Before You Get Started, There Are Things You Should Know About Mildew And Mold Removal
If you are working on mold and mildew removal, there are a few things that you should definitely know about before you begin. First of all, you should know that both mold and mildew are from a fungus. Traditionally, they are located outside your home, but when the optimal temperature and conditions arise, you can often find them inside your home as well. In order to prevent them from growing, it is important that you have a low level of humidity in your home. If you take showers, you should leave your bathroom fan on for 10 or 15 minutes after you finish. This will help to air out the bathroom and make it less humid. Also, you can use a dehumidifier rental to dehumidify the air if you live in an area of the country where there is naturally lots of humidity.
Mold And Mildew Removal
The third thing that works great for mildew removal is to allow a lot of light into your home. If you can install skylights in your kitchen or in your bathroom, it will also help keep mold and mildew from developing. In addition, natural lighting also helps out as well for mildew removal. If you spot a problem with mildew, try and take care of it as soon as you possibly can. If it is left unchecked, it can get out of hand very quickly and grow very fast. You can also remove mildew with most types of cleaners. Bleach works especially well, and so does alcohol. Most types of poisons will also kill mildew and help get rid of it.
Mold Is A Fungus
Since mold and mildew are a type of fungus, it can propagate itself by creating millions and millions of spores. Once the spores become airborne, they can move to other locations in and around your home. For this reason, it is important to take care of the mold and mildew problem as soon as it develops.
Do Not Take the Presence of Black Mold Lightly
While many people may not know a whole lot about mold, it happens to be one of the most dangerous and common environmental hazards that people deal with on a regular basis. The fact is, mold and fungi is present in almost 40 percent of all homes in America, and many times owners have no idea that it is even there. Black mold is a silent and very dangerous substance, and its presence should not be taken lightly. If you have black mold in your home, it is of the utmost importance that you do all that is necessary to take care of it.
Hiring a mold removal professional is by far the best option you can take into consideration when it comes to getting rid of mold that has built up in your home. Doing the job yourself is not only very difficult, but it can actually be rather dangerous. When one scrubs a patch of mold, the mold becomes airborne and can travel throughout an entire house in a matter of no time at all. Not to mention the fact that if you are too aggressive with your scrubbing, you can do some serious damage to your lungs, especially if you aren’t wearing breathing protection.
Mold remediation specialists deal with mold issues on a daily basis, and how to remove black mold. They not only have all of the necessary equipment and chemicals needed in order to perform the remediation successfully, but chances are they’ve been doing similar jobs for years and have all of the necessary experience and knowledge it takes to do the job correctly. Many people avoid having mold remediation done professionally because they worry that it will end up costing them too much money. However, mold remediation doesn’t have to be expensive and the costs are extremely low considering how dangerous the mold can be to you and your family.
Hiring a good mold remediation specialist can be difficult if you don’t know where to look or who to trust. One of the best ways to find someone who you know and you’ll be happy with is to talk to someone who has had mold remediation work done on their home. If you can find a person or company that comes highly recommended, it is best to go with them and get the job done as soon as possible.
A Mold Inspection Is Not Just For Your Home
Mold inspection shouldn’t just happen in your home. I learned this the hard way not too long ago while grocery shopping. Without giving things a second thought I did my usual shopping never considering that mold could be lurking in the foods I’d purchased. But after putting away groceries, I noticed that the package of beef jerky I’d bought contained moldy growth!
My first thought was that the jerky had expired, but when I checked the date it hadn’t. Then I wondered if the product had been tampered with and opened, but it wasn’t. So my next thought was moisture or air had somehow gotten into the package before it was sealed and the grocery store never noticed the mold since the growth probably hadn’t occurred until after it was put on the store shelf.
Still, the store needed to know so I took my fungus found purchase back and luckily they offered a refund and an apology right on the spot. Of course I would think that all stores would handle things in such a positive manner, but there’s bound to be a few who won’t.
So in order to avoid a future issue, I’ve learned it’s always a good idea to look over your purchases before you toss them in the shopping cart. You may also want to ask the manager of the store what the policy is for returning contaminated items. Does it need to be returned the very same day or can you wait a few days before you return it?
If you’ve returned the moldy item in a reasonable amount of time and they still won’t budge, you should contact the manufacturer of the product for a refund. Be prepared to send them a store receipt for proof of purchase as well as the item that has the mold infection on it.
You should also keep in mind that mold inspection should never just stop at the grocery store. Convenient stores, fast food places and restaurants can all easily become a victim of mold growth.
Mold Removal Products and What You Should Know About Them
With the ozone layer being one of our biggest concerns, more and more people are changing their ways and cleaning with green products. And more and more people are finding a healthier route for cleaning up molds with environmentally friendly mold removal products.
Still, there are some concerns as to whether or not these cleaners are effective on mold, especially the toxic ones like black mold. And many mold remediation companies that remove mold haven’t made the green switch. Is it because they don’t believe safer alternatives can be just as effective or is it because it’s just plain cheaper to stick with dangerous chemicals?
For many companies it’s actually both. They’re aware of the dangers of chemicals just as they’re aware of the fact that the cheaper the product, the more of a profit they’ll make.
Of course not all companies think this way. Many are truly concerned over the knowledge that not every green product will pass the shoot to kill mold test. Of course that very same knowledge applies for a chemically produced product as well.
And there are a couple of tidbits of knowledge that many homeowners aren’t even aware of.
For example, manufacturers are not required to list the chemical pesticides that are used in their cleaners. You may find they’ve listed some of the ingredients and the dangers of using the cleaner, but they don’t have to list any pesticides used in the process or the ingredients.
It is illegal in some states to use a product that does contain pesticides by anyone other than a licensed mold remediation company.
Okay, so maybe a green cleaner does sound a heck of a lot safer, but unfortunately, there are some things a homeowner should be aware of with those as well.
For instance, while it’s true that some green cleaners will work on mold, they might not permanently remove them, which is just going to have you be spending a whole lot more on the mold removal cost. And while some green mold cleaners will remove some mold permanently, they may not be designed for the big jobs or certain molds like the toxic ones.
So the best thing a homeowner can do is do their research. Ask around and find out what mold removal products have worked for other homeowners and businesses. It’s better to know what you’re using than to find out that the product you’ve used was a waste of your hard earned money.
Mold in Crawl Space What Are Your Options?
If you’ve ever had a problem with mold in the crawl space then chances are you know it’s not an easy do it yourself task. And you know that hiring a specialist to remove the mold is almost out of the question due to the lack of mold insurance or if you do hire someone you’re going to be taking that cost out of your savings. So what’s a homeowner to do?
If you’re not allergic to mold, you may be able to do the work yourself, however don’t expect the mold to disappear forever since a professional is required to help insulate and remove the moisture levels that are a common problem with this area.
If there’s not a lot of mold infestation you can clean the wood surfaces of the affected areas using a product designed to permanently kill mold. Before using always wear rubber gloves, goggles and a surgical (paper) mask and always follow the manufacturer’s directions listed on the product.
If the mold seems a little stubborn you may need to repeat the directions on the product if it’s safe. If however, you find the mold is still there; you’ll need to call in a professional for help. Otherwise your mold problem can become much worse by causing severe structural damage to your home.
Once you’ve applied the product, you can wipe away any moldy residue using disposable wipes or a clean rag. Be sure you use a clean side every time you swipe at the affected area or you will just contaminate everything again.
Once the wood surface is dry, you can use the hose of a HEPA vacuum to dry and clean up any remaining fungus spores.
If you want to try to minimize moisture in the area, you can lay a film of plastic over the soil to help reduce humidity, but you should still call in an expert if you want to reduce the mold in the crawl space even further.