When you think of types of disasters that can occur in your home, the most impactful ones that come to mind are fire damage, smoke, damage, and water damage. One that is sometimes left out, and can have a huge impact on your home and family, is mold. No homeowner ever wants to hear that they have mold in their home. Mold can cause crisis for your home, belongings, and most importantly your family. That’s why it’s important to learn about why you should call mold remediation professionals for mold removal in your home.
Types of Mold
Mold can appear in your home in a number of ways. The three most common types of mold are allergenic, pathogenic, and toxigenic.
- Allergenic: Allergenic Mold can cause minor reactions for the people living in the home. The mold creates minor allergic reactions and can trigger underlying respiratory health issues like asthma.
- Pathogenic: Pathogenic Mold is dangerous for people with an already weakened immune system. Over time pathogenic mold can contribute to other long-term illnesses.
- Toxigenic: Toxigenic Mold is the most severe and dangerous form of mold. It can potentially lead to neurological issues and in serious cases can even be life threatening.
Effects of Mold Exposure
So, why is it bad to have mold in your home? A mold problem, whether small or large, can have negative impacts on your home, belongings, and family’s health. A minor mold problem can appear in small health disruptions for your family members, such as headaches, coughing, congestion, and other allergy or cold-like symptoms. More serious cases of mold can cause worse health issues like neurological issues and sometimes even death if left untreated.
It’s important to address any mold problems your home might have right away, to avoid any prolonged health problems for your family. Mold can affect all family members, especially young children, the elderly, and people with existing respiratory conditions like asthma, or compromised immune systems. Researching and finding a company for mold remediation will help to address the mold problem in your home quickly and efficiently.
Mold Remediation Process
If you have a feeling that there is mold present in your home, the first step would be to call a professional to handle the mold remediation or mold removal in your home. From there, the professionals will follow a thorough process of identifying the mold, containing it, removing it, address water damage, and restoring the home back to its former state.
If mold levels are high, determined by indoor air quality testing remediation is recommended. By certified, trained professionals on cleaning and removing mold from an indoor location.
Identify the Mold:
The first step in mold remediation is to identify the mold in the home. The mold remediation professionals that you hire will come to visit your home or business, wherever the location is with the mold. They will inspect the area and confirm if they see a mold problem. Sometimes, this can be as easy as walking in and seeing the mold growth. Other time, they need to pull back carpets and knock down or open up walls to find the mold growth because it is more hidden.
If the people living or working in the location are experiencing health problems or breathing difficulties, the mold remediation professionals may take a sample of the mold. This will help determine the type of mold that is growing and see what types of issues it could have on the home and family.
Common places to find mold in a home or business are damp rooms such as bathrooms, basements, and even near windows or doors. If it’s determined by the mold remediation professionals that there is no visible mold growth that they can find, they can place an antimicrobial application on the area that is expected to be affected. This will help to kill any existing mold spores that may be hidden and prevent future ones from forming in that area as well.
Contain the Spread:
Once mold is found in your home or place of business, it’s important to isolate the contaminated area as soon as possible to decrease the spread. All items that are able to be moved should be relocated to another area and ones that aren’t able to be moved should have a sheet placed over it to help protect it.
Not only does the room and your belongings need to be isolated and cared for, but the air near the found mold needs to be cleaned as well. There could be potential airborne mold spores that could cause recontamination to the area. To remove mold spores, dust, and other microbial volatile organic compounds the mold remediation professionals will use HEPA air filters throughout the home to clean the air filtration.
Water Damage Restoration:
If you have found mold in your home, it is likely that you will also find some sort of dampness or water damage as well. In order to live, thrive, and spread, mold needs to have a wet surface. If the mold is in a damp environment, it can take as little as 24 hours to start growing throughout your home. Before the mold remediation professionals can move any farther in the mold removal process, they need to address any dampness or water damage in your home. If the water damage is not clearly visible, sometimes they use infrared scanners to find hidden areas where water damage may be coming in through the home.
Disposal:
The next step for the mold remediation professionals is disposal. This means getting rid of any personal belongings, furniture, materials, or other items in the home that are beyond repair due to the mold or water damage. Cloth is particularly hard to get rid of mold or contaminated water. This can also be the case for building materials like drywall, insulation, wood, carpet. Some belongings can be cleaned and sanitized and returned to your home, while others may need to be disposed of completely.
Restoring the Home (Drying and Cleaning) :
The last step is restoring the home back to what it was before the mold problem. The mold remediation professionals will dry the affected area, clean and sanitize and items that were affected, and clean up their tools, equipment, and any garbage that accumulated from the project. If a customer wants to be sure that the mold is completely removed, they can request a final clearance test from the professionals to give them peace of mind.
Professional Fire Restoration Services – Mold Remediation Professionals in Albany, NY
If you are experiencing a mold problem in your home, it’s important to reach out to mold remediation professionals. To remove mold quickly and efficiently it requires specific equipment, training, and certifications. If not treated properly, it can be very toxic and a health hazard for the people living in your home. The mold remediation professionals will determine the source, supply proper solutions, and restore your home.
Professional Fire Restoration Services has over 35 years of experience of turning crisis into calm for many homeowners when they are experiencing any sort of home damage. The team is here for homeowners 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to help with home disasters including fire damage, smoke damage, water damage, and mold remediation. If you suspect you might have a mold problem in your home, call Professional Fire Restoration Services today for mold remediation professionals in Albany, NY.
