Those Golden Moldies
Toronto Sun
January 20, 2007 – Our mudroom recently developed the pong of rot. On the olfactory scale the odor registered somewhere between Teenaged Boy's Running Shoe and Fried Cabbage.
If you sat there for awhile you could hear the spores growing.
I was putting off dealing with the smell because I had a guilty conscience. The truth is, I had known the roof was leaking during the fall but I ignored it. I kept thinking the cold weather would come soon and the leak would freeze up until spring when, borne on a frenzy of renewed ambition, I would re-shingle the roof.
But the cold didn't come. So the leak persisted. Mold started to colonize on the interior walls. At first it was a gray blush. Then it turned angry black. Then it reeked.
I needed a mold control plan.
In older houses with stone foundations, mold comes around so often it might as well be a cousin.
And in the damper regions of the planet, like England or Vancouver or my basement, mold is a permanent tenant.
The health effects of indoor mold include allergic reactions and respiratory symptoms, and mold also exacerbates asthma. The moisture behind mold can also lead to much bigger and more alarming problems.
For example, when I lived in San Francisco I worked on a remodel where there was so much moisture damage that when I opened the door to the closet, mushrooms were growing out of the wall. Mushrooms. Big ones. Ew.
In the past, the only treatment for mold or mildew was scrubbing the mold off with a strong solution of bleach and water. But the mold always grew back. Mold spores aren't smart, but they're crafty.
Paint manufacturers have fought back by adding fungicides to their formulas. This helps to discourage mold growth, but who wants to repaint? Besides, there's a cutting-edge mold solution that's much easier (and cheaper).
O HAPPY SPRAY
I first found out about Concrobium (www.concrobium.com) at a building supplies trade show. I was approached by serious men in lab coats and when I realized they weren't trying to take me away, I stopped screaming and listened to their story. They had invented a revolutionary mold control product. They were so excited their nostrils were slightly dilated. (For scientists, this is totally blowing your cool, but I overlooked it.)
The only product of its kind, Concrobium is a spray-on, 100% natural, odorless, biodegradable formulation that costs about $9 a bottle (available at home centers and hardware stores).
Concrobium creates an invisible envelope around mold spores, killing existing fungi and preventing new growth. It also eliminates the musty reek of mold and mildew and is safe to use around kids and pets. Concrobium provides continuous protection against mold recurrence.
I washed the mudroom walls, let them dry and then sprayed on the Concrobium.
Result? No mold. No smell. No roof leak either because it's now colder than a well-digger's shovel.
Which just goes to prove the old proverb: The only people who like winter are kids, skiers and homeowners with a roof leak.