If you are one of the millions of homeowners in the United States or in Canada that has recently discovered your house are suffering from
mold in your attic, and are looking for solid answers, I know it can be extremely confusing.
There are as many companies out there promoting their products, as there are offering their services to correct the mold and clean it up. It can be extremely bewildering and if you haven't discovered it already, I am sure you will. There are many reasons for this. First there are no national guidelines that are required to be followed if you have a mold problem. Secondly the ones that do exist are incomplete and many times contradict one another!
This article will help you sort out the BS (that's baloney stuff folks) specifically the BS technique of dry ice blasting and shall also help you to find a contractor that will actually solve your problem.
A little background information regarding mold in attics.
Mold in attics is primarily caused by improper ventilation. In the northern climates this is often due to heat loss in the winter months when the hot air escaping from the house condenses against the cold boards of the attic, and is sometimes exacerbated by an improperly discharged bathroom fan. In the south it can be caused by an improperly functioning HVAC unit located into the attic letting cold air escape and condense against the hot boards of the attic or by an improperly discharged bathroom fan or dryer vent. In both climates what happens is moisture becomes trapped in the attic areas and accumulates on the boards of the attic sheathing and rafters, where mold starts to grow.
Four things are required for
mold to grow. One: a spore must be present, which is like a mold seed (hint there are spores in virtually every breath you have ever taken this means they are very abundant but nearly invisible, 10,000 of them can fit on the head of a pin). Two: a food source must be present, this is something which was once alive or is still alive, preferably to the mold something that is cellulose based (hint this is any plant based organic matter like the boards in your attic and the rafters, even the paper backing on the rolled insulation can be a food source, not to mention the paper on the backside of the ceiling drywall under the insulation); Three: the right temperature mold must be present, molds have a narrow temperature range in which they thrive; usually between 20 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit with the majority living between 40 degrees and 90 degrees ; Fourth: and lastly, water must be present (hint you can stir all of the above three things in a pot and mold will not grow without water, water is essential to mold growth but may be present as vapour only, not necessarily as a liquid).
