NSW Floods: how to get rid of the mould in your home caused by floods, heavy rain
After more than a week of heavy rainfall, many residents have noticed the sudden appearance of mould in their homes. In our guide, experts explain the health risks associated with mould, why it grows, and how to get rid of it.
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After more than a week of consistent heavy rainfall, many residents have noticed the sudden appearance of mould in their homes.
For those already dealing with the stress of flooding and evacuations, the new additions are yet another unwelcome surprise.
To ease the minds of our readers, NewsLocal spoke to two experts about the origins of mould, the health risk it poses, and how to permanently eradicate it.
What is mould?
Mould is a type of fungus that feeds on moisture and energy.
Mycologist Dr Heike Neumeister-Kemp, known as “the mould lady”, explained mould spores are everywhere around us, but they don’t settle to grow unless the conditions are optimal.
“Already the mould is in the air but it can’t grow (if) the surface of the building material and the contents of the house is relatively dry,” she said.
“If you constantly have very high humidity, as we experience at the moment, eventually moisture is adhered to that building material and it makes moisture available to microorganisms on that surface. And when you have that, of course, you get mould.”
Dr Neumeister-Kemp said there is a huge variety of mould types, each of which can have a different effect depending on where they grow, how long they’ve been there, and the moisture content of the surface.
Why is it in my house?
Mould thrives in moist conditions that lack ventilation, so the flooding and heavy rainfall which drenched NSW over the past week have created the ideal growing conditions.
Dr Neumeister-Kemp rallied against the of erroneous label “household mould”, explaining there is no one mould confined to the home. She said a number of types of fungi would grow inside homes, depending on the environment.
“(Mould will grow on) anything that absorbs more moisture,” she said.
“If you have very porous material – plasterboard, books, any of that type of stuff – the more possibility there is to absorb moisture.”
Dr Sameera Ansari, a cardio-respiratory physiotherapist and National Health and Medical Research Council Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the UNSW School of Population Health, agreed.
She noted that homes with carpet run a higher risk of accruing mould because carpet “has more risk of just absorbing it because it’s eventually fabrics.”
Is mould bad for you?
The short answer is yes. As Dr Ansari concisely said, “It’s not good for us.”
Dr Neumeister-Kemp explains mould can produce mycotoxins which make people ill.
“With any type of mould, independent from the colour, there is a high possibility of adverse health effects,” she said.
“No, you’re not going to die if you have mould, but take it serious.”
Dr Ansari explains the symptoms of mould exposure can include a blocked nose, wheezing, red or itchy eyes or skin rashes. She said mould acts as an allergen and causes hayfever in those sensitive to the spores.
According to Dr Ansari, mould exposure is “much more severe” for those with underlying health conditions, especially respiratory illnesses.
“Mould exposure can cause exacerbation, or flare-ups, of existing lung problems such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or any other chronic lung disease and, yes, it can also cause worsening of Covid-19,” she said.
“The mould essentially gets to the lungs but the mechanism by which it affects the system, it can have systemic effects on other body systems too.”
While not everyone experiences symptoms, Dr Ansari explained mould exposure is not conducive to good health.
“Even if you don’t have (underlying conditions), it’s not healthy to inhale mould any day for anybody,” she said.
On that note, Dr Neumeister-Kemp said it was important for good samaritans across the state to consider the impact of mould when helping to clear flood-affected homes.
She said many of the ‘mud army’ could be inhaling bacteria and mould while being exposed to toxins that professionals wear full length protective equipment to avoid.
“It’s really dangerous,” she said.
How do I get rid of mould?
Contrary to popular opinion, the answer is not bleach.
Dr Neumeister-Kemp said bleach and oily products should be ignored in favour of plant-based products with bio enzymes and vinegar.
Her special mould-busting solution is 70 per cent white vinegar and 30 per cent water, which she applies with a microfibre cloth to wipe the mould off the infested surface.
Dr Neumeister-Kemp warned the cloth should be cleaned between affected areas in order to avoid spreading the spores around the house.
“Mould is potentially really dangerous. If you do it wrong, you can spread it everywhere in your house, so you can make it worse,” she said.
“There’s a really high risk of cross-contamination that you spread it with a cloth or a vacuum cleaner or you open up something that was closed before and now it’s everywhere. So you need to be very careful what you do.”
Dr Neumeister-Kemp said the removal of mould is more complicated than simply wiping the visible patches, because the spores spread very quickly once they’re airborne.
“If the problem is bigger, then you shouldn’t even attack it yourself. You don’t have the equipment,” she said.
Professional mould removalists use negative air pressure to contain the mould, air scrubbers to remove the spores from the air, and protective equipment to prevent mould latching onto skin.
Dr Ansari opined everyone should wear a protective face mask while cleaning mould “because you end up inhaling the mould”.
She notes the silver lining of the pandemic has been the emphasis on face protection and the instigation of more regular deep cleaning.
How do I prevent mould in the future?
According to both experts, the key is proper ventilation.
Dr Neumeister-Kemp said it’s important to assess why mould has appeared in the house. Is there a leak? Is there rising damp? As always with mould, moisture is the key.
“The important thing is to keep the relative humidity low and how you do that is normally with ventilation,” she said.
She suggests opening windows overnight during the most humid part of the day. Dr Ansari agreed that opening doors and windows was essential to creating a mould-free zone.
“We have to make sure that we are always keeping our homes ventilated and allowing fresh air in and allowing cross ventilation as much as possible,” she said.
Ceiling fans or dry cycles on airconditioning are also effective weapons against humidity, suggested Dr Neumeister-Kemp. She said “dead air spaces” like cupboards and wardrobes can be breeding grounds for mould if there is no airflow.
As for moisture-absorbing crystals and dehumidifiers, Dr Neumeister-Kemp has ruled them ineffective.
“In order to actually alter the humidity in a normal bedroom, you should need an industrial size humidifier to make any difference whatsoever because the air volume is so big,” she said.
To make an appreciable difference to the humidity in the house, Dr Neumeister-Kemp suggests hiring just such a machine to extract the moisture over a couple of days.
If that’s too much of a stretch, Dr Ansari has simple and easy-to-enact advice for enemies of mould.
“Try to keep surfaces in the home as dry and clean as possible,” she suggested.
Meet the experts
Mycologist Dr Heike Neumeister-Kemp is known as “the mould lady” for her dedication to the study of mould and fungi over the past 25 years.
She was the Chairperson of the Special Interest Group on Indoor Air Quality for the Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand and the coeditor for the first Australian Mould Guideline, so it’s fair to say she’s earned her nickname.
Dr Neumeister-Kemp is the CEO and Principal Mycologist at Mycolab, the only laboratory for environmental mycology in Australia.
Dr Sameera Ansari is a cardio-respiratory physiotherapist and National Health and Medical Research
Council Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the UNSW School of Population Health.
She is an active member of many professional associations including the NSW Health Covid-19 Respiratory Clinical Community of Practice and Lung Foundation Australia.
Dr Ansari is an Honorary Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine at Bond University.
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