All Forum Posts by: Edward Debbs

 I guess I'm referring to dog nail marks on a wood floor, lingering odor etc (some dogs just have a musky smell).  If you agree to letting a pet in the unit, the dog's wear and tear goes on the table.  I wouldn't think pet messes and chewing would be allowable.  

I'm not sure any of this is relevant.  Just because she happens to have a new dog and calls it a "service dog" does not mean it is a service dog.  A service dog is an animal specifically trained to help people with disabilities.  She clearly is just trying to strong arm you into letting her keep the animal in your place.  I would bet that she cannot produce any meaningful proof that this is a trained service animal.  I'm worried she has the dog in her place, she knows you don't allow it, the animal has done some kind of damage and she wants to be able to say at the end of the lease that it's normal wear and tear because you allowed a pet.

Stick to your guns.  You're right, she's not only wrong, she's obviously nuts.

Sometimes if you have a relationship with a laywer (which you should in this sort of business) they're provide you a consult for free.  I think this is your best bet (even if he does ask for a retainer of a few hundred dollars).  This contractor is trying to strong-arm you and extort you with your credit.  You need to get some advice on how to proceed from somebody who knows the legal landscape in your area (judges, judgements etc).  

A couple hundred dollars to make sure your credit isn't smudged may save you thousands in the future.  You can even hit him in small claims for the lawyer fees if you care enough to do that.

Good luck!

Did you read those articles?  Your first article:  

"Toxic Effects of Some Common Indoor Fungi"

Specifically focuses on Stachybotrys chatarum in a case study of Cleveland homes where Infants with pulminary hemorage were more likely to have resided in homes with Stachybotrys chatarum (stachybotrys altra).

All your second article says is that evaluation of moldiness through ERMI may give a false positive of the current moldiness of the home because it was originally intended to survey the historical water damage of the home.   So at worst it's too conservative a measure.  It's certainly not missing mold that's there.  

EPA giving advice about using bleach (link below).  Their concern is not that it's not effective.  It's that it's sometimes too strong and can be an irritant to the people using it.  There's not a species of mold on this planet that won't be killed by chlorine bleach.  

http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.html?_ga=1.23744...

CDC thinks it's fine too:

http://www.cdc.gov/mold/stachy.htm

If you're remediating homes and it's working for you, that's great.  I'm sure you're very good at what you do.  But the advice I've provided is cheap, it sound and it's supported by proper evidence for efficacy.  

Of course Mildew is mold.  It is a collection of relatively common mold species found in damp environments.   

I'm sure the OP closed her account due to the (silly?) requirement that this forum makes you use your real name.  Now her discussion of mold testing on this forum looking for advice can be googled and used against her.

When she gets the report back, she will have almost certainly gotten the ERMI standard in mold burden.  You would be REALLY SURPRISED how much mold you have to get in a house before you start getting readings in the "this house must unequivocally be re mediated" column.  I've done several houses with this test that all seemed really moldy to start.  That said, of all the 36 species of mold that they test (who's DNA is significantly different enough to be differentiated) there's only really one that you're going to pick out and call a problem at is Stachybotrys chartarum, or black mold.  This mold produces high levels of VOCs and mycotoxins.  Yes the CDCis still investigating, but it's generally widely considered that this is the bad mold to have and more of a reason for concern.  In fact, the CDC is still relatively out to lunch as to whether mold is a health risk at all.  Their guidelines are very general.

There is no evidence that indoor mold burden/spores have to have anything to do with ourdoor mold burden.  

The CDC guidelines for mold remediation strait from their website are for 1 cup of water mixed with one cup of bleach on hard surfaces.  Wipe.  Done.  Porous surfaces need to be removed and replaced (insulation and probably unpainted drywall).

In any event, she's doing the right thing.  Call a pro, get it checked out.  Remediate if you have to, and test again.  Get it on paper that you're doing right by your tenant, but my opinion is this whole discussion is overblown.

I disagree with some of Jason's sentiment above.  The problem with mold is that people assume that they're always talking about "black mold."  The problem with that is that mildew is black in color.

Different species of mold have different rates of toxicity.  That is what the test will tell you.  Mildew is common. Everybody in the universe is exposed to it regularly and there's no reason to throw your arms up and run around in circles over it.  Get some bleach and clean it up like a normal person would.

If you have a more serious problem, your professional will tell you.

The sentiment that mold does not belong in your environment in any degree or any species is also completely off base.  Mold spores are nearly omnipresent.  As with ANY source of potential toxicity, dose is key.  Most mold species have a very low toxicity rate and most people are exposed often.  It is also a fantasy to assume you're going to remove all traces of mold spores from your environment because "they don't belong there."  That's like saying you want to remove all bacteria or all pollen.  Impossible, and a falicy to try.

a dent in wood can sometimes be lifted by steam.  This is typically performed to restore finish wood products like furniture and gun stocks.  Basically you lay damp cloth on the area and heat it with an iron.

I've never tried this on laminate wood.  On solid hardwood I'd try it in a heartbeat.  With laminate flooring I'd be somewhat concerned with delaminating the piece.  Maybe you could try it on a test board first.

To learn the technique you can youtube.

Mold is the new scare word.  Used to be everybody was looking at every piece of old insulation thinking it was asbestos.  Before that it was lead paint.

There are VERY FEW species of mold which are relatively rare that are harmful.  The vast majority of mold that people get in houses is.. wait for it... Mildew!  Harmless stuff unless you already have severe asthma, are of advanced age or have an allergy to it.  

You can test the species of mold by having a test done.  It may cost you a few hundred bucks, a guy will come over with a collector that he'll leave there for a while (almost like a radon test) or he'll just vacuum samples from your carpet in several rooms.  They'll test the DNA sequence of the mold species and give you a final count of what they found as well as the severity of the species.

That said, if you are getting mildew you need to figure out how to reduce the moisture in the house.  Clean up any visible mold and shoot the house with the mold fogger from home depot.  

http://www6.homedepot.com/tool-truck-rental/Mold_F...

The spray is salt based and 100% not toxic.

Done right, all of the above is under $500 bucks and should cost you less than 1 day of your time.

If it's flush use a T molding, if there's a drop use a reducer.  You can pull out that piece of trim that's there and see how much it overlaps the floor to determine the dimensions of your new trim.  Staple your carpet down, install the trim piece, done deal.

2 weeks is pretty shaggy but not awful.  I would say if it gets to 3 weeks, pay to have it done and send them the bill.