Mold Removal

In New York City, mold in your home is a problem. This problem also exists outside of the city as well, but due to the age of our buildings and other horrible things, toxic mold is a huge issue here.

Now, unless, like Justen and myself, you have had your ceiling fall in revealing all sorts of black mold colonies, you may not be able to tell the condition of your inner walls without doing much damage. I have recently learned that many mold detection services are using specially trained dogs (like the one above--named Hunter) to detect mold in your home. Basically, to understand why dogs are so good at this, you need to learn a little about mold.


Mold is a product of excessive moisture. Most moisture problems go unnoticed and unchecked for many years not because people don't care, but because most of the detrimental aspects of the damage are usually invisible. The way that homes are constructed now makes mold detection practically impossible. It is possible to sample the air in your house and get a spore count, but you have no idea where the mold is coming from--just that it is there. Now we have all seen mold at least once. Chances are, you grew it in science class, have some growing in your shower now, or maybe even have some fruit or bread with a little growing on it.

Penicillin is a mold. Its healing properties have saved millions of people from death. Our bodies are full of bacterium that help us live. But not all molds are as friendly. As molds thrive, they produce three things: spores, gasses and toxins. The spores are mostly confined to an area, and inside of a wall, it is hard for them to escape--unless there is a hole or crack. The big problem is the gasses released by the molds. The gasses mold produces are detected by the human nose as a "musty smell". Unlike spores, gasses can easily penetrate walls and build-up indoors creating discomfort and causing health complaints such as headaches, nausea, dizziness and fatigue. While this seems like a terrible thing, these gasses are the key to the solution.

The dog's nose is hundreds of times more sensitive than ours. New Jersey Mold Removal is a company that uses specially trained dogs to "sniff out" these gasses. These dogs are led through your space, and sniff around, and alert the handler to the presence of toxic molds. Their noses easily pick up on the nuances of the smells of the different molds. This method is much less intrusive than what happened to us. It is also another way that companion animals are being used to help humanity. Dogs love to "work", it is their nature. Nothing makes them feel more alive than the hunt. This toxic mold hunting is a perfect job for these dogs.

So next time that your pooch is sniffing around, just think what might be behind those walls.

This post was sponsored by New Jersey Mold Company. I support them because of their use of companion animals in such a beneficial way.