Archived Mold Remediation Blog Posts
SERVPRO Mold Remediation: What is it and what are the signs?
7/22/2024 (Permalink)
SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden Arcade is aware that mold growth can be a concern for many homeowners in the Sacramento area. Homeowners should be prepared in the event of mold growth and should not ignore it as it may cause health effects. Our team of certified and professional technicians are certified in mold remediation services. We want to ensure that you do not encounter mold in your home again. So, what is Mold Remediation/Removal? Mold remediation involves restoring the mold spores' level in your home. Remediation not only removes the current mold growing but ensures that it should not grow again. SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden Arcade is certified to remove the physical mold that is present in addition to reducing airborne spores. So, what are the warning signs of a mold issue? Mold is always present - in the air, indoors, and outdoors. Mold is an issue when it is present and is exposed to moisture. Once exposed to moisture, it feeds, expands, and releases mold spores into the air. Prevent mold as soon as you notice it. Look to hire a mold remediation company like SERVPRO! Our specialized technicians make use of modern equipment to carry out mold removal or remediation. Call our office at 916-285-7257 with any questions or concerns.
Mold Damage in Citrus Heights
4/2/2021 (Permalink)
If you need an inspection for any type of damage in your property, call SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade at 916-285-7257, we operate 24/7.
SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade handle all types of damages. We handle water damage, storm damage, fire damage, biohazards, and mold damage.
For this customer, there was mold damage in a rental property. The cause was a leak from years ago. With every job, we provide initial inspections. We send out one of our technicians to oversee the affected areas and take photo documentation of it. In some instances, we may find additional damage on top of what the customer reports to us during the initial call.
This customer had mold growth in the garage by the water heater. We expect to have the water heater detached to perform the mitigation work and removed the affected drywall on the wall and around the box of the water heater.
Sacramento Mold Removal
5/1/2020 (Permalink)
The best thing to do to avoid mold growth from roof leaks is to check the attic regularly for leaks and keep an eye on the ceiling below the attic.
It is important to know how mold occurs in a residence to avoid mold growth in your own home. Mold growth occurs indoors when mold spores are in the presence of a moisture.
Water damage is caused by a multitude of reasons including appliance leaks, toilet overflow, flooding, incorrectly installed windows, and broken water heater lines, just to name a few. And since mold spores are always present, if you don't remediate your water damage, mold growth will occur within 72 hours in the presence of moisture.
What Should I Know Before I Call a Professional?
You probably don't need to get mold testing! If you can see mold, you most likely don't need to spend money on testing, and it just needs to be removed. If mold is seen or smelled, there are potential health effects; therefore, no matter what type of mold is present, you should arrange for its removal.
Your homeowners insurance most likely will not cover damage. According to Insurance.com, policies usually don't cover mold resulting from a preventable water leak, flooding, or high humidity. This is because home insurance companies typically don't pay for maintenance issues they think a homeowner should have proactively taken care of.
The expense of mold removal can be costly--in some cases it can be over $1000. Although some mold professionals out there have exaggerated the work that needs to be done to drive up the price. If your quote seems unusually high, we recommend getting several quotes to compare. (However, if you get a quote that’s shockingly low, that’s also a big red flag. Companies that don’t do things properly are the only ones that can charge shockingly low prices.)
North Highlands Mold on Water Heater
8/9/2019 (Permalink)
The damage in this water heater closet was caused by a valve not being tightened on the hot water heater.
When your hot water heater leaks, it can cause a lot of damage to your home, and left untreated, it can lead to mold growth. This mold that grows from hot water heater leaks can cause even more damage to your floors and walls, but it can also cause health effects. Because hot water heaters are often in places of the home where homeowners don’t go very often, there have been many cases that we have seen where homeowners don’t always spot a leaking hot water heater unless the problem has been ongoing for a while.
Spotting a Hot Water Heater Leak
It is important to know how to best identify a hot water leak, because the longer that damage sits in your home, the longer the damage can worsen. It is recommended that you check your hot water heater routinely to ensure that you aren’t experiencing a leak in your home.
- Water on the floor around the hot water heater
- Discoloration of the floor and/or wall around the hot water heater
- Mold on the floor and/or wall around the hot water heater
- Musty odor in the area where your hot water heater is located. A musty odor is a sign of mold, and if you smell that odor, it means you likely have mold somewhere in your home, even if you don’t see it. Since mold often grows in hard-to-spot areas, like inside walls, under carpet and linoleum, and inside heating and ventilation ducts, it’s not unusual to smell mold but not see it.
- Condensation around the hot water heater can sometimes make the floor wet and cause mold to begin to grow.
Other plumbing leaks can cause similar issues. Obviously in order to fix the problem, you need to identify it correctly. Any of these problems can lead to damaged flooring and mold growth, so they all need to be corrected as soon as possible.
Dealing with Mold from a Hot Water Heater
If there is mold around your home, it is important for it to be removed as soon as possible due to the health effects that your household may encounter. Mold can be removed from non-porous surfaces like tile floors with an antimicrobial cleanser and a scrub brush. It’s not possible to remove mold completely from porous surfaces, though, like carpets, drywall and floorboards. Those materials must be removed (carefully, in order not to spread mold spores to other areas of the home in the process) and replaced.
If you are experiencing any mold-related health problems or if you have respiratory problems like asthma or any disorders of the immune system, we recommend not attempting to remove mold yourself because the mold removal process will expose you to more mold spores and can make your condition worse. To protect your health, we recommend calling in a professional for the job in those instances.
Every mold damage scenario is different, and requires a unique solution, but the general mold remediation process stays the same. The steps listed below illustrate a “typical” process:
- Emergency Contact
- Inspection and Mold Damage Assessment
- Mold Containment
- Air Filtration
- Removing Mold and Mold-Infested Materials
- Cleaning Contents and Belongings
- Restoration
In order to prevent mold from returning, it is imperative that you repair any problem, leak, or plumbing problem that led to the development of mold. Otherwise, you’ll soon find yourself dealing with mold again.
Getting Help with a Hot Water Heater Leak
If your hot water heating is leaking or you have mold around your hot water heater, we recommend calling in a mold remediation professional. Your technician can diagnose the problem, figure out where the water is coming from and let you know how to fix it. They can also locate any mold in the home, including mold growing in hard-to-see places, and let you know what needs to be done to correct that problem. If you are looking for experienced mold remediation professionals offering free inspections and consultations in your area, click here.
Rancho Cordova Mold Removal
4/19/2019 (Permalink)
This is a photo of just some of the wet insulation we had to remove from a job site! No one works harder than our technicians!
Why is mold growing in my home?
Molds are part of the natural environment. Outdoors, molds play a part in nature by breaking down dead organic matter such as fallen leaves and dead trees, but indoors, mold growth should be avoided. Molds reproduce by means of tiny spores; the spores are invisible to the naked eye and float through outdoor and indoor air. Mold may begin growing indoors when mold spores land on surfaces that are wet. There are many types of mold, and none of them will grow without water or moisture.
If you already have a mold problem – ACT QUICKLY. Mold damages what it grows on. The longer it grows, the more damage it can cause.
If wet or damp materials or areas are dried 24-48 hours after a leak or spill happens, in most cases mold will not grow.
- Clean and repair roof gutters regularly.
- Make sure the ground slopes away from the building foundation, so that water does not enter or collect around the foundation.
- Keep air conditioning drip pans clean and the drain lines unobstructed and flowing properly.
- Keep indoor humidity low. If possible, keep indoor humidity below 60 percent (ideally between 30 and 50 percent) relative humidity. Relative humidity can be measured with a moisture or humidity meter, a small, inexpensive ($10-$50) instrument available at many hardware stores.
- If you see condensation or moisture collecting on windows, walls or pipes - ACT QUICKLY to dry the wet surface and reduce the moisture/water source. Condensation can be a sign of high humidity.
Actions that will help to reduce humidity:
- Vent appliances that produce moisture, such as clothes dryers, stoves, and kerosene heaters to the outside where possible. (Combustion appliances such as stoves and kerosene heaters produce water vapor and will increase the humidity unless vented to the outside.)
- Use air conditioners and/or de-humidifiers when needed.
- Run the bathroom fan or open the window when showering. Use exhaust fans or open windows whenever cooking, running the dishwasher or dishwashing, etc.
Actions that will help prevent condensation:
- Reduce the humidity
- Increase ventilation or air movement by opening doors and/or windows, when practical. Use fans as needed.
- Cover cold surfaces, such as cold water pipes, with insulation.
- Increase air temperature.
If you have mold in your Sacramento or Rancho Cordova home, it is important to resolve the issue before it starts.
Call SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade at 916-285-7247 to get started on an estimate today.
Sacramento Air Duct Cleaning
2/14/2019 (Permalink)
We clean ducts with the brand new state of the art PDC 4000 machine.
Air Duct cleaning can be an important way to improve the indoor air quality of your home or commercial building.
The National Air Duct Cleaning Association (NADCA) gives some basic information on their website:
In addition to normal accumulations of dust and dirt found in all homes with air ducts, there are several other factors that can increase the need for regular HVAC system cleaning:
Some occupants are more sensitive to these contaminants than others. Allergy and asthma sufferers, as well as young children and the elderly tend to be more susceptible to the types of poor indoor air quality that air duct cleaning can help address.
Avoid the Scams:
Air Duct cleaning should be done by professional with professional equipment. NADCA also gives some great tips on preventing yourself from being scammed by poor air duct cleaning.
If you would like to discuss having your ducts cleaned, give SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade a call at 916-285-7257.
The Biology of Mold
2/13/2019 (Permalink)
When water collected underneath this sink, it was not dried properly and resulted in mold growth.
Mold is a fungus and classed as a saprophyte, which means that most types find nutrients by decomposing organic matter. There are over 100,000 types of mold that exist within nature.
Why Use Containment?
Starting as a tiny spore, mold begins in a cluster that contains thousands and thousands of spores. When something disrupts the spore mass, thousands of mold spores are set free, until they settle. Therefore it is important to have mold containment. During the process of cleaning and removing moldy materials, SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade sets up plastic barriers to avoid spreading these tiny spores to clean areas of the structure.
What Can Make Fungi and Molds Harmful?
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by microfungi that can cause health effects. Mycotoxins can be found attached to mold spores and fragments of mold.
At first, you cannot see mold spores. Disturbances of mold can cause spores to mass aerosolize, releasing thousands of spores into the air and you cannot see which materials are affected by these settled spores.
How Can I Prevent Mold Growth?
A fast response to water damage is of the utmost importance when trying to prevent mold growth. Any and all structures that have been damaged by water have the potential to grow mold. In order to prevent mold growth, you should keep good ventilation of your home, keep a dry environment, and the use of fungicides and biocides.
SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade specializes in mold remediation.
If you've seen the signs of mold growth in your home, call us at 916-285-7257!
5 Principles of Mold Remediation
2/12/2019 (Permalink)
This photo is of a home that experienced water damage that was left untreated, causing mold growth.
Principle 1: Safety and Health
Here at SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade, our top priority is the safety of our customers and employees when doing any form of remediation. Our technicians are trained to use engineering controls such as controlled demolition and source containment. They also use plastic containment to keep themselves and the rest of the structure from being contaminated further. The use of Personal Protective Equipment is also necessary for the safety of whomever enters the containment due to health concerns. Technicians are also trained by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration (IICRC) to follow OSHA standards.
Principle 2: Project Documentation
Our technicians take documentation before, during, and after remediation. This is using pictures, written statements, and taking measurements. Our team here at SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade prides ourselves in taking accountability of our actions through project documentation.
Principle 3: Control Contaminant at its Source
Containment is used to control mold at its source. It also minimizes dust and debris during demolition. We also use large fans, called air filtration devices (AFD), to circulate air through a filtered system while performing mold remediation. Any airborne contaminants and particles are removed through a series of filters.
Principle 4: Removal of Contaminant
The removal of mold from a structure begins with disposing of any porous materials contaminated extensively with mold and physically removing the mold from the structure. Our technicians then clean mold from nonporous materials and HEPA vacuum all surfaces.
Principle 5: Prevent Further Contamination by Correcting Moisture Problem
Our team at SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade are trained to identify and correct any moisture problems that may contribute to mold. They also would dry the structure now if it was still wet from a water loss.
SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade technicians are trained extensively in mold remediation to keep you and your family safe during mitigation. If you have found mold in your home, give us a call at 916-285-7257. We are always here to help.
Sacramento Mold Removal
2/8/2019 (Permalink)
A vacant home in Sacramento had a leak in the ceiling of this closet, causing mold to grow within a few weeks.
Molds and fungi are found throughout nature. Some molds, like penicillin, are useful and can be helpful in our lives, while other forms of mold can be very harmful. Excessive amounts of mold, specific types of mold, and over exposure to mold can present health concerns for some people such as runny nose, sneezing, coughing, aggravation of asthma, sore throat, or inflammation of sinuses.
Molds need four things to survive: organic material for a food source, warmth, oxygen, and moisture. When water damages occur, it presents moisture into the environment. If this water damage isn’t addressed right away, then the resulting damage can present increased risk of harmful mold growth.
Do you think your home or business might have mold? Here’s what to be alert for:
- The presence of visible mold
- Strong musty odors, which may indicate mold presence
- Any evidence of past moisture problems which may have caused undetected mold growth
- Excessive humidity
SERVPRO of East Sacramento/West Arden-Arcade professionals care about proper restoration of your structure and, in most water damage situations, can safely restore your building to preloss condition.
Sacramento Mold Removal
2/4/2019 (Permalink)
This is a door that was completely saturated by water damage. After being left for several weeks, mold developed and the door needed removal.
Microscopic mold spores naturally occur almost everywhere, both outdoors and indoors. This makes it impossible to remove all mold from a home or business. Therefore, mold remediation reduces the mold spore count back to its natural or baseline level. Some restoration businesses advertise “mold removal” and even guarantee to remove all mold, which is a fallacy. Consider the following mold facts:
- Mold is present almost everywhere, indoors and outdoors.
- Mold spores are microscopic and float along in the air and may enter your home through windows, doors, or AC/heating systems or even hitch a ride indoors on your clothing or a pet.
- Mold spores thrive on moisture. Mold spores can quickly grow into colonies when exposed to water. These colonies may produce allergens and irritants.
- Before mold remediation can begin, any sources of water or moisture must be addressed. Otherwise, the mold may return.
- Mold often produces a strong, musty odor and can lead you to possible mold problem areas.
- Even higher-than-normal indoor humidity can support mold growth. Keep indoor humidity below 45 percent.
If your home or business has a mold problem, we can inspect and assess your property and use our specialized training, equipment, and expertise to remediate your mold infestation.
If You See Signs of Mold, Call Us Today – 916-285-7257
Moisture Control is the Key to Mold Control
2/12/2018 (Permalink)
This picture shows how to source contain visible mold at the bottom of a wall until it can be removed.
Today we would like to share some Mold control tips shared by the EPA website. We have reviewed these tips and we agree that they are very helpful.
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