Fry advises that Colorado flood victims should refrain from---

1. Waiting too long to check for concealed water damage and mold growth. Mold begins growing after just 24 to 48 hours of wetness of building materials or other cellulose materials. After the flooding of a home or building, take action immediately to dry out areas such as inside wet walls and to apply EPA-registered, antifungal mold killing and mold-preventative coatings to wet building materials.

2. Using chlorine bleach. Do not use chlorine bleach because bleach is too weak to kill mold growth, mold spores, and mold mycotoxins thrown into the air by growing toxic mold colonies. Bleach only changes the color of mold growth.

3. Using other mold-ineffective products such as Kilz (a paint primer that only hides water stains), paint, Lysol, ammonia, and other household cleaners and disinfectants, which do not prevent or kill toxic mold.

4. Thinking that a flooded area, after drying, is mold-safe or mold-free. If mold colony growths run out of moisture to continue growing, the mold spores do NOT die but become dormant, waiting for future, growth-sustaining high humidity or water intrusions. Even the smell of dormant mold and dead mold can make mold-sensitive persons sick.

5. Assuming that there is no flood mold problem because of no visible mold growth. The worst flood mold infestation problems are INSIDE floors, ceilings, walls, basement, attic, crawl space, and the heating/cooling equipment and ducts. In addition, airborne mold spores are invisible to the eye, very light, aerodynamically-shaped, and easily carried in air current movements or in the air flows of the heating/cooling system to mold cross-contaminate the entire house or building.

6. Failing to open up walls and floors to find concealed water and mold damage. If there is a flood that has wet building materials INSIDE a floor, wall, ceiling, crawl space, basement, or elsewhere, there will be a real and serious mold problem inside such flooded areas.

7. Spraying something on the flood mold will take care of the problem. Flood victims need to both kill and remove both visible and hidden mold growth in a house or building for effective mold remediation. All of the visible and hidden flood water and mold damaged building materials need to be removed safely, thrown out, and replaced with mold-free building materials that have been treated with an effective, EPA-registered antifungal mold killer and mold preventative, protective coating.

8. Trusting that mold remediation contractors or water damage restoration companies know what they are doing. Many mold remediation and water damage restoration companies cause and leave more mold problems AFTER the alleged water damage restoration and/or mold remediation than existed before their work because of: (a) failure to find and fix all of the wet spots and mold infestation locations in a home or building due to incomplete water detection, mold inspection and mold testing; (b) poor and inadequate training; (c) failure to utilize proper mold containment procedures and effective mold remediation techniques during the water damage restoration and mold removal tasks; (d) taking shortcuts that undermine the remediation effort; and (e) sometimes fraud and dishonesty on the part of the contractor.

9. Trusting that government agencies and personnel are experts in flood mold prevention, inspection, testing, and remediation. Government employees do not have the intensive mold training and practical experience required to prevent, find, and kill flood mold. In addition, Moreover, government agencies do not have the budget or mandate to do private building mold inspection, testing, and remediation.

10. Ignoring flood mold health symptoms experienced by residents or workplace employees. Flood victims should watch out for unexplained mold-related health problems such as an ongoing itchy eyes, bloody nose, sinus problems, headaches, nose congestion, runny nose, skin rashes, skin sores, coughing, breathing difficulties, difficulty in remembering things and in thinking clearly, feeling disconnected from the world around you, and/or chronic fatigue. Read the top 100 mold health symptoms and mold illnesses at http://www.moldinspector.com.

Using high output ozone gas from an ozone generator should be both the first and last steps taken in effective mold killing and mold remediation. Learn more about how ozone kills mold safely and effectively at http://www.ozonegeneratorkillsmold.com.

If you have questions about preventing or removing flood mold growth, contact mold expert Phillip Fry, Certified Environmental Hygienist, Certified Mold Inspector, Certified Mold Remediator, who can provide on-site, in-person Colorado mold inspection and removal services to prevent or remediate Colorado's flood mold problems.

Email Mr. Fry phil@moldinspector.com, phone him toll-free 1-866-300-1616, or visit Mr. Fry's websites http://www.moldexpertconsultants.com and http://www.moldinspector.com.

EnviroFry Environmental Hygienists do flood water damage inspection, removal, remediation, and prevention in Colorado and nationwide. All staff members are Certified Environmental Hygienists, Certified Mold Inspectors, and Certified Mold Remediators.