What makes mold grow?
Mold enters your home as tiny spores. The spores need moisture to begin growing, digesting, and destroying. Molds can grow on almost any surface, including;
- Wood
- Ceiling tiles
- Wallpaper
- Paints
- Carpet
- Sheet rock
- Insulation
The mold grows best when there is lots of moisture from a leaky roof, high humidity, or flood. There is no way to get rid of all molds and mold spores from your home. But you can control mold growth by keeping your home dry.
How does mold grow?
Mold requires nutrients, water, oxygen and favorable temperatures to grow. Nutrients for mold are present in dead organic material such as wood, paper or fabrics; mold can also derive nutrients from some synthetic products such as paints and adhesives. Mold requires moisture, although some mold species can obtain that moisture from moist air when the relative humidity is above 70 per cent.
Many molds thrive at normal indoor temperatures; few if any molds are able to grow below 40 F or above 100 F. Outside this range molds may remain dormant or inactive; they may begin to grow again when the temperature is more favorable. Temperatures well above 100 F will kill mold and mold spores, but the exact temperature required to kill specific species is not well established.
What is mold remediation?
Mold remediation is the process of removal and/or clean up of mold from an indoor environment, such as a home or a business.
If a home or a business has serious mold damage, it is best to hire mold remediation/removal professionals as specialized equipment and methods may be required to remove the mold completely.
How long does the mold removal process take?
The time it takes for the mold removal process depends on many factors such as how much mold is present, where the mold is growing (behind walls, etc.), and the materials it grows on. Most mold removal (remediation) takes anywhere from 1 day to 5 days.
If you have any questions about the mold removal (remediation process), please call us at the number at the top of the page.
How do I know when professional mold removal is complete?
There are two different ways to know when mold is removed.
- Visual: You might see that all mold is gone is away, but hidden mold colonies and mold spores can linger in hidden places and in the air. So visual inspection is not the best way to insure complete removal.
- Third party testing is usually the best way to test for complete mold removal verification.
Your mold removal company should not test as this is a conflict of interest and State Of California residents be aware that there is a law that states that a mold removal company must have certain certifications and cannot test at the same time as the remediation.
Remember that you need to have a pre testing procedure (mold spore tests, etc.) , protocols (a list of how to remove the mold), and a clearance test after the mold removal to ensure that the mold spore count is at acceptable levels.
Do I need to hire a mold remediation/removal expert to remove mold, or can I do it myself?
Anyone can remove mold from a home or a business as long as they understand that when you disturb mold (clean it, cut it out, etc.), you will distribute the mold spores through out the house, creating new mold issues.
The proper procedure to remove mold is to build correctly a containment using negative pressure and using the correct personal protective equipment. We follow the IICRC S-520 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation, and hire a third party environmental company to test the air quality once our service has been completed.