So you’ve got your house all winterized. All the cold air is outside, and all the warm air inside, and you’ve got moisture barriers, and insulation, and caulking and maybe some extra plastic here and there for good measure.

So don’t be surprised if your air starts getting a little stale. That furnace system of yours is recirculating all that pet dander, cigarette smoke, mold, mold spores, dust mites that’s in the ambient air. And you thought all you had to worry about was stale cooking odors. Of course, if you have a central air system, at least you have some filtration.

And let’s hope your tightly winterized house doesn’t have an inside leak, or trapped humidity somewhere like a bathroom or crawlspace. Because even in winter, mold can grow, given a little moisture, oxygen and something organic to grow on.

Don’t be surprised if that winter cold you have is really a winter allergy. So maybe before you head for the neighborhood pharmacy for your cold meds, get your house some mold meds. Pay a visit to your doctor for a scratch test, and look into getting your house tested for mold.

Twas the night before Christmas…and sixteen households and 67 individuals were determined to be displaced after Monday’s inspection of eight of the 10 buildings belonging to Barry Chernowsky of Chicago, a landlord who has citations for over $100,000 in fines for lack of heat, carbon monoxide leaks, mold and other unsanitary conditions.

At least a dozen agencies are working to find tenants alternative housing.

Just what everyone wants under their tree for the holidays. A gift wrapped box of mold.

Photos by Mark Copier | The Grand Rapids Press

What do you do when, thanks to a lot of local flooding, your house is so mold infested that it makes your kids sick? So infested that it forces you to move out? So infested that a builder offers to rebuild and the community (Child Advocacy Center, Neighbors Plus, Habitat for Humanity, the Holland Rescue Mission, Good Samaritan Ministries, Community Action House, Catholic Charities, a local construction company and several subcontractors) decides to help?

But what about when the bank holding the mortgage won’t give the builder permission for the tear down?

That’s what has happened to Angela Alexander, her husband, five daughters and two sons. For now she’s staying in a Ministries property, but anything could happen this December, now that she can’t pay her note…

The community has agencies secured a mold test, negotiated with the mortgage company, found a temporary house, drafted a house that will only cost the family $45,000, and now the community is working on fundraising.

The next step lies in the hands of Lender Kristine Kline, vice president of marketing for the Mortgage Center out of Southfield.

Third-year aerospace engineering student Mandi Shingledecker was diagnosed with asthma caused by exposure to the mold and mildew in her dorm. Showers on the 11th floor leaked on to the 10th floor, causing mold and mildew and collapsing ceilings (3x).

Her doctor’s letter says “All molds can release neurotoxins and exposure should be limited for everyone. Mandi also has documented allergies to mold. Her exposure would be expected to worsen her health” but Shingledecker’s request for reimbursement was disallowed because she stayed in the dorm after the reimbursement date had passed. The students affected by the mold were given $300.