Mold growing inside a building is a serious situation that requires immediate action. It is a common problem for home and business owners to have, because it can occur any time there has been a water leak, flooding, condensation, or poor ventilation. Once alive and growing, mold colonies can cause chronic respiratory and sinus illness in building occupants.
If you see discolored areas on the walls, ceiling, or carpet, you know you have a mold problem. Other red flags that signal mold is flourishing in your inside environment include a musty odor or a feeling of dampness in the air. Luckily, help in the form of professional mold remediation from United Water Restoration Group is only a phone call away.
Mold Removal vs. Mold Remediation
Some mold removal companies specialize in just that: removing the existing mold you see in your home. While this service may seem affordable at first glance, it will cost more in the long term, as you continue to battle mold in the future. A simple removal of the existing mold on the surfaces of your home is not enough. Without cleaning the air of spores and addressing areas of moisture where they can land and grow, your mold problem is certain to return eventually.
Mold remediation is a more holistic process in which our technicians employ knowledge of the life cycle of the particular mold species to prevent it from reestablishing itself. Besides removing existing mold from the air and surfaces, we also inspect your home for sources of water damage and high humidity levels. Since it is scientifically impossible to remove all spores from the air, we focus on creating a plan to return them to the same natural levels as healthy, outdoor air.
Mold Remediation Process
No two homes are exactly alike, and we take pride in catering our process to your unique situation. Here are the basic steps we follow in the process of mold remediation, so you will know what kind of quality service to expect.
Step 1: Answer Your Call for Help
Once you suspect mold, contact us any hour of the day or night at 800-430-5838. A member of our customer service department will ask you a few questions to get a better idea of the type of mold you have and the extent of the damage it has caused. Within 15 minutes, we will assign a team of professionals to your case.
Step 2: Inspect the Home and Assess Damage
Within one hour of your call, expect the arrival of an operation manager to inspect your home or business for evidence of mold. We look in hidden areas that may not be obvious to the casual observer. We also collect samples of the mold to determine which species present through third-party laboratory cultures.
Step 3: Contain Existing Mold
Once the presence of mold is established, our first task is to keep it from spreading throughout the building. We turn off fans and air conditioning systems, and then isolate the area with negative air chambers and other physical barriers. These strategies help keep the mold in one place so we can eliminate it more easily.
Step 4: Filter the Air
We clean your indoor air with a HEPA filter and powerful vacuums that essentially scrub the air until it is free from contaminants. This step is essential to removing spores and preventing the regrowth of mold. Our goal is to return the level of airborne spores to the natural level of the outside environment. Most customers notice an immediate improvement in air breathability.
Step 5: Remove Mold and Infested Building Materials
We do the dirty work of disposing of building materials such as drywall, insulation, wallpaper, and carpeting that we cannot salvage through intensive cleaning. We clean all other contaminated structures with antifungal and antimicrobial treatments to remove existing mold and prevent new spores from establishing themselves.
Step 6: Restore the Building to Pre-Mold Condition
The last step is to complete the restoration by installing sound building materials in place of the damaged ones. Depending on the level of infestation, reconstruction may involve rebuilding entire rooms or simply replacing panels of drywall, reinstalling wallpaper, or replacing portions of carpeting. We are not satisfied until there is no noticeable trace of a previous mold infestation.
Health Effects of Living With Mold
Any substance inhaled into the lungs has the capacity to affect a person's health, especially when it consists of microscopic particles that are easily absorbed into the body. Spores can block airways and cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Aspergillus is a common mold that can actually begin growing inside human lungs. Other species of mold have the additional detrimental quality of releasing mycotoxins, harmful chemicals secreted only by fungi.
The good news is that the rare reports of pulmonary hemorrhage and memory loss because of mold exposure are largely unsubstantiated.
However, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Federal Emergency Management Agency have documented the following symptoms in people exposed to mold:
- Nasal congestion
- Wheezing or shortness of breath
- Sneezing fits
- Bloody nose
- Red eyes
- Skin irritation
- Fever
- Headache
- Aches and pains
- Asthma attacks in those with asthma
- Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in susceptible individuals
Black Mold Testing
Over 20,000 species of mold are black in color, but the toxic black mold often reported on by the media is a species named Stachybotrys. This type of mold is usually green or blackish in color, but occasionally looks pink or even white, depending on its food source. Under the right conditions, Stachybotrys produces mycotoxins that can cause illness. However, it is not the only species that can do so.
Mold comes in almost every color of the rainbow, and its shade is not an indication of how safe or dangerous it is. Color of the adult colonies is a result of what they are eating, how humid the environment is, and the amount of light available. Furthermore, the same type of mold can change hue over time. Thus, it is a mistake to think that only black-colored molds are bad for your health. If you want to know the type of mold you have, United Water Restoration Group uses third-party testing, so you can be certain of the integrity of your results.
DIY Mold Removal
United Water Restoration Group does not recommend using various do-it-yourself techniques described on the internet. Bleach and other cleaning products may kill some of the surface colonies, but mold's root-like hyphae usually extend into the inner layers of porous surfaces where you cannot reach them. Attempting to clean can actually make the problem worse by spreading spores throughout the building where they can colonize previously unaffected areas.
Our 7-step process of mold remediation may sound complicated, but it is extremely effective. During the 14 years we have been in business, we have learned the best ways to clean up mold problems and keep them from recurring. We have seen first-hand what works and what doesn’t, and are committed to helping our customers get their lives back to normal after a professional remediation. It is far less complicated to call in United Water Restoration Group and get it right the first time, than to waste time trying multiple DIY remedies that do not work.
Professional Mold Remediation Company
If you see mold in your home, don’t risk breathing in microscopic spores while you remain undecided about whether to act. Contact us today by filling out this online form or calling us at 800-430-5838. United Water Restoration Group is one of the top mold removal companies, with locations across the U.S. We will put you in touch with our closest team of experts and get to work removing mold and restoring air quality in your home immediately.