Mold Cleanup and Remediation Services
Mold is a major problem when it affects your commercial or residential property. All types of mold can be dangerous to your health and wellbeing. Furthermore, there are numerous property damage concerns associated with mold deposits. To make matters more complicated, mold can spread undetected for extended periods until warning flags alert homeowners to its presence. Since there are many causes of mold, it’s often impossible to pinpoint when a mold infestation began on your property if it happens in hidden recesses. Learn more about mold cleanup and remediation.
Today, we will begin by discussing what causes mold to grow. Then, we will dive into the many ways mold can be categorized, including color, species, and health risk level. Each of these classifications is important to note for proper mold cleanup and remediation efforts. Next, we will discuss the many health hazards associated with even short-term exposure to mold growth. Understanding these hazards is critical to your health and safety.
Mold spores are not to be taken lightly, which is why mold cleanup should always be left to trained professionals. As we learn about the mold removal, cleanup, and remediation process in great detail, we will learn why only professionals should tackle mold growths.
Finally, it’s important to understand what you can do to lessen the chances of future mold growth occurring on your property. We will go over some basic principles to help prevent mold growth on your commercial or residential properties.
Issues with Mold
Unfortunately, mold spreads quickly once it has taken over. It can grow exponentially, often without being detected until severe health conditions have resulted. Therefore, it’s imperative to tackle mold problems within 48-72 hours if possible.
Contacting your trusted mold cleanup and remediation team at PNW Restoration is the best course of action when you detect mold on your property. PNW Restoration will fully investigate the cause of mold growth and categorize the mold. Then our detailed removal and remediation strategies are employed to isolate mold-prone areas, remove mold colonies, and prevent future infestations.
When mold takes over your property, PNW Restoration can help! We specialize in mold cleanup and remediation services for both commercial and residential properties. Contact us today to set up your initial inspection and consultation.
Causes of Mold Growths
While there are many types of mold that occur in nature and are harmless to humans, mold growth in your home is an unwanted guest. However, mold requires the right conditions to thrive. After entering your property, mold can spread fast in the right circumstances. However, there are many different causes of mold growth, which makes it harder to prevent mold growth if the ideal conditions are present.
How Mold Spores Enter your Home
Mold can be present in your home in the form of microscopic spores. These might not be any concern unless the right factors come together for mold to breed and spread. Mold can enter your home in many ways. Most commonly, mold spores are carried in through open windows or doors, especially in windy weather. Furthermore, they can cling to your clothing, hair, and even your pet’s fur. However, you won’t notice mold spores being brought into your home because they are invisible to the human eye.
Conditions Mold Favors
Mold loves moist or damp conditions to grow. Additionally, dark, humid, and enclosed spaces create a perfect environment for mold to grow and spread. That’s why areas such as basement crawl spaces, attics, and underneath surfaces in your home are ideal places for mold to settle down. Different molds grow under different conditions. However, where there is excess water on your property, there is a higher chance of mold growth making its home.
Warnings Signs of Mold Growths
There are many warning signs of mold growth on your property. The diligent homeowner should notice these warning signs and act fast to alleviate further property damage. Visible mold deposits are the most obvious sign of a mold problem.
Most commonly, aside from visible mold deposits, is a persistent stale or musty scent. Musty odors might smell like damp clothes or a pungent, strong odor originating from an unlikely area. These smells are often associated with mold growths from recent water damage. Usually, they are found in a logical spot associated with recent water issues, which makes it easy to connect to potential mold infestations.
Other signs include buckling surfaces in your home. When mold grows it feasts on bacteria on these surfaces and can push out flooring, walls, and ceilings. It can even establish itself in your insulation, where it spreads without being detected.
These indicators are a key sign that mold is spreading in your home and needs quick mold removal and remediation intervention from a professional. Even if you are unsure whether mold is present in your home, it’s best to seek professional advice. These signs could also indicate other property damage which should be addressed, even if mold is not the culprit.
Water and Flood Damage
Most commonly, water damage of some type leads to mold growth in your home. Anything from leaking or burst pipes to recent flood damage can leave excess water on your property. Common types of water damage include flooding, basement water accumulation, pipe leaks, sewage backups, burst pipes, and roof leaks.
When water damage happens, mold spores can take root and spread. Sometimes the problem goes unnoticed until warning signs are significant. As a result, it can be even harder to stop mold before it spreads to other areas of your home.
After you have sustained water damage to your property, always have a full cleanup and dry-out. If proper restoration steps are taken early in the process, the chances of mold becoming an issue should be slim in most cases.
Finally, these other, less common factors can also contribute to a mold problem on your property.
Dirty HVAC Systems
Dirty HVAC systems or HVAC systems that are not designed properly can circulate mold spores throughout your home. Mold can establish colonies within HVAC systems directly, circulating toxic spores in the air you breathe. Stagnant airflow in your HVAC systems can also allow mold to take root. Regular HVAC cleaning and inspections can help detect mold problems before they pose any serious health risks.
Categorization of Molds
Mold professionals categorize molds to help determine their risk level, species, and prevention efforts. Molds can be classified in many different ways. Species identification is the most accurate way to identify and communicate information about mold found in your home. Only mold professionals can accurately classify molds based on their species. Furthermore, homeowners typically can’t determine the hazard level of a mold even with basic research, since many molds look similar.
Another way mold specialists categorize molds is based on their color. However, two mold species can have the same color and vary drastically in their hazard level. Black molds are often some of the most dangerous to human health. However, detecting a type of mold also requires information on its risk level. Molds are often categorized into three dangerous mold categories if they pose a threat to human health. Molds can be either pathogenic, allergenic, or toxigenic.
Allergenic Molds:
These are not often considered hazardous in small quantities. However, they do still require immediate intervention from a mold removal specialist. Individuals with compromised immune systems or pre-existing conditions are more susceptible to threats from allergenic molds. Generally, there is no way to know ahead of time how an individual will be affected by an allergenic mold. In some cases, allergenic molds can cause symptoms similar to many allergies like runny noses, headaches, sneezing, asthma, and even rashes.
Pathogenic or Infectious Molds:
These molds can cause dangerous infections in humans, even people with stronger immune systems. Almost everyone is threatened by pathogenic mold growths. In some cases, human tissue becomes infected with mold spores. Infectious mold spores can grow directly in the human body and cause illness. Symptoms can range from minor to severe and long-term, life-threatening conditions. Death might occur in cases where serious respiratory or nervous system conditions develop.
Toxigenic Molds:
Finally, toxigenic molds pose significant health risks to all humans. Toxigenic molds get their name from the harmful toxins they contain. Toxigenic molds contain chemicals which can cause temporary irritation in some cases. In other instances, toxigenic molds can lead to long-term neurological disorders, cancer, immunosuppression, and even death in worst-case scenarios.
Health Risks Associated With Mold Exposure
There are many health risks associated with mold growth. As we mentioned above, health concerns vary depending on how a mold is categorized. Toxigenic, allergenic, and pathogenic molds each present unique health concerns.
However, there is no set-in-stone manner of determining how a mold will affect your wellbeing, because individuals react differently to exposure to the same molds. Individuals should always listen to medical professionals regarding the hazards of mold growth in their homes.
In particular, individuals with pre-existing conditions such as asthma, respiratory conditions, immunosuppression, or nervous system disorders might be more prone to health risks due to mold exposure. Furthermore, pregnant women, young children, and elderly individuals are usually more susceptible to issues from mold growths within their property.
Why Mold Needs Professional Cleanup
If you suspect or detect any type of mold present in your home, seek professional intervention from a mold removal/remediation team. If you are currently suffering unusual symptoms or have recently had medical problems, you might want to investigate if mold could be responsible.
Finally, it’s wise to seek medical examination if any dangerous mold was discovered on your property. Even if you did not notice any symptoms, dangerous molds can cause cancer and other long-term illnesses which do not become apparent until the disease has progressed.
Since any mold in your home could be dangerous, it’s best to vacate the premises until advised it’s safe to re-enter by a mold removal and remediation specialist. Keeping in mind these health and safety tips could be the difference between major illness and maintaining your health.
PNW Restoration Mold Cleanup Services
PNW Restoration’s mold removal and remediation services can help homeowners when mold invades their property. We work fast so you can get back to life as normal. Our mold technicians are IICRC certified to help identify mold species and create a detailed remediation plan. Plus, we work on remediation measures so the root of the problem is solved long-term, preventing future mold outbreaks.
We even provide our clients with a detailed analysis so that they can help prevent future mold growths and seek proper medical attention if needed. PNW Restoration offers a rapid response team available 24/7 for onsite mold inspections. Plus, we work with your insurance and offer a 36-month mold-free home guarantee.
Mold Cleanup Is Not A DIY Project
Cleaning up mold is not something you can do on your own. Since mold poses many safety and health concerns, individuals should always leave mold removal to the professionals. Average household cleaners such as bleach can temporarily kill mold but won’t eliminate the entire colony at its roots. Only attempt temporary mold removal measures if advised to do so by a mold expert.
Otherwise, if the right conditions persist mold will only regrow, causing more significant damage in the long term. It takes specific cleaning techniques and solutions from IICRC-certified professionals to destroy mold colonies at their source.
Furthermore, professional mold removal and remediation technicians have protective gear such as goggles, hazmat suits, and ventilated masks to allow them to tackle mold infestations without risking their health. Without PPE gear, individuals have no way of guarding their safety against the potential risks associated with mold spores.
Finally, cleaning up a mold infestation in your home yourself is unwise because it won’t eliminate all the threats that can cause future mold problems. It’s very important to accurately remove, clean, disinfect, and dry out your property when mold occurs. If any of these steps are overlooked, you may be facing further damage down the road.
The Mold Removal, Cleanup, and Remediation Process
The PNW Restoration mold removal, cleanup, and remediation process can be broken down into three simple steps. Each of these main steps features further details to ensure no aspect of the mold removal process is overlooked. With a comprehensive approach to tackling your mold problem, our mold removal experts can act fast to keep you healthy, safe, and informed.
Step 1: Identify the Source of Mold
When you contact us, we’ll begin with an initial inspection of your property. During that inspection, we will locate mold infestations and identify their source. We employ infrared metering equipment to help determine where hidden mold sources are located on your property. Even if mold is tucked away in your walls or ceilings, we will spot it and create a removal strategy. We will then provide you with an action plan and estimate. Call us today to schedule your appointment.
Step 2: Mold Removal & Cleanup Services
Next, we will implement our plan beginning with removing mold colonies. We adhere to strict IICRC standards of construction and containment of walls to reduce the transmission of mold spores, protect your assets, and contain mold colonies in affected areas. After all the mold has been physically removed, we begin cleaning the entire area with specialized solutions to help alleviate the chances of future mold growths. Finally, using industrial dryers, fans, and dehumidifiers, we completely dry out your property to avoid any accumulation of moisture.
Step 3: Disinfection and Reduction of Airborne Spores
We disinfect your property and employ air scrubbers to reduce airborne spores. As mold is removed, we continue to monitor and measure the levels of airborne spores in the area. This helps us determine steps to take to help remediate future mold growth. Air scrubbers will also clean the air in your home, returning it to optimal levels so your home is safe to re-enter.
How to Prevent Mold Growth
Preventing future mold growths on your property after a mold infestation should be your top priority. Without proper intervention, the chances of mold returning to your home are high. That is why the first step to preventing future mold growths is accurate mold removal and remediation efforts from a highly-rated team of professionals. However, there are other actions the average homeowner should be aware of to protect their loved ones from the dangers of future mold infestations.
Keeping humidity levels as low as possible inside your home can reduce the chances of mold growth. 50% humidity should be the highest level of humidity occurring on your property. The use of air conditioners and dehumidifiers is a great way to reduce humidity, especially in dark and enclosed areas, such as attics or basement crawl spaces. You can measure your humidity levels with a programmable thermostat or home test kit.
Secondly, clean HVAC systems to provide unrestricted airflow help keep the air fresh, not stagnant, where mold can take root and spread. Using exhaust fans and vents in your bathroom stops excess moisture and humidity from accumulating, leading to mold issues.
Tackling problems associated with water damage as quickly as possible can help avoid mold issues. Always fix plumbing issues, roof leaks, and other issues fast to avoid the accumulation of moisture that can cause mold to form. You should tackle flood issues fast, ideally within 24 hours after severe flooding.
Some final tips to prevent mold growth in your home include regular cleaning or surfaces in your home, using a mold-killing bathroom solution, investing in mold-inhibiting paints and reporting musty smells to a mold professional immediately. Ask about cleaning techniques and solutions you can use safely to prevent mold growths when you call your PNW mold removal experts!
Contact PNW’s Mold Removal and Remediation Experts
When you suspect mold is present in your home, it’s important to act fast. A variety of factors cause mold, and mold poses several hazards to your health. Depending on what type of mold is present in your home, the risk level could be life-threatening. Therefore, fast intervention from a mold removal and remediation team is the best way to protect your loved ones. PNW’s mold removal and remediation services can help homeowners with all their mold problems.
Our expert technicians are IICRC certified and adhere to strict guidelines posed by the organization. We act quickly with a 24-hour response team to identify the source and species of mold(s) present on your property. Then we create a detailed action plan to isolate and tackle mold issues. Finally, we employ a remediation strategy to prevent future mold issues. We can even give you resources to help you prevent mold in the future. Finally, we offer a 36-month mold-free home guarantee.
Visit our website or contact PNW Restoration by phone at (503) 352-5209 today.
