How Will You Find a Mold Remediation Expert?

If you suspect mold has started growing in your home, there’s a possibility of health risks. At the very least, if someone in your family has a mold allergy, they could start showing symptoms such as sneezing, itchy eyes, and cough.

The good news is, a mold remediation expert can take care of the problem before it gets worse. In addition to removing the mold, professionals will address the moisture issue that caused the problem in the first place. This ensures mold doesn’t form again down the road.

However, it’s important you work with the best mold remediation expert in your area. To help you out, we’re going over some tips for finding qualified professionals.

Let’s get started

Mold In Home: Why Is It So Dangerous?

In the wet months of the year, nothing is more annoying to a homeowner than household mold. When it’s cold and wet outside, all we want to do is curl up with the heat cranked on and hibernate the day away. But these conditions can lead to mold in the house in no time.

It can feel like nothing is safe from mold. What starts out as a tiny spot can turn into a microbial wildfire in no time, forcing you to put your prized possessions in the garbage.

But is the mold more than just an annoyance? Is it something that could potentially cause health hazards that could be detrimental to your whole family?

Read on to learn more about and called a mold remediation expert on what to do when there is mold in the home.

What You Need to Know About Mold

Mold is a fungus made up of tiny organisms. These organisms are a crucial part of nature, as they work to break down dead things and turn them into usable energy for the earth. It thrives on moisture and creates tiny spores that move through the air.

There’s no escaping mold. It’s everywhere, and that’s a good thing. But when mold starts to creep into your house and reproduce, you could have a problem. Then you need to have a mold remediation expert.

Mold is also adaptable. It can grow on tons of surfaces, like clothing, wood, and paper. And the way it looks changes depending on the type of mold growth in your home.

Some common appearances of molds can be colors like yellow, white, or blue. They can look rough or soft and fuzzy, depending on the type of mold and where it’s growing.

How Does Mold Get Into the Home?

Mold is sneaky. It’s hard to adapt in order to survive all this time! We can’t see the tiny spores, but as we mentioned earlier, they’re everywhere.

All it takes for mold to sneak into your home is for a few spores to attach to someone or something entering your home. If you keep your windows or doors open, that’s another way for mold to creep in. We can say the same for ventilation systems.

But mold can only grow if the spores land in just the right spot. That is– places with lots of moisture and the right balance of heat and darkness. A few things for the growing spores to feed off of won’t hurt either.

Once mold starts to grow, it’s hard to miss unless it’s hidden away. On top of the changing appearance of your home, you’ll notice a musty smell.

So it sounds like mold is inescapable. So… is it really such a bad thing?

The Health Effects of Mold

While you’re not wrong in wanting a home clear of mold, that’s not to say that it all causes health problems. The average person with healthy lungs isn’t likely to experience any major health issues stemming from mold inhalation.

But mold does produce a few things that can hurt people with sensitivities. Mold creates allergens, irritants, and substances that can be toxic.

Mold can be an irritant for anything from your eyes to your throat, even if you’re not allergic to mold.

People with mold allergies can experience things like runny or stuffy noses, itchy throats, sneezing, and watery eyes.

Another thing to consider when it comes to the level of danger surrounding mold is the lung health of the people in your family. If someone has asthma, their chances of having an asthmatic episode increase when mold is around. This is especially true if they’ve got a mold allergy.

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention doesn’t consider mold exposure to always be a health problem, the World Health Organization has a different take on the matter.

To the WHO, mold should be considered dangerous at all times because the environment that mold thrives can create chemical and biological changes that pollute the air. According to the WHO, they consider people who are in contact with mold at risk for respiratory health issues.

How to Protect the Home From Mold

Whether or not two of the world’s leading health organizations can agree on the dangers associated with mold, it’s important to take care of it right away.

The best way to fight against mold is to stop it before it starts to grow in your house. And while you can’t stop the spores from attaching to your clothing or sneaking in through an open window, you can eliminate the environment that mold likes to grow in.

Make sure that your home doesn’t have a ton of wet areas or places that stay damp for a long time. Ventilate your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. Also, you should do whatever you can to make sure that outdoor water stays outdoors.

What to Do if You Find Mold in the Home

If you think you might have an issue with mold in the home, you can probably take care of it yourself. Spray an antimicrobial agent onto the mold and scrub it thoroughly with a brush. It’s a good idea to wear protective gear while you do this, just in case.

When you’re done, make sure you wash your clothes, so the mold spores don’t follow you to other areas of your house.

If your mold issue is too big for you to handle alone, you can always call a professional for help.

Why Is Mold A Health Hazard?

Mold Poisoning

One of the biggest concerns with mold exposure is that you might get mold poisoning, also known as mycotoxicosis. We should note that this is not a common problem in healthy adults. It tends to impact children, older adults, or those with compromised immune systems.

Mycotoxicosis can cause cold- and flu-like symptoms – runny nose, scratchy throat, aches, and respiratory problems. It can also cause headaches and fatigue, as well as diarrhea. Some people may also develop skin issues, including itchy, dry skin, or hair loss.

Allergies

A more common problem with mold exposure in the home is mold allergies. Somewhere between 3 and 10 percent of people have mold allergies that make their systems act up when they’re exposed to mold. This can sometimes be linked to asthma, which can be incredibly dangerous.

In most cases, a simple mold allergy will cause upper respiratory problems. You may get a runny or stuffed-up nose, and you might start sneezing. Symptoms could also include a cough, itchy or watery eyes, a scratchy throat, or dry, scaly skin.

Asthma Attacks

If you have asthma, exposure to mold can be especially risky for you. On its own, mold exposure can be a risk factor for asthma attacks. But in combination with a mold allergy, which is common among severe asthmatics, mold exposure can trigger dangerous asthma attacks.

During an asthma attack, the muscles around your airways contract, and your body dials up the amount of mucus those airways produce. This makes it hard for you to get enough air into your lungs, which can become a life-threatening problem if it’s not treated. If you know you have a mold allergy and you have asthma, be sure to always carry a rescue inhaler with you, since mold exposure can happen anywhere.

Infections

In some rare cases, mold exposure may lead to a systemic fungal infection. These can be extremely dangerous, and even life-threatening if left untreated. In the most extreme cases of invasive aspergillosis, you may get a fever and chills, start coughing up blood, have shortness of breath, or develop skin lesions.

This form of fungal infection is extremely rare. It occurs only in people who are in treatment for cancer and have undergone chemotherapy, bone marrow transplants, or an immune system disease. Other forms of aspergillus can also occur in people with chronic lung conditions such as emphysema, tuberculosis, or sarcoidosis.

High-Risk Factors

The biggest risk factors for negative reactions to mold are age-related. Very young children and older adults tend to have weaker immune systems and so tend to react more strongly to mold. If you have young kids or older people in your home, be sure to keep the moisture levels as low as possible and call a mold removal service if needed.

These measures are also important if you have someone with asthma or a compromised immune system living in your home. People who are immunocompromised are at the highest risk since they are the ones who could develop fungal infections. If everyone in your household is a healthy adult and you don’t have excessive mold growth, you probably don’t have anything to worry about.

How To Find The Best Mold Remediation Expert

Experience Is Crucial

The mold remediation process is tricky, which means you need to work with an expert that has years of industry experience. This ensures they have the equipment and know-how to remove mold effectively.

You’ll want to look for someone with a long-standing reputation in your area. If you can’t tell how long they’ve been in business by looking at their website, call and ask.

You should also look for an expert that has experience with a wide range of services such as mold inspection and air quality testing. This means they’ve likely seen all manner of situations and can quickly diagnose your problem.

The last thing you want is an inexperienced technician making assumptions about the best way to tackle the issue.

Check for Industry Certifications and Licenses

It’s important the mold remediation specialists you work with hold licenses and certifications. This means they’ve gone through the proper training and are highly educated.

Mold comes in many forms. Some types, such as black mold, pose a serious health threat. The expert you work with needs to be able to identify molds and understand how they spread.

In addition, the best companies will have gone through adequate training on remediation techniques. This involves the decontamination process and understanding the equipment and technology involved.

When speaking with a business about treating your home, inquire about these credentials. If they can’t provide you with certifications, you should continue searching for the right expert.

Ask About Insurance

In addition to holding certifications, the expert you work with should also carry insurance. This protects you if any damage occurs during the mold remediation process.

Unfortunately, some disreputable businesses will tell you they have coverage just to get your business. That’s why it’s important to ask to see it. Any professional expert won’t mind showing you proof.

At the very least, an expert should have general liability insurance in place. You may also want to check for pollution insurance. This covers companies that handle hazardous waste, in this case, mold or asbestos.

Asking about insurance isn’t only important for protecting your property from damages. It shows that the expert you’re working with is dependable and has the resources needed to protect himself and his clients.

Read Customer Reviews

It’s now commonplace for consumers to check online reviews before buying products or hiring an expert. This is a great way to get a firsthand account of the type of work a business does.

When reading customer reviews for an expert, keep in mind that a few negative reviews don’t necessarily mean they provide bad service. In fact, sometimes a business’s competitors will post negative reviews to drive customers away.

Instead, pay attention to many negative reviews for the same thing. For example, you may see a number of reviews about bad customer service or unexpected fees. If you encounter this, looking at other companies is probably a good idea.

Ask for References

When trying to find the best expert for your needs, there’s nothing wrong with asking for references. Any reputable business won’t mind providing you with some.

Talking to references is a great way to get a sense of the type of service an expert provides. When doing so, ask the past customer how they felt about the process and if the expert lived up to their promises. This will instill you peace of mind when hiring someone.

You should also check an expert’s website to see if they’ve listed some of their past clients. If they’ve provided mold remediation for larger businesses, this means they have the resources and knowledge to tackle any mold issue.

Do They Guarantee Your Satisfaction?

You want to work with an expert that stands by their work. If they do, they’ll offer a satisfaction guarantee to their clients.

If you don’t see proof of a guarantee on their website, ask them if they offer one. You’ll also need to get the details.

A guarantee protects you if the mold ends up returning after remediation is done. You don’t want to have to pay for service twice in a short period of time.

Companies that offer satisfaction guarantees typically take measures to ensure the work gets done right, and the mold won’t return. This means repairing the areas where moisture is present.  

Get Quotes

It’s important to get quotes from every expert you consider doing business with. Not only does this ensure you stay within your budget, but it also protects you from getting overcharged.

Keep in mind that the price for mold remediation will depend on how widespread the issue is. That’s why it’s important to shop around and get a sense of what the job will cost.

Obviously, you’ll want to work with an expert that provides a reasonable rate. However, don’t let an extremely low quote draw you in. Some businesses do that just to get your business and then provide sub-par service.

Find an Experienced Mold Remediation Expert Today

When dealing with a mold issue, time is of the essence. The longer you allow it to spread, the more time-consuming and costly it’ll be to remove.

The second you notice a problem, use the tips discussed above to find the best restoration services expert in your area.

If you need a quick and prompt solution to your Mold, contact My Remediator, the best mold remediation expert in Florida, USA.

With years of experience and unmatched service, our mold remediation expert provides a 24-hour service whenever you need it.

At My Remediator, we take pride in providing top-of-line mold remediation services we have provided to residents across Florida, USA.

If you are looking for honest, professional mold restorers with exceptional experience in restoration services, you have come to the right place.