No matter if you have a known problem, experiencing mold symptoms or even if you’re just buying a home and want to know what could be hidden behind the walls before you move in, this article could point you in the right direction. In some cases, you may only need step one. This is the case that you pass the inspection and you don’t need a mold removal. In other cases, you may need all six steps. These six steps were put together so that you can make your remediation process easy and successful. We believe that consumers should understand what’s going on during the remediation process and why each step is vital for a successful remediation. Check out the steps below.
1. Find out if you have mold
The first step in the process is to find out if there is mold. There are some particles that is often mistaken as mold. A good example of this would be dust. If you hire a good mold inspection company, they will help you come to an accurate conclusion. If there has already been a confirmation of mold, then the next step is to see how far the contamination has gone as mold is microscopic and cannot be seen in all areas.
2. Think about your living arrangements
Once you have knowledge that there is mold, put together a plan for living arrangements until the home is mold-safe. Mold can be a real threat to the health of you, your family and even your pets. To prevent any possible health effects, you should discuss moving your family out of the home until the remediation is over. If there are children, elder adults or or anyone that currently suffers from any health issues(a stressed immune system), it may be a good idea to make this your number one priority.
When you move your family out for this short period of time, it would be ideal to leave any items that may have been affected by the mold behind. If an items, such as the shoes that have been in the contaminated closet, has mold on it, the mold from those shoes can still have a negative effect on your family and be carried to contaminate your car or another living space.
Moving your family out can be a very stressful process or you can make it fun. If you’ve already saved up for the annual family vacation this could be a great time to take that trip. It will allow you to get the stress of mold off of your mind and return home to mold-safe home. This could also be a great opportunity to go spend some time with family members that you don’t get a chance to see often. You can even take this time to introduce the family to new activities that can bring you all closer together, such as camping outdoors for a few days.
3. Identify where it is coming from and fix the problem
Once you identify a mold problem, it means one thing: you have a moisture problem. Mold requires three things to begin to grow: food, oxygen and water/moisture. Since it’s pretty much impossible to deprive mold spores of oxygen and it’s food, we have to control active growth with moisture management. Read more about this on our What is Mold? page.
In some cases, an inspection will be able to identify the moisture problem during the inspection. Other times, the cause may be more obvious and you may already have the answer. Such as a roof leak or a recent flood. However, the moisture intrusion may not be that easy to find so you may have to hire a moisture management company to take a more thorough look.
Once the moisture problem is identified, it is imperative that you have this issue resolved before moving forward with the mold removal process. If you do not correct the moisture problem, then the mold will only grow back in a short period of time. There is no mold treatment that can keep mold away for very long if moisture or high humidity remains.
4. Find the right company
Once you resolve the moisture issue, it’s time to find the right company for the job. I would recommend a company that focuses solely on mold. This way, you know that you’re hiring a very well educated company that knows mold. These companies often offer money back guarantees, warranties and more efficient work.
You should also consider the health of your family and pets when choosing a company. Most companies use chemicals that are not safe for humans or pets. If health is a concern for you, I would recommend a company that uses a green product, such as our MTR94® solution. MTR94® is 100% organic and is even safe for human consumption. This will remove the fear of your little ones or pets putting things in their mouths following the remediation process. Our cleaning solution won’t do any harm.
One last thing that you should do prior to hiring a mold removal company is check their reviews. Check customer reviews on sites such as Google Reviews, Home Advisor, BBB and even Facebook. There’s a famous quote by Janette Rallison that goes, “You can always tell how a man will treat his wife by the way he treats his mother.” You can apply this quote to choosing the right company. If you want to know how a company will treat you, pay attention to how that company has treated customers in the past.
5. The mold removal process
The mold removal process usually breaks down into three simple steps.
- Protect the People: The first step of the process is to protect the team and any other occupants that will be present during the time of the remediation. This includes wearing a protective jumpsuit, gloves and respirator or N95 mask.
- Protect the Building: After entering the facility to start the process, the team will completely seal off the affected area(s). This will prevent cross-contamination. Cross-contamination is when spores become disturbed and move to other areas of the facility, which can cause additional problems.
- Remove the Mold: This process differs depending on the company that you choose. Some companies use a destructive process, which includes completely tearing out and removing all affected areas. Other strategies include a non-destructive process, which allows a successful remediation without tearing out all affected areas. Check out our mold removal process in detail.
Most companies will provide you with a list of requirements prior to the remediation process. However, in case they don’t, here are a few of the requirements that we have developed for our customers.
- Remove all pets from the property during remediation
- Clear any cluttered areas
- Remove any oil paintings
- Make sure that all windows remain closed until a clearance test has been provided
- Make sure you change your furnace filter and clean your vacuum where you could recontaminate from the vacuum dust
6. Post-testing
Following the remediation process, you should receive a clearance test to be sure of a successful mold removal process. This process usually includes taking both, air and/or surface samples to test. This test should be taken by a testing lab, such as Enzcycle Lab
Conclusion
We understand that mold can be stressful. With that being said, the most important decision that you can make while going through these six steps is choosing the right company that understands how stressful the process is for you. When choosing a company, take a look into their reviews and their background as a company. Ask about their other services to be sure that mold is a priority in their company and not just a side hustle. Our company not only focuses only on mold, but we also consistently develop and improve our procedures, processes and technologies to ensure a better experience for customers. With a 100% money back guarantee, you can’t go wrong!
