If You Have Mold, Mitigation Is Essential

4/28/2017 (Permalink)

If You Have Mold, Mitigation Is Essential

Mold in your home or business location is something that should not be ignored. It will damage both structures and human health if left to develop unchecked. Mold appears everywhere, from floating in the air to clinging to all kinds of surfaces. Where there is moisture, there will be mold. It is a microscopic microbial growth that nature uses to break down organic material, and will eventually destroy any surface on which it grows. Given its risks to human health, along with its destruction of property, it should always be quickly mitigated.

If mold is growing in your home or place of business, you face two areas to address, one of which is to engage an environmental hygienist to perform a professional mold cleanup. Undertaking a DIY removal is not a good choice when dealing with this microbial growth that can hide in walls, make people sick, and destroy your property. While not all molds are a health risk, if you smell mildew or note a fungus, it is simpler and less expensive to simply choose mitigation than to engage in identification processes. People are affected in different ways by mildew, so having it classified doesn't provide a guarantee regarding its risk to health.

Along with initiating the cleanup, you also must eliminate the moisture source which allowed the fungus to gain a hold in the first place. Mitigating the encroachment of this microbial growth begins with identifying the issue(s) in your home or office building that encourage its presence. While some culprits are obvious once you focus on the problem, others may not immediately come to mind. Any of the following apparently harmless moisture sources can provide fertile territory for mildew to make its home.

Any type of water flooding
Wet clothes hung to try indoors
Clothes dryer not vented to the outside
Steam produced by hot water sources such as showers or cooking
Leaks in the plumbing
Crawl space or cellar that is damp
Humidifiers
Overflow from sinks, showers, or tubs
Leaks in the roof or around windows

Once you have detected the odor of mildew or possibly spotted the organism setting up shop on your wall, had a professional cleanup done by an environmental hygienist, and figured out the initial cause of your problem, it’s important to take a few steps to prevent the re-establishment of the fungus. Whatever you have identified as the specific cause must be remediated, then followed up by establishing good habits for the future. Make it a priority from then on to keep the humidity level in your home as low as possible, venting all steam-producing areas. Check for leaks on a regular basis and immediately fix any spots that are compromised. Remember that although having this organism growing under your roof is both unpleasant and possibly hazardous to your health, it can be cleaned up, as well as discouraged from returning, through careful maintenance and good judgment. Visit http://SERVPROlevittown.com for more information on mold removal and remediation.