Got Mold? A Beginner's Guide on How to Identify Mold and What to Do About It. An Advanced Mold Diagnostics Whitepaper

Transcription

1 Got Mold? A Beginner's Guide on An Advanced Mold Diagnostics Whitepaper

2 What is Mold & How Will I be Able to Identify It? Mold grows as fungal spores and reproduces anywhere where it has suf cient moisture. There are various kinds of mold and while many of them do prefer to grow on organic surfaces such as carpet, drop ceiling tiles, wood and paper, they can also be found spreading on anything from glass, mirrors, plastic pipe, and metal. Before you ever have to identify the mold itself, you should do some investigative research around your home. Ask yourself the following questions: Has my home ever been subject to ood damage? Do I have a basement that is below grade? Am I running a dehumidi er in my basement? Have I ever experienced drainage issues or leaky pipes? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, then you have already completed the rst step of the mold identi cation process. Without even looking at your mold growth, you have discovered that your home is an environment for sustained moisture - the perfect habitat for mold. Once that is determined, you can utilize two different detection methods to try to identify whether you truly do have a mold growth issue. Detection Method #1: The Smell Test When spores land on a surface that contains the necessary moisture for growth, they essentially digest whatever they are growing on and gas is created as a byproduct (similar to human digestion). This gas, or MVOC (microbial volatile organic compound) is what produces that tell-tale sign of mold growth - the infamous musty odor. There are certainly other things that also produce a musty smell, but chances are that if you smell it and you are already aware of a moisture issue in your home, then it s probably a microbial growth problem. Detection Method #2: The Visual Test Mold spores are microscopic. In fact, their width is less than that of a single strand of human hair. So, when you can visually see a patch of mold, what you are looking at is actually billions of spores. As mentioned, mold grows best wherever there is plenty of moisture present. For this reason, those large, visible patches are often hidden out of plain view. Look around in the less obvious locations (behind a wall, under carpet, etc.) because visible mold growth is not always where you would think to look.

3 A Beginner's Guide on Is Mold Dangerous? Whenever mold is the topic of discussion, the issue of potential health risks must also be addressed. Is microbial growth dangerous? Can it become unsafe for the family occupying the home? These are important questions to ask and to answer... The rst thing to keep in mind is that the media has blown this discussion way out of proportion. The dramatized news stories and the worst case scenario mindset concerning mold risks has become somewhat extreme in recent years. With that being said, it is important to use caution and be especially careful if you or any of your family member have existing respiratory conditions (asthma, bronchitis, COPD, etc) or an immune de ciency. Outside of those two major concerns, the reality of the mold health risk is this: Mold is an allergen and can cause common allergic reactions to those who are sensitive to its presence and growth within the con nes of a residential living space. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, some people are particularly sensitive to microbial growth. For those individuals, exposure can lead to symptoms such as: Nasal stuf ness Itchy/watery eyes Wheezing/shortness of breath Skin irritation In reality, most mold growth does not present a serious health problem to those who are exposed to it. Often, the stress of worrying about it is worse than the actual effect of the mold! However, because there are individuals who may be especially allergic or may have respiratory or immune disorders that make the situation more dangerous, mold growth should always be taken seriously.

4 What Are My Treatment Options? Treatment Option #1: DIY Home Mold Remediation No one said you can't take care of a mold growth problem yourself! However, we would recommend consulting a professional remediation company rst to determine the severity of your microbial growth issue and to get expert guidance. A professional company will have years of experience and the expertise to point you in the right direction. Check out this self-assessment Mold Severity Guide to get started and then call Advanced Mold Diagnostics at to speak to a quali ed mold expert. The Pros of DIY: SAVE MONEY Mold remediation by professionals is expensive because of the expertise and the labor involved. Doing it yourself could certainly save you money as long as the removal job is in a small, contained area and you have the proper tools and you utilize a safe process. When you have Advanced Mold Diagnostics come in for an assessment, we ll help you through the DIY mold removal process (we ll tell you what equipment to rent, which tools to use, what cleaning materials and supplies to purchase, etc.) should you choose to go that route. Doing it yourself can save you thousands of dollars! The Cons of DIY: COULD BECOME A BIGGER PROBLEM IN THE LONG RUN Many attempted DIY mold removal situations turn into unfortunate cases where an originally small problem becomes a large one. Attempting to do it yourself can actually just cause mold spores to spread further, making the situation worse instead of resolving it. In fact, disturbing mold without using the proper protective equipment can even lead to the onset of adverse reactions that weren t there to begin with. The problem with DIY is that because it is often not done properly, it can create a health problem out of what should have been a simply mold removal job. The other problem with removing mold yourself is that you won't know if you've actually thoroughly removed it all unless you hire a consultant to come and check your work anyway. Remember: Mold doesn t go away on its own! If you don t' take care of if fully now, you'll be dealing with it again later. A messy, time consuming project The unintentional spread of mold spores to other locations Unpleasant odors and stains, depending on the tools and solutions used A stressful situation that impacts your living environment Even more cost in the long run if it s not done right the rst time

5 If you choose to go the DIY route, we recommend hiring a consulting company to come in, assess the extent of the problem and offer you expert advice on how to go about your DIY mold removal efforts. With the proper guidance, you can still save yourself thousands of dollars, but also avoid unwanted problems, such as the likelihood of cross contaminating during the process. Treatment Option #2: Use a Professional Remediation Company In most cases, microbial growth spreads quickly and digests deeper into its host surface than is often visible to the eye. And because many DIY attempts turn out to be more trouble than they re worth, we recommend, in most cases, going right to the professionals. The Pros of Using Professionals: BEAT THE LEARNING CURVE During the assessment and remediation process, a professional company will utilize equipment, technology and unique methods that would be dif cult for you to personally obtain, expensive for you to rent, and challenging for you to attempt to learn. When it comes to truly thorough and safe mold remediation, the learning curve is steep. Why risk spreading mold even further into currently uncontaminated areas of your home? A professional company will take the necessary precautions to ensure this does not happen during the remediation process. In addition to completing the job thoroughly and properly, a professional company can also help you beat the learning curve by identifying the moisture source (leak, ground water, water vapor) so that you can address the root cause and prevent future mold growth. The Cons of Using Professionals: KNOWING WHO TO HIRE Although there are many great bene ts to simply hiring a professional company, there is one major drawback... It is easy to pick the wrong team and it s dif cult to know who to trust. Of course, everyone wants great results, great customer service, and a great price. In our experience, it can be dif cult to get all three. Which are you willing to sacri ce? Here at Advanced Mold Diagnostics, over 80% of the jobs we get called to complete consist of literally re-doing the work that another company has failed to execute properly. Other times, we are brought in on consulting work to investigate and nd out what the other company did wrong, what they failed to do, or what important parts of the full remediation process they missed.

6 Over 80% of the jobs we get called to complete consist of literally re-doing the work that another company Don t risk hiring just anyone when you can be ensured of great, thorough service from the expert teams at Advanced Mold Diagnostics. In fact, we stand by our work with a satisfaction guarantee! Sound interesting? Get more information during a complete FREE consultation over the phone with one of our remediation specialists. Or call us today with any questions about this whitepaper or concerning our services. We d love to talk with you about your speci c mold problem and see how we can help! Our number here is