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Basic Mold Cleanup
The key to mold control is moisture control. It is important to dry water damaged areas and items within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth. If mold is a problem in your home, clean up the mold and get rid of the excess water or moisture. Fix leaky plumbing or other sources of water. Wash mold off hard surfaces with detergent and water, and dry completely. Absorbent materials (such as ceiling tiles & carpet) that become moldy may have to be replaced.

Things You Should Know About Mold

• Potential health effects and symptoms associated with mold exposures include allergic reactions, asthma, and other respiratory complaints.
• There is no practical way to eliminate all mold and mold spores in the indoor environment; the way to control indoor mold growth is to control moisture.
• If mold is a problem in your home or school, you must clean up the mold and eliminate sources of moisture.
• Fix the source of the water problem or leak to prevent mold growth.
• Reduce indoor humidity (to 30-60% ) to decrease mold growth by: venting bathrooms, dryers, and other moisture-generating sources to the outside; using air conditioners and de-humidifiers; increasing ventilation; and using exhaust fans whenever cooking, dishwashing, and cleaning.
• Clean and dry any damp or wet building materials and furnishings within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth.
• Clean mold off hard surfaces with water and detergent, and dry completely. Absorbent materials such as ceiling tiles, that are moldy, may need to be replaced.
• Prevent condensation: Reduce the potential for condensation on cold surfaces (i.e., windows, piping, exterior walls, roof, or floors) by adding insulation.
• In areas where there is a perpetual moisture problem, do not install carpeting (i.e., by drinking fountains, by classroom sinks, or on concrete floors with leaks or frequent condensation).
• Molds can be found almost anywhere; they can grow on virtually any substance, providing moisture is present. There are molds that can grow on wood, paper, carpet, and foods.
  

• Mold Remediation: Saving your House from Mold Menace
  Mold is a type of fungi that covers a surface in the form of downy or furry coating. Neither plant nor animal, it is part of a group of living organisms that are very common and serve many beneficial purposes. For the full article click here
  
• A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home
  Why is mold growing in my home?
  Molds are part of the natural environment. Outdoors, molds play a part in nature by breaking down dead organic matter such as fallen leaves and dead trees, but indoors, mold growth should be avoided. Molds reproduce by means of tiny spores; the spores are invisible to the naked eye and float through outdoor and indoor air. Mold may begin growing indoors when mold spores land on surfaces that are wet. There are many types of mold, and none of them will grow without water or moisture.
  For the full article click here
  

  
  
• MOLD. . .What is it all about?
  Mold has certainly made its way into people's homes as well as the headlines recently. Many people still don't fully understand the health hazards of fungal exposure. The term toxic mold is somewhat misleading as it exudes an idea that certain molds are toxic, when actually certain types of molds produce secondary metabolites that produce toxins. The correct term is mycotoxins. Airborne mycotoxins from can definitely destroy one's health. Sometimes, people are unaware that they are breathing mold spores and mycotoxins until they are very sick. Certain people have a minor allergic reactions to the non-toxic mold, but once you leave the affected area they most likely recover with few serious side effects. However, if they have been exposed to the dangerous molds such as Stachybotrys or Chaetomium, they could suffer from a myriad of serious symptoms and illnesses such as chronic bronchitis, learning disabilities, mental deficiencies, heart problems, cancer, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple chemical sensitivity, bleeding lungs and much more.
  For the full article click here
  
• Mold: The Whole Picture Pt. 1
  Mold is fascinating, despite the fact that it can be destructive and unhealthy, even deadly sometimes. For me it is an intellectual challenge, almost like playing a magical game of chess with an opponent who can become invisible, change into an animal and back again at will, or continue making his moves after he is obviously dead.
  
  (This is not as imaginative as it sounds. Some mold can change at will into a form with a different species name. It can even change into yeast, and back again. Its color and other visible features depend on the temperature of its environment and what it has been eating. The toxins and volatile organic compounds released by the organism continue to affect competing species, including humans, after the mold itself is dead.)
  
  We know what mold can do to collections, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Mold is also a problem in medicine and public health, agriculture, composting operations, indoor air quality, building construction, historic preservation, and even social history. Considering all these together, its importance is immense, and a growing amount of research in many of these fields reflects this. A conference on mold in any one of these fields attracts specialists from other fields, and an intense cross-disciplinary exchange of information can result, which is quite stimulating. For the full article click here
  
• Mold: The Whole Picture Pt. 2, Assessment of Mold Problems
  Part 1 (v.23 #4) emphasized the preservation community's need for better contact with fields that carry out research and generate information about mold. These fields include medicine, public health, agriculture, indoor air quality, building construction, and historic preservation, in addition to mycology. The history and nature of mold were discussed, and several websites and publications were cited.
  The plan for this series does not include a review of preservation literature or procedures on mold, because the scope is so broad already. -Ed.

  Defining the Problem
  The first signs of a mold problem are often deceptive: a moldy smell in part of a building, tired employees who are said to be suffering from colds or allergies, or visible mold growths on walls or books in certain locations. They are easy to ignore and hard to interpret, so health and building problems may not be investigated right away, although affected items may be cleaned or fumigated. (Note: Mold problems from fire or water disasters are not considered here, because they usually cause explosive mold growth, rather than typically chronic or recurring growth.) For the full article click here
  

• Mold in My Home: What Do I Do? ABOUT MOLD What are Molds?

  Molds are simple, microscopic organisms, present virtually everywhere, indoors and outdoors. Molds, along with mushrooms and yeasts, are fungi and are needed to break down dead material and recycle nutrients in the environment. For molds to grow and reproduce, they need only a food source – any organic material, such as leaves, wood, paper, or dirt— and moisture. Because molds grow by digesting the organic material, they gradually destroy whatever they grow on. Sometimes, new molds grow on old mold colonies. Mold growth on surfaces can often be seen in the form of discoloration, frequently green, gray, brown, or black but also white and other colors. Molds release countless tiny, lightweight spores, which travel through the air.

  How am I exposed to indoor molds?

  Everyone is exposed to some mold on a daily basis without evident harm. It is common to find mold spores in the air inside homes, and most of the airborne spores found indoors come from outdoor sources. Mold spores primarily cause health problems when they are present in large numbers and people inhale many of them. This occurs primarily when there is active mold growth within home, office or school where people live or work. People can also be exposed to mold by touching contaminated materials and by eating contaminated foods. For the full article click here