Everyone has let the bath tub or the kitchen sink overflow because we just forgot that the water was running, but if it happens often, you might want to think about the consequences of letting it. Water damage is quite a serious thing and can cost a decent bit of money to have repaired, so letting the tub, sink, or toilet overflow on a regular basis could end up costing you in the long run. While there is not much advise to help with that problem other than to just be less forgetful, there are other things that you can do to help prevent water damage from happening to your home.
Whether you take a shower or a bath, they both give off steam in the bathroom, but there is not always anywhere for the steam to go if you do not have a vent installed for just this purpose. Your ceiling and walls will absorb the steam over time and become damaged. Over time, mold will also start to grow on the walls and you will have a brand new problem to deal with.
Any plumbing that goes to your dishwasher or the washing machine in your laundry room needs to be checked for damage on a semi-regular basis. Any appliance in your home that uses water that comes directly from the plumbing system needs to be checked for cracks or weak spots. Check also under the kitchen and bathroom sinks for these kind of problems. Leaks can pop up anywhere in the home and at any time, but sometimes they are due to simply not keeping a check on the plumbing.
A roof that has a leak in it is also a serious cause of water damage. It not only wets the insulation in the attic (causing it to be useless and heavy on your ceiling), but it also leaks through that insulation and soaks the drywall on your ceiling, discoloring it and allowing mold to grow.
If you do have a spill, especially anywhere that you have carpet, soak up as much of the water as you can and if it is a large amount of water, it might be a good idea to pull the carpet up and get under it, too. Unless you have a carpet shampooer and can pull up the water in the carpet immediately, the padding underneath the carpet will also get soaked. Carpet is notorious for allowing mold to grow for a long time without you noticing that there is a problem.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Testing the Home for Mold
Using mold testing kits in your home and sending the culture dishes to a mold laboratory to be analyzed has been around for years, but not many people are sure about how to do it. Most test kits come with instructions, but sometimes they might not be as clear as you would like them to be or they might not explain enough.
If there is mold growing visibly on your ceilings, walls, floor, or your ventilation system, one trick that some use to take samples of the mold is to take a piece of scotch tape and put it over a small spot of the mold and lift it from the surface. You could use a knife to scrape off some of the mold particles off of the surface you are trying to take a sample from, but this is not generally advised because this will stir up the mold spores. If you do choose to do it this way, do not do it barehanded and wear a respirator. After the mold has been collected, you should go and wash your hands with some antimicrobial soap. Even if you are going to test another area of the home immediately after, wash your hands, anyway, because you do not want the mold from one site being transferred to another.
Whatever form of test kit you use, you should clearly label it with your name, the landlord’s name, and address of the property, where you conducted this test in the home, the sampling method used, and the date. How long it took to conduct the test should also be listed in hours and minutes and the name of whoever performed the test and their phone number or address.
Samples from ventilation system ducts should also be taken after the system has been run on its fan setting for around ten minutes. This will stir up the mold spores in the system if they exist and after this is done, the test kit should be taped to the grill of the air duct so that the air being blown through the duct hits the test at a 90 degree angle.
Every room of the house should be tested for mold after a house fan is run for around 15 minutes. Rooms such as attics, basements, kitchens, and bathrooms are particularly at risk for mold and you should be certain to test these first if you only have so many test kits.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
If there is mold growing visibly on your ceilings, walls, floor, or your ventilation system, one trick that some use to take samples of the mold is to take a piece of scotch tape and put it over a small spot of the mold and lift it from the surface. You could use a knife to scrape off some of the mold particles off of the surface you are trying to take a sample from, but this is not generally advised because this will stir up the mold spores. If you do choose to do it this way, do not do it barehanded and wear a respirator. After the mold has been collected, you should go and wash your hands with some antimicrobial soap. Even if you are going to test another area of the home immediately after, wash your hands, anyway, because you do not want the mold from one site being transferred to another.
Whatever form of test kit you use, you should clearly label it with your name, the landlord’s name, and address of the property, where you conducted this test in the home, the sampling method used, and the date. How long it took to conduct the test should also be listed in hours and minutes and the name of whoever performed the test and their phone number or address.
Samples from ventilation system ducts should also be taken after the system has been run on its fan setting for around ten minutes. This will stir up the mold spores in the system if they exist and after this is done, the test kit should be taped to the grill of the air duct so that the air being blown through the duct hits the test at a 90 degree angle.
Every room of the house should be tested for mold after a house fan is run for around 15 minutes. Rooms such as attics, basements, kitchens, and bathrooms are particularly at risk for mold and you should be certain to test these first if you only have so many test kits.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood and water damage cleanup and
water damage restoration> companies across the united states.
Mold in the House
Mold is something that we are all taught early on that we are supposed to hate and get rid of, but just what is mold and what role does it play in the world? Why are we supposed to get rid of it from our homes? Is it just unsightly? Or is there another and more serious reason?
Mold is classified as a fungus that lives both in the indoor environment and the outdoor environment and whether you have asthma, emphysema, or are perfectly healthy, there is not really much that you can do to completely get rid of it. You can try all you want, but mold really is here to stay. It grows in all the colors that you can think of and even a few that you might not think of when the idea of mold enters your head. Living in a home that is infected with mold is definitely a long term risk to your health the longer that you continue to live in it.
Mold will affect you whether you are a healthy adult, small child, or senior citizen and if you have a good immune system, it will not take long for mold to wear it down. Pregnant women and anyone who has a compromised immune system, such as those with HIV or AIDS, is at a higher risk of health complications due to the presence of mold in their living area. Pregnant women should be aware that mold can cause birth defects.
Not only does mold do damage to the inside of your body, but it also does damage to the inside of your home. Ceilings and walls become discolored and rooms will start to smell. Mold begins to decompose the materials that your home is made out of, like the drywall, carpet, and wood. It particularly likes to feed on the paper on both sides of your drywall, but a good solution to this if you are building a new home is to invest in paperless sheetrock.
If you think that there might be mold in your home, you need to order some mold testing kits. Testing your home yourself for mold is not very difficult as long as you follow the directions that come with the kit exactly. After testing, they will be sent to a laboratory that specializes in mold detection and identification; the results of the test should be returned to you in a few weeks. If the test is positive, call a local mold remediation professional.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Mold is classified as a fungus that lives both in the indoor environment and the outdoor environment and whether you have asthma, emphysema, or are perfectly healthy, there is not really much that you can do to completely get rid of it. You can try all you want, but mold really is here to stay. It grows in all the colors that you can think of and even a few that you might not think of when the idea of mold enters your head. Living in a home that is infected with mold is definitely a long term risk to your health the longer that you continue to live in it.
Mold will affect you whether you are a healthy adult, small child, or senior citizen and if you have a good immune system, it will not take long for mold to wear it down. Pregnant women and anyone who has a compromised immune system, such as those with HIV or AIDS, is at a higher risk of health complications due to the presence of mold in their living area. Pregnant women should be aware that mold can cause birth defects.
Not only does mold do damage to the inside of your body, but it also does damage to the inside of your home. Ceilings and walls become discolored and rooms will start to smell. Mold begins to decompose the materials that your home is made out of, like the drywall, carpet, and wood. It particularly likes to feed on the paper on both sides of your drywall, but a good solution to this if you are building a new home is to invest in paperless sheetrock.
If you think that there might be mold in your home, you need to order some mold testing kits. Testing your home yourself for mold is not very difficult as long as you follow the directions that come with the kit exactly. After testing, they will be sent to a laboratory that specializes in mold detection and identification; the results of the test should be returned to you in a few weeks. If the test is positive, call a local mold remediation professional.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Miami Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors and
Orlando water Damage companies.
Keeping Mold Out of the Kitchen and Bathroom
After spending a long day at work, two of the first things people do when they get home are eating and bathing. No matter what social class you belong to, this is a pretty normal routine and most people expect their kitchens and bathrooms to be clean, but we all know that this usually is not the case unless there is a maid in the home. One of the worst things that you can find in your bathroom or kitchen, though, is mold. Dirty laundry or an un-mopped floor cannot hold a candle to the problem that mold can present to your home and to your family. There are some things that you can do to prevent mold, though.
If you have carpet in your bathroom, have it taken up and tile put down under it if there is not any. The toilet or the bathtub will eventually overflow and if you do not get it soaked up with towels or by any other means as soon as possible, your carpet will absorb all this water and so will the floor underneath it. If you have tile under the carpet, you are a little better off, but it is still a bad idea to have carpet in the bathroom.
One thing that you should have in both the bathroom and the kitchen is a vent to allow steam to escape the room while bathing, showering, or cooking on the stove. Boiling water or just generally cooking anything will give off steam into the air and this will stick to your cabinets, wall, and ceiling.
If you have wet rags or towels from the kitchen or the bathroom, it is not a good idea to just throw them into the closest dirty laundry closet and just leave them there. If left there for more than 24 hours, mold can start to grow. Avoid this by using a plastic laundry basket for these items and washing whatever is in it regularly. Putting them in the basket will help prevent mold from growing on your floor or walls, but it will not stop mold from growing on the clothes in the basket if you leave it there long enough.
Mold is also a problem with produce like fruit and vegetables. These should be refrigerated if you have the room and if you find mold growing on anything, it should be thrown away immediately before it has a chance to contaminate anything next to it.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York flood water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
If you have carpet in your bathroom, have it taken up and tile put down under it if there is not any. The toilet or the bathtub will eventually overflow and if you do not get it soaked up with towels or by any other means as soon as possible, your carpet will absorb all this water and so will the floor underneath it. If you have tile under the carpet, you are a little better off, but it is still a bad idea to have carpet in the bathroom.
One thing that you should have in both the bathroom and the kitchen is a vent to allow steam to escape the room while bathing, showering, or cooking on the stove. Boiling water or just generally cooking anything will give off steam into the air and this will stick to your cabinets, wall, and ceiling.
If you have wet rags or towels from the kitchen or the bathroom, it is not a good idea to just throw them into the closest dirty laundry closet and just leave them there. If left there for more than 24 hours, mold can start to grow. Avoid this by using a plastic laundry basket for these items and washing whatever is in it regularly. Putting them in the basket will help prevent mold from growing on your floor or walls, but it will not stop mold from growing on the clothes in the basket if you leave it there long enough.
Mold is also a problem with produce like fruit and vegetables. These should be refrigerated if you have the room and if you find mold growing on anything, it should be thrown away immediately before it has a chance to contaminate anything next to it.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
New York flood water damage restoration and other states and cities such as
South Carolina mold remediation companies across the united states.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Natural Ways To Kill Mold
If you are a person that likes to use organic products and remedies, then using chemically-based mold killers in your home is possibly a taboo subject, but what else can you do? Some people say that we have become far too dependent on chemicals to do what nature can do and they have found some natural ways to kill mold that you might not have thought of before and at least one of them should be readily found in your own kitchen cabinet, even if it is a little smelly.
The most available and cheap way to kill mold without buying a bunch of chemical cleaners is simply white vinegar. This method is pretty simple to use and it does not take a lot of effort to prepare it. Vinegar kills somewhere around 80 percent of the different kinds of mold that will grow in your home and even better, if you spill white vinegar onto your carpet or furniture, there is no risk that it will discolor it. It should kill almost any kind of mold you come across in your home or business and if it does not, you probably have a more serious contamination that you should not be trying to deal with on your own, anyway. The only thing that you will need for this is a spray bottle and a funnel. Pour a sufficient amount of vinegar into the spray bottle and spray it where you find it necessary. The only drawback to this method is that it will be smelly in your house for a few hours. It will go away before the day is over.
Tea tree oil can also kill mold, but it is a bit more expensive than vinegar. You should be able to find it at most health food stores and it will kill a few more kinds of mold than vinegar will. All you have to do with this one is take two teaspoons of tea tree oil and combine it with 2 cups of water. Pour into a spray bottle and spray where you need to. Do not rinse. The shelf life on this mixture is indefinite.
The last say is almost identical to the tea tree oil method. Take about 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract and combine it with 2 cups of water. Put it into a spray bottle and spray where you need to. The good thing about this method is that there is no smell.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration New Jersey and and other states such as
Connecticut Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
The most available and cheap way to kill mold without buying a bunch of chemical cleaners is simply white vinegar. This method is pretty simple to use and it does not take a lot of effort to prepare it. Vinegar kills somewhere around 80 percent of the different kinds of mold that will grow in your home and even better, if you spill white vinegar onto your carpet or furniture, there is no risk that it will discolor it. It should kill almost any kind of mold you come across in your home or business and if it does not, you probably have a more serious contamination that you should not be trying to deal with on your own, anyway. The only thing that you will need for this is a spray bottle and a funnel. Pour a sufficient amount of vinegar into the spray bottle and spray it where you find it necessary. The only drawback to this method is that it will be smelly in your house for a few hours. It will go away before the day is over.
Tea tree oil can also kill mold, but it is a bit more expensive than vinegar. You should be able to find it at most health food stores and it will kill a few more kinds of mold than vinegar will. All you have to do with this one is take two teaspoons of tea tree oil and combine it with 2 cups of water. Pour into a spray bottle and spray where you need to. Do not rinse. The shelf life on this mixture is indefinite.
The last say is almost identical to the tea tree oil method. Take about 20 drops of grapefruit seed extract and combine it with 2 cups of water. Put it into a spray bottle and spray where you need to. The good thing about this method is that there is no smell.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration New Jersey and and other states such as
Connecticut Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Mold in the Ancient World
If you live in an apartment or a home that has been found to be contaminated by mold due to no fault of yours, then you might have a good reason to speak with your landlord about the problem. Some landlords are quick to remedy the problem, but some are not and either try to blame the mold problem on you or they try to say that the mold poses no threat to your health or the health of your family and pets. No matter what they say, if you want to get any benefits from them, you will have to dispute anything that says mold is not a threat to you or that it is your fault. Agree that it is no threat or that it is your fault will get you absolutely nothing.
If you have to, you can even quote the Holy Bible on the fact that mold was considered to be a threat to the health of people and their animals in ancient times. It was common practice to visit a rabbi if you believed that your home was contaminated by mold and if it was found to be so by the priest, then everything in your home was removed and thrown into an “unclean place” far from where any people lived so they would not suffer from the contamination. The house was shut up for 7 days, says the scripture, and after that period of time had passed, the rabbi returned and re-examined the house. If it was still found to be diseased, the entire house was torn down and all building materials were taken also to that same “unclean place”. If you had any clothing that you thought might be infected, you were to take it to the rabbi, as well. If he deemed them unfit, then they were to be thrown to that unclean place, also.
It is also thought that the last plague of Egypt could be attributed to mold-contaminated food that had been stored underground to save it from the plague of locusts. The oldest Egyptian children of that time were given two portions of their meals and would have likely consumed enough of the molded food for it to make them sick at the very least. Jewish children were not afforded this and nor did they consume the same foods that the Egyptians did.
Be careful what you agree to when speaking with your insurance claims adjuster. Even if you are not Christian or Jewish, you can still quote these scriptures as evidence of mold being seen as a “disease” in times long past.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodchicago.info
http://www.damagewatersc.info
If you have to, you can even quote the Holy Bible on the fact that mold was considered to be a threat to the health of people and their animals in ancient times. It was common practice to visit a rabbi if you believed that your home was contaminated by mold and if it was found to be so by the priest, then everything in your home was removed and thrown into an “unclean place” far from where any people lived so they would not suffer from the contamination. The house was shut up for 7 days, says the scripture, and after that period of time had passed, the rabbi returned and re-examined the house. If it was still found to be diseased, the entire house was torn down and all building materials were taken also to that same “unclean place”. If you had any clothing that you thought might be infected, you were to take it to the rabbi, as well. If he deemed them unfit, then they were to be thrown to that unclean place, also.
It is also thought that the last plague of Egypt could be attributed to mold-contaminated food that had been stored underground to save it from the plague of locusts. The oldest Egyptian children of that time were given two portions of their meals and would have likely consumed enough of the molded food for it to make them sick at the very least. Jewish children were not afforded this and nor did they consume the same foods that the Egyptians did.
Be careful what you agree to when speaking with your insurance claims adjuster. Even if you are not Christian or Jewish, you can still quote these scriptures as evidence of mold being seen as a “disease” in times long past.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodchicago.info
http://www.damagewatersc.info
Mold and Food: What to Throw Away
Food in our refrigerators becoming contaminated with mold is just a simple fact of life. It is fairly inevitable, no matter how clean you try to keep your refrigerator, but which foods do you throw away?
It grows on everything that we eat and a few things that we do not, but when we find it in our refrigerators, we often end up arguing with ourselves over whether or not it will still be safe to eat if we remove the molded portions. The fact is that most foods, when they become contaminated with mold, cannot be saved. It can be a jar of our favorite jam or the sour cream you love to put on top of tacos, but if it gets mold on it, you might as well just toss it. Go buy another container and save yourself the trouble of a doctor visit later.
The reason that you need to throw most items away is that foods that have a high amount of moisture in them such as sour cream, cottage cheese, jellies, and jams, will become contaminated all the way through them because they are soft foods. The mold can easily get to the rest of the container, unlike in more dense items like blocks of cheese or in dense meats like hard salami. If mold gets onto these more dense items, you can generally cut out the moldy parts and just throw them away. As long as you cut one inch around and underneath the molded part of the food and throw it in the garbage, the rest of the item should be fine to eat.
When you bring home fruits and vegetables, make sure that they are clean and have no bad spots on them. If they do, make sure and cut them off before storing them in your refrigerator. Some fruits and vegetables will be fine when stored in plastic, but the use of re-sealable plastic bags is recommended over simple plastic wrap. Throw away any fruit or vegetables that have become contaminated, since this will cause other items nearby to become contaminated, as well.
Anything that has been baked such as cakes or breads should be thrown away if you find mold growing on them. These foods are porous and the mold is likely to have contaminated the majority of it.
Lunch meats should also be thrown away if they are found to be contaminated. These have a high moisture content and cannot be saved.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
South Carolina Water Damage Restoration and and other states such as
Chicago Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
It grows on everything that we eat and a few things that we do not, but when we find it in our refrigerators, we often end up arguing with ourselves over whether or not it will still be safe to eat if we remove the molded portions. The fact is that most foods, when they become contaminated with mold, cannot be saved. It can be a jar of our favorite jam or the sour cream you love to put on top of tacos, but if it gets mold on it, you might as well just toss it. Go buy another container and save yourself the trouble of a doctor visit later.
The reason that you need to throw most items away is that foods that have a high amount of moisture in them such as sour cream, cottage cheese, jellies, and jams, will become contaminated all the way through them because they are soft foods. The mold can easily get to the rest of the container, unlike in more dense items like blocks of cheese or in dense meats like hard salami. If mold gets onto these more dense items, you can generally cut out the moldy parts and just throw them away. As long as you cut one inch around and underneath the molded part of the food and throw it in the garbage, the rest of the item should be fine to eat.
When you bring home fruits and vegetables, make sure that they are clean and have no bad spots on them. If they do, make sure and cut them off before storing them in your refrigerator. Some fruits and vegetables will be fine when stored in plastic, but the use of re-sealable plastic bags is recommended over simple plastic wrap. Throw away any fruit or vegetables that have become contaminated, since this will cause other items nearby to become contaminated, as well.
Anything that has been baked such as cakes or breads should be thrown away if you find mold growing on them. These foods are porous and the mold is likely to have contaminated the majority of it.
Lunch meats should also be thrown away if they are found to be contaminated. These have a high moisture content and cannot be saved.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
South Carolina Water Damage Restoration and and other states such as
Chicago Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Household Water Damage Prevention Tips
Water damage is something that no homeowner wants to have to deal with, but many times it is just a fact of life. Whether it is a flood, excessive rain, or even something as devastating as a hurricane, sometimes water damage cannot be helped, but what about the water damage that occurs to our homes that are simply accidents? Or something that we have just overlooked for far too long? There are quite a few things that you can to in order to keep water damage from impacting your pocketbook, but for them to have any affect, you have to remain vigilant.
Cleaning out your rain gutters as soon as the leaves stop falling in autumn is a pretty good idea. What your rain gutters do is keep the rain that falls on your roof from simply falling to the base of your home and settling there. Allowing water to settle around the base of your home will eventually cause it to sink into the ground, doing damage not only to the structure of the house, but also to the home’s value, as well. Another way to prevent this kind of slowly occurring damage is to make sure that the soil around the foundation of your home is piled up against the house at an angle so water drains away from the foundation naturally. Keep downspouts clear of leaves and sticks, as well, and make sure that the bottom of the downspout has gully that drains the water coming out of it away from the home.
Making sure the plumbing that leads to your dishwasher or to your clothes washer is of good condition. You should not have to replace these hoses very often, maybe around every 4 to 5 years, but hoses of poor quality can rupture and leave you with a huge mess, especially if you happen to be out of the home at the time it bursts. Clean up any spills as quickly as possible, but if the floor in your kitchen is hardwood, the best thing to do is just soak up whatever water you can with towels. If you have a vacuum used to draw water up, such as a carpet shampooer, you can use this to get some more of the water out. Do not use artificial heat to dry your floor, because this can cause the floor to buckle or cause what is called “cupping”.
Something else that you can do is install a vent in your bathroom and kitchen. This allows the steam that builds up from cooking or bathing to escape the house and not be absorbed by your walls and ceiling.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.localrestoration.com and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
Cleaning out your rain gutters as soon as the leaves stop falling in autumn is a pretty good idea. What your rain gutters do is keep the rain that falls on your roof from simply falling to the base of your home and settling there. Allowing water to settle around the base of your home will eventually cause it to sink into the ground, doing damage not only to the structure of the house, but also to the home’s value, as well. Another way to prevent this kind of slowly occurring damage is to make sure that the soil around the foundation of your home is piled up against the house at an angle so water drains away from the foundation naturally. Keep downspouts clear of leaves and sticks, as well, and make sure that the bottom of the downspout has gully that drains the water coming out of it away from the home.
Making sure the plumbing that leads to your dishwasher or to your clothes washer is of good condition. You should not have to replace these hoses very often, maybe around every 4 to 5 years, but hoses of poor quality can rupture and leave you with a huge mess, especially if you happen to be out of the home at the time it bursts. Clean up any spills as quickly as possible, but if the floor in your kitchen is hardwood, the best thing to do is just soak up whatever water you can with towels. If you have a vacuum used to draw water up, such as a carpet shampooer, you can use this to get some more of the water out. Do not use artificial heat to dry your floor, because this can cause the floor to buckle or cause what is called “cupping”.
Something else that you can do is install a vent in your bathroom and kitchen. This allows the steam that builds up from cooking or bathing to escape the house and not be absorbed by your walls and ceiling.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.localrestoration.com and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
Dealing With Landlords and Insurance Companies About Mold
Whether you rent an apartment or own your own home, mold can be a huge problem to have to deal with. Insurance claims adjusters will usually deny your claim simply because the vast majority of homeowner’s insurance policies simply do not cover the cost to remove mold from the home. Landlords presented with a mold problem in one of their units or in the home that they are renting out are sometimes quick to blame the problem on the tenant rather than admit that the problem is structural or was there before the tenant moved in.
There are a few insurance adjusters that will try to trick you into saying that mold has been around for millennia and that it is not the health threat that people are saying that it is or that the mold contamination in the home is somehow your own fault. If the infestation is obviously not your fault, do not say anything that suggests that it might be. If he/she claims that mold is not a problem like people say, point at the Bible. The scriptures in Leviticus 14:39-49 clearly tell how dangerous mold was considered to be in the time of ancient Judaism and tell how the homes were considered to be “diseased” or “plagued” by mold. It also tells just how these contaminated homes and belongings were dealt with. The rabbi inspected these buildings and determined what was to happen to them and the basic procedure was to remove all belongings from the home and take them far away from the village and people, to shut up the house for a week, and to examine the home again. If it was still not free of contamination, it was torn down and a new one built.
Landlords should be told the same thing if they tell you that mold is not a health threat. You need to provide the landlord proof that there is a problem via mold testing. The burden of proof is on you, not them. Test the home yourself and send a copy of the test results to the landlord via certified mail. If he/she does not respond, send another letter saying you are withholding your rent until the problem is fixed. Lastly, if that was ignored, send yet another letter via certified mail stating that you are re-locating and seeking legal action.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
There are a few insurance adjusters that will try to trick you into saying that mold has been around for millennia and that it is not the health threat that people are saying that it is or that the mold contamination in the home is somehow your own fault. If the infestation is obviously not your fault, do not say anything that suggests that it might be. If he/she claims that mold is not a problem like people say, point at the Bible. The scriptures in Leviticus 14:39-49 clearly tell how dangerous mold was considered to be in the time of ancient Judaism and tell how the homes were considered to be “diseased” or “plagued” by mold. It also tells just how these contaminated homes and belongings were dealt with. The rabbi inspected these buildings and determined what was to happen to them and the basic procedure was to remove all belongings from the home and take them far away from the village and people, to shut up the house for a week, and to examine the home again. If it was still not free of contamination, it was torn down and a new one built.
Landlords should be told the same thing if they tell you that mold is not a health threat. You need to provide the landlord proof that there is a problem via mold testing. The burden of proof is on you, not them. Test the home yourself and send a copy of the test results to the landlord via certified mail. If he/she does not respond, send another letter saying you are withholding your rent until the problem is fixed. Lastly, if that was ignored, send yet another letter via certified mail stating that you are re-locating and seeking legal action.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
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