Effective Mold Remediation: Top 5 Factors That Should Guide You
Whether on your floors, carpets, walls, or any other surface, Mildew is never great news for your family's health. Accordingly, it is really important to completely get rid of mold in your home. To ensure that mold removal and remediation is done professionally, there are a few basic factors that you need to understand as the homeowner.
1. Mold Growth Is An Indicator Of Other Serious Problems In Your Home
For starters, mold growth is an indicator of excess moisture in your home. Whether it is your poor attic, roof leak, or basement, excess moisture in your home can cause a wide range of building materials to stain, crack, warp, fall, and rot.
Additionally, once mold sets in, you should worry about a number of health issues. For instance, exposure to black mold is often associated with a plethora of health problems, including allergic reactions, respiratory problems, throat irritation, immune system complications, skin and eye irritation, and even cancer.
2. The First Step Of Effective Mold Removal is Fixing Moisture Problem
Effective mold removal and remediation process should start with identity and fix the source of the moisture problem. If there is mold growth in your attic, then poor ventilation or roof leaks are the most probable causes. If there is mold in other areas of your home, everything from seeping foundation to leaking plumbing could be the culprit. Whatever the cause, strive to get it fixed as soon as possible because your mold issue won't go away until it is addressed.
3. Consider Hiring a Mold Removal Expert/Company
Irrespective of the type of mold you have in your home---black, white, or green mold---your first step and best bet when it comes to effective mold removal and remediation is hiring a mold remediation company. This because mold removal experts are not only licensed by the state to carry out the process effectively, but they are also educated on the most efficient and safest ways of undertaking the process. While some people think that mold removal is DIY process, this is not the case. Mold remediation is a science and should never be confused with any DIY home improvement project. Opting to remove mold all by yourself not only reduces your chances of completely getting rid of the problem but also puts your health and that of your family at risk.
4. A Good Mold Remediation Company Should Have A Remediation Plan
Before the company or expert that you hire begins the remediation process, it is important that they record the mold situation in your home in forms of a report, video, and photos. In most cases, the cleaning team will use such a record to typically answers questions like when the work is scheduled to begin and be completed, the teams that will be performing a various task, the tests that should be done, and whether you will be required to temporarily relocate. Besides, documentation can help the company manage their liability or to point future trends in the mold growth. If a company isn't ready to create a remediation plan, it is a sign that they might not do a good job, and you should question their professionalism.
5. Determine if the Remediation Process is Successful
Just because the mold is gone shouldn't be a confirmation that the remediation process is done well. Your last step is to establish whether process is successful. According to EPA's Mold Remediation in Commercial Buildings and Schools guide, you should check the following:
• Moisture problems in your home is fixed
• There is no sign of visible mold, moldy odors, or mold-damaged materials
• You should be able to occupy or re-occupy your home without any aggravated health complains.
Bottom-line
Whenever you detect mold growth in your home, don't panic. It is a common occurrence that can be fixed, and now you understand a few factors that you need to keep in mind to ensure that it is effectively dealt with.
1. Mold Growth Is An Indicator Of Other Serious Problems In Your Home
For starters, mold growth is an indicator of excess moisture in your home. Whether it is your poor attic, roof leak, or basement, excess moisture in your home can cause a wide range of building materials to stain, crack, warp, fall, and rot.
Additionally, once mold sets in, you should worry about a number of health issues. For instance, exposure to black mold is often associated with a plethora of health problems, including allergic reactions, respiratory problems, throat irritation, immune system complications, skin and eye irritation, and even cancer.
2. The First Step Of Effective Mold Removal is Fixing Moisture Problem
Effective mold removal and remediation process should start with identity and fix the source of the moisture problem. If there is mold growth in your attic, then poor ventilation or roof leaks are the most probable causes. If there is mold in other areas of your home, everything from seeping foundation to leaking plumbing could be the culprit. Whatever the cause, strive to get it fixed as soon as possible because your mold issue won't go away until it is addressed.
3. Consider Hiring a Mold Removal Expert/Company
Irrespective of the type of mold you have in your home---black, white, or green mold---your first step and best bet when it comes to effective mold removal and remediation is hiring a mold remediation company. This because mold removal experts are not only licensed by the state to carry out the process effectively, but they are also educated on the most efficient and safest ways of undertaking the process. While some people think that mold removal is DIY process, this is not the case. Mold remediation is a science and should never be confused with any DIY home improvement project. Opting to remove mold all by yourself not only reduces your chances of completely getting rid of the problem but also puts your health and that of your family at risk.
4. A Good Mold Remediation Company Should Have A Remediation Plan
Before the company or expert that you hire begins the remediation process, it is important that they record the mold situation in your home in forms of a report, video, and photos. In most cases, the cleaning team will use such a record to typically answers questions like when the work is scheduled to begin and be completed, the teams that will be performing a various task, the tests that should be done, and whether you will be required to temporarily relocate. Besides, documentation can help the company manage their liability or to point future trends in the mold growth. If a company isn't ready to create a remediation plan, it is a sign that they might not do a good job, and you should question their professionalism.
5. Determine if the Remediation Process is Successful
Just because the mold is gone shouldn't be a confirmation that the remediation process is done well. Your last step is to establish whether process is successful. According to EPA's Mold Remediation in Commercial Buildings and Schools guide, you should check the following:
• Moisture problems in your home is fixed
• There is no sign of visible mold, moldy odors, or mold-damaged materials
• You should be able to occupy or re-occupy your home without any aggravated health complains.
Bottom-line
Whenever you detect mold growth in your home, don't panic. It is a common occurrence that can be fixed, and now you understand a few factors that you need to keep in mind to ensure that it is effectively dealt with.