Mould-Don’t Risk It – Case studies attached
Up until about 2 weeks ago at the time of writing the post I didn’t know a lot about mould, but after doing a mould cleaning course my eyes were opened. Below, I’m going to provide some info about mould and health problems it can cause, Case Studies on the protocols that were used to treat mould & photos and more. I can’t stress enough that it needs to be treated as hazardous material at all times.
Mould is everywhere! It has its own kingdom, the fungi kingdom.
It’s a natural part of life and its purpose is to break down organic material, which it does very well. It grows everywhere from the Arctic to the tropics.
40% of new builds in Australia suffer from poor ventilation (the air envelope in the design is too tight).
ALL ABOUT MOULD
The only way to stop mould from growing inside a building is to stop the source of the water event.
All mould needs to grow is dust and 55% humidity, and it will grow in 48 hours.
The spores of Mould are microscopic, 3 – 5 microns wide. 1 strand of hair is 70 microns – which makes them very very small.
1 square inch of visible mould is 65 million mould spores – and you wouldn’t necessarily smell it!
Facts about mould
- If you can smell the mould then it’s already in high concentrations.
- It’s an airborne spore and will spread throughout a building.
- All it takes is 1 mould spore to start a colony.
- Mould can also grow in us – our eyes, lungs, nose, and ears (yuck right?)
- Mould with ‘’fruiting’’ spores produce Mycotoxins which thrive in moist humid areas and are airborne.
- This means when there is a flood in the house or a leak in the roof that stays wet for 48 hours – it’s a perfect breeding ground for mould.
Mould Symptoms
If there’s visible mould in a building or a damp musty smell, chances are there’s significant mould growth present.
- Cold and flu symptoms
- Hay fever
- Bronchitis
- Asthma
- Pneumonia
- Eczema
- Red and inflamed eyes
- Lack of energy
- Brain fog
- And more…
If there’s visible mould in a building or a damp musty smell, chances are there’s significant mould growth present.
Anyone who just seems to be constantly unwell may be living with mould. It’s worth checking out.
24% of the population is missing the immune response genes (HLA-DR) which means when these people are in a mould environment they have a consistent inflammatory response which can impact on any system within the body.
Anyone whose immune system is compromised is vulnerable. This includes the very young and the very old. Children’s lungs don’t mature until they are 20 years old. There’s an online visual test that can be done for a small fee to see if you have a mould-related illness. It takes about 10 minutes. Go to: www.survivingmold.com and take the Visual Acuity Test.
Note: This does not replace seeing a qualified health professional.
These are the questions to ask yourself if you think you may have a mould issue affecting your health:
- Do I feel better when I’m out of my home/office?
- Do I sleep better?
- Do I breathe easier?
- Do I have ongoing coughs and colds that never seem to clear up?
- When I go on vacation do I feel better? Generally, we feel good when we’re on vacation but this goes beyond that…
- If any of the answers are yes, Mould may be the invisible problem.
Dealing with it:
Mould is like a tree, it has a root system, simply wiping or scrubbing it off will not kill it. If you have ever chopped down a tree and poured chemical on the stump but still grew back 6 months later, it is generally a good indicator it was not killed at the source, or the wrong product was used.
Mould under the right conditions can grow in 48 Hours as outlined, and can spread like cancer, and can cause major issues not just structurally, but in your health as you would have read in this post.
Mould is to be treated like a hazardous material and taken seriously; “she’ll be right” may not save you from potential lifelong health problems.
The first step is to have an assessment done on your home, to help identify the source, to come up with the best course of action.
We recommend hiring an experienced cleaner that has the training and equipment to successfully eradicate and kill the mould.
We DO NOT recommend attempting this yourself unless under supervision or have done basic training and understand what you’re dealing with.
Potential Causes:
Evaporative Air Conditioners can also be a big cause of mould, and this is where it can get into the carpet, clothes, on walls, windows, and cause a lot of damage.
Clothes Dryers can be another cause if mould, as it’s drawing moisture from your clothes and pumping it into your home.
No Exhaust Fans or incorrectly positioned. In bathrooms is another candidate for mould, as steam from the shower keeps everything wet and humid, all our cleans so far have been bathrooms. Exhaust fans ideally need to be placed over the cubicle and always use a good quality one that can draw a lot of air, and also vent it through to the exterior on the roof, not into the roof cavity. Also don’t open windows too far, allow the exhaust fan to do its job. We have seen bathrooms even with exhaust fans still have mould.
Unsealed surfaces, this is a surface that is porous in nature and has the ability to absorb moisture like a sponge some surfaces such asbestos that hasn’t been painted correctly will absorb moisture and become a breeding ground for mould. Another can be gyprock, if it hasn’t had an undercoat or primer it can absorb moisture in a matter of minutes. Limestone or sandstone tile is another, it can absorb like a sponge, if you have these tiles in your bathroom and have mould that it is most likely the major cause.
Leaking roof is another common cause of mould in ceilings, that can leak through to the interior.
Ideally before killing & removing the mould the cause really needs to be established and a plan to combat the problem.
Moisture under the house called damp rising which can come up through your walls or cause mould on the subflooring.
Essentially any area that stays moist for a long period of time will be a potential breeding ground for mould.
The photos you see below are unsealed and caused issues cleaning. These types of surfaces need painting, ideally with an undercoat (2 coats) mould paint ( paint with mould inhibiter 2 coats ) and make sure the surface has a good seal, as we believe what happens is moisture absorbs into the surface if its not sealed, which can lead to bigger problems later.
Products:
It is vitally important that the right products are used, any old product will not do, example bleach will not kill mould, in fact will make the problem worse, though it may visibly remove it off the surface.
The product we use to kill and remove mould all it is, is the right blend of essential oils, all-natural chemical-free product that kills the mould at the source and also cleans it from the surface, and leaves a fresh smell, no nasty-smelling chemicals.
Current Case study on our protocol.
“The results speak for themselves. 48 hours of diffusing and the wipe down. The spore was so intense longer time was given. Chetonium is a serious mould, to have any spore remaining isn’t ideal but to reduce it from 160,000 spores to 31 is fantastic. Testing done in the states showed that the process continued to reduce mould spore after 2 weeks of a treatment being done but we haven’t duplicated that here. However, Australian mould is proving to be very consistent with US mould (LOL) and I’m confident the mould has been treated thoroughly.”
Check out our website for a description of our mould cleaning & Remediation and get in touch for a free inspection:
Kingdom Kleaning – Mould Cleaning & Remediation Tamworth Gunnedah
NOTE: We do not recommend NSW Health’s treatment of mould as outlined on their website.
Get in Touch
Kingdom Kleaning, Gunnedah NSW
0466 434 540
Disclaimer: this information is general in nature, is not to be misused, and should always seek advice before attempting.
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