Mold Remediation and Removal

9/5/2017 (Permalink)

Mold in basement

If you have mold anywhere inside of your residence or business, your home could be compromised. This microbial growth is a silent and many times undetected condition, but one in which you must be concerned about.

It can come in several different colors, and it looks like a fuzzy covering on surfaces that seems to come out of nowhere. It comes about from spores that travel through the air and when the spores land where conditions are just right, it will plant itself and grow.

It needs an area where it is dark, and where there is a moisture supply and where there is no moving air. If it finds these conditions, it can grow seemingly overnight and cover an entire wall in a matter of days. So areas such as basements, attics, closets, crawl spaces, and bathrooms are prime candidates.

Mildew and fungus are many times mistaken for mold, but they are not the same. Even though they have similar looks, they are very different types of organisms. Mildew and fungus are usually more greenish in color, whereas mold can be reddish, brown, green, blue, and black. The black kind of mold can be the most serious simply due to its growth rate, its hardiness, and difficulty in eradicating.

If you discover the microbial growth, you should contact an environmental hygienist to discover if it is fungus or mildew or not. An environmental hygienist is available with most cleanup organizations and companies who specialize in mold cleanup and mitigation. You should never attempt to clean up an area that is suspect yourself because that could be dangerous and ineffective. Mold cleanup should only be done by experts.

Most people who will attempt mold cleanup and mitigation by wiping it off will think that they have succeeded, but they will have only wiped off the top of the microbial growth. The organism itself has tentacles or roots that can penetrate and take hold in just about every substance there is except for glass. That is why you will see it growing on the surfaces of wood, cloth, shingles, walls, and even concrete.

The microbial growth will grow on the inside of walls too, so it may go undiscovered for quite some time before anything can be done about it. When the environmental hygienist diagnoses it as being the problem a process of mold removal and mitigation must begin as soon as possible. Workers who work at mold removal will wear special clothing and masks to protect themselves, so they will not be exposed any toxic effects.

Fungus and mildew will not cause harmful effects, but certain kinds of the microbial growth can even give off toxins, especially the black kind, so respiratory protection during its mitigation process is very important. The environmental hygienist will supervise and treat the area, so the mold cleanup process will assure that the substance will not easily reoccur. Need more information, call SERVPRO of Elmhurst at 630-758-1701.