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Tag: "getting rid of mold"

Cleaning Mold from Your Home

Cleaning Mold from Your Home

[ 0 ] July 12, 2010

Cleaning Mold

No one wants a moldy home. It looks bad, poses a health threat and can cause odors. Cleaning mold from your home should be a priority. However, there are some things to consider before starting the (fungi) mold cleanup process.

First, you need to find out why it’s growing in your home. When you find the answer, fixing the problem is the next step. You might have to inspect your home to discover the source of the problem. It depends on where the fungi are growing.

If the growth is in the bathroom, then you know it is because the bathroom is damp. You need to dry the walls following showers or steam baths. The steam causes moisture to accumulate in the area. Drying wet walls and shower stalls prevents mold from finding a home.

Unfortunately, it’s not always so easy to find the source of the mold problem. The source could be behind a wall, under the floor, hidden in a closet or in another hidden location. This is when you must decide to get help or tackle the project on your own.

A thorough search of the home is necessary. Getting rid of the mold is useless if the problem that created it remains. You must search everywhere because fungi often grow in hidden places. It thrives as long as it has a source of water, adequate food and a nice atmosphere. Places in your home that are damp and closed off are prime spots.

When you locate the problem, fix it immediately. If you don’t, the problem will return until it’s stopped. If the area is damp, get rid of what’s causing the dampness. For example, if a leak in the wall is causing the problem, fix the leak. If your basement is humid, ventilate the area.

You might also have to replace certain items in your home. It’s impossible to clean mold from carpets and drywall. Those items will have to go.

Mold Testing

Mold testing is often not necessary. In many cases, the mold is in a visible spot. If it’s not visible, you may still detect it if it has an odor. If the growth looks slimy and is dark green or black, then testing may be best. You could have a toxic black mold infestation.

Toxic mold requires special care during the mold removal process. You most definitely need a professional cleaning crew.

Mold Removal

You can use a cleaning agent to remove mold from shower curtains, bathroom stalls, walls and windowsills. Mold cleaners are available from stores such as Home Depot and WalMart. Simply follow the instructions on the cleaner, and clean the surface.

Cleaning mold from your home is normally a simple process. In extreme cases, over-the-counter cleaning supplies will not be enough. Plastic sheets may be needed to cover door openings, vents and floors. Facemasks, gloves and goggles may be necessary as well. Assess the situation before performing mold removal in your home. Contacting a cleaning team may be the best solution.

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Is a Mold Remediation Service Necessary?

[ 1 ] April 24, 2010

Mold Remediation Service

A mold remediation service is often thought of as an unnecessary expense for some people due to the idea of spending money just to eliminate what they think they can just as easily remove themselves. Or they just don’t want to bother with the hassle of hiring anyone or cleaning up the mold, so they ignore the problem all together.

Yet, no matter how you look at it, mold is nothing to fool around with. And when you have a serious mold problem growing in your home (more than 10 square feet), hiring a professional to eliminate the problem is an absolute must.

As a matter of fact, in some states it’s required to hire a professional for mold removal if your home has more than 10 square feet of mold growing in it.

Yet, despite that requirement, not every state or even city has a federal regulation that requires specific guidelines that a professional must follow during mold clean up.

So homeowners must be willing to rely on their own judgment and research when hiring someone to come into their home to remove the mold.

The professional you hire should be someone who has significant experience in removing mold and they should be certified and licensed, and carry insurance coverage for both their protection and yours.

A written proposal should also be presented to you that includes probable cause and the steps that need to be taken in order to remove the mold from your home.

And the proposal should emphasize on the observations over measurements and have a thorough visual inspection that shows the source of the mold and the extent of the growth of it.

In addition, the mold removal company should be ready and willing to answer any questions that you have about  the types of mold growing in your home, the removal process and what equipment they will be using in that process.

The professional should also be comfortable telling you more about those molds, the source of the problem and how they plan to eliminate that problem permanently.

The company should be ready and willing to work with your insurance company if at all possible and discuss the process and what requirements are necessary to remove the mold to your agent.
They should also provide you with a written (not verbal) contract that details scope, time frame of completion of the job and an estimate of the cost of mold remediation, and any specific details that you agreed on.

And finally, keep in mind that the company you hire should only be experienced in removing mold. They should not be willing to test for the mold or do any other job that goes outside of  cleaning up mold. All they should be doing is getting rid of the mold from your home, that’s it.

But seriously, when it all comes down to it, it’s always better to be safe knowing your hard earned money was spent on mold remediation service that is all about keep you, your family and your home safe. Why would you settle for anything less?

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