The Cause Behind Mold Odor in Eastern Honolulu

8/15/2022 (Permalink)

It is not uncommon for mold to accrue overtime in Hawai’i especially in eastern Honolulu. On our beautiful island, the damp summers, and ocean breezes are breeding grounds for toxins like mold or bacteria. Mold is a danger to all life forms, and needs the utmost care when being remedied. Thriving in damp areas that tend to be confined, it may be hard to even spot mold growth or spores. Additionally, mold can survive both in the air and on materials. Any biodegradable material, such as wood, dry wall, clothing, and flooring. 

Before we enter the site for mold, residential and commercial owners alike can probably smell the problem. It might not be visible to the naked eye but there is a chemical that produces this smell: mycotoxin. This chemical emitted by mold spores tends to spread rapidly.  

Mycotoxins have a very distinctive, malodorous odor with musty, swampy, or grungy notes. Mycotoxins attribute dangerous properties from being a microbial volatile organic compound-MVOC. Meaning a few defining characteristics: 

• It is toxic, it is secretion from mold 
• The scents vary with each mold type 
• Potency of this toxin differs with each type and amount of mold 
• It clings to skin and hair, this exposure is toxic 

One of the main reasons as to why mold is a dangerous toxin that must be thoroughly cleaned is because of mycotoxins that mold spores release. For the sake of sanity some people simply remove the odor by masking it. Using perfumes, air freshers, or cleaning physical manifestations of mold. This only mitigates your smelling pleasures, whilst the mycotoxins are in the air. 

SERVPRO of East Honolulu utilizes the newest technology to combat natural disasters and messes. One of them being HEPA air filtration devices. Cleaning furniture, clothing, and surfaces can get rid of your mold with the proper chemicals… but with mold it is simply not enough. Mold is an airborne spore meaning that although your surfaces are clean, the mold infestation can still be there. Using a HEPA filter takes the toxins in the air to be sucked into it and stay in the filter. This filter also takes care of the lingering odor even when everything else is disinfected. Bleach is not a good cleaner for mold, it does not get into porous materials like wood. 

Call the professionals if you smell mold in your residential or commercial property in Eastern Honolulu. SERVPRO of Eastern Honolulu prides itself in holding IICRC cleaning standards. We also work with the state in passing properties as livable situations once we clean for mold. Mold remediation is no easy feat, and SERVPRO of Eastern Honolulu is here every step of the way. "Like it never even happened."