How Deep is the mold?

Dear George,
Got a question that I just can’t seem to say it without too many words. I just found what the aparment maintenance manager called black mold. He says that he is going to spray clorox on the about 6 inches spot and is going to seal the…

Dear …,

Have you ever seen a blue cheese? Have you noticed how the threads of blue run through the cheese, not along it’s surface? That is because mold does not grow only on the surface. The wallboard your mold it is growing on is “food” and what mold you see is only a percentage of what is actually there. Your maintenance manager’s bleach solution will work if the mold is actually only superficial, like perhaps, growing superficially on your shower grout . (Odds are against mold being superficial.) But mold is a symptom of an underlying issue–somewhere you have a water leak or excess humidity which allowed the mold to take root. So before you go for the bleach…

1) Make sure that you find and eliminate the water leak;
2) Dry up your humidity issues;
3) Replace, paint and seal the new wallboard.

If you do not eliminate the water/humidity situation, the mold will just grow back.

It is a good idea to have a mold inspection first, to set a baseline; then after remediation, follow up with another set of readings. That way you will be able to locate other affected areas, even if you cannot see them; and you will be able to tell if the remediation was effective.

Call 1-800-686-1992 to schedule a reading.