Month: July 2019

Mold loves warm and humid places where it can grow. That’s why mold removal is often a much larger problem than initially anticipated. The part that you see is only the tip of the iceberg. It’s important to be vigilant about mold and frequently monitor places prone to moisture. But what happens when mold is in an area you can’t get to? Take a look at these tips.

Call A Restoration Company

First things first: don’t panic. Mold, especially black mold, can be scary to find because of the health concerns associated with an infestation. But you don’t have to clean it all yourself. Call a restoration company for mold remediation as soon as mold is spotted. The right company will have the best equipment necessary to find the mold and remove it quickly and safely.

Air Sample Test

When you call a restoration company for mold removal, they will first want to figure out how much mold they are dealing with. Often, mold will be in places you can’t see. A certified Industrial Hygienist will conduct an air sample test to find out the level of black mold and whether the area is toxic. Depending on the reading, they’ll know how much mold to be on the lookout for. This will help to establish a mold spore baseline. If the toxicity is high, they may advise that you live somewhere else until the mold problem is taken care of.

Moisture-Sensing Equipment

Since mold grows a lot in areas full of moisture, a restoration company will use moisture-sensing equipment to look for areas with potential mold growth. The equipment will be able to tell the technicians what areas have a higher concentration of moisture than others, helping to narrow down the places mold might be growing. This is especially helpful for areas where mold is growing behind walls and in dark corners of basements and attics. Remember, where there is elevated moisture and a food source, mold will tend to grow.

Call A Professional For Mold Removal

You may be a DIYer for home projects, but you should reconsider when it comes to mold. This is because you have no way of knowing how the mold may affect your health. It’s better to have a restoration company come in to do the remediation work. They will implement safe removal practices for all building occupants and workers. Safety must be the top priority.

At Soil-Away, we will be there to help you find the mold that’s hidden in the most unlikely places. Our technicians are IICRC certified and will make sure mold concerns are eliminated. Give us a call today for mold removal services at (603) 641-6555.

Mold removal seems easy enough. A little bit of cleaning solution, some scrubbing, and you should be good to go, right? This is not typically the case. If you see black mold, you should take a calculated approach and not dismiss the potential hazards. Here are five reasons to take black mold removal seriously.

1. Black Mold Can Be Toxic

Black mold is usually a greenish-black or grey color. It is often slimy and smells like mildew. Exposure to black mold can cause people to be sick. Symptoms can include dizziness, skin irritation, shortness of breath, and even vision impairment. The longer you are exposed, the more serious risks you will have. If you discover black mold in your home, you may consider an appointment with the doctor to get a checkup and call a mold removal service to repair your home.

2. Black Mold Spreads Quickly

Once you find black mold on a surface, be cautious of it spreading elsewhere via cross-contamination in the air. Mold is a living organism that likes to grow in a warm, damp, and dark place. It is often started in unreachable places and grows until you see a patch on your wall or elsewhere. So, by the time you catch it, mold has contaminated a larger portion of your home. Because of the toxicity of the mold, it’s cause for real concern even if you can only see a small portion of it.

3. Black Mold Removal Is Maintained by Health Codes

In many cities, there are municipal health codes for black mold remediation. In public places such as a medical facility, restaurant, or apartment building, the presence of black mold can be cause to shut down the establishment until the mold is taken care of. This is because of the great health concerns that come with black mold. If the mold is in your home, even though there are no health codes to follow, you may want to follow suit and live elsewhere while it is being treated.

4. When in Doubt About Mold, Get Testing

There are different types of mold. Some common household types are Aspergillus, Fusarium, chaetomium, Penicillium, aureobasidium, and Stachybotrys. Stachybotrys is the mold most commonly recognized as “black mold.” Without proper testing, it is impossible to confirm what types of mold exist in your property. A professional black mold testing company will help identify and quantify the problem so a proper mold remediation scope can be developed.

5. Black Mold Removal is Tricky

Like we said before, mold grows in damp and dark places. For this reason, it’s often found beneath floorboards, in basements, and by drains. It can be hard to remove because of where it spreads. And black mold doesn’t respond as well to bleach as other molds and mildews. Mold removal should be left to professionals because they have the right cleaning tools and protective gear to make sure all of the mold is removed. If even one spore is left behind, more mold will grow.

Without the proper protective gear, the right cleaning solutions, or the knowledge of black mold that professionals have, you put yourself in a dangerous situation if you try to clean black mold yourself. Instead, hire a professional mold removal service to examine the damage, remediate the mold, and let you know when your home is safe again.

If you see mold damage in your home, don’t panic, but please act quickly. At Soil-Away, we are here to keep your home damage-free and clean. Give us a call today at (603) 641-6555.