Protecting Your House from Mold in the Spring

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Mold is an ever-present organism mostly found in the outdoor air. Although in its dry state, it may cause some mild allergic reactions such as sneezing and coughing, it is when mold finds a home in a dark, moist environment that it becomes far more dangerous to residences and buildings. 

In the spring, the added moisture and warm temperatures create the perfect environment for mold to grow. It only needs to be in a location left undisturbed. Once it begins to grow, the mold will consume organic materials such as wood and drywall. The spores multiply into the millions which not only spreads the mold further, it can affect the health of those living inside. 

But there are ways to control the mold in your home before it can become an issue. By taking a few steps today, you can prevent most incidents involving mold from developing in your house. The key is to inspect and act before the mold can settle. 

Controlling Mold Growth

While mold will find its way into your home, you can keep it from doing any damage by following these instructions. 

Lower Humidity Levels: Mold needs moisture to grow. By reducing the humidity level in your home to under 50%, it will become difficult for the mold to grow and spread. Purchase a humidity level meter to monitor the results inside your home. 

Fix Leaks: A water pipe leak serves as the perfect growing area for mold. Fix all leaks in the roof, walls, basement, and anywhere there is plumbing. 

Keep the Air Moving: Turning on fans in rooms with higher humidity levels, such as the exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathroom robs mold of the moisture it needs to grow. 

Cleaning Up Mold

If the mold has established itself in your home, whether near a leaky pipe or a moist area inside the walls, you can remove it using one of the most common household chemicals, bleach. The bleach is more than powerful enough to destroy mold and mildew on contact. However, you will need to handle it with care. 

  • Wear rubber gloves, rubber boots, and goggles
  • Open windows and turn on fans 
  • Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the use of bleach
  • Never mix bleach with ammonia or other household cleaners. Only mix with water

Apply the bleach with a sponge directly to the area covered with the mold. Once you wipe away the mold, dry the area using a fan. You’ll want to keep the air moving until it’s dry. However, if you discover a large patch of mold, then chances are the infiltration will be far more than you can effectively clean up. That is the time to call a professional mold removal service. 

If you suspect that your home is infested with mold based on having unexplained musty odors for example, then you should get it tested. In many cases, mold does not reveal itself in the open until after it has caused considerable damage. After a flooding event or if musty odors are present, hire a professional company to inspect your home for mold.

Contact Brickley Environmental Today 

With numerous dangers facing your home or business, calling the professionals at Brickley Environmental is a good place to start. We offer our knowledge and experience along with the tools to detect and remove infestations of various types. The services provided by Brickley Environmental include the following. 

  • Asbestos Abatement
  • Mold Remediation
  • Lead-Based Paint Removal 
  • Demolition 
  • Hazardous Waste Removal

If you are facing any of these issues, call Brickley Environmental today. Our friendly, courteous staff will take your call and answer your questions, so you can make the best-informed decision about what to do next. At Brickley Environmental, we are here to help you.

Cleaning Up the Mold in Your Home

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In your home, you may notice distinctive signs of mold infestation. The bad news is that what you see may only be the tip of the iceberg. This is because mold itself is everywhere, but it only becomes a danger to your home when it is combined with humidity. The presence of water causes the mold to replicate quickly and consume the organic materials in your home. 

Suppose your home has experienced any flooding, whether, from natural sources or interior ones such as a leaky pipe or water heater, there is a good probability that mold may be present and growing. You will need to conduct an inspection to see if there is any that may require hiring a professional if the area is difficult to reach or may be quite extensive in nature. 

Proven Steps to Clean Up Mold

The first step is to stop the source of the water leak or infiltration. That means fixing the pipe or waiting until the flooding stops before you take the next step. 

  • Dry Everything Out: By opening windows and turning on fans you can dry out the area rather quickly. This will slow down growth considerably and make it much easier to clean away. Dry out the area first before you clean. 
  • Scrub Thoroughly: Once the area is dry, you can use a simple detergent or bleach mixed with water to kill and remove it from the surface. Bleach is quite effective but can also damage the materials you scrub. 
  • Dry & Inspect: Once you have thoroughly scrubbed and cleaned any away, be sure to re-dry the area using fans. Once complete, inspect the area again to catch any mold that might have remained and is prone to growing again. 

Additional Tips for Cleaning Up Mold

Keep in mind that some materials may be so infested with mold that they will need to be removed, such as carpet or ceilings tiles. Porous materials may be next to impossible to clean, so tossing them out properly is the only answer. 

Do not paint or otherwise try to cover up surfaces with mold still present. Paint will likely just peel away, leaving you with an even bigger mess to clean. 

How Brickley Environmental Can Help

If you suspect that your home is infested with mold, call the experts at Brickley Environmental. Our staff will take your call, listen to your needs, and answer your questions so you can make the best-informed decision. 

Brickley Environmental, we have years of experience cleaning out homes just like yours. We also offer a wide range of other services that include asbestos abatement, removal of lead-based paint along with hazardous waste, and even providing demolition services. When you need mold removed from your home, call the professionals at Brickley Environmental today. 

For more information about mold, click here to visit the CDC website.

How Much Mold Exposure is Harmful?

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Mold exists virtually everywhere, both indoors and outdoors, and has a large variety of species. While mold has many beneficial functions, such as breaking down waste products and organic matter that includes garbage, dead trees, and leaves, exposure to mold also has a big downside in residences and buildings that have moisture. This can create a perfect breeding ground for mold in unwanted environments. 

Exposure to mold can be problematic for people, although it affects everyone differently. While many people may not even be aware that mold is around them, others can easily get sick by breathing it in. Understanding the dangers, identifying who is the most vulnerable, and offering solutions can help keep you protected from mold exposure. 

Exposure to Mold

Mold needs both a food and moisture source to start growing. Under the proper conditions, mold can grow rapidly, releasing spores along with VOCs (volatile organic compounds) that may cause some people to feel ill. While mold spores are mostly inhaled, they can also be absorbed through the skin or consumed if present on food. 

  • Outdoors: Mold is virtually everywhere outdoors however, concentrations of mold are quite limited. The mold growing outdoors does not produce enough sports to be extremely dangerous for those who are vulnerable.
  • Indoors: Mold growing indoors is far more problematic due to a lack of airflow within the confined space. There are also more opportunities for it to locate moist areas within food sources, leading to them multiplying. This is especially true after a flooding event. 

There are different varieties of mold, including black mold which may or may not cause serious health issues. Regardless, exposure to mold of any type can be problematic, especially for those who have underlying health issues and are more susceptible to illness.

Symptoms Associated with Mold Exposure

For those with a mold allergy, this can represent a significant respiratory issue. Those with underlying health issues such as respiratory illness, asthma, lung disease, COPD, and immune suppression are particularly vulnerable to mold exposure. 

Exposure to mold may cause a variety of conditions ranging from coughing and sneezing to itchy skin, headaches, and even dizziness. While such symptoms may be the sign of other illnesses or types of infection, those who experience such symptoms should inform their doctor and request getting checked for mold infection. 

How Brickley Environmental Can Help

If you are concerned that mold may be present in your home or workplace, contact the experts at Brickley Environmental for assistance today. The trained technicians at Brickley Environmental have the knowledge, experience, and equipment to remove the mold from your property. 

For more information on mold exposure, click here to visit the CDC website.

Mold Prevention

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mold

In outdoor, dry environments mold is an annoying allergen that may cause a few sneezes but is essentially harmless. However, when it finds its way inside a residence, building, or facility and lands on an organic surface, it can become a costly danger. This is especially true if the location is subject to moisture or humidity that allows the mold to reproduce rapidly. 

Left unchecked, the mold will spread and consume organic materials such as wood. The spores created will also cause health issues to arise for those who live or work inside. However, if it is not treated early, it may cost thousands of dollars in terms of damage and replacement. In some cases, homes and buildings have been condemned because of the infestation. 

The key is prevention which means taking the appropriate steps to ensure that it never grows inside your home or building. What follows are a few tips that can help you prevent infestation. 

Check for Leaks: Water leaking from your water pipes, water heater, or drains can cause mold to form and grow. Check over your pipes and eliminate small leaks before they become large problems due to infestation. 

Improve Ventilation: The key to keeping it from reproducing is to reduce the moisture or humidity levels in the air. That means installing proper ventilation in rooms that generate humidity such as the kitchen and bathroom. 

Mold-Resistant Paint & Drywall: When repainting or adding new drywall to areas of your home, particularly the kitchen and bathroom, use mold-resistant materials. Such materials will help keep it in check if it should find its way to the surface. 

Waterproof the Home: Simple techniques such as adding French drains to the foundation or kick-out flashing to the roof can prevent water from getting inside the home. 

But even if you perform all the prevention techniques, there is still the possibility of flooding. 

Flooding

One of the most common ways for mold to reproduce in your home is after a flooding event. Whether caused by precipitation, a break in a pipe, an outside body of water entering the home, or a backup in the drain, it creates the proper conditions to grow. 

It becomes vital to clean up the water and contaminants that have entered. Once the water has been removed, the home must be well ventilated and dried using fans to ensure that any mildew that has not been removed does not have the moisture to grow and reproduce. 

How Brickley Environmental Can Help

Call Brickley Environmental today and find out more about their mold removal services. They can provide the guidance you need to make the best-informed decisions about how to prevent or remove mold from your home, office, or facility. 

For more information on mold, click here to visit the CDC’s website.

To learn more about mold from Brickley environmental, click here.

Mold vs. Mildew – The Similarities and Differences

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Mold vs. Mildew – The Similarities and Differences

Although mildew and mold are funguses, there are some important differences that you need to know. This is because the differences are such that they will shape how you clean away the organisms from your home, office, or facility.

Similarities – Mold & Mildew

Both mold and mildew are organisms that grow on organic materials. Both are essentially harmless until they reach a warm, moist atmosphere. The moisture will spark both organisms to grow rapidly and consume whatever organic materials are nearby. Mold and mildew will grow on food, shower basins, and especially wood products that include paper.

It is the growth of mold and mildew that must be checked if you want to preserve the structural support of your residence or business assuming it is made from wood. However, there are some important differences that you need to know as well.

Differences – Mold & Mildew

The most important difference is that mildew is a surface organism that does not penetrate materials nearly to the same extent as mold. This means that if you see the familiar page of white or gray patches, then all you really need is a cleaner and scrubbing brush. Because mildew sticks to the surface, it can be removed rather easily. However, mold is far more insidious as it penetrates surfaces to consumer-organic materials. It’s green or black coloring is easy to identify just like mildew. However, the damage it creates is far more extensive.

If not caught in time, the materials themselves may have to be repaired or replaced. Under dry conditions, mold is generally harmless. The spores may cause a mild allergic reaction to those who are sensitive, but that is the extent of the trouble it causes.

Humid or moist conditions, such as those found in the interior of buildings next to water sources cause both funguses to grow. However, with mold, the growth is far more extensive and damaging. In addition to destroying organic materials, there are certain types of mold that are toxic in nature. However, toxic mold is rare.

Symptoms of inhaling the spores from toxic mold include allergic reactions, headaches, and it can be harmful to those with respiratory issues.

How Brickley Environmental Can Help

If you suspect the presence of these issues, call the experts at Brickley Environmental. We have the expertise to identify and remove funguses from homes and buildings using proven techniques.

For more information on mold & mildew, visit another BrickleyEnv article HERE.

To see more information on the dangers of mold & mildew, visit the CDC.