What is Involved with Mold Remediation?

Mold is a major infestation that can ruin your home and your health. And requires your utter attention. The two most important things to remember about mold are:

1. Prevent it by doing things right the first time
2. When you do face mold, take care of it immediately.

In this blog, we will learn about the steps what is involved with mold remediation.

Step 1: Read and Learn About Moisture

Learning about mold growth includes more than just staring at what’s visible to your eyes. The main thing to remember is that mold can be an invisible intruder. It can grow behind and around what you first see. Such evasive behavior demands speculative thinking.

The foremost reason to understand is that behind all mold growth there is a water or moisture problem. Second, dig deep into understanding moisture and know where moisture comes from and how it gets into the home. The final goal of these two steps is for professionals to recognize a moisture source and use its location to help find all mold growth, not just what’s instantly visible. 

Step 2: Identify the Mold Problem and Create a Remediation Plan

Before you call mold removal experts or start DIY Mold Removal, document the entire mold situation with photos and video. The professionals will use this documentation to create a remediation plan, which would typically answer questions like when work is supposed to begin, when it is scheduled to be completed, who will be performing the remediation, any testing that needs be done, and if homeowners will be tentatively relocated. In the long run, the documentation can help in managing the liability for your mold remediation process.

If you don’t want to document this, a professional mold removal company can assist you with the same.

Step 3: Ask for the Total Cost Calculation for Mold Contamination

The purpose of mold removal professionals is to clean up mold growing within the home. Mold may not always grow in one area, determining the extent of the contamination will impact how you approach mold removal and clean up. So you need to figure out how much would it cost you to get it removed.

 

Ask your mold removal company to give you an estimate of the cost that would be required to remove the mold completely. Also, check if the mold removal company follows all the precautions and safety measures before starting the process.

 

Step 4: Start to Remediate mold contamination

Start the process by hiring a mold professional company. Remediation involves cleaning up existing mold while avoiding exposure to oneself as well as homeowners, as well as preventing new growth by addressing the moisture source.

 

The cleanup process comprises of these steps:

1. Repairing the water problem: This will help prevent any new mold spores from growing.
2. Quarantining the contaminated area: All the doors and windows between the contaminated area and other rooms of the home will be closed. All the joints of the sheeting will be sealed with the duct tape and slip openings in the sheeting to enter the contaminated area.
3. Suppressing dust: This is done by misting the contaminated areas.
4. Removing materials: All the wet and mold-damaged porous materials are removed from the contaminated place.
5. Placing materials in plastic bags: All the wet and moldy materials are placed in plastic bags that are at least 6 mils thick, double-bag the materials, and tie the bags closed.
6. Cleaning Process: All non-porous materials and wood surfaces that are moldy are then cleaned with a wire brush and then the area is wiped with disposable wipes. Finally, all moldy surfaces using a damp cloth and detergent solution are scrubbed until all mold has been removed and cleaned with clean water.
7. Visibility test: Check that all the areas should be visibly free of contamination and debris. There should be no dust and dirt which means no mold.
8. Dying: All the cleaned materials should be dried to allow leftover moisture to evaporate. To speed up the drying process, they would use fans, dehumidifiers or raise the indoor air temperature.
9. Replacing: All materials that were moved would be replaced or repaired by the team.

 

Ensure that the remediation process is being followed. Having a general understanding of the proper procedures is useful for you as a house owner.

 

Step 5: Determine if the Process has been successfully Completed

Just because the mold is gone and there’s no dirt or dust doesn’t mean that it is done. Your last step is to determine if the remediation team has been successful. While this last step is a judgment call, there are some options and guidelines to follow.

 

1. You shouldn’t see any signs of recurring water damage after 1 week.
2. No sign of visible mold, mold-damaged materials or moldy odors should be there.
3. Homeowners should be able to occupy or re-occupy the home without physical symptoms or aggravated health complaints.

Conclusion: 

Following a quick and thorough remediation plan is essential for getting rid of the mold and hiring a mold remediation company can help you in executing your plan successfully.

 

If you are facing any issue with mold, consider contacting Dry Effect for any assistance in mold removal and remediation.