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Misconceptions about Black Mold
| | Friday, June 25, 2004 @ 12:15 PM EDT
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Contributed by: KevinThompson
KevinThompson Properties
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I suppose that after eight years in the business,
I shouldn't be surprised at how misinformed
people are when it comes to black mold.
I can guarantee that a little bit of education
would do away with America's black mold problems.
Here's a story that makes my point.
I was down in Tampa visiting my good friend Matt
when he told me this story
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about a misunderstanding
he had with his 3-year old son, Frank.
Matt and his wife were getting ready to go visit his
parents, and to make things just a little easier on
themselves, they decided to stop at Wendy's for
dinner on the way.
They ordered chicken nuggets for Frank.
As it turned out, Frank really liked em.
A few weeks later, they had gone out to eat dinner at
a family restaurant (TGI Friday's I believe).
When asked what he wanted for dinner, Frank said
"chicken nuggets".
But once the waitress brought their dinner to the
table, Frank felt that something was amiss.
He immediately announced that what the waitress brought
him was indeed NOT chicken nuggets.
Of course Matt knew better, but the more he tried to
convince his son Frank that the meal on his plate was
indeed chicken nuggets, the more Frank resisted.
You see, since Frank already had chicken nuggets in the
past, he had already formed an opinion as to what
chicken nuggets were, and now that his opinion was being
challenged, he was resisting.
And to be honest, it's no different with us.
Even as adults, we have this mistaken philosophy that
the first thing we learn about a subject is right, and
anything we hear thereafter must be false.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
Let me give you a personal example.
I'm about ready to turn 39 (on July 26th).
When I was in high school, back in the early 80's, I
distinctly remember my teachers telling me that the way
to be successful in life was to go to college, study hard
and get a good education. That way I'd be able to get a
great job that would last me the rest of my life.
My teachers had no reason to lie to me, so I believed
them.
But over the course of the last 20+ years, I've found
this advice to be totally wrong.
In fact, I've lost track of the amount of jobs I had.
You can probably relate.
How many jobs have you worked in during the course of your
life?
In case you ain't noticed, things have changed.
In this day and age, I venture to say that none of us
will work for one company our entire life.
What used to be true years ago, is no longer true.
While my teachers may have meant well, the advice they
gave me was incorrect. And the sad thing is, many people
still swear by this advice to this day.
I tell you this to make a very important point.
Like the story of Frank, and what my teachers told me
years ago, most of what you've heard or been told about
black mold is also incorrect.
How can I be so sure you ask.
Because I talk to people just like you on a daily basis,
and I'm constantly amazed by what I hear.
Things like:
"Mold won't grow in my area of the country."
"I can clean mold with bleach."
"I don't have any mold in my home cause I keep it clean."
Unfortunately, these statements are all wrong!
And if you thought they were true, you've received
some bad information.
And depending on where you're at right now, like Frank,
you may have misconceptions that need to be addressed
before they present a problem for you.
So here's what you do:
Ask yourself the following three questions:
1. Have I been getting my information from the most
reliable sources? (hint: family and friends
are not reliable sources)
2. Is it possible that I may have been misinformed
(intentionally or unintentionally)?
3. Do I want to risk being misinformed?
Now that you've answered these questions, your next step
is very clear, isn't it.
As you now realize...
Much of what you've heard about black mold is dead wrong.
And if you continue believing these myths, you'll continue
to make bad decisions (based on bad information).
Note: Kevin Thompson is a nationally respected authority on black mold and an IICRC Certified Technician who’s been in the cleaning and restoration industry since 1996.
Word Cloud:
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