Episode 80: All about Mold

Welcome to the Rooted Mind Podcast!

Episode #80: All about Mold

Special guest: Shawn with Certified Mold Assessments

Your host: Jess

[0:45] Intro

[1:00] Jess: Can you tell us your background and how you got into mold inspection?

[1:17] Shawn shares how he got started

[2:13] Shawn: We look at homes through a holistic approach and we leave no stone un-turned

[4:10] Mold is linked to autoimmunity, headaches, and chronic fatigue

[4:50] Shawn: When we’re recommended to check out a home by a doctor, it’s because their patient is being treated and not getting better or they believe mold is the root cause of their illness, so we go in to the home and get extra thorough; 100% of the time, we find some pretty significant issues

[5:20] Jess: How would someone know they need to have a mold inspection?

[5:40] Shawn: Mold can be really evasive and it can cause many symptoms, we always tell people to listen to their body.

[6:40] Jess: Can you have mold in your home but not physically see it?

[6:45] Shawn: Often mold is hidden

[7:06] Causes of mold other than water damage

[7:41] History of property matters

[8:10] Mold spores can fragment and create ultra fine particles that get into our blood stream

[8:55] Jess: What can someone do in regards to maintaining their home humidity levels with their A/C?

[9:25] Keep your humidity between 35-55%

[9:44] Humidity above 60% creates an environment for lower-moisture-content molds

[10:34] Dangers of mold in air handlers, ventilation systems, and duct work

[11:45] Risks of opening up your windows on high humidity days

[12:20] How to avoid mold in your showers and bathrooms

[15:31] Improperly installed bathroom appliances can be a breeding ground for mold

[16:45] Home inspections often overlook mold

[17:15] Shawn: We’re looking for things in our inspections that are totally off a home inspector’s radar

[17:45] How to find a good mold inspector/questions to ask

[18:07] Mold inspection shouldn’t take 30 minutes

[18:45] Shawn: Our mold inspections typically take 3-6 hours

[20:00] Finding a company that treats the mold

[20:02] Shawn: It’s a huge conflict of interest for a mold inspection company to also treat the mold problem. It’s actually against the law in Florida, and it requires different licensing

[20:17] Shawn: A mold inspector is in charge of writing a remediation protocol so when a client does hire a remediator, they have something to go off of; it protects the client

[21:17] Mold in rented houses

[22:07] It’s against the law to rent out a home where there is confirmed mold

[23:15] Items can hold mold and need to be thrown out

[23:34] Categories of mold conditions

[24:43] Jess: Which kind of molds do you see the most?

[26:06] Jess: What do you do to prevent mold in your home?

[26:25] Preventing moisture, humidity, and dust in the home

[26:45] Dust high and low at least once a month

[28:22] Getting rid of moisture after water damage

[29:25] Jess: Your team will travel for assessments, correct?

[29:39] Where Certified Mold Assessments will travel

[30:54] Where you can find Certified Mold Assessments on social media