Mold is a fungus that grows in warm and damp areas indoors and outdoors. That means it can grow in parts of your home that are not completely visible. Such areas include, behind wallpapers or walls, underneath or behind plumbing fixtures and appliances, and inside ceiling tiles and flooring. It spreads incredibly fast and only takes a maximum of 48 hours to grow, and can colonize in as little as a single day. Indoor mold is extremely dangerous to people’s health and can cause allergic reactions, nausea, headaches, and respiratory complications.
Mold growth and water damage can also cause serious problems with your insulation, electrical wiring, and wooden items. Furthermore, it can compromise the structural integrity of your home. Locating the mold and permanently remediating it can prevent it from spreading throughout your residence, helping you minimize or prevent severe structural damage. If you’re hiring a mold remediation service for the first time, you might probably have questions about what happens during the process. Here is an insight into the phases and procedures involved in the mold testing and removal process.
1. Assessment
The initial step for mold eradication is a thorough moisture survey, mold air quality assessment, and mold inspection. A mold remediation expert will visit your building or home to assess the problem. The professional will determine the magnitude of the damage and perform tests to ascertain the level of mold contamination in your property. They might also collect and examine different specimens from the unaffected and affected parts of the building since mold spores can travel easily and fast through buildings.
After finishing the assessment, the professional will submit the report to you and your remediation company. The company will create a quote to eliminate the mold and draw up an agreement detailing what’ll happen during the process.
2. Addressing the Moisture Issue
It would be best if you did some preparation before the remediation service arrived. First, identify the source of your moisture problem and take care of it. Moisture offers mold spores an environment to grow and spread, and it’ll return even after professional remediation if you don’t eliminate the moisture.
Whether it’s poor ventilation, leaking gutters, or plumbing issues causing the mold problem, you need to identify the source of the moisture and fix it fast. Mold will only disappear if you deal with the root cause of the moisture. Besides, you might also face serious aesthetic and structural problems if you ignore the moisture problem.
3. Isolation of Contaminated Areas
After addressing the moisture issue, the remediation company will seal the mold affected area to prevent mold from spreading to the unaffected areas. Mold spores spread fast in moist conditions. Therefore, the professionals will isolate the entire area by sealing all windows and any other opening. They’ll then cover the openings with plastic sheeting to add a layer of protection. Mold spores pollute the air, so the experts will also spray all the affected rooms to eliminate them. This way, they’ll prevent the spread of dust particles containing mold spores.
4. Removal of Damaged Items
Moldy items and materials need to be disposed of. All porous items affected by mold should be removed from the building, not cleaned. Such items include carpeting, clothing, plaster, drywall, and fabric-covered furniture. These materials need to be tightly bagged into thick and air-tight bags and the bags wiped to eliminate any mold spores. Depending on your local regulations and laws, the professionals can dispose of the moldy items in the normal landfill.
Non-porous items, such as bathtubs, countertops, metals, tiles, and sinks, will undergo biocide treatment to eliminate mold spores. The remediation experts will also utilize commercial-grade antimicrobial sprays to kill as many mold spores as possible from the porous items that cannot be removed, like wooden wall studs.
5. Cleaning the Affected Area
This stage is a two-step process. First, the professionals spray biocide, an EPA-approved substance, on the affected area to eradicate the mold. This liquid will render the mold spores sterile, meaning the microorganisms cannot spread. The second step involves cleaning the surfaces. The remediation professionals will use HEPA-approved vacuums to clean all your surfaces to remove any remaining moisture and mold residues, and fragments from the microbial sprays used. These vacuums also damp-wipe and dry the surfaces to prepare them for the application of whitewash or special paint to prevent mold outbreaks in the future.
6. Encapsulation
After cleaning the affected area, the remediation experts give the biocide time to work, eradicating the mold spores. This waiting period significantly depends on the biocide’s duration to kill the mold spores and dry up. Since remediation companies use whitewash or paint for encapsulation, the surface must be completely dry before application.
Once the area dries up, the professionals spray it with whitewash or special paint that encapsulates or covers any remaining mold spores. These experts normally spray beyond the area affected by mold to ensure that the microorganisms do not grow again. For instance, if only a small area of your basement has mold, the remediation company will still spray the entire basement. If it’s your first time working with a mold remediation company, confirm that they’ll do that before signing the contract.
7. Post-Remediation Clearance Testing
Mold remediation is normally deemed successful if no mold smell or visible mold remains are present. Active mold left underneath encapsulated areas can easily grow again. Therefore, it’s important to eliminate all mold spores before whitewashing or painting.
After encapsulation, the mold remediation professionals will inspect the area again. They’ll check the moisture readings and humidity and look for visible cues to ensure the mold issue is no more. These experts will also test specimens of airborne spores outside and within the remediated area. All these steps are necessary to ascertain whether the mold remediation process was successful or not. Apart from determining the success of mold remediation, clearance testing also indicates whether or not the remediated areas are safe for occupancy and reconstruction.
8. Reconstruction and Restoration
As previously indicated, some of the moldy areas need the removal of all affected items. Therefore, you’ll need to build the structure with new materials after remediation. You might need to redo some things such as plumbing, electrical wiring, finish materials, insulation, and drywall. After the clearance testing certificate issuance, you can start the reconstruction. Hiring a full-service restoration service can help you through the whole process.
Contact the Mold Remediation Experts
Mold spores thrive in all areas, provided there’s moisture. They can lead to health issues and cause serious damage to your business or home if not removed in time. Mold removal is not a DIY project. Therefore, you need to hire an expert to eliminate the biological contaminants to prevent them from growing again. If you suspect mold in your business or residential property, it’s important to contact our mold remediation experts at Pur360 to carry out a thorough mold inspection. These professionals have the knowledge, specialized equipment, and experience to locate and eliminate mold. We restore safety and comfort in your property by using advanced mold removal techniques, patented processes, and chemical-free treatments.
Our company also offers odor removal, air purification, ultraviolet sanitization, air quality, and water damage removal services. Give us a call today to learn more about our certified mold remediation techniques or order our services.
