Mold manifests itself in our world no matter where we happen to be and while we will never really be able to get rid of mold, we can continue to educate ourselves about it and understand what it does.
The Bible has the oldest mention of mold and mildew as problem in the household and recommends that any home that is contaminated with it have the materials inside the home that are infected completely removed and taken far away from where people live. Some insurance claims adjusters dismiss mold as a serious health risk, but many of those clam up when they are read that particular scripture out of the most sold book in the world.
What exactly does the Bible say about mold and where? The text mentions mold in the Old Testament in the book of Leviticus in chapter 14:39-47. Priests were told to go into the home and remove the infected stones and other items that were infected with mold. These were to be taken far away from town and dumped in what was called an “unclean” place. The house was watched for seven days and if the mold came back, then the entire structure was to be torn down and rebuilt with different materials. All of the old material was to be removed and taken to the same unclean place the first set of materials was taken to. Any clothing that was contaminated had to be taken to the priest, examined, and then thrown away.
Some scientists today say that the plague of Egypt responsible for killing the first born child of every Egyptian family was due to mold contaminating the grains that were stored underground because of the plague that had come before it, the locusts. Stachybotrys atra in particular could have contaminated this food and if a child consumed enough of it, death was a very real possibility. In those times, the eldest Egyptian child was given a second portion of his food and this would have been enough to cause the child to fall seriously ill and probably die. The Hebrew children of those days did not get such a serving and ate things like unleavened bread and lamb, which were not subject to contamination.
Any insurance adjuster that says mold is not a serious health problem for human beings should be taking a few notes from the Bible, especially if he counts himself a Christian. Even if he doesn’t, the text is still an ancient one and contains the first known mention of mold and mildew contaminating a home and the procedures used to rid the home of the infection.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
Connecticut Mold Remediation services and
flood and water damage cleanup companies across the united states.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Mold in the Winter
If you live in an area that gets a lot of snow cover during the winter, but it thaws out during the spring, you might be familiar with this problem. Sometimes there can be a quite unwelcome guest underneath all that beautiful snow and you are not likely to find out that it is there until after the snow has already thawed and it has already done the damage it came to do.
If a blanket of snow fails to melt for quite a while after it has fallen, then you might have to deal with mold after it finally does begin to thaw out. When a thick and wet blanket of snow settles on ground that is not frozen, snow mold becomes quite a problem. It begins to decompose the grass under the snow and after the snow begins to melt, it is usually too late to do anything about it.
The main symptom of snow mold is typically a large number of circular patches of deceased grass that can be between 3 to 12 inches in diameter. In some of the most extreme cases, these patches might not look like circles at all because most of the grass on your lawn has died. When pink snow mold has matured, it takes on a pale pink to salmon-like color. This is caused by the mold Microdochium nivale. This is the most serious kind of snow mold because it can completely kill the roots of the grass it affects if it is not treated as soon as possible.
Gray snow mold is caused by different species in the genus Typhula and can be colored from gray to white. These molds usually do not cause damage to any other part of the plant than just the blades. The root usually remains unaffected.
Snow molds tend to grow in temperatures just above freezing and in semi-wet conditions. While it is most commonly associated with snow cover, it can also occur when fall leaves cover a certain spot on the lawn for a long period of time. Kentucky bluegrass-type grasses are less likely to suffer as much damage as others.
If you want to prevent snow mold from growing on your lawn, do not fertilize it less than six weeks before the cold weather begins to roll in and the grass dies. Also, as long as your grass is still growing, you should continue to mow it.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
If a blanket of snow fails to melt for quite a while after it has fallen, then you might have to deal with mold after it finally does begin to thaw out. When a thick and wet blanket of snow settles on ground that is not frozen, snow mold becomes quite a problem. It begins to decompose the grass under the snow and after the snow begins to melt, it is usually too late to do anything about it.
The main symptom of snow mold is typically a large number of circular patches of deceased grass that can be between 3 to 12 inches in diameter. In some of the most extreme cases, these patches might not look like circles at all because most of the grass on your lawn has died. When pink snow mold has matured, it takes on a pale pink to salmon-like color. This is caused by the mold Microdochium nivale. This is the most serious kind of snow mold because it can completely kill the roots of the grass it affects if it is not treated as soon as possible.
Gray snow mold is caused by different species in the genus Typhula and can be colored from gray to white. These molds usually do not cause damage to any other part of the plant than just the blades. The root usually remains unaffected.
Snow molds tend to grow in temperatures just above freezing and in semi-wet conditions. While it is most commonly associated with snow cover, it can also occur when fall leaves cover a certain spot on the lawn for a long period of time. Kentucky bluegrass-type grasses are less likely to suffer as much damage as others.
If you want to prevent snow mold from growing on your lawn, do not fertilize it less than six weeks before the cold weather begins to roll in and the grass dies. Also, as long as your grass is still growing, you should continue to mow it.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
Renting a Water Damaged or Moldy Apartment
If you are renting an apartment or a house for the first time, you should view the apartment before you move in and make note of any damages that might already exist in the apartment. For most people this is common sense, but if this is your first time renting, you might not think about it until later on when the landlord tries to say that damage that existed before you moved in was actually caused by you afterward.
If there is any water damage to the kitchen or the bathroom, take pictures of it and show it to the landlord before you move in. Date the pictures and if possible, have your new landlord sign them. If your landlord will not put his signature on the back of the image, be wary about renting from him or her.
If you discover that mold is growing in the apartment shortly after you move in, you will want to inform your landlord immediately that there is a problem. Do not wait. If it is caused by wet clothing or towels that you left on the floor of the bathroom for several days, then the landlord is not likely to be very sympathetic to the problem, but if it is on the ceilings or in the ventilation system, then it is probably not due to anything you have done since you have been in the apartment.
The first thing that you need to do after you discover mold is growing in your apartment or rented home is to notify the landlord immediately. Do not do this by phone, do it by certified mail so that you have a legal record that the letter was received. If your landlord does not contact you or come over to see about the problem, send another notice via certified mail. Tell him that you are withholding your rent until the problem is addressed. If the complaint is still not acknowledged, send yet another letter via certified mail and tell him that you are moving out within a certain amount of time and he will be liable for your moving costs and rent differential if he does not take action.
It is the landlord’s responsibility to provide you with a safe and healthy place to live. Repairs on the facility must be kept up because even after you leave, these problems will still exist on the property. It makes no sense for you to repair something that does not belong to you if you were not the one who was responsible for its damage.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
If there is any water damage to the kitchen or the bathroom, take pictures of it and show it to the landlord before you move in. Date the pictures and if possible, have your new landlord sign them. If your landlord will not put his signature on the back of the image, be wary about renting from him or her.
If you discover that mold is growing in the apartment shortly after you move in, you will want to inform your landlord immediately that there is a problem. Do not wait. If it is caused by wet clothing or towels that you left on the floor of the bathroom for several days, then the landlord is not likely to be very sympathetic to the problem, but if it is on the ceilings or in the ventilation system, then it is probably not due to anything you have done since you have been in the apartment.
The first thing that you need to do after you discover mold is growing in your apartment or rented home is to notify the landlord immediately. Do not do this by phone, do it by certified mail so that you have a legal record that the letter was received. If your landlord does not contact you or come over to see about the problem, send another notice via certified mail. Tell him that you are withholding your rent until the problem is addressed. If the complaint is still not acknowledged, send yet another letter via certified mail and tell him that you are moving out within a certain amount of time and he will be liable for your moving costs and rent differential if he does not take action.
It is the landlord’s responsibility to provide you with a safe and healthy place to live. Repairs on the facility must be kept up because even after you leave, these problems will still exist on the property. It makes no sense for you to repair something that does not belong to you if you were not the one who was responsible for its damage.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
damage restoration companies and
mold removal companies across the united states.
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