Avoid These Mistakes If Your Home Has Mold

9/9/2020 (Permalink)

Mold often takes homeowners by surprise if they haven’t experienced an obvious flood in their home or other noticeable water damage. The buildup of indoor moisture from high relative humidity during monsoon season, plumbing issues, and roof leaks may lead to mold damage. Should you happen to experience mold, avoid these mistakes to keep from making the problem worse.

Dealing with mold damage

It is important to take precautionary measures when dealing with mold damage. You want to not only get rid of the mold growth you have but keep it from getting worse or coming back. Our SERVPRO technicians assess the level of contamination and choose the right approach for the job. Our technicians are trained in how to correctly deal with mold issues and mold remediation, avoiding the mistakes a homeowner may make who is not familiar with mold and how it works.

Taking appropriate precautions

SERVPRO technicians are careful not to spread the contaminant to clean areas, and if we must disturb the mold when cleaning the site, we make sure containment procedures are already in place. Containment also helps limit mold exposure to the occupants in the home. If the area we are working on is small, we practice limited containment. Many homeowners skip this step and can make matters worse. After disturbing the mold, spores and dust might settle on porous and non-porous surfaces. When that happens, we do damp wiping and HEPA vacuuming to remove spores. Our technicians determine the airflow direction and clean areas towards that path, and the cleaning process starts from the structure's top towards its bottom.

Drying to stop the growth and prevent further damage

When drying the items and rooms, our SERVPRO technicians first remove any wet objects from the area to speed up evaporation and after that, we setup dehumidifiers to lower the humidity in the room. Moisture meters provide initial readings of overall humidity at the start of the job and will be monitored to ensure the project is complete when it’s measured again after drying out and cleanup. If necessary, we’ll remove damaged items that can’t be restored and dispose of safely. Some homeowners assume surface mold can be cleaned and painted over, but that’s not always the case and may cause mold growth to return.

At SERVPRO of Central Phoenix, we understand mold and know how to handle mold remediation. If you experience mold issues in your home, contact us 24/7 at 602-386-4268 to get the job handled.