Now that the evenings are getting cooler and the leaves are beginning their colourful fall display, many factors contributing to mold growth are on the rise. Along with the usual seasonal culprit – pollens – it can make autumn of special concern for anyone with allergies or asthma.

We’ve had a wet summer this year in Ontario, which means the ground has never been bone dry. Autumn rains will quickly moisten the earth and have the potential for saturation and even flooding. The leaves that fall from now until the end of the season will retain moisture and that means mold spores present in the outdoors and entering your home too with the air.

Now that the weather’s cooler, the windows are closed more often or even all the time and the furnace is on at least some of the time. That produces conditions which can raise humidity levels and promote mold growth.

Suggestions for Fall:

Mold in Your Home
Proper ventilation is of course important any time of the year, but it’s hard to monitor every possible source of moisture in your home. Even a pinhole leak in plumbing can create lingering moisture where mold flourishes behind a wall – and you won’t see a thing.

Worsening allergies and asthma (in the absence of other obvious triggers) can be a sign that mold is in your home. Here are some of the other signs and symptoms:

We Can Help
Get help from the experts at MoldInspections.ca. Please call us for a hassle-free quote today.

MoldInspections.ca is the trusted leader for mold-free homes and breathable indoor air spaces in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and beyond. Providing certified mold inspection, detection and testing since 2005, we service home owners, real-estate agents, landlords, property managers, insurance companies and businesses. Featured on CTV and Global news, official supplier to HGTV’s Income Properties with Scott McGillivray and Leave It To Bryan and recommended by local contractors, we regularly serve as expert witnesses in court proceeding relating to Mold and Indoor Air Quality issues. Do you have mold? Call us today for a free quote at (416) 575-6111.

Moldy mattresses?

Workers at the Halifax Infirmary discovered mold in mattresses recently and quickly removed those affected. Now, the Capital District Health Authority is saddled with the task of examining 1,000 more to see whether they’ve been affected too.

A spokesperson has stated that the mattresses are all sealed inside moisture and vapour-proof covers, meaning patients shouldn’t be exposed since the mold is sealed inside, however it leaves the question of how the moisture got into cause mold growth in the first place.

Mold Where You Don’t Expect It
It’s a bit of a bizarre case, but a timely reminder that mold can take hold in areas where you don’t expect. We might expect to find it in places like leaky basements and attics, in floors and walls, but it can infect any number of other materials too, including:

In fact, those types of materials – which can absorb water and remain damp for periods of time – often provide an ideal environment for mold growth.

Once it’s in your home, mold can appear anywhere. Mold spores take to the air and can spread throughout your home. Know the signs, including:

If you suspect the presence of mold in your home, you owe it to yourself and your health to be sure.  Get help from the experts at MoldInspections.ca. Please call us for a hassle-free quote today.

MoldInspections.ca is the trusted leader for mold-free homes and breathable indoor air spaces in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and beyond. Providing certified mold inspection, detection and testing since 2005, we service home owners, real-estate agents, landlords, property managers, insurance companies and businesses. Featured on CTV and recommended by contractors, we regularly serve as expert witnesses in court proceeding relating to Mold and Indoor Air Quality issues. Do you have mold? Call us today for a free quote at (416) 575-6111.

An unfortunate Woodbridge family has had to vacate their home due to unliveable conditions that include a serious mold infestation. They are living at a local hotel while they wait to hear whether  municipal officials will step in to help their situation as they wait for a knot of lawsuits to wind its way through the courts.

Sydney Walters lives at the home with his girlfriend and 13 year-old son, along with her sister and brother in-law. In 2004 when they bought the then 2-year old home for over $300,000, Sydney admits they were naïve rookies. They lived in the house for six years enduring suffocating heat in the summer and freezing cold in the winter.

Attic Insulation
The problem? There was little to no insulation in the attic, a fact they only discovered in 2011. The family had hired a series of contractors to try and get at the roots of the problem, but for whatever reason, the attic was only recently investigated.

He says they didn’t realize how high their utility bills were in comparison to anyone else’s. Most importantly, they didn’t hire an independent home inspector, reasoning that the home, being only 2 years old at the time, didn’t require it.

No Insulation = Moisture
In the winter, his roof has no snow on it – he turns up the heat and it passes right through the roof, melting the snow and causing leaks. In the summer, it’s uncomfortably hot even with the A/C on. The leaks and wild fluctuations in temperature have resulted in moisture build up and caused a significant mold infestation. He says his family doctor has told him the home is unsafe. In April 2011, the City ordered him to install the insulation to bring it up to code.

No one disputes the basic fact – but a number of parties are arguing who’s at fault, and it’s caused a cascade of legal actions. Mr. Walters is suing the city because an inspector in 2002 failed to catch the problem – in fact the report doesn’t say anything about the attic. So far, the city has responded only by saying their legal department is looking into the issue. He is also suing the builder. The city has subsequently sued the builder, and the builder is countersuing the city, along with suing the drywall subcontractor. The drywall subcontractor, in turn, has said that it hired yet another party to actually do the work.

Allegations in the lawsuits involve mention of health effects to the family, including asthma and serious allergies.

When it Comes to Your Home
The family’s nightmare underscores the importance of a thorough home inspection that includes a mold inspection and the kinds of issues like attic insulation which can lead to mold infestation. You don’t want to take chances or just keep your fingers crossed that your home is mold free.

Mold Inspections can help with Mold Detection Services. We can find the mold you can’t see with our cutting edge equipment and mold testing methods, combined with seasoned professionals who know how to get the job done right.

For Mold Testing and Detection Services in Toronto, Contact Moldinspections.ca

Please call us for a hassle-free quote today.

MoldInspections.ca is the trusted leader for mold-free homes and breathable indoor air spaces in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and beyond. Providing certified mold inspection, detection and testing since 2005, we service home owners, real-estate agents, landlords, property managers, insurance companies and businesses. Featured on CTV and recommended by contractors, we regularly serve as expert witnesses in court proceeding relating to Mold and Indoor Air Quality issues. Do you have mold? Call us today for a free quote at (416) 575-6111.

Air Purifiers and Mold in Your Home

There are various types of air purification systems out there designed for use in your home. They use a number of different types of technology and not all are created equal, as it turns out. You may be under the impression that mold spores are among the list of problems that they are touted to ameliorate, but in some cases, you’d actually be wrong.

Here’s a look at three of the most common types on the market.

Hepa Air Filters
Hepa Air Filtration systems were developed by the military during the Second World War for use in cleaning radioactive dust out of the air – so you can be sure they work well when designed and manufactured properly by a reputable manufacturer.

–          They’re 99.7% effective at removing particles from the air as tiny as 0.3 microns.
–          The technology captures the particles and they’re permanently removed from the air.
–          They remove mold spores along with many other allergens, including dust mites and pollens, and are popular with allergy sufferers as a result.
–          One caveat – the micro-organisms it collects can actually live and reproduce in the filter.
–          Air has to actually pass through the filter for it to work, so you have to consider the size of the room and placement of the filtration system.

Air Ionizers
Air Ionizing systems create negative ions that magnetically attract airborne particles. Basically what happens is that the particles collect and become too large to circulate in the air, so they drop to the ground or collect as dust on furniture and walls.

–          They can remove particles as small at 0.1 microns from circulation in your home.
–          They will circulate the air so that one unit can work through a larger space.
–          They may freshen the air while they’re in operation, but don’t do much about mold  – they don’t permanently collect or remove particles from the air and don’t kill mold or other fungi.

Activated Carbon Air Filters
Activated Carbon Air Filters are essentially a form of carbon (sometimes charcoal) that has been processed to be very porous. The pores are extremely absorbent, and will attract fumes, gases, smoke and odours.

–          They do not re-release collected materials back into the air, so they can be effective at “freshening” the air.
–          This type of system doesn’t do anything about mold spores or other micro-organisms.

While Hepa Filters do present a viable, if limited, solution for removing mold spores from the air in your home, it’s important to remember that they are at best a bandaid solution. If mold spores are an issue, then your only effective solution is to have your home tested for mold and then take remediation action if it’s found.

If you suspect mold in your home, do yourself a favour and call Mold Inspections for a quote today.

MoldInspections.ca is the trusted leader for mold-free homes and breathable indoor air spaces in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and beyond. Providing certified mold inspection, detection and testing since 2005, we service home owners, real-estate agents, landlords, property managers, insurance companies and businesses. Featured on CTV and recommended by contractors, we regularly serve as expert witnesses in court proceeding relating to Mold and Indoor Air Quality issues. Do you have mold? Call us today for a free quote at (416) 575-6111.

When it comes to mold inspection, it never pays to go halfway.

A few weeks ago, we discussed the danger of a non-invasive home inspection. Home owners worried about having their dwellings take too much damage opt for an inspection that doesn’t overturn every stone. As a result, problems like toxic mold are missed. They save money in the short term but, down the road, they pay more for major renovations.

In that case, the lazy, penny-pinching home owner is the problem. But sometimes the home inspection itself can be the problem.

You may take the responsible route and request a thorough home inspection. But does that mean you’ll get one? A growing problem in Toronto mold testing and various other inspections is that the people hired to do the work simply don’t do it right.

If your inspector isn’t properly educated or certified, he or she may not search in the right places for mold, such as under floor tiles or behind drywall. Bad inspectors may also take the lazy route, refusing to go the extra mile or put themselves in harm’s way by, say, inspecting roofing. Worse yet, certain inspectors will purposely leave some work to be done, swindling you so that your mold problem will return down the road. Remember, if you don’t undergo a complete mold removal and any traces are left, the spores will multiply and the mold will return.

The best way to avoid the potentially expensive problem of a poor inspection? Put the effort into your search for an inspector. Find a company with (a) lots of customer reviews and (b) primarily positive reviews. Make sure any company you hired is fully certified. A strong, public testimonial in the media for a business is always a good sign, too.

MoldInspections.ca is the trusted leader for mold-free homes and breathable indoor air spaces in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and beyond. Providing certified mold inspection, detection and testing since 2005, we service home owners, real-estate agents, landlords, property managers, insurance companies and businesses. Featured on CTV and recommended by contractors, we regularly serve as expert witnesses in court proceeding relating to Mold and Indoor Air Quality issues. Do you have mold? Call us today for a free quote at (416) 575-6111.

 

Major mold removal could be in store as an eventual consequence of recent flooding in Manitoba and Quebec.

In Manitoba, the government made the decision to intentionally breach a dike on the Assiniboine River and flood more than 150 properties for the greater good of protecting 800 other homes. Just south of Montreal, roughly 3,000 homes were flooded by the Richelieu River earlier this month.

Some of the damage caused by flooding is easy to see and predict. Rushing floodwaters can mix with sewage containing both human and animal waste, contaminating drinking water or food with potentially infectious viruses, bacteria and other micro-organisms. One common threat is E. coli, as the people of Walkerton, Ontario learned the hard way when seven people died and more than 7,000 became ill in the now-infamous 2001 crisis.

But threat many flood victims often overlook is mold, and the kind that can’t be stopped pre-emptively by a mold inspection. The water damage caused by flooding causes increased moisture which creates a breeding environment for mold, explains Denise Koh, Manitoba’s medical officer of health dealing with environmental health.

“People who are sensitive to mold may experience increased asthma symptoms or difficulty breathing,” she says. “They can have irritating symptoms such as a stuffy nose, irritated eyes, wheezing, skin irritation and mold infections in the lungs.”

If you’re a flood victim, you should strongly consider commissioning a mold inspection and removal company to assess the damages and see whether your home has developed mold or is at risk for mold.

If you’re fortunate enough to live in a region not currently affected by flooding, such as the Greater Toronto Area, you can still learn a valuable lesson reading about the problems in Quebec and Manitoba. The flood damage highlights what mold can do to the human body. It’s thus imperative for all buildings to undergo proper mold detection.

MoldInspections.ca is the trusted leader for mold-free homes and breathable indoor air spaces in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and beyond. Providing certified mold inspection, detection and testing since 2005, we service home owners, real-estate agents, landlords, property managers, insurance companies and businesses. Featured on CTV and recommended by contractors, we regularly serve as expert witnesses in court proceeding relating to Mold and Indoor Air Quality issues. Do you have mold? Call us today for a free quote at (416) 575-6111.