Anyone have any experience with laundry equip possibly causing high levels of indoor mold?
I have done clearance testing twice on a laundry room contained from the rest of the house. Both times the mold levels were sky high.
Just found out the equip is 10 y.o.
Most homeowners never think to run bleach and or vinegar through the washer once in a while to sanitize.
Opinions, pls.
Does mold grow on non-organic equipment? I dont think so. maybe under the washer.
Front loading washers have been documented to have extensive mold problems.
Mix water, lint, dirt, fabric bits, etc. and leave in a warm, damp environment.
How about this, James:
Regardless of your reason for wanting to eliminate mildew in your washing machine, it’s important to understand why it’s there in the first place. Mildew thrives in damp conditions and needs something to feed off: soap suds, hair, lint and dirt all fit the bill. Sound familiar? Your washing machine is the perfect breeding ground.
http://http://www.smellywasher.skyrock.com/
I have had a lot of clients call that was concerned about mold in washing machines. I could see how it could possibly happen, but I have always found the mold elsewhere, such as on building materials, which caused the high spore count. Also I have found that most commercial laundry rooms do not have enough venting.
My guess would be the mold is somewhere else other than the washer,if you are getting such high spore counts. There was obviously a mold issue and remediation work for you to be doing a clearance test. Where was the initial mold that required remediation? Could there be hidden mold somewhere else in the room?
When you clearance test a job for somebody, you should get a copy of the remediation protocol or at least a guidance letter from an Indoor Environmental Professional, as required by the IICRC S520, Second Edition. Unless the mold was less than 10 square feet, even though a recent study showed the 10 feet rule is incorrect and should be done away with.](*,)
They don’t use bleach in the process of cleaning their clothing where you’re from?
Some ppl do, some so not.
Should NOT be used with septic system.
Bleach and vinegar cleaning clothes is its own task. Separate wash cycle to clean the machine is very different w/o dirty clothes.
Again, how often do folks do this, David?