How To Clean Mold
What To Do If You Smell Mold |
The musty smell of mold can be unpleasant, but if you are smelling it that means you are inhaling it - and that can be a major problem. Some people have minimal side effects to mold inhalation and others have serious ones; however, breathing in a significant amount of mold is detrimental to everyone's health. This is why it is important to remove mold as soon as possible. If you smell mold do a thorough visual inspection of your home, giving special attention to areas prone to mold growth (bathrooms, basements/crawl space, attics, under sinks, under and around appliances that use water). Try to follow the smell; focus your search to areas where the smell is strongest. If you find mold you must consider a number of things before moving on. First, assess the size of the area affected. If it is small it may be a manageable job to clean it yourself, if it is a large area you may want to hire professionals. Second, consider the location of the mold. If it is simply on the surface of your bathtub or tile, it should be an easy clean; however, if it is on foundation joists, flooring or roofing or any porous material it is important to hire professionals to restore any damage. If you smell mold but don't see any, it doesn't mean there is no mold; there is a chance that it is behind drywall or cabinets. In this cases hire a professional to fully inspect your property and find the location of the mold. It is unwise to cut walls or cabinets to find the mold. Doing so will expose the mold to more oxygen promoting and speeding up growth; it will also help mold spores spread through out your home, which may colonize elsewhere. A professional inspector, using special equipment, can find mold behind walls, and other places that a simple visual inspection cannot cover and without any destruction. If you feel that the mold is removal is within your means, you must still take measure to protect yourself (not just from the mold, but also from the harmful cleaning agents you will use). While cleaning make sure to wear protective eyewear, rubber gloves and a mask. These precautions will prevent mold spores from coming in contact with you, possible causing a serious reaction. To clean the mold first wash off the mold with detergent, then disinfect with bleach and finally rinse with water. Make sure there is proper ventilation throughout this process. It is important to know that porous and absorbent materials like drywall and carpeting can not be fully remediated and will need to be replaced. Once the cleaning is done, to help prevent future mold growth and health problems, all mold spores should be removed. This is a difficult process and is best left to professionals. Dehumidifying the area is, also, very important for prevention, but, again, difficult for home owners to do themselves. Finding and cleaning mold yourself can save you money in the short run. However, you may not find all affected areas; cleaning puts your health at risk; you won't know if you cleaned all of the mold; and you may not be able to complete the cleaning process risking your heath, future mold growth and more cost in the future. If you are sure that the mold growth is limited to a small area, then cleaning it your self may be alright. However, any thing more than that should be left to professionals. 911 Restoration is a full service mold restoration company. Their certified technicians use top of the line mold inspection equipment (infrared cameras, moisture meters, boroscopes), send sample to third-party labs for testing, completely clean mold and mold spores and guarantee that their work passes mold clearance, and they can restore any damage to your home caused be mold. With so many risks in cleaning mold it's worth the extra money now to not have to worry about it later. If you smell mold call 911 Restoration, (888) 243 - 6653 or visit www.911restorationinc.com. To make things better they also offer a FREE visual inspection.
Original article published on PubArticles.com
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