There are many mold spores that occur naturally in our environment, in fact, there are 100,000 types throughout the world. Over 1000, of which, thrive in North America on food, in bathrooms, on fabric and other materials, and in the soil. Microscopic mold spores inhabit the air we breathe and are everywhere- meaning they are ubiquitous!
Indoor moldTwo main problems occur from the presence of indoor mold: 1) The destruction they cause to surfaces, including walls, insulation, ceilings, tile and carpets. 2) The health risks certain types of mold can cause to inhabitants of the home or office building. The only way to get rid of unhealthy mold is to remove it completely and repair any water source or damage that would accelerate its growth and amplification.
Many articles online suggest using chemical sprays to eliminate mold from an environment. Unfortunately, spraying dangerous types of mold with these products can actually make the situation worse. Applying bleach or other chemicals does not take care of the problem. When dealing with certain types of mold, chemical application will cause the mold to “spolate”- sending the spores into the atmosphere. Dead mold spores are just as harmful as living spores and should not be left behind. Determining the type of mold is a very important aspect of deciding what action should be taken.
If you detect a moldy odor, or are experiencing allergy symptoms and you do not know the cause, testing your home through a mold inspection, especially if you have experienced a water leak or water disaster, would be good start. CBC will be able to conduct mold abatement throughout your home or business and rid the effects of excessive mold spores, thereby establishing a safer environment for your family or employees.
A do-it-yourself fix for mold such as a chemical spray method is truly not an effective answer to this sometimes serious environmental situation. Call CBC Cleaning and Restoration for certified technicians who are trained to effectively take care of this problem. And, CBC’s evaluations and estimates are FREE!
Important Consumer Information:
In recent months, CBC Cleaning & Restoration has been contacted and asked to provide a mold evaluation for specific mold remediation jobs which involved very suspicious recommendations by a heating and air conditioning company. In at least four cases, elderly individuals had hired a heating and air conditioning company to come out and service their unit. Upon inspection, they were each told that mold wasExample of Wood Mold found in the “attic space” where the unit was and given an estimate to have a special “mold retardant encapsulating spray” applied that same day for as much as $3,000! These individuals certainly didn’t have the ability to crawl into this attic space to confirm these findings.
Thank goodness, three of the four individuals immediately called CBC for a second opinion only to find out that the mold was “lumber mold” which is harmless. Lumber mold is technically a mold BUT it is lifeless and harmless to any living thing. Mycotoxins can negatively affect human health but are not known to be in lumber mold. In addition, discoloration from a previous tree disease, black sap staining, or Dutch Elm beetle damage can mistakenly look like mold when in fact it isn’t. Harmful mold doesn’t develop and colonize without water, air, darkness, and an edible source such as porous or organic material. The presence of lumber mold on wood framing is common and will remain unchanged (meaning it will not grow) during the life of the building.
The fourth individual was not as fortunate and called CBC AFTER the expensive work had been done. You can only imagine how devastating it was to hear that this expensive work was not necessary!
Don’t fall prey to possible bogus claims and recommendations! Always seek out 2 or 3 estimates so that you are informed and able to make educated decisions- especially very expensive decisions! Exploiting anyone- especially an elderly individual- is not acceptable and staying informed is the first step in avoiding this from happening to you.
For 24 hour emergency help get the CBC phone App at CBCFirst.com/24hour and bookmark the page.