If you have been lately experiencing that strange and musty odor from your home and a few visible black/grey spots here and there, be cautious – it is the mold that has invaded. You may not have known the unbalanced moisture levels indoors and pipe leakages behind the walls all this while, but with such evident symptoms now, it is time for you to act.
Mold spores can quickly spread and relocate to other areas of your building. And if ignored or mishandled, it can become dangerous for the property and as well as your health. Don’t rely on stupid DIYs for getting rid of this stubborn fungus but, have a team of mold specialists to check the premises carefully and detect the actual sources for you.
Play your part by preventing mold formation in the first place. Try using the right building materials and constructing an appropriate architecture. And if, despite that, you face mold, get the removal and remediation action in place. Here is what it will entail for your home.
- Identify Moisture Sources
Mold growth is not what it seems. You cannot even gauge its spread behind the walls and the immense impact it is causing in there. It is an invisible intruder and beyond what your eyes can see. So, the first step to mold remediation involves understanding where the moisture is coming from. Some common surfaces you can find mold are drywall, insulation, tile, fabrics, and wood; these have perfect harboring conditions – humid and dark. The presence of oxygen spreads it more.
- Contain Affected Areas
Mold spread from one part of the house to others through the air, which is why you will see experts isolating the contaminated areas of your home to stop the mold spores from expanding their roots further. They would remove anything and everything that can be affected by the mold. In case the items are too bulky or risky to move, they will have them covered with a sheet. The vents in the respective areas will also be sealed so mold spores aren’t released into the air.
- Clean All Belongings
Moving mold-covered belongings to any part of the house or even your lawn can spread it. Items have to be either cleaned thoroughly (if possible) or thrown away. Bleach and warm water solution are mostly used on metal, plastic, or glass items as these are non-porous. In the case of paper, carpet, or wood type materials, mold quickly makes its way inside them and hence have to be discarded responsibly by the team during mold removal Hamilton.
- Vacuum Mold Influenced Rooms
Mold spores when disturbed, become airborne. Thus, after cleaning every item, the rooms have to be vacuumed – not with any ordinary house vacuum machine but negative air machines with high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) air filters to eradicate dust, microbial volatile organic compounds, mold spores, and any sort of airborne debris. The other contents are vacuumed for the second time in case mold spores settle on them again.
- Restore and Document
It has been mentioned already that anything which gets impacted by the mold has to be removed. Drywall, subfloors, and other building materials have to be taken away and minor repairs as required are done. A fresh coat of paint is added, a new carpet is installed, and the drywall is repaired. In case reconstruction is needed, it is also carried out. Besides, everything is recorded on papers for the homeowners’ and company’s reference for future use.