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Mold remediation is an important issue when a property has sustained water damage. Though mold can be removed at home, professional mold removal services ensure a thorough cleaning. Also, depending upon the size of a moldy area, the process of mold clean-up may vary. A mold removal specialist can determine which technique would be the most appropriate in cleaning up moldy surfaces.
For homeowners, mold can be a real threat at times. Though some people do not consider mold as a serious issue, it should be taken seriously. Molds usually trigger the production of microbes and bacteria, which can lead to adverse health effects. The residents who are exposed to molds may suffer from inflammatory responses or respiratory illnesses. For people sensitive to mold, ensuring Residential Mold Remediation should be the first concern.
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What is Mold?
Also known as hyphae, a mold is a fungus with multicellular filaments. Yeast, being a single-celled fungus, differs from mold. The areas where mold grows are on organic substances such as wood or cotton. Mold is known for causing allergic reactions and respiratory problems in humans as well as animals.
Mold grows in areas that are damp, dark, and humid. Water damage is the main reason for mold growth. In most cases, the situations that lead to mold growth are foundation leaks, roof leaks, high interior humidity, overflowing washing machines, or flooding.
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4 Steps to Proper Mold Removal:
Step 1: Assessing Mold Growth
As mold grows by releasing its reproductive cells, it can be harmful to the residents. Mold is sometimes invisible to the eyes as they grow behind and around things. The spores of mold remain in the air, which is not visible to the naked eye. Therefore, assessing mold growth can be a difficult task for most homeowners.
Water damage causes moisture, which plays a vital role in creating the perfect environment for mold growth. Hence, anyone trying to stop mold growth should identify a moisture source at first and use its location to help locate all mold growths. A mold removal expert can identify moldy areas quickly due to their expertise.
Step 2: Documentation of Mold Problem
Anyone looking to hire a mold removal specialist should document the mold problem before planning remediation. Proper documentation helps the professionals to assess the problem very quickly. One can document the mold situation with writing, photos, and video.
The mold removing team can use the documentation to develop a remediation plan. It should include proper information such as when work is supposed to begin and when that work should complete. The owner can ask them if the residents should be temporarily relocated or not.
Step 3: Calculating the Extent of Mold Contamination
Mold can grow at various proportions in the house. Though it is not always necessary that the homeowner should calculate the extent of mold contamination before hiring professionals, the task makes the process easier for the professionals. Also, a prior calculation helps the homeowner to estimate the budget for mold remediation.
Step 4: Remediation of Mold
The goal of mold removal is to clean up existing mold without exposing the homeowners to it. Secondly, proper mold remediation should prevent new growth by addressing the moisture source. If a homeowner chooses to remove mold alone, the person should calculate the contamination area and follow mold removal guidelines.
If the area is small and isolated having less than 10 square feet, cleaning the surface is easier. However, some moldy surfaces can be as big as more than 30 square feet, which are difficult to clean up unless a professional such as mold inspection Denver handles the task.
How to Clean Mold?
Here are the tasks that a homeowner can try when cleaning mold without the help of professionals.
- Repairing the water problem should be the first step as it will help to prevent new mold spores from growing.
- The person should isolate the contaminated area by closing all doors and windows between the contaminated area and other rooms of the home.
- By misting the contaminated areas, one should suppress dust.
- Then, the person should remove all wet and mold-damaged porous materials. One can ask the experts to know which materials should be removed.
- The easiest way to remove materials is by placing them in plastic bags. One must discard all wet and moldy materials in plastic bags that are at least 6 ml thick.
- Now, it is time for a thorough cleaning. To clean properly, one can use a wire brush on all moldy surfaces. After rubbing the surfaces well, wiping the area with disposable wipes can help the person to remove most of the mold. One should discard the wipes in 6 ml polyethylene bags. The next step is scrubbing all moldy surfaces using a damp cloth and detergent solution.
- Once the mold is cleaned, all areas should be visibly free of contamination and debris.
- The cleaned materials should be dried to allow leftover moisture to evaporate. One can use fans, dehumidifiers, or raise the indoor air temperature to speed up the drying process.
- Now that mold is gone, all materials that were moved should be replaced or repaired.
If additional mold is discovered during the clean-up, one should call a mold removal specialist to handle the task better.
Conclusion
Though mold growth is not a severe problem for many people, mold remediation can help anyone to keep the house squeaky clean. Moreover, it can help the homeowners to keep the children and pets protected from fungal infections. One can prevent mold growth completely by controlling the moisture level of the house. However, natural disasters like a flood are beyond human control. Floods are one of the biggest reasons for mold growth in the USA. Be it any reason, when the conditions are right for its growth, molds don’t take more than 24-48 hours to spread. The basement, kitchen, and bathroom of a property are at the highest risk of mold growth. Calling a mold removal specialist can lead to thorough cleaning of the house.
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