Side Note: Back to the Earth

Mold has become a big issue in recent years.  It has been the subject of lawsuits, a terror to builders, subject for front page writer, and the growth of a “new” industry – – Mold Testing & Remediation.  You might think its new.  It is not new.

You might think it is complex.  It is actually very simple.  Mold has a purpose – to breakdown and eat dead organic matter. Without mold, plant and animal material would grow and pile up.  If it is organic, dead, and wet, mold knows to eat it.  By organic we mean material that was once living, such as wood.

Mold spores are everywhere and our building materials are made of organic materials.  The only thing that we can control is the moisture in our homes.  Mold likes processed fibers best – paper and cardboard, fiberboard and chipboard then plywood and eventually on framing lumber.  There is plenty of information on the health effects of mold, but one thing is certain.  Mold growing in your house is not good for you or your property.

 

Excerpts from Dry Basement Science – What to Have Done and Why by Lawrence Janesky