Mold Creeps Into Maryland From A Wet Summer

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — A dangerous side effect of Maryland's wet summer is growing in homes, offices and schools.

And as the rain keeps coming down, the mold is moving in.

Scott Theodoropoulos, the owner of a mold removal company said he usually gets about 15 calls a week.

Now, he said he's getting about 25 calls a day.

His phone is still ringing into the fall season, or he'll get a text message with pictures of mold.

His company, Green Clean Restoration has been busier than ever before.

"The rain has been pretty wild. And, everybody who never had a water problem, this year has a water problem," Theodoropoulos said.

Maryland has seen 50 inches of rain so far, and the unforgiving forecast has sent water seeping into buildings.

Mixed with humidity, it's a recipe for the growing problem, from basements to eight floors of dorm rooms.

"It's funny, because I've seen workers in masks working to clean, and we're still living and sleeping in the dorms," said University of Maryland freshman Shannon Cleary.

The University of Maryland began moving 550 students out of Elkton Hall earlier this week to clean mold reported in the building.

Public schools in Anne Arundel and Howard County confirm they have had the same problem.

In Baltimore City, about 30 schools have had mold cleaned, treated or removed.

At Callaway Elementary School, that process included temporarily shifting some students to different classrooms.

But Theodoropoulos said that kind of early and aggressive approach is key to making sure the most dangerous forms don't linger.

"Sometimes you don't see the mold, but it's there, so how are you going to get it out of the air? That's what you have to do," Theodoropoulos said.

He said to check basements and check things that may have been exposed to water and humidity and to understand that most of the time, bleach won't fix the problem.