The Why and How of Mold Abatement

Mold (those fuzzy patches of green, black, brown, and other colors) can spring up just about anywhere there is sufficient moisture.  That can be a humid bath, kitchen, or laundry room or the result of a tub overflow, plumbing leak, or flooding.  Prompt professional treatment is vital in order to avoid health issues and building damage.  It’s also important to keep in mind that many severe mold problems are completely hidden from view.

What is Mold

Mold is a type of fungus that needs only dampness and a bit of food to grow.  That food can be wallpaper, the paper on drywall, wood, cloth, and more.  Not a plant it doesn’t need light to grow, and actually prefers dark places.  Growing just about everywhere outdoors it spreads through invisibly small spores that float through the air.  Easily brought indoors those spores can reach just about anywhere, including inside air ducts and within walls.

There are many different species of mold, each with its own particular health hazards and best treatment.  The most notorious is black mold.  Spreading quickly, expanding rapidly, and releasing harmful toxins.

Hidden Problems

Severe mold outbreaks can occur completely hidden, often under carpet or inside walls.  It’s most common in high-humidity areas such as baths and crawl spaces, but can happen just about anywhere.  If you’ve experienced a plumbing leak or flooding of any sort, a professional inspection is highly recommended as harmful growth can happen in as little as 1 to 3 days with no visible symptoms.

Symptoms

Beyond visible signs, you may notice musty odors.  Hidden mold is especially insidious as your only evidence may be health issues that you might assume have some other cause.  Mold releases allergens and many species also release various toxins.  So you may notice an increase in allergies, asthma triggers, and/or symptoms that mimic a cold or flu.  You and your family may also experience eye, nose, throat, or skin irritation.  Vigilance is vital, as prolonged exposure to toxins can lead to serious organ damage.  If you have any suspicions at all, it’s time for expert inspection and testing.

Mold Remediation

Physical mold removal itself is straightforward, but that’s surrounded by some highly technical procedures.  Due to the significant health hazards and the possibility of spreading rather than eliminating the problem, the industry is highly regulated.  Mold removal should be performed only by licensed companies with certified technicians and all of the necessary equipment.

Preparation and Precautions

The first step is expert inspection and testing to determine the extent of the problem, the species involved, and best mold remediation method.  Next comes isolation to prevent spores, allergens, and toxins from spreading to other areas of the building.  This step includes installing plastic sheeting as barriers, negative air pressure exhausting to the outdoors, and continually running HEPA air filters to remove microscopic contaminants from the air.  Worker protection is paramount, and includes protective clothing, gloves, and special face masks.

Mold Removal

The actual mold removal may use one or more methods including antimicrobial wipe down, sanding, wire brushing, and HEPA vacuuming depending on circumstances such as the type of materials affected and the specific species of mold.  Removal must be thorough and absolute complete to avoid regrowth, and affected porous materials such as drywall must be replaced.  All materials and debris should be removed from the isolated work area in sealed plastic bags to prevent spread, and then disposed of properly as hazardous waste.

Restoration

Once follow-up testing gives the all-clear, repairs can be completed.  In some situations building materials may be sealed against moisture, and odor removal treatments may be called for.

Prevention

There are several actions homeowners can take to prevent mold problems.  If you’ve already experienced and outbreak they’re especially important after mold abatement services.

• Assure adequate ventilation in areas such as baths, kitchens, and laundry rooms.
• Maintain indoor humidity at or below 45%.  You may want to purchase an inexpensive meter and make a few checks throughout the year.
• Make sure that there are no roof leaks and that windows and doors properly seal out moisture.

Dealing With Water Damage

Many people are surprised by the amount of water damage that can occur from even a small problem such as a bathtub spill or plumbing leak.  One of the main reasons for this is that although harm begins right away it progresses slowly, hidden out of sight.

Flooding can come from a variety of plumbing issues such as a ruptured old pipe, leaking valve, burst water heater, or faulty appliance as well as from natural sources.  Here in Southern California flooding is rare, but heavy rains do occur.  So besides maintaining your plumbing, keep your gutters and down spouts clean and be sure that grading and landscaping cause water to flow away from your home or place of business rather than towards it.

What Sorts of Damage?

Water penetrates quickly and deeply into any porous building material.  That includes carpet and padding, wood flooring, and sub-flooring.  It can also wick up walls, as far as a foot or more.  Although you may be able to quickly dry out surface wetness,there will still be lingering moisture within and under the carpet and inside of walls.

In as little as 24 hours excess moisture can lead to extensive mold growth.  That can be completely unseen, as mold is a type of fungus that doesn’t need light to grow.  But wherever it is, it can quickly pose a serious health hazard and slowly damage many building materials.  Moisture itself causes wood to swell, warp, and split with the potential even for structural damage.  Most drywall (such as sheet rock and gypsum board) also swells, and then disintegrates.  Even with prompt water damage removal it’s often necessary to replace the lower parts of interior walls along with the carpet and padding.

What You Should Do?

If the source is a plumbing fault, the first step of course is to shut off the water supply using the valve at the water meter near the street or near the supply entrance to your building.  The next step is to shut off electricity to the area to remove the shock hazard.  If the source is a backed up toilet or sewer, your do-it-yourself efforts stop here.  Only professionals with proper protection should deal with those unsanitary conditions.  Otherwise, drain or pump out any standing water.  Then remove furnishings, draperies, and possessions so that they can dry out faster.  For minor flooding affecting only part of a room you can then use a towel or other absorbent material with pressure from your hands or feet to soak up as much wetness as possible.  You may want to lift up part of the carpet to speed drying and consider renting a wet-vac.  For anything more than a limited area you really need professional water damage restoration.  Otherwise the odds are against you and you’re likely to face serious mold and expensive damage a few days or a couple of weeks down the line.  By the time your realize it, it’s already to late.

Professional Water Damage Removal

Time is of the essence, so call certified experts such as those at ACR Services immediately.  Sometimes even a few hours can make a difference in how much water damage restoration has to be done.  We’re available 24/7 for emergency service with a certified, thoroughly trained, and experienced crew.

Our powerful pumps remove exposed water as quickly as possible, then our special extraction equipment removes as much remaining wetness as possible — sometimes as much as twice that of wet-vacs.  Then our expertise really comes in to play when we deploy powerful air movers, refrigerant dehumidifiers, and other specialized equipment to dry out deep-down moisture.  Professionals like us can cut several days off that all-critical time to get the structure and contents down to acceptable moisture and humidity levels.  And we’ll continually monitor the situation to be sure that everything is proceeding as fast as possible and that structural drying is complete before we leave.  We’ll wrap up with mold remediation and odor treatments and any needed water damage restoration repairs.

Understanding Water Damage

Okay the worst has happened—your home is inundated with water. After you call a restoration professional for help and get your family situated, it would be a good idea to gain a better understanding of everything you can about water damage. Let’s start by considering three main concepts.

The Water Removal Process

Every water removal job begins with categorizing the type of water that is inundating the property. Each of the three types of water must be cleaned differently; therefore, understanding the water type is essential to building a process. The three water types are as follows:

1. Clean Water (white water) refers to water that does not present any health threats. Usually the source of this water is a broken water line, overflowing toilet, sink, or appliance malfunction.
2. Gray water denotes water that contains a number of biological toxins that pose health hazards. Continual exposure or consumption will cause health risks.
3. Black water is wastewater. It contains urine and fecal matter in addition to pathogens.

Once the water type is determined, steps are formulated to remove the water from the property properly. Care is taken to remove all traces of moisture, which usually involves a dehumidification procedure. Lastly, items such as fabrics, carpets, dry wall and other materials that absorb water are dried and tested for structural strength.

Water Damage & Mold

Because mold spores float through the air, any elongated presence of moisture will likely result in mildew and mold growth. Mold and mildew can cause mild to acute health problems—especially to children, the elderly, and those who suffer from allergies. When mold is found in a home or business that is water damaged, restorers will take preemptive measures to make sure that the affected areas are completely rid of mold.
If disaster reaches you, follow the strict direction of Cal FIRE or municipal authorities. If your home has been struck by disaster, give us a call. We are available 24/7 to begin your fire damage restoration. We have long service record throughout the Riverside, San Bernardino, & Los Angeles communities in fire damage repair, smoke damage removal, and fire damage removal.