Mold! We hate to see it. However, if you live in Washington State you most likely have at some point and time. Washington State is one of the moldiest states in the U.S. leaving our homeowners more susceptible to having a mold build up in their home. Whenever we see mold, the first instinct is to clean, clean, CLEAN! But mold is not always a result of your house being dirty or you needing to go overboard with the cleaning materials (combining multiple cheap cleaning chemicals can actually cause more bad than good). 

When mold is noticed in your home and is covering more than 48 square feet (any less is not considered a mold job), it is best to call on a professional. There are companies like Kustom who are located in Tacoma, WA and specialize in disaster restoration 24/7, 365 days a week offering a free consultation and estimates. One thing to note is that companies like Kustom cannot identify mold, only test and treat it. If you want someone to come right out and say “yes this is mold,” you must have an environmentalist take a look at the growth. 

In order to thrive, mold needs each of three sources: 

• Heat (ex: heaters)
• Food (ex: wall paint)
• Water (ex: rain)

The heat is provided by our heaters, insulation, and anything else we use to keep our homes warm and comfortable, food is provided by the drywall and water can be provided by many different things like mopping or rain. Kustom and companies alike would come in and eliminate one of the sources which is water – the only one capable of being eliminated (unless you want to live in a house with no heat or walls!). In a best case scenario, the mold growth can be on the surface only due to high heat and humidity combined. If this is the case, you want to change the climate of your home to ensure the mold goes away (bleach water is not enough). 

One of the most common places for mold growth to occur can be at the base boards of a home. If you have medium density fiberboard (MDF) baseboards they will begin to swell and crumble when they become wet, which is usually due to water buildup when mopping. These baseboards are very hard to restore and will most likely need to be replaced when damaged. Now if you have real wood trim baseboards such as oak, they are more likely to be restored as long as they are not too swollen due to water damage. After the mold and water damage is addressed, the house will need to be dried out which will take 3-5 days with an air humidifier depending on the size of your home and severity of the damage.

Seeing mold in your house or when you are buying a house can be a scary sight to many but it is not the black plague! When living in a wet environment, mold is sure to be an issue in some places. Being able to know how and when to deal with mold and water damage is key, as well as having an educated Realtor and home professional to help you with the process of getting rid of it.