black mold in house

[Kim]

Nothing even close to the above link but in the past I just wash down the walls with bleach but I'm not sure anymore after watching last nights TV show where they had to tear down the kitchen to rid of it. From now on I'm going to remove some of the sheetrock see if its growing from the inside as well and tear everything out until there are no visible sign of it. Is this a new age paranoia/problem as my parents never had this problem with their houses during the 40s, 50s or 60s?

[Joseph Meehan]

Don't overdo it. Most molds, including most black molds are not dangerous. (note some are). This think has gotten out of hand. There was mold in the homes of the 40's - 60's. Just like now almost all of it was harmless, or nearly so. Just like now some of it was harmful and a few people had problems.

The trick is to find out what a REASONABLE response is.

[Gideon]

Kim,

How about sending a few samples to a testing lab and having your particular molds analyzed? The money you spend on testing will tell you which types of molds you have and this information will tell you how aggressively you need to attack the mold. This could save you a lot of effort if you don't need to attack a life-threatening mold situation. Or it will alert you if you do have a serious problem and you need to start tearing your house apart.

Even if the mold is not life-threatening, you still want to do a moderately decent job of getting rid of it. Some family members can become sensitized through long-term exposure to allergens. And you don't want guests at your home going into a asthma attack while visiting you.

Good luck, Gideon

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Nothing even close to the above link but in the past I just wash down the walls with bleach but I'm not sure anymore after watching last nights TV show where they had to tear down the kitchen to rid of it. From now on I'm going to remove some of the sheetrock see if its growing from the inside as well and tear everything out until there are no visible sign of it. Is this a new age paranoia/problem as my parents never had this problem with their houses during the 40s, 50s or 60s?

[HVAC fella]

There are Mold Testing Kits available at Home DePot .

If you are having breathing problems and its due to the mold, then, in addition to getting rid of as much mold as you can find...get a furnace mounted UV Light . It goes in the supply air ductwork directly above the A/C's cooling coil -- kills mold as the air circulates by it. Used in hospitals for ages with great success. Now available for residences.

[xrongor]

that show, and that show where they rob your house, are designed to instill fear and cause consumption. they should be labeled as infomercials.

randy

[Gideon]

Thanks - great advice. Any chance you can toss out a ballpark cost for having the UV light included at the time that a new furnace and AC are installed?

Gideon