5 Steps to Mold Remediation
Molds are the slimy black and green spots that are usually found on most bathroom tiles or underneath kitchen sinks. Sometimes they can also be seen on walls and ceilings where there have been previous problems of water penetration either from leaking roofs or from a faulty pipeline. Either way, if you are currently dealing with a mold problem in your home or office space, make sure that you address the problem immediately to avoid causing further harm on your health or on the structural integrity of your property.
Mold remediation takes more than just hiring any contractor and expecting them to handle your mold problem well for you. As a property owner, you should also be able to have a grasp of the mold remediation process and how else you can further stop the fungi from spreading in other areas of your property.
To provide you with a brief overview of how the mold remediation should look like, we have compiled a quick five-step procedure of the mold remediation process.
Step 1: Mold Assessment
The first step in mold remediation is to conduct a thorough assessment of the problem. This includes probing and visual inspections of suspected contaminated areas, looking for moisture problems or water leaks, and inspecting hidden places such as in between walls and wall cavities, and underneath carpets. In such cases that mold is not easily observable, you will need a professional mold inspector because sometimes the process necessitates the use of special instruments to uncover mold colonies hiding in dark and inaccessible areas such as the interior of walls, behind painted surfaces, insulation and other porous materials.
If you opt to avail a professional mold inspection, you can also choose to have air and surface sampling to check for possible mold spores. For these more elaborate lab tests, you can go to Mold Test Fredericksburg for an honest and affordable mold testing and inspection.
Step 2: Create a Mold Remediation Plan
If a mold removal company has surveyed and inspected your home, they will usually document the whole inspection with photos and a full-on report of the current state of your property. The report will tell you what type of mold is plaguing your home, and the extent and severity of the mold contamination. Besides that, they should also be able to give you a recommendation of what kind of treatment you should go after.
Step 3: Begin to Remediate the Mold
Once you have decided on how to treat the mold problem, you can now begin to remediate the mold by first disposing all contaminated items. Discard all wet and moldy objects and put them in tightly sealed plastic bags before throwing it away.
Isolate the contaminated area by sealing off all doors, windows, and entryways with polyethylene sheeting and duct tape. Consequently, clean the room by scrubbing the affected area with bleach or anti-mold solution and then rinsing and wiping the place off with water and a clean damp cloth.
As for mold experts, after scrubbing the site with industrial-grade anti-mold chemicals, they will apply HEPA (High-Efficiency Pressurized Air) filtration to vacuum the area and prevent further cross-contamination. After which, dehumidifiers will be installed to regulate the airflow, whereas others can opt to have a full encapsulation.
Step 4: Repair and Restore Damaged Areas
During this process, repairs and replacement are also done to remove all mold-infected materials and fix possible sources of moisture. This is important to make sure that all mold colonies have been removed completely.
Step 5: Evaluate and Double Check if the Remediation Plan was Successful
Finally, the last step is to evaluate if the clean-up effort has been successful. There should no longer be any visible signs of mold and the moisture problem should have been properly fixed. Lastly, you should no longer have any aggravated health complaints or physical symptoms associated with excessive exposure to toxic mold.