Executive Housekeeping Today - March 2008 - (Page 3)

CEU Take the Quiz on page 21! article For Christmas, a young couple decided to take a few days off and drive to Palm Springs, California. When they arrived at their hotel in the wee hours of the morning, the couple was tired and just wanted to unpack and go to sleep. The couple noticed a strange smell as soon as they walked into their guest room, but thought little of it. The next morning, however, both were experiencing problems breathing—the wife had a cough and headache and the husband’s eyes were red and irritated. After searching around the room for the source of the odor, the couple noticed that a large area of the carpet was damp. Apparently, moisture found its way under the carpet, which soon became a fertile breeding ground for mold and mildew, and was the cause of the couple’s ailments. A few years back, many in the professional cleaning industry frequently heard reports such as this one, along with the many adverse effects that mold and mildew can produce. However, in the past few years, these “headlines” appear to have faded. There also appears to be fewer cases of mega-lawsuits filed due to exposure to mold. And, some in the industry even think that mold is a problem that has either faded away or simply been solved. Nothing could be farther from f Mold Issues: Restoration and Prevention by Bruce Korodi the truth. Earlier this year, the opening of a hotel in Hawaii was indefinitely delayed after signs of mold were discovered in some of the hotel’s bathrooms. Although serious, it did not compare to a neighboring hotel that was forced to pay millions of dollars in legal claims to former guests and staff who became ill due to mold in the hotel. Additionally, parts of this hotel were still not open as of December 2007, due to restoration work and remodeling. Mold has also been prevalent in recent years after natural disasters, particularly Hurricane Katrina. The severity of a mold problem is evident to the residents and businesses that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. Mold is an ongoing problem that is costly and detrimental to health. Fortunately, there are ways to remove and prevent it. However, mold found indoors, in a hotel property after a hurricane or flood, for instance, is not good news. The problem is that this type of mold has the potential to adversely affect human health. It can produce allergens, irritants, and, in some cases, toxins that can be very harmful to humans. The severity of the symptoms can depend on an individual’s age—with very young and older hotel guests most susceptible—the type and amount of mold, and the extent of exposure. In a hotel setting, mold may be found in and around windows, on walls, under wallpaper, in ceilings and insulation, or under carpets. After a storm, such as Katrina, it may be found just about anywhere on any surface. If it is in the insulation or under wallpaper, for example, the insulation or wallpaper will need to be removed, the area allowed to thoroughly dry, and then treated with disinfectants, biocides, or bleach to ensure the mold is dead. Additionally, a formerly moldfree guest room may develop a mold problem if the carpets have been recently cleaned, but took too long to dry. It is the general consensus of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the Centers for Disease Con(continued on next page) The Problem with Mold Mold, which is a fungus and grows on plants and fibers, has been around virtually from the beginning of time. But not all mold is bad. About 50 years ago, scientists found that they could use a type of mold to develop penicillin, an antibiotic that has saved millions of lives. Mold is used to help age cheese and enhance its flavor and it has also been used to improve the texture of wine. March 2008/Executive Housekeeping Today 3

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Housekeeping Today - March 2008

Executive Housekeeping Today - March 2008 Contents Executive Corner Mold Issues: Restoration and Prevention Mold Removal with Steam Vapor: Study Validates New Technology Frugal Housekeeper Executive Housekeeping Today Virtual Magazine is a Big Hit with Readers! Executive Profile The Green Scene 2008 Convention Information Inside the Industry Product Highlights New Members Joint IEHA/ISSA Members Advertisers' Index Calendar of Events Inside I.E.H.A. What I.E.H.A. Has Done For Me

Executive Housekeeping Today - March 2008

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