You forgot lead paint, and radon.
I agree with you about the hysteria thing. But you can't just paint over the mold -- for one thing, the paint won't stick. You need to remove as much mold as is reasonable, dry everything out (which might mean opening up the walls and tearing out old insulation and drywall), and seal the remaining mold with shellac or kilz, or paint with mildewcide in it.
*Then* keep quiet about it.Bob
This sounds like a sensible proposition. Once dry there is no reason for the mold to grow back. I think they recommend washing the framing with peroxide letting it dry out then paint it.
You need to hire two or three separate independent contractors:
Virtually all contractors that do cleanup and other parts (like 1 and 2) are not ethical.
Not if the mold problem is part of the clean up due to the water damage. While away for a few days I had a toilet failure that resulted in it overflowing and causing considerable damage. Insurance paid (even recommended a company) for the tearing down of all the damaged walls, ceilings and mold removal and associated spraying etc. for future mold growth. They were in my house for about a week. The biggest lesson I learned out of my event was that the first thing one should do is call in a public adjuster. You pay them a fee, 10% I think, but they deal with the insurance co. and in the end will get you back much more than their fee. Also, they fight on your behalf to get the insurance company to pay up. I had to lock horns a few times with my insurance company. MLD
There can be a long and apparently a legitimate debate over whether mold presents a significant risk. However, I don't think we need to step into that debate here. Whether or not the OP or others will experience health risks frfrom the state of the house after a DIY cleanup is debatable; what I think is *not* in question is that, currently, having a mold issue in a house will likely have an effect on the value of the house. Maybe this should be true and maybe it shouldn't, but it does *currently* seem to be true. Perhaps this will change in the future, but we don't know that right now. Given that, in order to mitigate *financial* loss and risk, I would have the problem remediated professionally, even if I felt that it was a bit of a ripoff. I know this is not the ideal state of affairs, but it would be my way of trying to deal the situation in a dispassionate way that best serves my own interests. As someone suggested, one could cover up the problem and not disclose its existence, but that seems risky to me.
I appreciate all the "spirited" responses to my post. Here is an update.
I called the insurance company and,while making sure to go on record that there may not be a claim,they sent an adjuster. He looked over the situation and did not see all that much mold (I'm not trained,and I can see it) but did note a lot of physical damage from the flooding. What surprised me was his asking for the phone number so he could contact the guy who wanted 23 grand for the cleanup. I'd like to have heard that discussion.
I also found a local company that does environmental testing and is experienced with mold. They would test and outline the scope of the problem. They could also supply a list of companies that do this kind of cleanup if I wish. It would cost a few hundred for them to show up and up to five or six hundred total depending on the amount of testing they have to send to the lab. I would not call them in unless the insurance company wants no part of the deal. Should the insurance company say there is a claim,I might try to get them to foot the bill for this kind of testing.
I guess what I will do now is what to hear from my insuror. I will keep the group posted as I could see the amount of interest and varying opinion on this case.
I guess
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