Mold can produce allergens, irritants, and in some cases toxins.  Breathing or touching mold may cause an allergic reaction in some people and worsen breathing problems such as asthma.  Children, women, and people with weak immune systems may be more sensitive to mold.

Common reactions to mold can be coughing, congestion, runny nose, burning eyes, headache, sneezing, and sore throat.

In most cases, if you can see mold growing you do not need to do any sampling/testing.  It can be costly.  Results cannot be used to decide if a building has safe levels of mold or mold spores. The steps to clean up and stop mold growth are the same for all molds. Stopping mold growth is more important than knowing the type of mold.  If a professional is hired to remediate indoor mold, sampling maybe helpful in determining whether the cleanup was successful.

The best way to find mold growth is by using your eyes to look for it and by using your nose to find the source of a moldy odor.  If there is a damp, earthy or musty smell mold may be present. Other clues are signs of moisture or the worsening of allergies.

1. Remove standing water and dry out the builiding as soon as you can.

• Open doors and windows.
• Mop up or pump out any standing water.
• Use fans and dehumidifiers to remove moisture after cleaning. Be careful not to blow mold around while drying -- point fans to blow outside.

2. Throw away moldy things that can't be cleaned. When in doubt, throw it out!

• Throw away items that can't be fully cleaned and dried.
• Throw away moldy things that soak up water, such as carpet, carpet padding, matresses, pillows, and upholstered furniture.  Mold can grow in the small spaces and cracks of these items, and be very hard to remove.
• You can wash linens, clothes, stuffed toys, and towels in warm water with laudry detergent.  However, in some cases, mold will stain these materials.
• Remove all wet sheetrock, panelling, drywall, wallboards, fiberglass, or cellulose insulation and ceiling tiles.  Drywall and wallboard will be wet above the water line or the damp area because of water "wicking" up the walls. Throw away these materials.
• If there is more than 10 square feet of mold in your house, think about using a professional mold clean-up contractor.

3. Clean all moldy items that have hard surfaces.

• Scrub mold off hard surfaces with a stiff brish using detergent (soap) and water or a mixture of no more than 1 cup of household bleach per 1 gallon of water.  Examples of hard surfaces include wall studs, tile floors, countertops, metal objects, plastic, glass, and other hard materials that won't soak up water. Concrete and bricks may also be cleaned in this way.
• If you don't know how to clean an item, or if the item is expensive or of sentimental value, you may wish to call a specialist. Some items such as books or papers should be thrown away if you can't clean or restore them.

NOTE: The following recommendations are from the Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals

To prevent mold growth, homeowners and property owners should:

• Quickly fix water leaks and stop water from going into homes and buildings.
• Fully dry wet building materials furnishings and carpets within 48 hours of getting wet, if possible.
• Replace water-damaged items as soon as possible.
• Make sure that heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) systems are always running, to keep the right amount of air flowing inside of the building.
• Keep indoor relative air humidity below 60% (ideally, between 30% and 50%).  Good airflow and dehumidifiers help to keep humidity low.
• Check roofs, ceilings, walls, floors, and carpets for water leaks, mold growth, or musty odors.
• Don't let water from sprinklers hit buildings or homes.
• Fix broken roof gutters.
• Routinely replace air conditioner filters and clean drip pans.
• Make sure that stoves/ovens, bathroons, and clothes dryers are vented to the outside of the home, if possible.

Common causes of mold growth include:

• Roof and plumbing leaks
• High humidity and cold spots in buildings
• Flooding
• Broken/clogged gutters and drains

Molds grow in damp places, so the wet Lousiana climate is perfect for mold growth.

Controlling moisture is the key to stopping mold growth.

Molds are types of fungi.  Mildew is another word for mold.

Some common molds are:

• Cladosporium
• Penicillium
• Alternaria
• Aspergillus
• Mucor

"Toxic molds" are those that produce compounds called mycotoxins.  Mycotoxins are produced as as defense against other microorganisms.  "Black toxic mold" can refer to a certain type of mold -- Stachybotrys chartarum (also known as Stachybotrys atra).  Black is a color, not a type of mold.  Therefore, not all black molds are Stachybotrys chartarum. There is also no type of clinical test to determine if you have been exposed to this type of mold.

Indoor mold growth can be stopped by controlling indoor moisture.  If mold in present indoors, the mold should be removed and the moisture problem fixed as soon as possible.  If mold is remoevd without fixing the moisture problem, the mold will return.

In most cases, if the mold growth is small (less than 10 square feet) you can clean it yourself.  It is important to remove mold by scrubbing with detergent and water, and then drying the area fully and quickly.  If there is a lot of mold growth on certain porous materials like carpet, sheetrock, or insulation, it should be removed and replaced.  You may want to talk with a professional if the area of growth is larger or if you have a health condition that can be worsened by mold.

Protect yourself when cleaning up mold by using:

• Gloves
• NIOSH-approved N95 breathing masks
• Eye googles
• Long sleeves and pants

According to the Louisiana Real Estate License Law and the Rules and Regulations of the Louisiana Real Estate Commission, real estate agents must disclose any known "large" defects or future defects in the property.  When buying a home or property, it is important to ask about any current or previous defects in the property.  According to Act 308 of the 2003  Legislative Session (R.S 9:3196-9:3199), a seller of residential property in Louisiana must provide a Propoerty Disclosure Statement, which should include information on previous or current mold problems.

For more information on mold related issues, including clean-up and moisture control, you may want to refer to the following agencies and organizations: