Mold infestations can spread quickly, leading to foul odors, unsightly spots, and other consequences throughout your home. Mold can also cause serious health complications, especially for those with severe allergies, asthma, or compromised immune systems. This means you should do everything in your power to remove the mold problem as soon as possible in the aftermath of flood or water damage. It’s a smart idea to allow a professional Mold Remediation company to handle the problem for you – doing so yourself can be risky and have unintended consequences if done improperly.
Mold remediation can be a daunting task. Where should you begin? And how can you get it done right at a reasonable price? Truth is that mold remediation isn’t as complicated as it’s often made out to be. And the right mold professional can guide you through the process while providing a necessary, cost-effective service.
What is the Cause of the Mold?
If the mold is visible, it’s probably not necessary to spend money on pre-testing. However, you will need to know the source(s) so it can be prevented in the future. Many remediation companies are primarily concerned with testing the air quality for mold spore counts and removing the mold. Although a good indicator of the indoor air quality as it relates to mold, air sampling and lab reports cannot help you figure out specifically where the problem exists. In addition, remediation contractors make the bulk of their revenue by removing the mold and restoring the home to safe conditions. This is great in the short term but will not prevent the mold from coming back.
Mold doesn’t always grow where it’s easily seen and it can be a real pain to find. After floods, spores that are trapped inside your walls can fester and grow, causing colonies to sprout where you can’t see them. You may spend hours, days, or even weeks cleaning mold off your walls, but even one missed colony can cause all your hard work to disappear in mere days when it returns again. Experienced mold remediation professionals know where to look for mold, how to detect it, and what to do when they do find it in order to make sure every last trace of the problem is treated.
Remediation, Removal, Abatement – What’s the Difference?
When most home or commercial building owners think of a mold remediation company, they only think about removal. However, the terms for a mold removal company and a mold remediation may be used interchangeably but are technically not the same thing. Mold remediation services are far more comprehensive than just removal; they offer expert guidance, restoration, and even certified assurance.
Mold remediation is a process involving diagnosis, analysis, planning, sanitizing, and restoration. Rooms and contents are cleaned to kill mold in affected areas, prevent the spread of mold, and get mold levels back to normal, natural levels. It also consists of identifying and addressing issues that may have contributed to active mold growth. These include ongoing sources of moisture such as plumbing leaks, rain seepage from outdoors, ground water intrusion or even simply chronic high indoor humidity.
Mold removal is just one part of the whole remediation process but let’s be clear, complete mold removal isn’t really possible or even desirable. Mold naturally occurs in every environment, and is constantly growing. Removing 100 percent of the mold found in your home or business just isn’t possible. Instead, you need to focus on controlling problem areas that experience excessive mold growth.
How Much Will It Cost?
If you have found mold in your home, you are most likely wondering how much you can expect to pay to get rid of it. The ability to remove mold safely and effectively is by far the most important factor, but that doesn’t mean you should pay a lot more than necessary. Keep in mind that it’s worth getting the job done right the first time, especially when a bad job might pose a risk to your health. The level of infestation will directly affect your mold remediation cost. So in other words, the size of the estimate will depend on the size of the job. The remediation costs can vary greatly. It could be as little as $500 or as much as $10,000 depending on the extent of mold damage.
If you think a quoted price seems high, we recommend getting multiple quotes and make sure you understand what services are included. For example, does the estimate include restoration? In this case, it’s the work needed to rebuild damaged areas of the structure – painting, replacement and instillation of drywall, flooring, molding or decorative fixtures. There is a very real possibility that whichever estimate you receive, will not be the final price of the remediation cost. You really don’t know the extent of how bad the mold damage is until the walls are opened. Sometimes the problem can be worse than originally thought and more building material may need to be removed. This will affect your bottom line. On the other hand, an estimate may seem shockingly low, that’s a big red flag. Companies that don’t do things properly are typically the ones that have cheap prices.
What to Expect from the Mold Remediation Experts
The key to dealing with mold effectively and avoiding these risks is to hire a mold remediation specialist. These Professionals are experienced in getting rid of mold in such a way that it is gone for good and won’t be a threat to anyone’s health in the future. It is important to bear in mind that Mold is a symptom of another problem like water penetration or high humidity, it is a good thing to get rid of the mold but you must ensure that you correct the problem that caused the mold to grow in the first place or it is likely to return no matter how good a job your remediation company performs!
The Full-Service Professional Approach Includes:
Consultation – Preventative strategies will be discussed with property owners to ensure their homes don’t encounter future issues.
If you have a mold situation in your home or business, you need an experienced, well-established company with certified technicians who can safely and effectively take care of the problem. Finding a reputable contractor isn’t complicated if you know what to look for. Remember, the good ones won’t push unnecessary testing, will charge reasonable prices, are able to clearly explain what work they will be doing, use professional practices and equipment, and stand by their work.