Mold Removal
By Jeff Kolodny, Get Dry Inc
Originally Published On: 10/18/2020
Category: Mold Remediation
What to expect when you call a South Florida mold removal company
Every South Florida resident and homeowner knows to joys of living in such a warm and inviting climate. While the entire Northern United States is freezing cold in the winter, the residents of South Florida are spending their time enjoying the wonderful beaches, warm tropical water, and having fun doing activities that this awesome climate. Sure, South Florida has some climate related issues that residents must address from time to time. Hurricanes, Humidity, Unexpected Rain, are just facts of life for South Florida residents. However, with proper home maintenance and some preparation, homeowners find the joys of living in South Florida far out weigh the climate related issues.
Because we live in an area with high humidity, moisture related home problems sometimes occur. These problems usually stem from some sort of home damage such as an appliance water leak, a damaged roof or a cracked foundation. When water related home damage happens, many homeowners find that the humid South Florida climate, combined with the water intrusion from the home damage, results in accelerated mold growth. Sometimes the water damage is spotted right away, other times the water intrusion happens slowly and the result is growing mold that is not noticed for weeks or even months.
In the case of a slow leak or subtle water intrusion, the homeowner may not notice the situation until residents start to become ill. As the moisture or water stagnates, toxic mold starts to grow. Once an area in your home gets wet, mold could start to grow in as little as 24 to 48 hours. Don’t take our word for this fact, read these CDC guidelines. Mold growth according to the CDC. Over time, the mold spores become airborne. Sometimes home occupant unknowingly inhales these spores and become sick. Inhaled mold spores can result in a wide range of symptoms such as itchy eyes, a cough, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing and a wide range of other symptoms. It’s common for residents who have been infected by mold to become ill, visit a doctor who prescribes antibiotics, only to have these and other symptoms remerge several days or weeks later. Finally after many trips to the doctor and some tests, the source of the symptoms may be found in the walls of your home. There are several ways a home owner could check for home water damage. Here is a link to a recent article we wrote specifically on mold and water damage. How to detect water and mold in your home.
What should you expect when you call a water and mold restoration company?
Some homeowners are afraid that a call to a water damage and mold restoration company, will result in a major construction project. This is usually not the case, by narrowing the mold removal process down to just the one area where there is mold. We can target only parts of your home that have growing mold or water damage. If the mold is located behind the drywall in one corner of a room, we would only cut out and replace that one section. Rather than removing all the drywall, we would use our specialized moisture and mold test equipment to single out only the sections that need mold and moisture removal.
Once we visit your home, we will provide a no cost assessment of your home. Next we will explain your specific mold or water damage removal process in an easy to understand manor. We don’t use industry buzzwords, or provide confusing information that is difficult to understand. We have been in business since 1993 and have worked with hundreds of homeowners, so we understand how upsetting it is for a homeowner to face a home damage situations. In addition we are experienced in removing water and mold damage in a way that is less disruptive to the homeowner. Because we are the best South Florida mold removal and water damage experts in the area, we have the skills needed to restore your home back to it’s pre-flood or water damage condition.
At Get Dry Inc. regards for our homeowners health is our top priority. Keeping in mind that mold spores can easily become airborne, our mold removal professionals will seal off the work area, with special plastic sheeting which will prevent the mold spores from becoming airborne and dispersing throughout your home. Proper mold remediation and removal requires some specialized equipment such as HEPA air scrubbers, HEPA vacuums, and industrial dehumidifiers. This type of equipment is expensive and is only provided by a professional water damage and mold removal company such as ours. While your typical handyman may have commercial-strength air movers, which they use to disperse smells from paints and building glues, they normally don’t have the type of high tech equipment needed to remove mold spores from the air.
The regular filters used in normal commercial air movers are not capable of catching the fine micro sized spores, using an air mover with a normal filter will simply spread the contaminated air abound and could make the problem worse.
When removing mold from your home our experts will also wear the proper safety gear such as a high quality, high filtration face mask and vinyl or neoprene gloves. In addition, when using harsh chemicals for larger mold remediation projects a full protective suit is needed.
After a home experiences mold or water damage, some of the contaminated items such damaged drywall, baseboards, insulation and some other house hold items, that have become contaminated many need to be discarded. Sometimes using an antimicrobial chemical to clean them can save them.
As an added safety measure we sometimes use a special sealer or encapsulant to provide an extra layer of protection, making the treated area more resistant to mold and water damage. This also helps to control any odors, which may result from the mold treatment. We sometimes recommend having your air-conditioning ducts professionally cleaned after the mold and water removal process is complete. Some air-conditioning units contain an infrared antimicrobial bio protector, which is helpful when it comes to removing a wide range of bacteria, viruses, allergens, and molds from the air. If your home air-conditioner does not have one of these units one can be added.
Just to recap, calling a mold and water damage expert doesn’t mean that your home is in for a major construction job. By calling a professional water damage and mold removal company such as ours, your home mold issues could be handled with the least amount of stress and cost. Because we are the leading South Florida mold removal company you should call us first if your home has suffered water damage or if you think you are facing mold in your home. In most cases we will work with your insurance company to make sure your home is repaired properly and the mold or water damage is removed completely.