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 “cleaning” companies specialize in just that: cleaning up 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 “under the surface” 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 thorough process in which our technicians employ knowledge of the life cycle of the particular mold species to help prevent it from coming back.
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 property mold remediation 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
If you see suspected mold growth, contact us at 800-430-5838 to set up your free evaluation. A member of our customer service team will ask you a few questions to get a better idea of the type of damage you have.
Step 2: Inspect the Home and Assess Damage
At your scheduled appointment time expect the arrival of a trained technician to inspect your home or business for suspected microbial growth. We look in hidden areas that may not be obvious to the casual observer. If the suspected microbial growth is over 10sq ft or we can't find any evidence of what appears to be mold we suggest you hire an air quality hygienist. They will collect mold samples and send them to a lab to be tested. If they find mold, they will write a protocol for us to follow for proper remediation.
Step 3: Contain Existing Mold
After establishing the mold presence, 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 containment with HEPA air scrubbers. These strategies help keep the mold from spreading to unaffected areas of the structure.
Step 4: Filter the Air
We clean your indoor air with a HEPA filter and powerful HEPA vacuums that essentially scrub the air. This step is essential for removing spores from the environment and reducing contamination to bring air quality to an acceptable level. 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. Our mold remediations specialists clean all other contaminated structures with antifungal and antimicrobial treatments to remove existing mold and to help prevent new spores from establishing themselves.
Mold Removal and Remediation FAQs
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Getting rid of mold may seem like a hassle but doing it properly and conducting a thorough post-remediation verification (PRV) is a critical process when it comes to preventing future health problems such as respiratory issues and compromised immune systems resulting from mold exposure.
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Your homeowner's insurance could cover the cost of mold remediation. Once we inspect your property our experts can help you with the process of contacting your insurance company. It's important to not contact them prematurely. If you contact them before our inspection and we find there is no need for remediation, or the cost is less than your deductible you have alerted them of a possible claim for no reason.
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The process through which mold removal specialists completely eradicate mold includes finding and accessing the extent of the infestation, containing the mold so it cannot spread, removing the mold.
Health Effects of Living With Mold
Any substance inhaled into the lungs can 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 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. The 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 5-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 help 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 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.