Mold Remediation | The Official Black Mold Removal Guide

If you have mold taking over your home, you may be wondering if mold remediation is worthwhile or not. In some cases it may be necessary while in others it may not. There are many reasons that a homeowner may choose to hire a mold removal professional in such situations, but before you hire just anyone, there are certain things you may want to know.

Just because you have mold growing in your home doesnt always mean you need to dish out big bucks for black mold removal costs. In fact, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) suggests that if the mold growing in your home is less than 10 square feet, you can remove the fungus yourself. Of course anything over that and you should be looking up mold remediation companies in the phonebook.

But first, ask questions. Dont just hire someone because they sound professional or because it was the first name you ran across in the phonebook. Find out what steps they take to remove the mold, what chemicals they use and what fees they charge.

If theyre talking about testing for mold in your home and using bleach to remove the fungus, run away as fast as you can. Most companies do not test for toxic mold and they will not use chlorine bleach to get rid of the mold because its not approved.

What the company will do however is identify and eliminate the source of the problem. Sources often include leaky faucets, pikes or flooding. The company will then eradicate the mold using the steps necessary and products required to kill the fungus. The steps and products used will also depend on the size of the affected area.

In any case, the contractors doing the job will always wear some form of respirator, gloves and goggles for protection. In bigger jobs they may need to use special sheeting to block off uncontaminated areas of the home. And in extreme cases special equipment will be needed to make the home environmentally safe again.

Some equipment that may be used during clean up include a wet vacuum and a HEPA vacuum. A wet vacuum is generally needed when materials such as hardwood flooring and carpeting is wet. A HEPA vacuum is generally needed when the clean up is in its final stages and all water damage mold has been removed.

In some cases if the damage is extreme you may be asked to discard non-valuable items. Items may include books, non-important documents, ceiling and wall tiles, insulation, carpeting, hardwood flooring, vinyl, linoleum, paneling, furniture and window treatments.

In the event that you do need to hire a company that specializes in mold remediation, you should know that the cost for this type of project wont be cheap. However, you may be able to minimize those costs and possibly avoid them all together depending on how the mold damages began. Your insurance company may be willing to help foot the bill and in some cases, FEMA may be able to help as was such the case with the Kansas flooding that happened several years ago. It certainly never hurts to ask no matter what the situation may be.

Link:
Mold Remediation | The Official Black Mold Removal Guide