Mold after water damage in Wisconsin: control, drying and credentials

Why mould starts after a loss

Mould needs moisture, food and time, and a water loss provides all three in damp material.

Mould grows where moisture stays. Wet paper, wood, drywall and carpet pad provide food, and water provides the moisture. Growth can begin within days in damp material, and it can be hidden behind a finish or in a cavity.

The most effective control is to bring the materials to target as quickly as possible and to remove what cannot be dried. Cleaning removes growth from the surface, but if the material behind it is still wet, the growth returns.

Signs to watch for

A musty smell, new staining and a damp patch that returns after drying are the common signs.

A musty smell that appears after the drying, new staining on a finish, a damp patch that returns and visible growth at a wall base or in a corner are the common signs. Report any of them the same day, because the crew can check the area and add the finding to the scope.

Growth behind a stored item against a wall is easy to miss. Move stored items at the first visit and check the wall behind them.

• A musty smell after the drying
• New staining on a finish or ceiling
• A damp patch that returns after drying
• Visible growth at a wall base or corner
• Growth behind a stored item against a wall

Containment, removal and cleaning

Growth is contained, porous material is removed and hard surfaces are cleaned and dried.

The crew contains the area with plastic and sets the air so dust does not move into the rest of the house. Porous material with growth is removed and logged. Hard surfaces are cleaned with an appropriate product and dried to readings before the containment is taken down.

Each step is recorded in the scope, with photographs, so the homeowner can see what was done and in what order.

• Contain the area with plastic before disturbing growth
• Remove porous material with growth and log it
• Clean hard surfaces with an appropriate product
• Dry the area to readings
• Record each step with photographs

The credentials to ask about

No Wisconsin mould-assessor or remediator licence was found in an official source, so credentials must be checked on their own terms.

A 2007 bill, Assembly Bill 312, would have licensed mould assessors and remediators, but its enactment was not confirmed in the sources used for this site. A secondary directory says Wisconsin requires no mould licence, which is also unconfirmed. This guide does not name a state programme for mould, because none was confirmed.

The honest step is to ask a company which credentials it holds, who issued them and what they cover. Put the answer in writing, and treat a claim without detail with caution.

• Ask which credentials the company holds
• Ask who issued each credential and when
• Ask what each credential covers
• Get the answer in writing
• Treat an unspecified claim with caution

Testing and what a test can show

A test beyond visual and moisture readings is discussed on site, and its result is kept with the file.

Some homeowners ask for an air or surface test. A test shows the state of the air or surface at the time it is taken. It does not show that the house is clear, and a test taken before cleaning and one taken after it are different things.

Any test is arranged separately, and its result is kept with the scope. Ask what the test can and cannot show before you agree to it.

• Ask what the test can and cannot show
• Note when the test is taken relative to cleaning
• Keep the result with the scope
• Do not treat a test as a guarantee
• Agree any test in writing first

Protecting the people in the house

Children, pets and anyone with a breathing condition stay out of the contained area.

Mould and its dust can irritate the lungs and the eyes. Keep children, pets and anyone with a breathing condition out of the contained area. A homeowner who must be near the work should wear a mask and gloves.

The crew uses its own protection and keeps the work area contained, and it tells the homeowner when the area is safe to use again.

When the house is clear enough to use

The area is used again when the readings are at target and the crew confirms the work is complete.

The area is ready when the readings reach the target in the scope and the crew confirms the work is complete. The closing scope lists the readings, the materials removed and any work still to be done by a trade.

Keep the closing scope with the file. It is the record that shows the drying and the control were finished.

Where mould grows in a wet house

Mould grows where material stays damp, most often at the wall base, behind furniture and inside cavities.

Mould grows where moisture stays. In a wet house that means the bottom of the walls, the back of stored furniture, the inside of a cavity that did not dry and the underside of a carpet pad. A surface that looks dry can still hold enough moisture behind it to support growth.

A homeowner who looks after a wet house checks these places first. A damp smell or a dark spot in one of them is a sign the drying did not reach the material.

• The bottom of walls and the wall base
• The back of stored furniture and boxes
• The inside of a cavity that did not dry
• The underside of a carpet pad
• Corners where air does not move

Keeping the air and humidity under control

Air movement and dehumidification keep the humidity low enough that growth does not restart.

Once the structure is dry, the air in the house matters. Humidity above the level the house can comfortably hold lets growth restart on any damp surface. A dehumidifier, air movement and a steady temperature are the usual tools, and the crew sets them for the affected rooms.

A homeowner can keep the humidity down by venting bathrooms and laundry, running an extractor fan and not drying clothes indoors near a wet room. The record of the readings shows whether the air is dry enough.

• Run a dehumidifier in the affected room as the crew sets it
• Vent bathrooms and the laundry to the outside
• Do not dry clothes indoors near a wet room
• Keep the room at a steady temperature
• Check the humidity reading on each visit

What to do with a suspected growth you find later

Stop, keep people away from it, photograph it and call the crew before disturbing it.

If a homeowner finds a suspected growth after the work is finished, the first step is to stop and keep people away from the area. Do not disturb the growth, because that spreads spores into the air. Photograph it with the date and call the line.

The crew will check the area, take readings and add the finding to the record. A growth that was not in the original scope is a change that must be written and explained.

• Stop and keep people away from the area
• Do not disturb the growth
• Photograph it with the date
• Call the line before any cleaning
• Let the crew add the finding to the record

When a homeowner should ask for more than a visual check

A visual check is not enough where a smell, a reading or a history of wetting points to growth out of sight.

A visual check can miss growth behind a finish or inside a cavity. A homeowner should ask for more than a visual check when there is a persistent smell, when readings stay high after drying, or when the house has been wet more than once. The crew can open the area at the readings and check the material behind it.

Any opening for that purpose is recorded in the scope with its place and its reason, and the homeowner is told before it is made.

• A persistent smell after the drying
• Readings that stay high after drying
• A house that has been wet more than once
• An opening made at the highest reading
• The place and reason recorded in the scope