, Senor says there is likely more beneath the surface under your wallpaper, tiles or flooring.
“Molds come in all different colors, sometimes they smell, sometimes they don’t,” he said.
He also says sensitivity to mold can vary.
“They could have the runny nose, they could be like an allergy and sometimes people may have conditions like asthma that may be aggravated by mold,” Senor said.
But, whether your health is affected or not, it’s something you need to remove.
—Administrator | no comments
(posted in the Resources category)