Mold is the enemy of humans, causing severe health hazards for residents. It is basically tiny spores that grow with humidity or constant water leakage. A mold infestation can ruin the drywall, walls, or floors of your kitchen, bathroom, or garage. To get rid of it, you need an effective mold remediation process that locates and deters it, ensuring the mold does return for a long time.
Every place has mold, residential or commercial. However, mold remediation reduces mold, and mold removal cleans and treats the area to prevent it from spreading. The remediation process gets mold levels back to a normal, natural state. Some molds produce health-threatening mycotoxins. While removing all mold in a house is impossible, certain levels are acceptable.
What Types Of Mold Is Handled By Mold Remediation Process?
Certain molds can produce toxins (specifically mycotoxins), but mold is not toxic or poisonous. There are three classifications of mold: allergenic (low to moderate), pathogenic (moderate to high), and toxigenic (high to extreme). Below are the most common types of mold found indoors:
- Aspergillus: This common indoor mold grows at an alarmingly fast rate. It mostly appears green to black spots or dots and is found in home air conditioning systems and on exposed fruits, vegetables, and grains.
- Alternaria: Another common indoor mold is Alternaria. It is typically found in soil and on plants, fruits, vegetables, wallpaper, ceiling tiles, window frames, and textiles. If exposed, it could actively trigger asthma or hay fever.
- Cladosporium: This mold is generally found on cooling or heating units, damp building materials, insulation, and decaying plants. While most species are not harmful, this type of mold might cause allergic reactions.
- Chaetomium: This mold has a strong, musty smell. It is generally found in water-damaged areas, such as basements, under the carpet, water-logged drywall, or under the roof. Its texture is white-gray to brown and cotton-like.
- Penicillium: This type of mold is used in bleu cheese. However, it is not healthy when found in the home in an allergen state. Penicillium mostly appears as a velvety blue-green mold near water-damaged areas.
- Stachybotrys: Also known as black mold, Stachybotrys is known for its dark green to black coloring. It hides under tiles, behind walls, and in the ceiling. A professional should remove black mold, as it is highly toxic.
How to Test for Mold?
If the mold in your place is visible, there is no need for a test. However, most mold lurks in hidden places. So, how to do mold remediation? It usually requires professional devices to locate the exact location of mold growth. If you suspect mold at your place, you can buy a DIY kit for around $10-$20. These DIY kits can detect airborne mold with quite a precision. Each kit contains a swab, a petri dish, gloves, a mask, and a mailer to send the sample to a testing lab. After you send the specimen, you will get the results via email after a few days.
Step By Step Process To Remediate Mold Professionally
It is advisable to call your nearest company for Mold Damage Restoration at your place. Ignoring this problem for an extended period can cause residents severe allergens or breathing problems. Professionals conduct a detailed process that covers every inch of the property. They will ensure they leave the location with no mold and healthy air quality.
The precise process includes.
- Assessment
Professionals start with the in-depth assessment of moisture survey and air quality. In this assessment, they will also determine the extent of the mold problem and contamination level. They will take samples from affected and non-affected areas for diagnosis. Once the diagnosis came, the professionals found the exact source of mold growth. They will move on to the next step.Â
- Address the Moisture
After the diagnosis, professionals will identify and fix the moisture problem to prevent mold recurrence. They will target the most common sources, including poor ventilation, leaking gutters, and plumbing issues. Moisture control is key to preventing future mold growth. If there is less humidity, there is less chance for mold growth at your place.
- Isolating Contaminated Areas
A professional will carefully seal off mold-affected areas to prevent mold spores from spreading. They usually use plastic sheeting, physical barriers, and negative air pressure. In addition, they spray to eliminate airborne mold and prevent further contamination. This step ensures mold does not grow in other places in the building or at home.
- Removing Damaged Items
This step includes discarding moldy, porous materials like carpeting, drywall, and fabric-covered furniture. Damaged items can cause severe health hazards for the residents. To prevent such repercussions, all the items are sealed in airtight bags and disposed of per local regulations.
- Cleaning the Affected Area
In this step, the professionals spray affected areas with EPA-approved biocide to kill mold spores. This spray will treat non-porous surfaces and use antimicrobial sprays on porous materials. Moreover, to get better air quality, they will clean the place with HEPA vacuums to remove mold residues and moisture. They also use effective techniques like wet wiping, sanding, and abrasive blasting may be used.
- Encapsulation
After cleaning the damaged area, the remediation experts give the biocide time to work. The waiting time depends on how long the biocide takes to be effective and dry. The surface must be fully dry before application. Active mold left underneath encapsulated areas can quickly grow again. Eliminating all mold spores before whitewashing or painting is vital. Once dry, the professionals spray the area with whitewash or special paint to cover any remaining mold spores. They spray beyond the affected area to ensure mold doesn’t grow back.Â
- Final Inspection and Testing
The remediation process is complete. It is time to inspect for moisture levels, humidity, and visible mold again. The remediation team will also test air samples to confirm remediation success and area safety. Moreover, they will provide recommendations to prevent future mold growth, such as improving ventilation.
- Restoration and Repairs
The remediation team will now restore the affected areas by repairing or replacing materials. This step may also include fixing drywall, flooring, insulation, plumbing, and electrical systems. They will ensure the property is mold-free and structurally sound, which will prevent massive or toxic mold growth for a long time.
Mold is everyone’s enemy, especially people living in humid buildings. To prevent this problem, make sure to fix all the water leaks in the building. After that, a reliable mold remediation process is necessary to make the building liveable again. It is advisable to consult the professional mold remediation team to get the desired results.
If you are looking for a premium company to address your mold problems, call Full Service Pros now. We have a skilled team equipped with cutting-edge tools to detect the source of mold growth in your vicinity. We are available 24/7, ready to provide top-notch property damage restoration services to make your life or property healthy again. Visit us now to book your service!
