Mold Facts

1. Airborne mold spores are everywhere both indoors and outdoors.

2. Your health is at serious risk if there are elevated levels of mold spores indoors, as compared to an outdoor mold control test.

3. The most dangerous indoor molds are Alternaria, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Mucor, Penicillium, and Stachybotrys. (Mold testing and mold laboratory analysis are required to identify specific mold species.)

4. Mold spores can cause serious health problems even if the spores are dead or dormant.

5. The smell of dead or dormant mold can make some mold sensitive persons ill.

6. Mold spores will not grow into mold colonies if there is insufficient moisture. If organic materials are wet for more than 24 hours, mold growth can begin.

7. Mold grows by eating and destroying organic materials and cellulose based materials like clothing, carpeting and upholstery. The longer the mold grows the more damage there is to your home.

8. Cellulose is throughout your home and is the primary make up of cell walls in plants and therefore the building materials in your home. Example: plywood, drywall, wood, plasterboard and ceiling tiles.

9. Mold growth is often the result of structural failure, construction defect or neglect which will allow moisture to enter your home.

10. Mold can grow undetected hidden from plain sight inside walls, behind wallpaper, paneling and artwork, under carpeting, inside ceilings, in crawl spaces and basements, inside heating and air conditioning ducts and equipment.

11. It is impossible to remove/kill all of the mold spores inside your home. Some will always be present in your house floating in the air or in dust.

12. Indoor mold growth can be controlled and/or prevented by controlling the moisture inside your home by maintaining your home's exterior to prevent water intrusion and controlling the humidity within your home.

13. Effective mold remediation requires killing the mold with an EPA registered fungicide, removing the mold and treating the cleaned area with an EPA registered preventive fungicidal coating.