Finding mold spots in Florida can be daunting, and every house owner dreads it. But the truth is, molds are a well-known home villain. In fact, about 70% of homes have mold buildups.
So, when you have a case of mold infestation, the priority should be to get rid of it before it severely impacts your respiratory health. More so if you have children staying with you.
So, the questions that you should be concerned with are:
- Do you need to pay a professional for mold testing?
- Do you need a professional to get rid of your mold problem?
This article will analyze the degrees of mold problems and whether or not mold should be professionally removed.
Why You Should Get Rid of Mold Spots in Florida ASAP
The mold consists of multicellular fungal elements. In simple terms, it’s toxic enough to cause food spoilage, reduce air quality and cause property damage.
Mold and mildew thrive in humid surroundings and spread quickly as their spores are light enough to be carried in the air.
It Causes Allergy Symptoms
When mold is all over your home, the worst consequence is that it destroys your health. You may experience persistent coughing, chronic fatigue, headaches, sneezing, itchy eyes, and laborious breathing.
People with asthma and pulmonary diseases will likely experience worsened symptoms, which can put their lives at risk. Also, when children live in a home with a severe mold problem, it can endanger their lives.
It Spreads Quickly
Mold spreads quickly, especially when the source of dampness in the home is still present. If you leave mold after detecting it, it will be hard to repair damage to your home. In addition, it can contaminate large areas and affect your clothes and furniture.
Your home’s value will be seriously affected, and your remediation costs will soar.
Is Mold Testing Necessary?
As we mentioned, roughly 70% of homes have mold growing in them, and more than 50% of American houses have mold issues. This shows that mold is in most homes. However, you can’t always see them.
You’ll usually need a mold inspection or mold testing in any of these situations.
- When you’ve had water leaks or plumbing issues for a while, and you suspect there’s mold buildup in the air or behind the walls.
- When the air feels damp and smells like mold. In this case, the mold may be hidden somewhere irregular, so a mold test would help.
- When you think you’ve seen mold in some spots of your home, but they seem to have disappeared, or you are unsure.
- After you’ve just conducted a mold removal, a post-mold removal clearance test guarantees your home’s mold count has returned to normal levels.
- When you have persistent health concerns that are potentially driven by mold. For example, coughing, sneezing, headaches, etc.
- When you are about to sell or buy a home.
- When you just want to conduct a general indoor air quality test on your home.
Outside of these situations, there’s no need for a mold test. In the first place, most people only think about molds when they see them. So, if you can already see the mold buildup in your home, you don’t need to pay a professional to conduct mold testing.
Visible mold needs to be removed, and there’s no separate guideline for removing different mold species, so the test is unnecessary. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there’s no need to sample visible mold growth. There are neither agency rules nor federal laws about acceptable mold levels, so sampling doesn’t help to determine if the mold level in your home requires removal or not. It can’t tell you if the mold in your home is still safe or dangerous. It just confirms what you already know; that there’s mold.
So why do most companies still conduct them even when all the conditions above aren’t there? Because it’s easy money. Many Florida homeowners call in a mold removal company and demand a mold inspection without giving specifics. The company can easily make between $400- $1,000 from this alone.
Do Home Mold Test Kits Work?
If you are in any of the situations above, and you get an over-the-counter home mold test kit, you may get ripped off for nothing.
Most mold tests conducted with mold test kits are often misleading due to sampling errors. In addition, there are no keen eyes to run a visual inspection. On the other hand, a professional checks everywhere, including places you ordinarily wouldn’t think of, so this gives a thorough account of where the problem could be.
Besides, mold is everywhere and in everything. So, a home mold test kit just tells you this. It’s not doing anything unique beyond sending you into a flare of panic.
Again, the EPA emphasizes that mold sampling should be left to professionals. Professionals have experience designing mold sample protocols in line with the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA). They are also in the proper position to interpret the results.
Should Mold Be Professionally Removed in Florida?
Once you’ve decided to remove mold from your home, the question is whether or not you need the help of a professional.
Yes, you should professionally remove mold from your Floridan home. This is the best, most extensive, and safest method.
You can always remove mold by yourself. DIY mold removal means removing the visible mold through a simple process.
You’ll need vinegar, bleach, towels, and a brush to remove the visible mold. You also need to have proper safety gear to avoid absorbing toxins into your body. This includes goggles, gloves, and masks. It would be best if you also had dehumidifiers in the affected areas of your home.
But this naturally means that the following elements must be present:
- The mold is visible.
- You’ve fixed the underlying cause of the mold.
- The mold growth is small.
- The mold isn’t toxic.
The toxicity of mold can only be professionally determined, so this poses a problem. Besides, the general opinion is that more than three by three feet mold needs a professional to be safely and indeed removed.
Besides, bleach may not be as effective as many think. Most bleaches can only render molds dormant, but they can reactivate once there’s a trigger in the future.
Also, painting over a moldy wall is merely covering the problem. The only truly effective home remedy is a fungicide spray. But, this only works if the problem is so apparent and minor, and the underlying issue has been fixed. Without this, the only ideal solution is to call a professional.
Six Reasons Professionals Are Better
Professionals take a speedy, thorough, and competent approach to mold removal. But, most of all, they already have these tools and more. Besides, they can also detest the reason there’s mold growth in your Floridan home and fix it.
Here are some reasons you should hire a professional.
Expertise
The most important reason to hire a professional is for their expertise. Mold removal companies are trained to remove mold in the safest way possible. They follow all steps of removing, cleaning, treating, and preventing mold from spreading.
Thorough Cleaning
Mold travels through your space and grows in hard-to-see or reach areas. So, even if you try to clean your home yourself, you probably won’t be successful. Chances are that mold will spring up in another area of your home soon after.
However, professionals perform thorough inspections to fish out unlikely mold growth areas. Then they properly contain the mold and clean it to prevent future growth. Of course, they’ll also clean up all the mess after working.
Saves Time
Mold removal is not as simple as it sounds; it can take a long time, mainly because you may keep discovering more mold than you thought.
This isn’t an issue for professionals. First, their field equipment makes it easy for them to reach places you must take time with. For example, it may ordinarily take days to work up to your crawl space or attic, but professionals will sweep these areas in no time.
Adequate Equipment
As mentioned, removing mold yourself requires gloves, goggles, masks, etc., to start with. Getting bleach or fungicide is another cost to consider.
But professionals already have these and more. They come with respirators and testing tools, and better yet, know how to use them safely.
Licensed and Insured
Sometimes, mold may have eaten deeper into your home than you think, and you’ll only discover this in the middle of cleaning. This can cause you to damage something and even put you at risk. For example, a wall may have soaked up so much water that doing it yourself may cause it to collapse and lead to an injury.
But professionals are insured and licensed; this means they are trained to expect unlikely situations, and if things do go wrong, you won’t have to bear unnecessary expenses.
Thorough Remediation
Mold remediation is the perfect way to eliminate mold, especially if it’s already done extensive damage. But, you can’t have the resources or knowledge. This is why hiring a professional is the best.
Mold remediation includes:
- identifying the source;
- containing the mold;
- filtering the air;
- removing the mold;
- cleaning up the area.
This process keeps your house thoroughly clean and undamaged and keeps you at ease for a long time.
Contact Erica’s Plumbing, Air Conditioning, and Restoration for Mold Spots in Florida
Removing mold spots in Florida is not as simple as you think. Yet, mold growth is not something you can just ignore.
Mold removal requires the right team of professionals to do an effective job.
If you are in Florida, our team of licensed technicians at Erica’s Plumbing, Air Conditioning, and Restoration can help you get rid of dangerous mold levels in your home. We also provide HVAC cleaning services and repair all kinds of water leaks. We are a women-owned business in Boca Raton, and we respond 24/7. Contact us here to get a quote immediately.
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