Study Says There's Gold In Mold

"Mold contamination has become an increased concern of homeowners and an enormous and potentially costly challenge for the insurance industry," said Wayne Wudyka, CRDN founder, president and chief executive officer.

He said that of all the contents in a typical structure, clothing, linens and other fabric items account for nearly one-fourth of the household goods listed on insurance claims. This is more than double the number of claims for any other category of contents, with the next closest category representing less than 10 percent, he added.

With restoration costs averaging only 16 percent of replacement, "it is clear that the savings from garment restoration can save millions of dollars for insurance companies," Mr. Wudyka said.

According to CRDN figures, for every dollar spent saving a garment, the insurance industry saves $6.25.

CRDN's professional drycleaning team, Mr. Wudyka said, has developed cleaning processes and formulas specifically for jobs where mold is present. The purpose of the independent study was to determine the effectiveness of that drycleaning program on mold remediation, Mr. Wudyka said, adding, "We are very pleased with the results."

While mold spores are commonly found in the environment, mold growth contamination on fabric items can lead to problematic odor, discoloration and even deterioration of fibers, he noted.

"For our sampling, we selected garments from structures with notable mold contamination and chose clothing made of cotton, wool and cotton/polyester blend, as these represent a substantial portion of the manufactured clothing industry," said Jon Dattilo, IAQ president. "A total of 88 samples were collected from six job sites over the course of eight months."

In this study, mold spore contamination was found in 58 percent of water damaged garments, and mold growth contamination was found in 25 percent.

The study's advocates said that after the drycleaning process, nearly 100 percent of mold spore contamination was eliminated, and mold growth contamination was reduced by nearly 90 percent.

For insurance adjusters, the study shows that clothing does not automatically need to be discarded just because it was in a moldy environment, Mr. Dattilo said. "In fact, oftentimes clothing in a moldy environment is not contaminated," and even if clothing is contaminated by mold, it can be cleaned of mold spore contamination, he added.

Statistics supplied by CRDN indicate:

? Clothing/textiles/linens is the largest category of contents on insurance claims (23 percent), indicating that 23 percent of a claim involving mold could be handled by a restoration drycleaner.

? The average family can accumulate wardrobes and household textile items exceeding $20,000 over the course of a few years.

? The average insurance restoration drycleaning cost is $3,700 per claim.