The basement nightmare continues

I picked up some Mold*Off from work and took it home. I have used it before so I knew exactly what to expect. I sprayed all the mouldy areas with it and let it sit until the next night. Most of the staining had disappeared. From a generation of working hard, I’m not used to cleaners doing the work for me. If I don’t scrub I feel like I’ve cheated somehow. So I picked up a scrub brush, applied another coat and scrubbed away until I felt satisfied with my progress. I knew I was wasting my energy. The product does the work for me and I was not “helping” by scrubbing.

Then I got to work cleaning up the dirt on the cement blocks. This was time consuming and boring. Vacuum, wipe, scrub. Next area. Vacuum, wipe, scrub. Next area. Vacuum, wipe, scrub. My arms were on fire by the time I was done. I really shouldn’t have wasted my energy scrubbing the mould off the walls. What was I thinking?

What I learned: Don’t waste your energy scrubbing if you don’t have to. Trust that the product knows what its doing and follow the directions properly.

Progress! Wall half way complete.
There are holes in the walls
from the old framing.

Now my walls are clean and the mould is gone. Wow! My basement smells better. Hmmm… I’d like to keep it that way. So off to Canadian Tire I went to get a dehumidifier. It is easily the best investment I have made. At first the dehumidifier was pulling 50 pints of water every 20 hours. Three weeks later it is pulling 50 pints in 30 hours. I’m happy with that. Obviously there was too much humidity in the air and it needed to be addressed. Knowing that now, I will always make sure I have a dehumidifier running in my basement so I hopefully never have to worry about mould again.

I was happy to leave the basement completely unfinished. The air flow was wonderful. I asked my younger brother to come in and take a look at my progress. He informed me that it is code to have the walls insulated and it will help with keeping energy in. Of course, what I hear is “Finish your basement”. Ugh… just when I thought I was done.

My husband and I sat down to draw out the floor plan. Then we called in the plumber, electrician, and bought all of our supplies. I started to finish the walls with insulation and framing.

Replacing old drains. Where did my floor go?

As we started to have our plumbing run for a new bathroom, the plumber found a problem. The drains were original to the house and made of clay. Overtime they had disintegrated and were leaking water into our foundation. Oh my goodness. It’s a good thing we found it right away so that we don’t have a problem in the future with having to replace more than just our drains. 

To date we have found three causes for our mould issue:

1. Framing wood directly against cement
2. Too much humidity in the air
3. Drains leaking under the ground.

 Phase three is under way I'll post progress soon.

A personal story on mould remediation

Three years ago my husband and I bought a cute little 1950’s house in Hamilton. From the home inspection I knew there were some issues I was going to have to deal with – mainly the electrical in the finished basement. This didn’t detour us from making the purchase. Having a family in construction, I knew I was in good hands.

The electrician visited us within the first few months and said we just needed to pull down the ceiling so he could see all of the wiring and make all necessary fixes. We decided this would be a great project to start in the spring.

We went through our first full year with things as they were. The first few months were fantastic. No issues. Suddenly we started to smell a funny odour in the basement. It smelled old and musty like my grandparents basement when I was growing up. I didn’t think too much about it. Then our drains started to smell. “Well that’s not normal”, we thought. Our basement carpet started to smell and the musty odour never left even when the air was dry. “What is going on?”

The bottom of one of my walls

On day in late summer we had a small flood in our basement. The restoration company came in and pulled up the baseboards and carpet to slide fans under and dry up the water. At that point we found a small amount of mould along one block wall support post. The wood was right against the cement and then paneling put right on top of that. With my knowledge of mould, I knew this was bad news. Wood should never touch cement as cement pulls water through and will go into the wood. The wood was rotted and I could see black spots all the way up the wall. I instantly panicked and called my father.

Let’s take a step back. Mouldoff is a family company. MY family. My brother and his best friend are the owners. My father is the General Manager, a Certified Indoor Environmentalist, and the founder of Mouldoff. My younger brother is one of the carpenter’s. I have grown up in the construction world. Since I was very small my father has run his own successful and trusted restoration company and has been educating and certifying himself in different building, disaster restoration and environmental fields. So I should know better than to panic right? Wrong. Regardless of what you know, when it happens to you, naturally you panic.

The outcome of my father’s visit was simple. Yes its mould and yes it needs to be dealt with. So we made plans to renovate.

I invited a friend over to pull down some walls. It’s just paneling so it should be easy. We popped off a few panels, pulled down the insulation, and took off the ceiling. And there it was – black spots everywhere. We decided to call it a day and have the professionals come in.

The next morning I talked to my brother and asked him for some help. Of course, without hesitation, in went the crew to investigate my situation. Knowing that I was going to demolish the space anyway, they pulled down the rest of the walls and swab tested the black spots. To my relief most of it was just dirt and not mould. Only a few spots of mould in small enough areas that I could handle it myself. Thank goodness.

I got to work cleaning and remediating following the plan left for me. Thankfully I already had all of the personal protective equipment I needed as I sometimes tag along on inspections and remediation projects to see what happens.

What I learned: Mould inspections are important. No matter how much you think you know about mould, there is always more to learn. Not all black spots are mould and you can save a lot of money by spending the money and time to have a proper mould inspection.

More to come as my project continues

Lisa Carter

Mouldoff.com

Water damage and mold

Water damage can come from many different sources. Flooding, burst pipes, roof leaks, high humidity are just a few of them. Regardless of how the damage occurred, water damage can cause significant devastation in your household or workplace. Immediate attention is necessary to control mold growth.

Mold needs three things to grow, Water, Heat and a Food source. Because we are surrounded by food sources for mold and mold loves the temperatures we enjoy we must control the moisture in our homes or workplaces.

The most important action in any water damage situation is speed.

There are many factors to be concerned about when you have water damage in your building including the source of water, what it has come in contact with, if there are any contaminants in the water, housing finishes, materials (building or contents) affected, hidden moisture, high humidity, and so on. It may be a great time to seek professional help. Mouldoff professionals are trained to seek out the cause of the water damage and help assess the level of damage and develop a restoration plan to dry the building structure out to protect against mould growth. 

General guidelines used for cleaning up water damage:

• Wear personal protective equipment: eye protection, gloves, boots, and appropriate respiratory protection where necessary.
• Locate the source of the water leak and take corrective measures as necessary.
• Remove any excess water.
• Use controlled conditions that prevent spreading of any contaminants to other areas of the building.
• Dry wet materials when possible.
• Strip out and dispose of unsalvageable contents and building materials.

 

Water Damage Certifications:

IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification)

·   ASD - Applied Structural Drying Technician

·   CDS - Commercial Drying Specialist

·   WRT - Water Damage Restoration Technician

·   MWR - Master Water Restorer

RIA (Restoration Industry Association)

·   WLS - Water Loss Specialist

NAMM (National Association for Moisture Management)

·   CEMP - Certified Environmental Mold Remediator

·   CMMP - Certified Moisture Management Professional

ACAC (The American Council for Accredited Certification)

·   CIE – Certified Indoor Environmentalist

Mould and Real Estate

In the last few months Mouldoff has seen an increase in real estate related calls about mould. Often a seller needs to correct a problem that the buyer's home inspector has found. It's an interesting trend.

Buyers and sellers are becoming more educated on mould and its effects on building structures. Often issues are small and easily corrected. However, sellers are picky about what they walk into - and understandably so as purchasing a home is a large investment. Buyers do not want mould remediated incorrectly.Consumers know that there is a right way and a wrong way of doing everything.

Real estate agents are aware of consumer's knowledge and have become proactive when dealing with mould issues found in a home. Mould does not have to hurt the sale of a home. With an expert consultation peace of mind is given to the buyer and the sale continues to move forward.

For all our buyers and sellers out there during this buying season, kudos to you for educating yourself and protecting your investment. To all the real estate agents, fantastic work on caring for your clients.

Mouldoff works with real estate agents and consumers. If you need some help with your home before or during a sale, please contact our office to see how we can help. 905-549-8144. Our web site is full of information too. Visit us online at www.mouldoff.com

Mould Services Offered

Mould Inspections

A mould inspection is carried out when occupants detect mould. All of our mould inspections are carried out by our friendly experts who will gladly answer any questions during their examination of your premises. They are professionally trained to locate, identify and remediate all types of mould - visible and invisible.


Mould Removal

Mould remediation is a designed process to safely remove mould growth from our living spaces. Health and safety for the building occupants and remediation workers is priority one. It is important to use proper work practices and isolation techniques to protect the occupants and workers, but also to prevent spreading of spores to unaffected areas.


Indoor Air Quality Monitoring
Six key air quality factors, recognized as critical by Canada's Healthy Indoors Partnership (HIP), are analyzed and compared to acceptable levels. The third party analysis ensures a comprehensive and authoritative report that is measured by government standards. Your certified technician will explain the report and recommendations and create a plan of action if one is needed.


Mould Products

For the do-it-yourselfer, Mouldoff provides an eco-friendly mold and mildew cleaner. Use it in your home, you cottage, in your car, on your boat, or outside. This unique product has been tested world wide in many different and difficult environments with excellent results. MOLD*OFF is made with the highest grade of ingredients and has excelled where many other products have failed.


Other Services

Mouldoff offers a variety of services for everyone. Although inspections and remediation are the most common, Mouldoff can find a solution for you. Whether you have allergies and need your dwelling tested, or had a flood and need assistance, we can help.

Mould Glossary - Relevant to mould inspections, testing, and remediation

Allergen - A substance inducing an allergic reaction (e.g.: mould, pollen, dust, grasses).

Antigen - Fungi, bacteria, or other toxins that induce an immune reaction

Antimicrobial - A method or product that discourages or inhibits the growth of microorganisms

CMHC - Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Colony - Individual fungi growing collectively

Containment - Technique used to prevent the spread of mould from a contaminated area to other areas.

Contaminant - A substance present in an environment where it does not belong that can have adverse effects.

Cross-contamination - The spread of contaminates from the affected area to (formerly) unaffected areas.

Decontamination - Disinfection of contaminated areas, materials, or other items to make them suitable for use.

Dehumidification - A process that decreases the moisture content in the air.

Disinfectant - A method or chemical used on objects to destroy unwanted microorganisms.

EPA - Environmental Protection Agency

Fungus – An organism that live by decaying and absorbing the organic material in which they grow.

Hazardous materials - A class of materials that can be harmful to one’s health.

HEPA - High Efficiency Particulate Air filter can remove 99.97% of aerosolized particles to 0.3 microns in size.

Humidity - Dampness and/or moisture in the air

HVAC - Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning

IAQ - Indoor air quality

IAQA - Indoor Air Quality Association

IICRC - Institute of Inspection, Cleaning & Restoration Certification

Incubation - Cultivation of microorganisms in surroundings favourable to their growth.

Microbial volatile organic compound (MVOC) - Odours formed by active bacteria or fungi (“musty” or “mouldy”).

Microbiologist - A scientist who studies biology and microorganisms and their effects on other living organisms

Micron - A micron is a unit of length equal to one millionth of a meter commonly used in particle measurement.

Mildew - Mildew is a fungus that produces an external growth on organic matter found on various decaying substances.

Mould - A growth produced especially on damp or decaying organic matter or on living organisms by a fungus.

Mycotoxin - A toxin produced by fungus.

Negative pressure - To lessen the air pressure in a space to that of the surrounding areas

Off-gassing - Release of airborne particles or vapours

Organism - An individual plant or life form

Positive pressure - To create air pressure within a space that is greater than that of the surrounding areas

Relative humidity - The amount of moisture held in the air relative to the temperature.

Remediation - The process of removing a problem such as mould infestation

Respirator - A mask-like device, worn over the mouth, or nose and mouth, to protect the respiratory tract

Sampling - The process of collecting materials (such as mould spores) OMIT for analyses

Scope of work - A remediation work plan outlining steps to be taken

Spore - A small reproductive particle that is capable of growing into a new organism (like a seed).

Swab test - The process of removing a small portion of surface material for analysis.

Toxin - A poisonous (toxic) substance.

WHO - World Health Organization

For more information visit us at www.mouldoff.com