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.
The Prevention of Water Damage
Unless a flood or a hurricane is what causes the water damage to your home, the water damage that we have to deal with is usually highly preventable. Most kinds of water damage that are not caused by mother nature are things that we can prevent, although sometimes we tend to forget just how to go about stopping these things from happening. You can prevent water damage to the inside of your home from most sources, but the question is just how do you do it?
One thing that you can do is pay attention to your water heater and make sure that it is located on the lowest floor of your home, preferably the basement. It should be elevated off the floor and in some kind of large drain pan connected to plumbing in the floor so if it does begin to leak, any water will go straight from the unit down into the plumbing system. This will stop most water damage to your floor, especially if your water heater is located on top of a wooden floor instead of a concrete one.
The pipes and hoses that lead to your dishwasher and your washing machine can be some of the worst offenders. These leak more often than people realize, but keeping a check on them regularly for cracked spots or weakened areas can be the key to preventing a huge spill. If it busts and you are not home, even a crack just 1/8 of an inch wide can leak up to 250 gallons an hour into your floor.
If you live in a home and not an apartment, you probably have to deal with cleaning our your rain gutters every fall when the leaves change color and begin to fall from the trees. These gutters are important to keeping the rain from settling around the foundation of your home and allowing it to sink into the ground. Clean out these gutters fully every year and make sure that the downspouts are also clear of any debris.
Repairing any leaks that might be in your roof is also essential to preventing water damage to your ceilings and the insulation in your attic, especially if the insulation is fiberglass. Once this insulation gets wet, it does not work anymore and will eventually cause your ceiling to collapse if it is not removed and replaced as soon as possible.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
One thing that you can do is pay attention to your water heater and make sure that it is located on the lowest floor of your home, preferably the basement. It should be elevated off the floor and in some kind of large drain pan connected to plumbing in the floor so if it does begin to leak, any water will go straight from the unit down into the plumbing system. This will stop most water damage to your floor, especially if your water heater is located on top of a wooden floor instead of a concrete one.
The pipes and hoses that lead to your dishwasher and your washing machine can be some of the worst offenders. These leak more often than people realize, but keeping a check on them regularly for cracked spots or weakened areas can be the key to preventing a huge spill. If it busts and you are not home, even a crack just 1/8 of an inch wide can leak up to 250 gallons an hour into your floor.
If you live in a home and not an apartment, you probably have to deal with cleaning our your rain gutters every fall when the leaves change color and begin to fall from the trees. These gutters are important to keeping the rain from settling around the foundation of your home and allowing it to sink into the ground. Clean out these gutters fully every year and make sure that the downspouts are also clear of any debris.
Repairing any leaks that might be in your roof is also essential to preventing water damage to your ceilings and the insulation in your attic, especially if the insulation is fiberglass. Once this insulation gets wet, it does not work anymore and will eventually cause your ceiling to collapse if it is not removed and replaced as soon as possible.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors.
Here Is How To Prevent House Fires
Fires happen all over the world, but the fires that happen inside a person’s home are often the most preventable and all it takes is a little diligence and some common sense to discover what the fire hazards in your home are and how to get rid of them when you find them.
It is a fact that most house fires happen in the kitchen. Even though a great number of these small stove fires go unreported because they do not do any damage, you really need to learn what you can do to prevent them from happening in the first place, because it only takes a second or two for a small fire to spread into a much larger one. House fire prevention begins in the kitchen by learning that you should never leave anything on the stove unattended unless it is an emergency and you should never leave the house to go and run errands during this time unless someone is going to be there to keep an eye on the cooking.
You also need to be careful with deep fryers and electric skillets. Any appliance that emits a large amount of heat needs to be monitored consistently to make sure that it does not overheat and catch on fire and you should not ever have to use an extension cord with these. Small extension cords like the ones you would use for lamps will NOT work and will melt. If you must use an extension cord, make sure it is a heavy duty one with a gauge of at least 14.
Heating shortening and oil in the kitchen also poses a significant problem, since it is so flammable. Heat these slowly so that they do not burn and do not catch on fire and if you have to leave the room, turn them off or have someone watch them for you.
Space heaters are also a big problem during the winter time and like with deep fryers and electric skillets, do not use an extension cord with these. Do not place them near drapes or other fabric items and keep children away from them. Also try not to leave them on overnight while you are sleeping unless you absolutely have to and even then, make sure you take the necessary steps to keep flammable items away from them. Do not use these in the bedrooms of small children due to the amount of flammable stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets that are likely to be there.
The worst thing that you can do is let yourself become comfortable with these appliances and allow yourself to think that you know what you are doing and a fire cannot happen to you. Letting your guard down in this manner is what causes a large amount of house fires.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.waterbasementct.info and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
It is a fact that most house fires happen in the kitchen. Even though a great number of these small stove fires go unreported because they do not do any damage, you really need to learn what you can do to prevent them from happening in the first place, because it only takes a second or two for a small fire to spread into a much larger one. House fire prevention begins in the kitchen by learning that you should never leave anything on the stove unattended unless it is an emergency and you should never leave the house to go and run errands during this time unless someone is going to be there to keep an eye on the cooking.
You also need to be careful with deep fryers and electric skillets. Any appliance that emits a large amount of heat needs to be monitored consistently to make sure that it does not overheat and catch on fire and you should not ever have to use an extension cord with these. Small extension cords like the ones you would use for lamps will NOT work and will melt. If you must use an extension cord, make sure it is a heavy duty one with a gauge of at least 14.
Heating shortening and oil in the kitchen also poses a significant problem, since it is so flammable. Heat these slowly so that they do not burn and do not catch on fire and if you have to leave the room, turn them off or have someone watch them for you.
Space heaters are also a big problem during the winter time and like with deep fryers and electric skillets, do not use an extension cord with these. Do not place them near drapes or other fabric items and keep children away from them. Also try not to leave them on overnight while you are sleeping unless you absolutely have to and even then, make sure you take the necessary steps to keep flammable items away from them. Do not use these in the bedrooms of small children due to the amount of flammable stuffed animals, pillows, and blankets that are likely to be there.
The worst thing that you can do is let yourself become comfortable with these appliances and allow yourself to think that you know what you are doing and a fire cannot happen to you. Letting your guard down in this manner is what causes a large amount of house fires.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.waterbasementct.info and
http://www.moldrestorationusa.com
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