Close-up of Mold

After you realize you have a mold problem, it is generally too late and you will have costly and drastic changes to be made in your home or office setting.  To start off, you should first understand why mold grows.  Mold is a part of the environment, just like anything else.  Mold is in a variety of outdoor environments but generally forms indoors after an interior surface becomes wet (for example – if your basement floods).

Once you realize your home or office has a problem with mold.  You must take action to have it removed to avoid excessive damage and health problems (allergies, etc…).  You can never fully remove mold but you can take away the moisture that allows the mold to grow and spread throughout your home.  Mold is so small it is not visible to the human eye.  After you clean up the visible mold, you must make sure the area is dry and will not have another leak/ flood in the near future allowing the mold the necessary moisture to grow back.

Depending on the amount of mold and the area contaminated, is whether you can attempt to clean up the mold yourself or hire a professional to come in.  Of course you can save money by doing this yourself, but you have to be informed or all you will do is clean up the initial mess and not removing all of the mold and moisture only to cause further and more expensive problems in the future.

Step 1 in Mold Removal:

You need to identify the source of the mold, and determine if it is something that you can handle on your own without the help of a professional.  For example, if your basement flooded due to a sump pump failure, you can generally remove the water, scrub the affected surfaces with some form of cleaner/detergent, and then thoroughly dry the area removing all moisture and your problem should go away (consider installing a back-up sump pump to avoid future occurrences).  Bring in fans to help in the drying process.

Substantial Mold

If you suspect the problem to be in your heat or air condition vents in your home or office, turn off the system and call a professional.  If the system continues to run without the problem being taken care of immediately, it can continue to spread throughout your home or office.

Your health should always be your number one concern so if you are concerned that you did not properly remove the mold or are unsure of the procedures, spend the money and hire a professional.  You will be happy you did in the long run.

Step 2 in Mold Removal:

After identifying the source, you will next start the removal.  Remember you must be thorough and take your time in order to avoid having the mold grow back, this cannot be stressed enough.  As stated above, you must remove all of the mold (as much as possible), then clean the surface, and most importantly dry the surface.  If mold contaminates something expensive/ sentimental make sure you take the proper precautions to try and restore the object.  For example, if you have an expensive/ sentimental piece of wood furniture call a wood restoration company to see the proper measures to restore it, and if it is too heavily damaged have it professionally repaired.

If the mold is caused by faulty plumbing (leaks, etc…) you must fix the problem before beginning to remove the mold.  If it is an old pipe in the basement bathroom or a faulty office sink, tighten bolts, repair connections, etc… prior to beginning.

The only way to remove mold is hard work and cleaning.  You must thoroughly scrub the mold with a cleaning chemical/ detergent until you are sure it’s gone.  If is a good rule of thumb to reclean the affected area even one additional time after you feel you got it all.

Equipment:  You should always wear disposable rubber gloves, a breathing mask and eye protection  to avoid direct contact with your lungs, eyes, etc… that can lead to allergic reactions, among other harmful causes.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.  Always be sure that you dispose of the equipment each day or break (wash the safety glasses).

Remember, safety first.  If you have a question, Call!  Most contractors would be happy to spend a few minutes on the phone with you giving advice.  At that point, you can assess whether or not you personally can handle the project or send it out for bid.