Wet Summer, Wet Fall – Avoiding Mould

Mould Remediation

It’s been a wet summer, and it looks to be sliding right into a wet autumn here in Toronto and the GTA. That means potential flooding – and the potential for mould. Residents of older and public buildings in the city complain of leaks and black mould and it hits the news, but it can…

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Mould Spores

Just after the news of Hurricane Harvey came the aftermath – an almost immediate infestation of mould throughout Houston and other flooded areas of Texas. It’s well known that mould can begin to grow within a mere 24 hours if the conditions are right. But how? And what, if anything, can you do to prevent…

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New Research on Mould Toxins

We’ve long known that mould spores become airborne within a home. That’s how a small mould infestation in the basement — near the HVAC system — can result in mould spores being detected throughout all floors of the building. And, it doesn’t take that long. Recently, however, researchers in France have discovered that it’s not…

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Snow Days…and Mould Days?

The kids got a couple of extra days and parents an unexpected childcare headache this week in Southwestern Ontario when a public school was forced to close for two days after mould was found in classrooms. Testing found a strain of mould called Cladosporium, one of the most common household strains that is also found…

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Insulation and Mould

One GTA family’s ongoing nightmare with their home and legal battles boil down to one equation: no insulation = mould. The unfortunate family bought a semi-detached home in Vaughan, north of Toronto, in 2004 but haven’t lived in it in four years as it has become uninhabitable due to mould infestation. The home was purchased…

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Frozen Pipes and Winter Mould Woes

Frozen water pipes caused flooding in Toronto City Hall this past week, an unenviable issue many home owners have to deal with too. Mould can’t grow at freezing temperatures, that’s a fact. But, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a link between freezing water pipes and mould – when pipes burst and there’s flooding, mould is…

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Insulation: Time for an Upgrade?

Adding or installing new insulation can help with a host of environmental issues such as mould growth and noise pollution. But there’s also a caution to throw in where it comes to older homes – vermiculite insulation which can be contaminated with asbestos. Let’s look at what it entails. Thinking About Insulation? With the new…

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Flooding, Mould & More

Flash flooding took GTA residents by surprise earlier this week. When about 125mm of rain fell over Burlington, west of Toronto, in a matter of hours, it caused chaos, flooding roads and even closing the QEW. As a point of comparison, that figure is typical for a month’s rainfall in this area at this time…

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Basements and Mould

A Saskatchewan woman’s housing nightmare is typical of what many renters and in particular lower income tenants have to deal with across Canada, but it uncovers a common issue many property owners will relate to: a mouldy basement.

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