Tracing a musty smell
A musty smell with no visible mold usually means moisture somewhere hidden. Here is how to narrow it down room by room before you call anyone.
Read the articleMold tips
Mold and moisture articles for Newark homes
Short, practical notes from the work we do in Newark-area homes. Each one answers a question we hear on the phone, and each one lists its sources.
Answering 24/7 from our Johnson St office in Newark
These articles cover the questions that come up again and again on our inspector line: what a musty smell means, what to do in the first days after a flood, whether you need an inspection or a test, and how to keep a basement, attic or shore house dry. They are written for homeowners, renters, landlords and buyers, not for other contractors.
Every article is edited by Tamara Atwood, and every one ends with the public sources it draws on, from EPA and CDC guidance to National Weather Service records and local reporting. Where a note touches on law or insurance, it says so plainly and stops short of advice.
All articles
Ten articles, one question each
The first 48 hours after a flood
What to do, in order, after water gets into a New Jersey basement: safety, stopping the water, what to save and why the first two days matter.
Read the articleInspection or testing
An inspection finds where mold is and why; testing tells you what it is and how much. Here is how to decide which one answers your question.
Read the articleDocumenting mold in a rental
Tenant or landlord, the record you keep decides how a mold problem gets resolved. What to photograph, write down and ask for, step by step.
Read the articleWhy attic mold shows up in winter
Attic mold in New Jersey is usually a winter condensation problem, not a roof leak. How it forms, how to spot it and what actually stops it.
Read the articleBasement humidity targets
What humidity a basement should sit at, how to measure it properly, and what actually keeps it there through a humid New Jersey summer.
Read the articleWhat black mold means
Black mold is a name people use for many dark molds. What the term usually refers to, when identifying it helps, and why the fix is the same.
Read the articleBuying a home with a flood history
After Ida and recent river floods, many North Jersey homes have a flood history. What to look for, what to ask and what an inspection can show.
Read the articleSewer backups and backwater valves
Why basement drains back up in hard storms on Newark's combined sewer, what a backwater valve does, and what to do when it happens anyway.
Read the articleClosing a shore house for the season
Shore houses closed up for months are prime ground for mold. How to leave one dry, what to check underneath and what to do when you reopen it.
Read the articleWho writes these
About the editor
Tamara Atwood edits every article in Mold Tips. She works from what our inspectors find in Newark-area homes and checks each figure against the source linked at the end of the article. You can read more about how we work on the about page.
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Inspector line(973) 913-7658Answered 24/7Have a question these articles do not answer?
Call the inspector line and ask. If it comes up often enough, it may become the next article.