Buying an older home with attic mold?

[stretch]

m Ransley,

I just went to a class on mold remediation a couple of weeks ago. The bleach thing was a question that I asked. The instructor recommended against using it, because people sensitised to mold don't need any other chemicals in the air among other things. The instructor had a lot of letters after his name, he was a Certified Indoor Environmentalist, among other things. The web site for his company is

I usually don't just blow smoke, I have some basis for what I say. I am passing on information here that I just got a couple of weeks ago. In fact he will be sending me more information through our association shortly. Our association is the South Carolina Association of Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors (SCAHACC) and they sponsored the class.

Stretch

[m Ransley]

I will stay with bleach regardles, sure it is a bad chemical but with air movement through it doesnt last, mold spores do. once you kill it thats it if you fix what caused it.

[William W. Plummer]

The whole area of "mold" as being something to worry about has been created by the legal profession which really needs something new to sue for. They are using scare tactics and are trying to get legislation passed against a situation which is completely natural. And of course there a whole service industry has appeared to service the perceived need to "de-mold" a house and it's not a cheap operation.

You can never get rid of all mold. It is in the air, on the walls, all around the cleanest of houses. To worry about it makes as much sense as worrying about "dirt".

You might get your family tested to see if anybody is abnormally sensitive to molds. Many persons, swayed by current hype, _think_ they are. Scientific tests will tell the truth.

As for "Certified" personnel, ask, "Certified by whom?". Check with your state Division of Registration. This office licenses those professions that need it -- doctors, dentists, building contractors, embalmers, ... Outside of this, anybody can "certify" anybody else. But it _consider the source_!

[trader4]

Personally, I would have the mold tested to verify that it is not one of the toxic varities, eg stachy botris. If it's not toxic, then I'd buy the place, otherwise, I would walk. There are plenty of other houses one can find.

[DOUGLAS]

AH! You've included the magic words: HIS Company

Of course, he's going to find reasons why do-it-yourself remedies won't work.

I don't care how many letters he has after his name. He has a vested interest and is hardly a neutral authority.

As another poster mentioned, bleach doesn't stay in the air long enough to cause anyone long term allergies. Heck, if it did, we better damn well stop using it in schools, offices, hospitals and homes everywhere

Doug

[Goedjn]

(1) Bleach is a on-time deal, mold keeps right on giving.

(2) In an uninhabitted attic, any airborne chemicals should be headed out the vents, not into the living space, anyway.

[The Real Tom]

I've seen all the replies(helping to asses and clean up the problem), and wonder somethings. If you have places where you KNOW there is mold, what about the places you don't KNOW? I mean the walls the floor spaces, etc...

Rumor has it, there are other houses for sale. I would move on to them.

later,

tom

[stretch]

Sorry,

HIS company does training only, not mold remediation. He makes no less money if someone does it himself, (mold remediation). His company trains people to do mold remediation and asbestos abatement acording to industry standards and government regulations. He also trains on Lawyer avoidance. This is not a bad thing. I went to the class because as an A/C contractor, mold problems can affect me. We do not do mold remediation, but I wanted to know if somebody may be blowing smoke in my face. I do not have a ax to grind on this, I just thought you would like to know. I figured that was why you were here. My mistake.

Stretch

[Gerald Nunn]

If your looking for a newer standard house then yes, there is a lot of choice. If your looking for an older house with a lot of character then the choices become limited, hence my dilemma.

Anyways, I went ahead and bought the house after the mold was cleaned up and the attic re-inspected. The inspector stated that it was a very minor mold issue and that the renovations that were done should be sufficient to prevent recurrence of it. Thanks to everyone who responded for their advice, I appreciate it.

Gerald

[Joshua Putnam]

FEMA says, use bleach:

CDC says, use bleach or soap and water, even for stachybotrys:

But then, CDC also says you don't usually need to bother testing what type of mold it is, either, and they don't recommend routine sampling for mold.

Of course, those are just the opinions of public health experts, uninformed by the latest in class-action hysteria and fear mongering. They'd probably eat apples treated with Alar, or even drive a Corsair.