Recent Mold Remediation Posts

Facts You Need to Know About Mold Remediation | SERVPRO® of West Bradenton/Anna Maria Island

1/10/2019 (Permalink)

If you are facing a water damage situation in your home or commercial property, mold growth is likely occurring. In fact, mold can begin growing within 48 hours of exposure to moisture.

Knowing the steps to take in this situation is vital, which is why we’re using this blog to provide you with an overview of what exactly mold remediation is.

Do You Understand Mold Remediation?

It is very likely that you’ve seen ads for mold remediation with the promise of mold removal, but the latter of the two is not true. To remove all mold from a home or business is simply impossible. A qualified restoration company focuses on mold remediation, further setting the goal of lowering mold levels back to a normal and safe level.

Mold spores naturally occur almost everywhere, both inside and outdoors. However, they only become an issue when a minor problem is ignored, allowing it to become major mold infestation.

In a mold remediation situation, technicians isolate all of the contaminated areas. Depending on the level of remediation, it will be done by either closing all doors and windows or sealing off all doorways and openings completely with a polyethylene sheeting. Dust in the contaminated areas is suppressed through misting process.

All of the wet and mold-damaged materials will be removed and discarded using plastic bags. The technicians will then ensure that all areas exposed to and affected by the mold are thoroughly cleaned and dried. A HEPA vacuum may be used in some cases to help with the removal of contamination and debris.

A biocide is used to treat the mold-affected area and then left overnight to destroy and kill the mold spores. The following day, the mold remediation crew will return to encapsulate the affected area and beyond.

It’s Best to Call the Professionals

If there is a chance your home or business may have a mold problem, you’ll want to act quickly. Upon evaluating the size of the problem, you should call a professional mold remediation company if the mold-affected area is more than 10 square feet.

Be sure that the professionals you call are highly trained and certified in areas like:

  • Applied microbial remediation
  • Water damage restoration
  • Applied structural drying

While some homeowners and business owners have successfully resolved minor mold issues on their own, the best way to handle mold is to contact the professionals for the quick and safe resolution to the problem.

At SERVPRO® of West Bradenton/Anna Maria Island, our mold damage specialists are trained and certified experts in mold remediation. If your home or business is experiencing a mold issue, contact us to begin the mold remediation process.

Bradenton Residents: Bleach does not kill mold!

6/11/2018 (Permalink)

Does bleach kill mold? Read more about killing mold in Bradenton.

Recently we received a call from a Property Manager in Bradenton because they noticed some mold growing on the baseboard in one of the bathrooms and they wanted to know if bleach would kill the mold pores. Unfortunately, I had to give him the bad news that bleach will not kill mold spores.

Then I followed by explaining that the idea that bleach kills mold spores is one of those “urban myths” that has made its way into the do-it-yourself community, leading homeowners and property managers to believe that they can actually kill a mold problem by spraying a bleach solution onto a wall and then wiping it clean. But while the area appears to be clean and rid of the black fungus on the surface, this particular method actually makes the situation worse.

When mold and bleach interact, the mold spores react as if they are being attacked. Spraying the fungus down with bleach causes the mold to shoot off spores to protect itself. So, as you are wiping the surface, you are actually spreading the mold spores further out.  If the cloth is used in other areas of the home, it can spread the mold to areas that were unaffected (otherwise known as cross contamination).

Mold thrives on moisture, and since the primary component of bleach is water, the solution actually feeds the fungus rather than kill it. Another reason bleach is no match for mold is because its chemicals, which include chlorine, do not penetrate through the porous areas of the sheetrock or wood where the deep roots of the mold spores are located.