How do you ensure healthy indoor air if you suspect mold in your house?

Protecting your indoor air quality (IAQ) is very important to your health and stories abound in the newspaper about homes and homeowners plagued with the effects of mold after natural disasters or flooding. Recently, Norwalk Reflector published news about John Wade from Norwalk, Ohio who was originally going to be diagnosed with lupus, multiple sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease.[1] However, it turns out he has toxic black mold. He has been undiagnosed for four years. His disease is the result of work that he did on his own after his basement flooded. He pulled out the entire floorboard himself.  Although, indoor air quality isn’t often on people’s radar, your main takeaway from this article should be, if nothing else, don’t fight mold in your home yourself!

Using mold test kits is unreliable. Even if you’ve seen articles suggesting otherwise, Consumer Reports found that they are unreliable. MoldReport, formerly American Home Laboratories (AHL), with partnerships with top IAQ professionals, also advises homeowners to avoid mold test kits. Here are the 5 reasons they think that test kits waste your money.[2]

The best strategy in tackling mold if you suspect mold in your house is to contact a mold remediator. Mold poses a serious threat to homes and health and has to be handled properly. Mold remediators are specially trained to handle mold problems and have the right tools and equipment to remove the mold out of crawlspaces, basements, and wherever there is a moisture problem. Choose mold remediators who are certified. Make sure that they will inspect your home before they begin the work. Finally, ask if the remediator will be willing to come and redo any problem areas that show signs of mold within six months to a year. Mold remediators also have likely done their due diligence in choosing an insurance agent familiar with all aspects of the mold remediator industry.[3]

In order to find a mold inspector, one good place to start is on the MoldReport website.[4]

Familiarize yourself with your insurance policy. Mold damage presents an expensive threat to property owners, because flood damage is not typically covered under homeowners insurance, and neither is any resulting mold damage. Insurance companies view mold as a maintenance issue. The Insurance Information Institute recommends these tips to prevent mold from growing after a flood.[5]

Educating yourself about the impact of mold on your health and home is highly recommended. There are mold inspectors who write about their experiences that offer advice and tips on their websites or in published articles. “My House is Killing Me” and “The Mold Survival Guide” are excellent sources as well.[6]

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[1] http://www.norwalkreflector.com/article/3266826

[2] http://www.moldreport.com/home_mold_testing_kits.html

[3] http://www.randrmagonline.com/articles/potential-pitfalls-with-insurance-and-mold-claims

[4] http://www.moldreport.com/find_mold_inspector.html

[5] http://www.iii.org/assets/docs/pdf/mold.pdf

[6] http://www.mayindoorair.com/