Mold restoration services address build ups of mold in commercial and residential properties. If you have noticed a blue or green fur appearing on your walls, if your health is suffering and causing you to experience respiration problems (especially in the mornings) or if you notice a lot of moisture in your home, then mold is a very likely culprit and mold restoration can provide the solution.
What is Mold Restoration?
Mold restoration means the detection and removal of mold. In some cases, these processes can be handled by the residents of the property and may simply involve smelling out mold, moving furniture out the way and using a damp cloth to clean away spores and growth.
In other cases, however, mold can be much more difficult to both find and remove. If you have a lot of mold collecting in the cavities of your walls for instance, under your carpet or behind heavy furniture you might not even be aware of it. Mold can spread very quickly and easily and will grow on porous surfaces within 24 hours. For these reasons, using professionals is always a good idea.
Why Mold Restoration is So Important
As mentioned, mold can grow undetected and can very easily spread around your property. Because it sets into any porous surface this means it can ruin dry walls, cause your tiles to peel away, lead to leaks and even affect the structural integrity of your building.
At the same time though, mold’s biggest threat is perhaps the threat it poses to your health. If you have a build-up of mold in your home then this can potentially have very severe and dangerous effects on your health.
Mold can cause a number of unwanted health symptoms, many of which are very similar to the symptoms of a cold or allergic reaction. These include:
- Scratchy throat
- Running eyes and eyes
- Headaches
- Tiredness
- Itchy skin
- Sneezing
- Coughing
In other cases, if the type of mold is more serious, this can actually lead to neurological problems and even be fatal. Mold comes in various different forms and where severe symptoms are present, sampling may be used to ascertain the precise type of mold that is present. Mold has also been known to cause and exacerbate asthma and eczema.
What Does Mold Restoration Involve?
If you hire a mold restoration company then, what should you expect them to do?
First and foremost, these companies will begin by identifying whether or not you have a mold problem. This is the mold assessment stage and it is important in order to help diagnose the problem and to help you be sure whether or not mold is what is causing the problem.
In some cases, a brief visual inspection will be all it takes to identify a mold problem in which case they can then begin getting to work. In other cases, however, mold can be hidden under the carpet or even under floorboards and in wall cavities. In these scenarios, more invasive procedures may be necessary in order to locate the mold.
Where the residents are symptomatic, mold samples may be taken in order to identify the specific type of mold and in order to recommend the best course of treatment.
The next stage will be to identify the source of water that is causing the mold. Mold spores can only attach themselves to moist surfaces and as such, there will normally be some kind of water damage or leak first for the mold to have become an issue. As mold can start to grow on porous surfaces in as little as 24 hours, this needs to be the first step to avoid mold restoration specialists chasing their tails. Probes and infrared sensors can be used to ascertain the source of the moisture.
From here, the area will then be dried once again to prevent the further spread of spores. When this is done it is important for the companies to avoid disturbing the mold and dust and causing it to enter the atmosphere.
After this, mold restoration companies will then get to work cleaning the mold. In some cases, this can be achieved simply by using wet wiping methods to completely remove the surface spores. In other cases however, more advanced methods will be used for instance some companies will use HEPA vacuums which are ‘high-efficiency particulate air’ devices. These can completely remove mold particles from the air but it is important for specialists to wear PPE or ‘Personal Protection Equipment’ to avoid being contaminated by the mold themselves. Dry ice blasting is also a method used by some companies to more thoroughly destroy mold spores.
In some cases, it will be necessary to carry out HVAC services to clean ventilation ducts and heating equipment. If mold settles in air ducts this can then cause it to get circulated throughout the building.
Sometimes items will need to be completely disposed of. This is the case if you have any porous materials such as mattresses that have become mold covered. Likewise they might help you to repair some damage caused by the mold – for instance, fabric restoration, carpet installation and painting services are all often covered by mold restoration companies.
In short, these specialists offer a broad range of services which are intended to help completely remove mold and to get the premises back to a point where they are safe to live in and to spend time in. This can entail a great number of different jobs.
Preventing Mold
There are a number of things you can do to prevent a build up of mold such that you won’t need mold remediation services. Common methods include improving ventilation in your rooms and allowing air to circulate around your furniture. Also important is to keep the heating high to avoid letting the walls get too cold such that they might attract condensation. Investing in insulation is also an important step, as is getting regularly plumbing and general maintenance for your home.
When you are in need of a mold damage repair company in Jupiter, Melbourne, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, Vero Beach, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, or Wellington FL or in Asheville, NC contact Secure Restoration.
