Category: Mold Testing

5 Signs you Have a Mold Problem

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A mold problem in your home is bad, but an undetected mold problem is even worse. Mold infestations don’t always stand out. Mold can be hidden at first, but once it becomes visible it may have already become very severe. This is especially true when mold grows in unexpected areas. It’s important to discover mold growth even if you can’t see it. But how exactly do you do that?

Fortunately, there are certain signs to look out for. The mold removal experts at RestoPros are here to advise Dallas/Ft. Worth homeowners on how to identify the common signs you have a mold problem.

1. Random Stains Appearing in Your Home

If mold is already in your home, its next objective is to reproduce. If given enough time, mold will begin to produce spores that travel to find a new habitat. Mold requires an environment that is dark, warm, and humid to grow. If mold spores manage to find an environment to suit these conditions, new traces of mold will begin to grow.

What this results in is random stains appearing in your home. Mold growth spreads rapidly and will stain any suitable surface, especially porous materials such as drywall. The frequency and location of these stains are random, as the spores will travel until they find a suitable location. If you notice random, dark or brown colored stains appearing randomly on wood, drywall, or cloth, your home may be infested with mold!

2. Increased Allergy Symptoms in Your Home

If you find yourself sneezing, coughing, or having a headache more often, it can be one of the signs you a mold problem. Mold produces allergens, which are substances that cause allergy symptoms. These allergens can contaminate your home’s air, and lead to various symptoms. These symptoms can increase in severity for those with weaker immune systems as well. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms in your home with no visible explanation, the cause may be mold.

3. Musky, Pungent Smells Coming from Your Home

Mold never got the personal hygiene memo, because it smells bad. Mold can produce a musky, pungent smell throughout your home, which can be a sign of a mold problem.  The scent of mold is best compared to the odor of decayed wood or dirty socks. If you notice this smell from several areas of your home, it is recommended you test for mold.

4. Water Damage in Your Home

When there is water in your home, there might be a mold problem. When water enters your home, whether it be from a leak, puddle of water, or past flooding, it will begin to soak and damage any nearby surfaces. Items such as wood, cloth, and drywall are especially vulnerable to water damage. Water damage then leads to mold growth, as the moisture gives mold a suitable habitat.

5. High Humidity/Moisture in Your Home

If your home’s humidity is above normal levels, it’s best to check your house for mold. High humidity and moisture levels are how mold thrives. Humidity also brings warmer temperatures, another requirement for mold growth. Causes of humidity can be poor ventilation, exposed attics and crawlspaces, and past flooding among other things.

Don’t let a mold problem go undetected – follow these signs to help protect your Dallas/Ft. Worth home. And if you have discovered mold in your home, or would like mold testing done, contact RestoPros today. We offer mold remediation and mold testing services with affordable quality. Contact us at 855-587-3786 for immediate assistance.

How Dangerous is Green Mold?

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How Dangerous is Green Mold?This world contains many different kinds of molds and fungi.  They come in a wide range of colors, though mostly what we find in our homes are black, brown, green, and white molds (or a variation of these colors).  While many people are fearful of the effects of black mold (stachbotrys), this mold is actually green and black.  In fact, there are so many green molds that, unless you’re a mycologist, you probably won’t be able to tell the difference.  This doesn’t mean it’s ok to have green mold in your home.  Some green molds are hazardous, especially for those with pre-existing respiratory issues.

Common Types of Green Mold

Aspergillus – This mold is fairly common and can be green, yellow, brown, or white.  While most people are usually unaffected by it, this mold can cause sickness especially in those with respiratory illnesses or allergies.  It’s commonly found on and inside of walls.

Cladosporium – Green, brown, or grey, this hardy mold can live in cool environments as well as warm ones.  It still requires damp conditions and is often found on walls, cabinets, or damp carpets.

Penicillium – The family of molds that Penicillin was derived from.  Penicillium is often a bluish-green color, and can be found growing on carpets, insulation, and mattresses when they are wet or damp.

Mold Inspection

After a leak is discovered, or a spot of mold is found, the first step is to search your house to see how big the infestation is.  Mold growth in excess of 3 feet will likely require professional assistance.

You know to check the problem locations: the utility closet, the bathroom, and the basement.  But there are other places where mold is not only surprisingly common, but often grows unchecked.  After storms, humid days, damaged plumbing, or even just once a month you should do a quick inspection of all these special hiding places to make sure you don’t have secret mold hiding away.

  • Chimneys
  • Windowsills and under Sink Cabinets
  • On Dishes
  • Washing Machine (doors, detergent chamber)
  • HVAC Drain Pans
  • Carpets and Carpet Mats
  • Inside Walls

Mold Remediation

For larger infestations, professional assistance should be sought after, but for smaller mold growths it’s possible to take care of the issue yourself.

First, remove the source of water.  Stop the excess condensation, the dripping pipe, or the leaking roof that led to the humidity increase in the first place.  Clearing away the existing mold won’t help at all if the source of moisture isn’t dealt with first.

Always wear gloves, goggles, and a mask to protect yourself from mold spores.

Use warm, soapy water to wash away the mold.  Never reuse a sponge used to clean up mold.  Clean any rags and dispose of water away from your home.

Use a spray bottle with a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water and spray the cleaned area to kill off any surviving mold spores.

Dry the affected area.  Place a fan or dehumidifier in the area to dry off the surface where the mold was present.

While you can never fully remove mold from your home, you can prevent, stop, or impede the growth of mild by keeping humidity levels at roughly 45% and circulating air throughout the home using fans.

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Dealing with Dry Rot

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Dealing with Dry RotThe wood in your home has been treated, varnished, and protected before installation.  This leaves you with a material that is strong, relatively inexpensive, and very resistant to most kinds of biological attacks or fungal growths.  That doesn’t mean your home is completely immune just because it’s made from wood.  You may have heard about dry rot, a fungus that breaks down wood over time.  Despite the name, dry rot forms when the moisture content of the wood in your home is raised above a certain level.  Prolonged humidity or water contact will cause moisture to seep into wood and allow for dry rot to settle in.  While today’s homes are designed to prevent this from happening, the system isn’t perfect and a lack of maintenance can lead to higher than normal moisture levels and weakening timbers.

Types of Rot

While similar to other types of rotting, wood rot is exclusively due to a fungal growth that breaks down the cellular structure of wood, waking timbers and leading to possible structural collapse.  There two types of wood rot you’ll find are brown and white rot.

Brown Rot cracks across the grain of timbers while simultaneously darkening the wood’s color.  After enough time has past, the wood will take on a dry feeling that crumbles to dust.

White Rot lightens the color of the wood without any cross cracking.  The wood takes on a stringy texture as the fibers loosen from each other.

Another way to break down the differences in wood rot is the different between dry and wet rots.  Wet rots are the most common but dry rot (a type of brown rot) is often the most devastating and likely more difficult to deal with.  Dry rots set into wood but they can crawl across other surfaces, moving behind plaster, wallpapers, or over brick to reach more wood in your home.  They’re more difficult to remove because they can remain hidden in harder to find areas. The first thing a professional does is analyze whether the rot is a dry or wet type, then increase the inspection area to find anywhere else the rot as spread to.

How to Find Dry Rot

If you’re worried about or suspect dry rot, stay on the lookout for:

  • Shrinking wood that darkens and cracks in a ‘cuboidal’ manner
  • A silky grey to mushroom colored skin frequently tinged with patches of lilac and yellow. This often develops under less humid conditions. The ‘skin’ can be peeled like a mushroom.
  • White, fluffy ‘cottonwool’ mycelium develops under humid conditions. ‘Teardrops’ may develop on the growth.
  • Strands develop in the mycelium; these are brittle and when dry and crack when bent.
  • Fruiting bodies are a soft, fleshy pancake or bracket with an orange-ochre surface. The surface has wide pores.
  • Rust red colored spore dust frequently seen around fruiting bodies.
  • Active decay produces a musty, damp odor.

The best way to deal with dry rot is to call a professional treatment company.  You’ll need to remove the moisture source (dripping pipes, leaking roof, etc) to make sure the issue doesn’t reoccur later.  All affected timbers and materials will need to be remove and replaced.  Porous woods are going to house the spores for dry rot and it will be incredibly difficult to treat without replacing.  Remaining surfaces will need to be cleaning with a fungicide.

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Mold, Food, and Health

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Mold, Food, and HealthMost people know not to eat food that’s been sitting out all day in a hot environment, but how does that apply to large feasts where food has already been out for an hour of preparation, through the meal, and throughout the day as we go back for seconds and thirds?  We all want to sit back, relax, talk with friends and family or just enjoy what’s on TV after the meal but it’s important to remember that food, wherever we leave it, becomes a breeding ground for mold and bacteria almost immediately.  So this Thanksgiving, take a few preventative steps to make sure that that you’re not one of the many Americans who suffer from food poisoning this year.

Food Safety

Clean off your counters.  While there’s no reason to pour pure bleach across the counter-tops (a teaspoon of unscented bleach with a quart of water is all you need), make sure that countertops, utensils, and any surface that will house food for even a short while are cleaned and ready in advance.  Be sure to repeat the cleaning process afterward.  Most countertops are mold resistant but leaving food or liquids spilled onto countertops or in the sink will lead to mold and bacterial growth that will release extra spores into the air (not to mention the smell).

Wash all fruits and vegetables.  Peel or no, you should wash everything before use.  Fruits and veggies can pick up bacteria on the rind or peel which transfers to the knives and surfaces you use.  Basically, the inside is safe until you cut into it if you haven’t washed the surface first.

Finally, when it comes to food, don’t leave it sitting out.  A few minutes to let food cool before eating is fine but you should seal and store everything as soon as the meal is ended.  Most food poisoning comes from food that has sat out too long and was then deemed ‘safe’ simply because it didn’t look or smell funny.  Most of the bacteria and contaminants that cause severe food poisoning leave no discernible symptoms early on.  If the meat has been sitting out for 2 hours or more, don’t risk it.  Even re-cooking the food isn’t safe enough because that only kills the bacteria, not the toxins left behind by living or dead bacteria.

Take a minute to read through this list of common food safety myths, compiled by foodsafety.gov before you start.

Cleaning Up

Cleaning up after an event is just as important as taking care beforehand, especially if you have small kids.  We’re quick to clean up floor spills and wipe down tables and countertops, but for many of us, lazing about after a full Thanksgiving Day feast is a must.  We recommend a little bit of work first, or at least before you go to bed tonight.

Any carpet spills should be treated right away. Liquids are especially dangerous as they can soak into the matting beneath a carpet even if they don’t stain the carpet itself.

Clothing should be cleaned or rinsed if food was spilled on it. As we mentioned in our laundry blog, take the time to rinse food or spilled drinks from clothing if you aren’t planning on washing them the same day.

Clean up dishes after the meal. Leaving food and liquids sitting in dishes is a fast way to fill your home with bugs and mold in a short order.  We know you want to relax with family but maybe you should clean up as a family first.  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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5 Mold Prevention Tips for your Bathroom

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5 Mold Prevention Tips for your BathroomOut of all the places in your home, the bathroom is exposed to more water than anywhere else – the kitchen is a very close second though.  Because most bathrooms are secluded, lack windows, and are typically more humid than the rest of the home they have a greater risk of mold infestation than anywhere else.  So what should you do to make sure that your bathroom is not a haven for mold and mildew?

1. Improve Ventilation

Cycling air is great for more than just keeping odors out.  Improved ventilation prevents high humidity by cycling out excess moisture and adding in fresh air.  Dry air that’s cycled into the room will help evaporate moisture off of surfaces, lowering the risk of mold.  You should also run your exhaust fan for 30-45 minutes after a shower to cycle out all of the humid air that remains.

2. Fix Leaks

We’ve covered leak repairs before.  With the amount of plumbing that exists in your bathroom, there’s a higher chance of leaks from fixtures and pipes here than anywhere else in the home.  The moment that you see water damage, pooling water, or a leaking fixture you should get it repaired immediately.  A leak is always going to lead to an added cost, even if it’s just an increased water bill.  Get leaks seen to immediately, every time.

3. Use Tile

Use smooth tile in your bathroom rather than a textured tile.  Textured tile adds surface area and leaves nooks, crannies, and seams within the tile that need to be cleaned regularly.  Tile, which is already fairly easy to clean, is more hygienic when it’s smooth because it’s less likely to collect moisture.  Smooth tile it also easy to clean since it is non-porous often requires on a quick pass from a cleaning sponge (with soap or detergent) to clean off the surface.  You should also try using larger tiles if at all possible.  Large tiles mean less grout which means fewer places for moisture to accumulate and mold to grow.

4. Seal All Grout

Enhanced tile grout is excellent because it’s already designed to be mold resistant.  But in the bathroom, that’s not enough to prevent mold from growing inside tile grout.  You need to take steps to seal out moisture so that it doesn’t feed mold spores locked inside the mildly porous surface of grout.  Sealants will also help to prevent discoloration by preventing dirt and grime from getting locked into the grout, making cleanup easier later.

Be sure to use a penetrating sealer for shower tiles and a membrane sealer for floor tiles.

5. Clean Regularly

The final step in any quality bathroom-mold defense plan is to clean your bathroom regularly.  Remove excess water from the shower using a squeegee or towel and leave the shower curtains open to allow air to circulate through easily.  Take the time to give your bathroom a deep clean once a week and use a mold cleaner to make sure you prevent anything from starting to grow in the first place. Once you get in the habit of cleaning your bathroom regularly, it will be much easier and you’ll be more likely to catch any problems before they become too big to handle.

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How and Why to Control Home Humidity

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How and Why to Control Home HumidityIf you’ve read any of our other articles on home protection, mold remediation, and water damage you’ll know that high humidity is mold’s best friend.  Mold, mildew, and fungus all require heavy humidity from rain, standing water, or just steam from a shower or cooking to start replicating and spreading throughout your home.  Water damage can even originate from a high-humidity environment as temperature differences force water to condense on surfaces and stain or erode the surface.

But regulating the humidity in your home is a little more important than just preventing water and mold damage.  Climate, energy efficiency, and health are all affected by the internal humidity of your home.  If you don’t have a smart thermostat that includes one, purchasing a hygrometer to measure relative humidity is a useful tool, especially during the rainy season.,

Temperature and Humidity

Did you know that the weather feels warmer or cooler based on humidity?  The drier the air is, the cooler the room feels.  How cold a room feels can be up to 5 degrees of difference simply by adjusting the relative humidity of the room.

One of the many systems the human body uses to regulate heat is by cooling off through sweat.  Everything on earth is coated with a thin layer of moisture.  Fans help to cool us off by circulating air across skin.  As fresh air moves into contact with a surface, water is evaporated off of that surface using heat energy to shift into the air.  As it does this, heat is taken from the surface.  When the air is dry and humidity is low, water evaporates easily, migrating into the air.  When the air is already saturated with water, and humidity is high, there’s no way for water to evaporate.  In a high humidity environment, everything feels warm and muggy because evaporation is prevented.

This is part of why high humidity makes it so easy for mold and mildew to grow on surfaces.  Water won’t evaporate and there’s plenty of water-rich real estate for mold to move into.  At the same time, now you know why circulating air with a fan helps to mitigate mold and mildew: by aiding evaporation.

In short, keep the air dry in the summer to avoid mold-growth, decrease the relative temperature in your home, and save on cooling costs.

Ideal Humidity

Buying a hygrometer, dehumidifier, and a humidifier are all useful tactics for controlling the humidity of your home.  But what’s the ideal humidity level?  45% is best.  Decreasing humidity will save you money on cooling costs and make it unlikely that you’ll have a problem with mold, but reducing humidity too far will have a negative impact on you as well.  Low humidity will mean added heating costs in the winter and will lead to dry skin, lips, and a possible sore throat when you wake up in the morning.

Pushing humidity to far above 45%, while it will improve heating costs in the winter, increases the risk of mold and mildew growth.  So be cautious when adjusting humidity throughout your home.

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What to Look for During a Mold Search

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What to Look for During a Mold SearchIt sounds simple: “I’m looking for mold, so that’s all I need to find.”  But finding mold isn’t just about looking in a corner and spotting mold growth.  It’s about finding the signs of growth, seeking out their source, and looking for possible future problems.  So what should you be looking for?

Musty Smells

Mold spores carried in the air fill a room with a strong, musty odor.  Enclosed and poorly ventilated areas are especially susceptible to this.  In fact, that ‘scent of rain’ that many people enjoy after a rainstorm is actually caused by airborne mold spores and dust spread through the atmosphere by rainfall.  High concentrations of this released by mold growth and mildew in your home generate an earthy-musty odor in rooms.  When you walk into a room or turn on the ventilation, if the air smells musty, take some time to search the room for signs of mold.

Look in cabinets and under furniture for mold growth.  Mold can also hide inside ventilation systems so it’s a good idea to shine a flashlight into the vents and look for signs of mold growth.  This is especially true if the smell only arises when the fan is running.

Watch for Water Damage

Keep an eye out around your home for signs of water intrusion.  Bubbling wallpaper and warped boards are clear signs of wood damage from water leaks.  Puddles and drips from air conditioners, burst pipes, and leaky roofs are clear signs of water intrusion.  If there’s been a recent rainstorm, examine any places where water has pooled around your home.  When water pools near the foundation, it can start leaking into the foundation and eventually work its way into basements and cellars.  Of course, water stains on carpet, ceilings, and walls can all hint at possible places where you’ll find mold.

If water has found its way into your home and you can’t account for it, look around the site of the damage.  You may need to pull up carpet or peel back damaged wallpaper but there’s a better than average chance you have mold hiding in those spaces.

Listen for Drips

This is a little less obvious, but if you hear water dripping take notice.  Not only is dripping water a good way to lose money every month (leaks and drips can add up to hundreds of dollars each year) it’s also a prime way to feed mold and mildew growth.  Always find the source of any drips you can hear and keep an eye on them while you’re waiting to have them fixed.

Honestly, the best times to search for mold are after heavy rainstorms and extended stays away from home.  If you’ve been absent for more than two weeks, it won’t hurt to look around your house and check around appliances.  Refrigerators, freezers, washers, air conditioners, and water heaters are all prime real estate for leaks and condensation spills.  A power loss can lead to excess condensation as temperatures balance out, leading to dripping water that you missed while you were gone.  It’s better to take a look around and catch mold growth while it’s still small.

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Tips for Preventing Mildew

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Tips for Preventing MildewBoth mold and mildew are fungal growths that coat surfaces with a nasty, spore-spewing substance when the humidity and temperature reach the correct levels.  But where mold tends to be black or green and spongy, mildew is often a white, powdery substance that coats multiple objects.  And, unlike the commonly-held belief, mildew doesn’t just rest on organic substances like paper and fabric either.  Glass, tile, and plastics can all become growing spots for mildew, which can allow it to spread to more easily damaged or porous substances.

Primary Locations

So where are you going to be likely to find mildew?  Anywhere you’d likely find mold growing.  Dark corners where high humidity is prevalent.  Mildew grows quickly when the environment is right, which means closed off laundry hampers, basement corners, and cabinets near water sources or leaky plumbing are all prime suspects for mildew.

Any room that suffers from high humidity, either during storms or during use – think basements during a storm or a bathroom during a hot shower – is a hotspot for mildew.  Surfaces that are hidden from the light are perfect as well.  Vinyl wallcoverings and flooring that’s hidden beneath appliances should be checked every quarter to make sure that no mildew has begun growing in these spaces.

Any areas of the home that are poorly ventilated can be a cause for concern as well. Ventilation makes it difficult for mold and mildew to grow because it helps to keep surfaces dry via evaporation.  Once mildew has already begun to grow, a ventilated area (without dehumidification) will only serve to spread spores faster.

Prevention and Control

So now you know where to find mildew, what can you do about preventing its growth in the first place? Unsurprisingly, many of the practices you need to follow for preventing water and mold damage apply here.

Fix Moisture Problems – Leaks, drips, and excess condensation are all sources for mildew.

Increase Air Circulation – Moving air helps to control temperature and dry out surfaces, making things difficult for mildew to develop.  This includes during or after showers or while cooking.  Use the vent fans to circulate humid air away from surfaces and keep humidity levels down.

Remove Wet Items – This isn’t just from water leaks and damage.  Any wet items need to be replaced or dried quickly. That includes laundry in your hamper.  Don’t let them sit and don’t leave water pooling anywhere.

Use a Dehumidifier – Humidity control is key.  If you aren’t planning on running your air conditioner regularly (strange as that may be during the summer), buy a dehumidifier for humid rooms to deal with the excess and keep things at or below 45% humidity.

Keep Your Home Clean – Strange as it may sound, cleaning up your home and general house maintenance are key to preventing mold.  Replacing air filters and dusting help to mitigate dust and mold spores.  General cleaning and maintenance will also force you to check trouble spots and keep them clear of any contaminants or current growth while the infestations are small.

Throw Away the Unsalvageable – Don’t keep moldy items.  If mildew has completely taken over something, it’s often best to simple toss it and replace it.  Porous items such as wood, insulation, or sheetrock should all be replaced quickly.  Favorite clothes and even some heirloom items are often not worth the cost of cleaning.  Irreplaceable memories should be sent for restoration if you really need to keep them.  But never let moldy items just sit around in the hope that drying out the air will fix the problem.

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7 Tricky Mold Hiding Spots

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The 7 Trickiest Mold Hiding PlacesMold can grow anywhere, provided it finds three things: a comfortable climate, a surface, and a food supply.  Most things are a food supply to mold and most things have multiple surfaces.  So the last thing it needs is the right combination of humidity and temperature to grow unimpeded.  As soon as the climate matches, mold spores (which are everywhere) immediately begin to grow and reproduce, spreading across a surface and slowly eroding it away.

You know to check the problem locations: the utility closet, the bathroom, and the basement.  But there are other places where mold is not only surprisingly common, but often grows unchecked.  After storms, humid days, damaged plumbing, or even just once a month you should do a quick inspection of all these special hiding places to make sure you don’t have secret mold hiding away.

Chimneys

Brick crevices and molding give plenty of places for water and dirt to accumulate.  The inside of your chimney is also protected from harmful UV rays, which can kill off mold.  When chimney caps and damaged flashing allow water and moisture into the chimney, it creates a perfect breeding ground for mold.  Unfortunately, due to how difficult (and dangerous) it is to clean a chimney, your best option is to hire a professional mold cleaner (or get regular chimney sweeps).

Windowsills and under Sink Cabinets

Overhangs that are protected from direct sunlight but are still close to condensation spots or water leaks make great places for mold.  Sink cabinets (where a single drip from a leaky pipe can raise humidity) or around windowsills (where moisture can arise from the window condensation or from small leaks) make great places for mold to hide out.

The best thing you can do is clean up after storms or after you find a leak.  When a storm is through, open the windows and wipe away excess water and moisture.

On Dishes

Wet dishes drying on a rack are fine, but placing damp or wet dishes in cabinets (or leaving them sitting the dishwasher) will provide extremely humid and warm environments for mold to grow on the surface of dishes.  Fortunately, this can become obvious pretty quickly when you grab a dish and find spots on it.  But if you’ve left them sitting in the dishwasher it’s best if you give the dishwasher a thorough cleaning before putting any more dishes through.

Washing Machines

Anywhere you find water, there’s risk of mold.  So of course your cleaning appliances are at risk.  This includes your washing machine and clothes dryer.  For front loading machines, check the seals around the door for accumulated moisture and leave them open to dry after you run a load of clothes through.  Check the detergent chamber of your washing machine as well, since water can pool inside it start mold growth.  Mold here is especially damaging since it will eat through clothing over time.

HVAC Drain Pans

Your HVAC and Furnace are both going to generate a lot of water in the form of condensation.  Check the drain pans and drip lines, not to mention the areas around your HVAC unit for signs of mold growth or water spills.

Carpets and Carpet Mats

If there’s been a water spill in any room with a carpet, then you need to keep careful watch on that room for a few weeks.  The matting underneath your carpet will absorb and hold onto water, sometimes staying damp for far longer than the carpet above.  Whenever there is a major spill, use a wet-vac to try and remove as much water from it as possible.  Adding a desiccant or running an air conditioner to dry out the air will help as well.

Mold thrives especially well underneath the carpet and can stay hidden for months before anyone is the wiser.  With every step on the carpet, mold spores are spread into the air, leaving you with aggravated allergies and a higher chance of mold growth elsewhere.

If you find mold growing under your carpet, it may be time to call a professional.  If it’s a large infestation, then you need mold remediation immediately.  In either circumstance, replacing the matting is probably going to be necessary.

Inside Walls

Usually this one is hard to spot.  Plumbing drips, leaky roofs, and general flooding all have the chance to spur mold growth inside the walls of your home.  The easiest way to identify this will be in water stains on walls and ceilings.  Unfortunately, it’s too late to do much else but call for remediation by this point.  Performing regular leak detection for plumbing and roofs will go a long way toward preventing this unfortunate case.

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What to Know About Hiring a Mold Inspector

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Indoor mold can pose a serious health risk, especially for people with
allergies and asthmatics. Exposure to certain types of indoor mold can
even be deadly in some cases, which is why it’s important that you
get rid of mold as soon as you spot it in your home. Unfortunately, not
all mold infestations are that easy to diagnose. Most of the time, mold
problems are hidden out of sight in the attic, crawlspace, or behind walls.
Although these mold growths are out of sight, people inside the house
can still breathe in the mold spores and experience the negative consequences
of exposure. The good news is that a mold inspector can quickly identify
if you have a mold problem and where the infestation is located. Here
are some things you can expect when hiring a mold inspector in Plano.

Initial Mold Testing

When you schedule mold testing with a mold remediation company, you should expect a licensed third-party Mold Assessment Consultant to carry out the inspection to ensure there’s no conflict of interest. During this initial testing, air and/or surface samples will be taken and analyzed in a laboratory setting to confirm the presence of mold in your home. You should be provided with a copy of the mold testing results and an explanation of how to interpret the results and what they mean.

Written Mold Removal Protocol

If mold is detected in your home, a mold removal protocol will be created
to outline exactly what steps are recommended to rid your home of the
mold problem. This protocol will give you peace of mind knowing the mold
remediator is not taking advantage of you. If any recommended step doesn’t
make sense, you can get a second opinion from another mold removal provider.

Clearance Testing

After the mold has been removed, the remediation company should bring back
the Mold Assessment Consultant to perform a thorough clearance inspection
to make sure that the air quality inside your home is at a healthy level.
If the Mold Assessment Consultant is satisfied with the results, he or
she will sign a Certificate of Mold Damage Remediation.

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