Mold growth in damaged homes a quiet threat

[Guest guest]

September 4, 2005

Mold growth in damaged homes a quiet threat

By Jahna son and Blair

Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20050904/FEAT05/509040395/1023

While you're furiously clearing away debris and cleaning up your

house, water is doing more damage than what you might be able to see

now or weeks from now.

Mold begins growing within 48 to 72 hours and failing to remove wet

items, flooring and walls quickly will exacerbate the problem, says

Ward, an independent consultant from Sarasota, Fla.

" The longer people wait, every day it gets more expensive, " Ward

says. " Quit waiting and save your homes. "

When sorting through damaged belongings, making hard decisions about

what to keep and what to salvage is part of the process. But to

prevent further damage, experts say acting quickly is critical.

" Get rid of anything that was wet, " says Vicky Conroy, whose husband

owns Expert Dry H2Out, a business in Pensacola, Fla., and Lillian,

Ala., that specializes in drying and cleaning homes and other

structures.

There are no shortcuts to fighting mold, so don't bother with a

squirt of bleach and a coat of paint, she says.

" If walls are wet, the recommendation is to cut out the Sheetrock

and remove the insulation, " Conroy says. " If you see black come

through those walls, you have mold. You cannot kill mold spores

using bleach. And insulation has to be taken out because it's not

going to dry. "

Many insurance policies do not cover mold, so it's important to

minimize potential mold growth by drying everything as quickly as

possible.

" There is not a house that got wet that is not going to have mold, "

Conroy says.

" If fixing the mold is part of repairing the house to pre-hurricane

condition it would be covered under the comprehensive policy, " says

Bob Lotane, spokesman for the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

Make sure to keep a file with documentation — pictures, estimates

from contractors, as much as you can — in case your insurance

company requires it.

Kimbrough, a mold expert at the University of Florida,

recommends running heat in the house for three or four hours, then

running the air conditioning at full blast for the same amount of

time. Repeat the cycle several times.

" It's going to get muggy as all get-out, " he says.

The heat will draw the moisture out of the walls, carpets and

furniture, then the air conditioning will remove that moisture.

Installing a dehumidifier that discharges outside the house, as

opposed to one with a pan underneath, is a worthwhile investment, he

says.

For treating walls and furniture, he recommends using a commercial

mildewcide then sponging it off within a few minutes to minimize

staining.

Exposure to high levels of mold can lead to health problems,

especially for people with respiratory problems or who are allergic

to mold, says Dr. Chuck Presti, an allergist with Seville Allergy &

Asthma Center in Pensacola, Fla.

Reactions to mold exposure and cold symptoms are similar: nasal

congestion, clear drainage, itchy and burning eyes, he says.

Colds last only seven to 10 days, though. If symptoms persist

longer, they might indicate an allergy or reaction to mold exposure.

" If these symptoms are left unchecked, they might progress to a

sinus or ear infection, " he says.

The best cure: Avoid the mold.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

-----------

Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press contributed to this report.