The Toxic Mold Podcast

You’ve had the remediation done and the post-remediation verification (PRV) looked good, but you’re still not feeling better. The cause could be hiding in places most people never check. This week, Steve will go through the everyday appliances and household items that can quietly grow mold: coffee makers, water bottles, reverse osmosis systems, the drip pan under your fridge, CPAP machines, humidifiers and dehumidifiers, portable AC units, front-load washer gaskets, water softeners and whole-house filters. He will also share simple habits that keep moisture from building up, like drying around your sink and leaving the washer door open after a load. Steve’s call to action: pick three of the items from this episode that you have at home and go check them for mold this week. Mycotoxin Prevention Kit, Mold 101 Bundle and Should It Stay or Should It Go? are on Stan Store: https://stan.store/csimoldguy Mold education courses: https://www.cnccontractorservices.com We appreciate all of you and hope you have a great week!

You’ve seen the listings: a 5,000 sq ft historic home for $100K, or a farmhouse on 10 acres for $80K that looks straight out of The Notebook. So what’s the catch? In this episode, Steve talks about mold remediation in older homes, and why you never really know what you’ll find until the walls come down. In this episode: Why every old-home remediation bid comes with surprises, including hidden double layers of sheetrock and old exterior walls buried behind additions. How old-school materials like plaster with chicken wire and rough-cut lumber hold moisture and mold differently than modern building materials. What Steve counts as an “old home,” and the hazards that come with it: asbestos, lead, and knob-and-tube wiring. Why Steve tests for asbestos with a non-aggressive air sample (PCM cassette) instead of a bulk sample, and why disturbing asbestos is the real danger. How asbestos abatement differs from mold remediation, from tenting the whole house to chain-of-custody disposal. Why moldy debris isn’t classified as hazardous waste, even though Steve still considers it hazardous to your health. Lead paint vs. lead water pipes: which one you should actually worry about Why that dream home could turn into a money pit. Want to go deeper? Steve covers all of this and more in his book Toxic Mold and Old Homes, available in ebook, audiobook, and paperback: https://tinyurl.com/SteveWorsleybooks Worried your home is making you sick? Book a mold consult (the Mold Environment Assessment and Evaluation Plan) for a 90-minute strategy call with Steve and personalized recommendations. Learn more at https://www.cnccontractorservices.com We appreciate all of you and hope you have a great week!

It’s that time of year again! In episode 383, Steve will walk you through the annual Fall Checklist, a simple weekend routine to protect your home from mold, water damage, and fire hazards before freezing weather sets in. Starting outside, he will cover the roof (and why Steve would never put wood shakes on a house), cleaning gutters, extending downspouts, grading and drainage, cracks in hard surfaces, siding and caulking, winterizing sprinklers and heat tape. He will then head inside to cover the attic and crawl space to check insulation, vapor barriers, sump pumps, exhaust fans, address furnace service and filters (and why a higher MERV rating isn’t always better), whole-house humidifier settings, dryer vent cleaning, plumbing leaks, and smoke detectors. Want the full list? Sign up for our email list to get the Fall Checklist or find it under Resources at cnccontractorservices.com. You can also email us at info@cnccontractorservices.com. We appreciate all of you and hope you have a great week.

Episode 382: Plumbing and Toxic Mold – What to Look For A slow drip behind a wall or under a sink can run for months before anyone notices, and by then a small leak has become a big mold problem. In this episode, Steve will go through the plumbing in your home and where the hidden risks are. Supply lines: PEX manifolds compared with older copper trunk-and-branch systems Shut-off valves: why old multi-turn valves are known to fail, and why you should switch to quarter-turn ball valves when you remodel Water heaters: mineral buildup, the temperature and pressure relief valve and its discharge pipe, and why a drain pan with a working drain line matters Drains: P-traps and sewer gas, vent pipes, and nails or screws that puncture drain lines inside walls Insurance: how clean-water leaks and sewage backups are classified differently on claims Outside: hose bibs and sprinkler systems Steve also explains why a whole-home water monitoring system is worth having. His takeaway is simple: look under your sinks and check your supply and drain lines regularly. Grab the mold investigation checklist https://cnccontractorservices.aweb.page/p/692d2803-38cc-4d54-bc77-e056fa59b968 We appreciate all of you and hope you have a great week!

Think mold in your attic, crawl space, basement or inside a wall can’t affect you because it’s not in your living space? Think again. In this episode, Steve will explain how air pressures inside a home are constantly changing, shifting between positive, neutral and negative many times an hour, and why that matters for your indoor air quality. Steve breaks down the “stack effect” myth and explains how everyday things like a stove hood fan, a furnace in the basement, or someone opening the front door can pull contaminated air from hidden areas straight into the rooms where you live. In this episode: What positive and negative air pressure really mean (with simple examples like a balloon near a cracked window and cracking car windows) How negative air is used during mold remediation, and what the containment plastic reveals about air movement Why “makeup air” means air has to come from somewhere, and that’s often your attic, crawl space or basement Why closing the door on a moldy basement or painting over mold doesn’t keep spores from migrating How changing air pressures can affect air test results, and why no single test answers every question Why hidden mold should never be ignored Bottom line: any mold is a concern, even if you can’t see it and even if it’s not in your living space. 📚 Steve’s books are available on Amazon in paperback, hardback, eBook and Audible. Search “Author Steve Worsley”: Mold Epidemic, Toxic Mold in My Home, Black Mold and Home Inspections, Inside Toxic Mold, and Building a Mold Resistant Home. https://tinyurl.com/SteveWorsleybooks 🏠 Worried your home is making you sick? Book a Mold Environment Assessment and Evaluation Plan, a 90-minute strategy call with Steve that includes personalized recommendations and next steps. https://www.cnccontractorservices.com/consulting 🎓 Mold education courses (Mold 101, Mycotoxin Prevention Kit) and consults: https://www.cnccontractorservices.com