Mold Testing, Remediation & Abatement
A damp, wet, humid basement or crawlspace can lead to the perfect breeding ground for mold growth. Mold can start to grow with humidity levels consistently above 50%. It only needs moisture, an organic substance to grow on, & the right temperature. If any water seepage or flooding has occurred then any and all wet materials must be dried within 24-48 hrs, or mold will take hold & can spread very quickly. If mold is not addressed in a timely manner it can destroy an entire home, because this organism will feed on whatever it can. At which point many of the homes contents must be discarded. Or worse yet, it can cause illnesses to the occupants who are exposed to these spores, sometimes leading to a “Sick Building Syndrome”. Mold gets most of its press from the potential health affects it can cause, and rightfully so. All molds are bad if they are growing & spreading within a home. You can’t really go by color in terms of health. Black molds seem to be always labeled as toxic, but molds of many different colors can be just as harmful as well. Any type of mold can grow in large patches without producing any toxins at all. But if that same mold becomes disturbed by changes in the temperature or humidity it can now begin to produce mycotoxins in the form of toxic spores & gases. Plus, mold can remain dormant for months or even years before it can awake to give off it’s toxins, again with just the right combination of temperature & humidity. This is why no mold should ever be left inside the home or just covered over. With many homes having HVAC systems located in basements and crawlspaces, this enables spores to travel through the air ducts and easily spread to any part of the home. If you have mold in your home, call or email us today.
How It Spreads & Why Not To Do It Yourself:
Our Remediation Process:
Consists of first setting up a contained work area with the use of neg. air machines & air scrubbers w/ HEPA filters. We then remove or abate any & all materials that cannot be cleaned. The remaining solid materials are brushed & HEPA vacuumed, & then we apply biocide chemical to kill the remaining mold spores, and finally applying an antimicrobial coating to protect & seal the substrate from any future mold growth.
Favorable Conditions For Mold
- Relative humidity of roughly 50% or higher
- Damp, dusty conditions
- Stagnant air (which is why overly “tight” homes designed for energy efficiency can have mold problems)
Attics & Mold
- (Causes) – poor ventilation, roof leaks, ice damming, HVAC problems, condensation
Maintaining Indoor Air Quality:
Now the Solution:
- The unit is 90% less expensive to run, saving hundreds of dollars a year in electricity vs one dehumidifier. It requires ZERO maintenance and has no risk of overheating.