Mold is everywhere in our environment, indoors and out. Mold is considered harmless in the outdoors. It is only considered harmful in enclosed areas where spore concentration is generally higher. Most homes, and other buildings are thought to have some degree of some type of mold presence. Some authorities believe as many as 50 percent of all homes may have some level of Stachybotrys infestation.

There are several ways to test for and to remediate mold.

Visual detection: Get down on your knees and look under sinks, behind washing machines, under dishwashers and refrigerators, behind and under and around water heaters. If moisture is found, look for mold. If mold is found, take further steps to determine the extent of the infestation. Large infestation of mold can usually be seen or smelled. Smaller infestations may require professional testing to detect.

Professional testing: Professional testing includes, but is not limited to, air sampling by using spore and culture traps, and surface sampling including tape lifts, contact plates and sterile swabs. This is done to determine what kinds of molds are present and to estimate the density of mold spores in the air. If it is “scary,” hire a professional remediation company.

Remediation

Remediation simply means clean-up. The degree of remediation, or clean up, is generally determined by the degree of infestation. Minor infestation (spots) are remedied with a mixture of bleach and water. More severe infestation requires other steps be taken, all the way up to professional technicians (men in white suits) and complete containment of the area.

While there are no national standards for remediation of mold infestation, the following are known as “The New York City Guidelines” for cleaning up mold infested areas and have been referred to as being generally acceptable guidelines.

New York City Guidelines for Mold Remediation

• Level 1 = 10 Sq. Ft. or Less - local remediation, no containment
• Level 2 = 10 to 30 Sq. Ft. - local remediation with containment of the area and filter vacuum the area not removed.
• Level 3 = 30 to 100 Sq. Ft. - remediation by professionally trained technicians with complete containment of the area and filter vacuum
• Level 4 = more than 100 SF - remediation by professionally trained technicians with full facial respirators, rubber gloves, and protective clothing, complete containment, negative pressure the area while working to prevent spread of spores, clearance testing prior to re-occupancy.

The suggested means of “clean-up” for Level 1 and Level 2 infestation included removal of all personal effects and furniture, including lamps, dressers, clothing, basically everything, from the area prior to beginning to search for the extent of the mold infestation. Then removing floor covering and/or wall and/or ceiling covering and insulation and structural components (studs, plates, wiring, plumbing, etc.) to about 3 feet beyond the infested area.

At approximately the Levels 3 and 4 infestation, every piece of material (including clothing, furniture, personal belongings, floor covering, pieces of the walls, etc.) to be removed must be bagged in plastic and sealed (taped closed) for removal from the area. Once removed to the outdoors the mold is considered safe and the contaminated material is disposed of in landfills. The mold is only considered dangerous when in contained areas.

The hiring of professionals for remediation is expensive. Generally, the testing for type and quantity is performed by chemical engineers, or other qualified professionals. The clean up is done by trained technicians who must dress in those “white suits” with rubber gloves, covered foot wear, head gear and breathing apparatus while they are working. When mold is disturbed, such as during removal, larger amounts of spores are naturally released. As previously mentioned, at the Levels 3 and 4 infestation, every piece of material to be removed must be bagged in plastic and sealed prior to removal. To get an idea of the work involved (and why it is so expensive), just try to imagine yourself taking the time to get suited up in all that garb and then doing even a small repair job in your own home, say replacing a broken window. Every item you remove, including furniture, must be reduced to small enough pieces to be removed in plastic bags. You must be in full “uniform” when working which is cumbersome and clumsy. If you take a break and leave the work area you must be “decontaminated” and then before you can return to the work area you must get completely suited up again. This is very time consuming and painstaking work.

Upon completion of the remediation, the area must be tested and approved for re-occupancy. At that point reconstruction can begin.

Who is qualified to perform the clean up?

Currently, there are no national or state standards regulating the detection and level of mold infestation, nor are there any standards for those qualified to perform remediation. One recent article stated that there are guys who were mowing yards a month ago and are now starting up mold remediation companies. The problem with this is that under qualified “professionals” many seriously overstate, or even understate, the degree of contamination and/or remediation requirements. I understand that there are efforts in progress to establish guidelines, standards and/or certifications for those who will be deemed qualified. Advice for the time being is to ask a lot of questions, ask to see some credentials, and just be prudent.

Recovery: what happens after mold is “cleaned up?”

Environmental vs. Biological contaminant: Things like asbestos and lead-based paint have been determined to be harmful to our health and pose risks to our environment. Therefore, in many cases, these items have required remediation either to remove, or make safe, the environment. These types of contaminants are physical, man-made items and once they are removed they are gone for good. Molds, on the other hand, are living organisms and since mold spores are everywhere in our environment, it is impossible to remove every spore from any environment, even during a remediation process. Therefore, unlike other contaminates, if the source of moisture has not been eliminated, or if a new source for moisture arises, mold can grow back.

Inspections and Reports: If you have had mold in your house and there is even a remote possibility that you may sell that house at some point in the future you should have a qualified professional thoroughly inspect your home and prepare a detailed written report of the findings of that inspection a soon as your remediation is complete. Regardless if you are even considering selling at any point in the future. This will likely be expensive to obtain, but necessary as it provides you with written documentation that your home is free of mold as of a specific date. It is also likely that you will have to obtain another similar inspection and report at what ever point in time it is that you decide to sell your home to provide written documentation to a prospective Buyer that the home remains mold free.

Disclosure: As a Seller of a residence, to avoid liability, we are bound to disclose all known facts about any property we sell. New disclosure forms will have a section for mold. Owners should disclose if any mold has ever been found and if any reports have ever been made regarding mold in any property. If reports have been made, either identifying that mold does exist or that mold has been properly remedied as of a specific date, then those reports should be made available to any prospective purchaser.

Published: January 9, 2003

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Jack C. Schoppa, I.F.A.S. is a Texas-based Certified General Real Estate Appraiser, Licensed Real Estate Broker, and Licensed Real Estate Auctioneer. He is a nationally-known speaker and columnist on appraisal issues including mold. Contact him at www.northtexasproperties.com or e-mail him at jack@northtexasproperties.com