6 Mold Myths to Shovel to the Curb This Winter

Cold and flu season means we get cozy in our homes. However, breathing the air in our home environments can be problematic if there’s mold to be found.

Let’s dispel 6 common mold falsehoods that we can shovel to the curb with the coming days of snow.

Mold in the crawl space, stays in the crawl space. Truth is, if mold grows in the walls or crawl space, it’s also in the air you breathe as part of the home environment. That’s a given.
Mold’s not a winter issue. Mold is about wetness, and in winter, locations of the house with warm-cold and moist-dry conflicts are perfect for moisture issues and mold growth.
Black mold is dangerous, other molds are not dangerous. Wrong idea. The toxic villain, mold, arrives with water, dampness, or flooding issues. It may be present in the air by the 100s or 1000s parts per million. That any mold is okay, or that only black mold is toxic, perpetuates a myth. An individual’s sensitivities are more important than a mold count.
If you think there’s a mold problem, the place to start is a mold test. Homeowners need to know that mold testing doesn’t offer answers regarding how to address the underlying issues resulting in a mold problem. A mold test simply confirms the presence of mold, and most houses have a bit. A healthy home investigator doesn’t solve the homeowner’s mold problems with a random test. Instead, he starts with a visual examination and chooses focused testing. He then determines the what, where, why, how much, and how-to of the mold issue, and suggests the best ways to clear and prevent it. For those with healthiness concerns, testing before and then again after the treatment is one way a homeowner may choose to confirm the progress of the mold–clearing efforts.
Mold can be eradicated. No, mold is always there, present in every home. Likely, it’s always been there. Changing conditions in the house, a basement that’s too humid or too damp, can ensure that dormant mold wakes up happy to multiply and colonize. Even when the house is clean, mold can be found. It’s a part of life. The trick is to deny it the things it needs to keep it permanently in check.
ERMI is the name of a Muppet™. Wrong again. ERMI is an acronym for the Environmental Relative Moldiness Index test. But it’s not good enough, unless you’re in the market for scare tactics. The test provides a vague comparison to a relatively small national sample which does not compare normatively to western North Carolina. There is no true mold yardstick or ruler to tell us how much is too much. There are no guidelines to healthiness, no parts per litre like we have with radon. At this time, the best measure of mold risk is one given by a well-experienced professional who compares the mold toxin, irritant, and allergen levels to the healthiness of the persons living in the house.

A Healthier Home works with you side-by-side to determine the scope of the problem, where the mold started, where it is now, and how severe the situation really is. The science behind the solution helps A Healthier Home determine the cause and the type of clean up that’s needed. The development of a complete solution includes a regular maintenance plan that will help you fix the problem so it will stay fixed.