What’s behind that tile?
If you are like me, one of your favorite places to relax and wash away the stress of the day is your shower. We look for sanctuary within these three little walls yet we don’t think of what’s behind those tiles… I recently attended an excellent presentation by Don Halvorson from Forensic Tile Consultants (http://www.forensictileconsultants.com/) at the Irvine Chapter Workshop of the Indoor Air Quality Association. Don reminded us of the importance of the water dynamics in showers and the expensive repairs that occur when they are not properly installed and maintained. Depending on where you live, there is 2.2 to 414 times more water inside the shower than on your roof! (Don Halvorson, Technical Report, “Rainfall Inside My House” November 29, 2002)
Now, you should be caring for your roof, maintaining the shingles, cleaning the gutters and downspouts, etc. What are you doing for your shower? Are you maintaining the grout? Monitoring the drywall behind and beside the shower for signs of water damage and mold? Water can get behind shower tile, under the floor tile and into drywall adjacent to the shower in a number of ways: water can impact the wall behind the tile through cracks in the tile and joints between the tub and tile, water can travel over the tub rim behind the tile, water can wick (absorb liquid through capillary action) up the wall board behind the tiles due to plugged weep holes in the floor drain, and improper sloping of tub edges/ledges and floor pan can prevent the water from properly draining, just to name a few.
Keep an eye on the areas with greater potential to allow water to penetrate the tile. Some of these areas include seats, window seals, and shampoo/conditioner bottle shelves. Make sure all shower components and fixtures are properly sealed with caulk so water cannot travel behind the tile.
Perform frequent visual inspections to look for signs of a potential problem:
- Dark grout, especially at the bottom row of tile and in the two back corners of the tub
- Darker row of tile at the bottom of the wall adjacent to the tub or floor
- Loose tiles
- Cracks in tiles and grout
- The shower pan (at the base of the shower) feels spongy and soft when you stand on it, or has water stains on the surface from improper drainage
- Water stained carpeting and vinyl flooring just outside the shower
- Water damaged drywall and baseboard just outside the shower/tub typically at the lower left and right front corners (visual indications of water damage include water stains, mold growth, peeling paint, etc.)
Many people ask us about mold growing on the grout inside the tub or shower. Mold can and often grows on grout under normal shower use. Frequent cleaning with an appropriate non-toxic, ecologically safe mold/mildew cleaner can help prevent mold growth in these areas. Mold that cannot be cleaned from the surface of the grout may be caused from water damage behind the tile and a professional mold professional, plumber or tile expert should be contacted to investigate the area. A good idea is to leave the shower open and allow air to circulate through the shower/bath assembly to dry out. This will minimize the moldy grout issue.
Envirosentials provides water damage investigations, mold inspections, healthy home consultations and non-toxic cleaning products to clean your home. Contact us if you are interested in learning how you can create a greener and healthier home at info@envirosentials.com or 1-800-604-3886
Look what the cat dragged in!
Look what the cat (well dog actually) dragged in!
This is my dog, Griffin, a male Newfoundland, who at the time of this photo weighed about 115 pounds. Yes, that is mud on his head. This photo was taken inside my house, after I calmed down from watching him run circles around my living room, spraying mud onto every surface in three rooms of my home! Chasing my dog with my young son, whose shoes; were also covered in mud. I’m showing you this to demonstrate one way our outdoor environment gets inside our home….it hitch hikes.
Now that you have some sort of visual, imagine the same open door that allowed my pet and son to wander in freely, also allows mold spores, pollen, and pesticides to make their way inside, unimpeded and unnoticed. Mold spores, also called fungi, can blow in from outdoor reservoirs such as compost piles and decaying vegetation. It is normal and expected to find mold outdoors and an “open door policy” allows them to come inside as well. The same can be said about pollens in the air, although the outdoor pollen concentration varies with the season and time of day.
Penetrations in the building envelope can also create unhealthy conditions. Roof and window leaks allow water to enter the building envelope. Often times the building tenants are unaware of the problem until water starts to seep through the ceiling and walls, water stains form, and ultimately, mold grows. Pests travel through holes in the foundation and make nests inside the building envelope; termites can infest and damage the integrity of the structure. Contamination in the soil can get into private and surface water supplies and can enter the house on dust catching a wave on a strong breeze.
We can’t keep the outdoors out, but we can try to control it. Here are 5 things you can do today:
1. Control your entryway. First, get a door mat. This is an easy and inexpensive way to catch mud and debris trying to sneak into your home. Second, take off your shoes and leave them at the front door. In my experience, this is becoming a common practice and guests won’t mind your request.
2. Monitor your windows and doors. I am a fan of ventilation and believe fresh air is great for you and your home, but you should close your windows and doors during rain and wind storms. Open windows and doors allow water to enter during a storm which can damage window sills and carpeting and can lead to mold. Similarly, monitor the weather for days of high pollen counts and/or high wind. Close windows and doors during these times to reduce the amount of pollen and dust entering the house.
3. Perform weekly inspections. Take a walk around the exterior of your home once a week to look for things like holes and cracks in the foundation and pests in nests or trails. Correct obvious problems immediately. If uncertain, call in local experts to take a look. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve inspected a home and the homeowner takes me to areas around the house they admit they haven’t seen in years. Unwanted surprises often lurk in these areas!
4. Perform an inventory of the chemicals and pesticides you are using in your yard and garage. Consider their proper use and disposal. Are they really necessary? How green does your lawn really need to be? What’s separating your yard or garage from the inside of your house…an open door? Pesticides and chemicals do not respect your threshold.
5. Gather information on your water supply. If you have a private well, cistern or spring, try to locate details on its construction. This information should be provided in a “well log”. Check your local public health department or building department for these records. While you’re there, check out the rest of the file for your home…you may be surprised what’s in there. Keep copies for your personal file.
What happens if you lose total control and end up with a muddy mess? Stay tuned for our next visit.
The Home Environment
When you think of the “environment” what comes to mind? Air, water, soil, right? There are so many rules and regulations that pertain to the environment. We all want a clean environment – clean air to breathe, clean water to drink. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and local health departments are a few of the agencies trying to keep our outdoor environment safe. So what about our homes, who protects our air, water and soil from contamination? We do. If this gets you a little concerned, stick with us, we’ll help you sort through all the potential contaminants that can enter your home and make you or your family sick, damage your home, and cost you money.
Let’s start by looking at air. The most common indoor air pollutants are volatile organic compounds (VOCs), mold, allergens, tobacco smoke, bacteria and viruses, heavy metals, radon, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, pesticides, and asbestos.
Now, on to water. Every home receives their drinking water from a public or private water supply. A public water supply is usually supplied by your municipal water company and you know you have this type because you pay a utility bill. A private water supply is usually a private well, spring or cistern located on or in close vicinity to your property. The most common water contaminants include bacteria, nitrates, pesticides, VOCs, trihalomethanes, metals, asbestos, radon, and perfluorochemicals (PFCs).
You may think the soil outside your home does not affect your home’s health, but consider the way you care for your yard, garden and structures. Fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides all enter the soil and can travel into the water supply. Nearby or historic manufacturing practices can also contribute to soil contamination in residential areas. Soil contamination affects your indoor environment by contaminating your water supply, getting tracked in by animals, or blowing right in on a windy day.
Overwhelmed? In the upcoming blogs, we’ll break each one down to educate you about each of the pollutants, their sources, problems they can cause, and what you can do to try to reduce the levels in your home.
Healthy Home Consulting
Envirosentials…the seedling has sprouted!
Welcome to the first Envirosentials blog! I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and tell you a little about my company. I started working in the environmental field around 1990 as a microbiologist in a laboratory in Northern New Jersey. I quickly realized that I’m not cut out for standing in a lab 8 hours a day testing water, soil and sludge! Luckily, I found the most beautiful townships in New Jersey to spend many years working with residents and environmental health. We dealt with everything from septic systems, restaurant inspections, water testing, recreational bathing, radon, rabies, Lyme Disease, West Nile Virus, to bio-terrorism (just to name a few!). Years later, and a thousand miles south, I found myself living in the middle of hurricane alley. Florida is beautiful and its hot, humid climate provided ample opportunities to experience indoor air quality problems and mold. Now I live in Orange County, California. I’ve decided to get back to doing what I love to do, educating people about environmental health, and how it affects their health and the health of those they love.
The idea of Envirosentials was born many years ago. I was standing in the front yard of a small house in West Milford, New Jersey. Raw sewage was bubbling out of the grass and running down the street. The septic system was malfunctioning. As I was explaining to the shocked homeowner the next steps for the expensive and extremely destructive testing and installation that was required to repair her system, she just shook her head and said, “I had no idea I had a tank and pipes in my yard”. For those of you with septic systems, it’s likely you have over a thousand square feet of sand, stone and pipes in your yard!
I’ve heard hundreds of similar stories over the years, about how the parents of an asthmatic child didn’t know the green mold all over their child’s toys could trigger an asthma attack, or how a simple home remodeling project could give a small child lead poisoning. I believe that homeowners need to better understand their homes and how human activities and climate can affect its health. Our homes are the most expensive item most of us will purchase. They are built with systems that need to be understood and maintained; plumbing, electrical, drinking water, sewage treatment, heating and air conditioning are a few of the important systems in your home.
Failure to maintain these systems is costly!
We take our bodies to the doctor for a checkup, our cars to the mechanic, but what about our houses?
How do we know when our houses are sick?
What is our sick house doing to the people who live inside?
I provide healthy home consulting and testing. In this blog I will share the knowledge I have gained during my many years in the field, case studies and helpful tips. If you’re interested in this, I encourage you to ask questions and participate in the blog. If not, please pass the link along to someone you think may benefit from learning ways to create a healthier home. You can reach me by e-mail at mmcintyre@envirosentials.com or through the websites, www.Envirosentials.com and www.GreenIrene.com/Envirosentials.
A little about me…
Michelle McIntyre, President Envirosentials
I live in Orange County, California with my husband, 8-year old son, and 120-lb Newfoundland dog. I am passionate about helping people create healthier homes. I don’t preach here, I educate. I am not 100% “green” and will never claim to be, but I make daily improvements in my lifestyle towards that goal. I will never lie to you to sell products, if you don’t want to buy products, no problem, read the blog and see if you learn something new.
There’s a lot that goes on in your home environment. My goal is for you to understand that the decisions you make affect that environment and ultimately your health.
I am not a medical doctor, if you read something here that you feel relates to your health and symptoms you are experiencing, talk to your doctor – maybe together, we can help you finally feel better
A clean environment in which to live, sleep, and play
At Envirosentials, we understand your concerns about the environment in which you live, sleep, and play. Learn more about us at our website, http://www.envirosentials.com, and visit our blog often for tips on how to improve your footprint on our planet through green living.
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