After there are major issues with water, flooding, or other major leaks mold can be a main issue if not treated and taken care of immediately. If taken care of before getting out of hand the cost of repair is very minimal but if the situation is not taken care of and is let to build up mold spores and spread to other areas of the home or business this can be a very sizeable cost for the owner. Since the area has been let go and more spores are produced a professional cleaner must come and take care of the neglected environment so that others especially those with compromised immune systems do not come near the areas that are contaminated with mold spores.
We are going to provide 7 steps of the mold remediation process so that those who do not know what goes on to get this taken care of and will understand the process and how to safely remediate mold if found in your home or office. Again, we highly suggest that if the mold has spread to a vast area of the home or building that you call a trained and certified specialist in this field so it can be contained properly.
STEP 1: REPAIR THE WATER ISSUE
Before any of the mold remediation process can start taking place repairing the area or areas that caused this issue will have to be repaired so that it will not leak or if it is a pipe or something to this extent replace the pipe. This way any further repairs will not be hindered or more issues arise due to the primary issue of water damage.
STEP 2: ISOLATE THE AREAS CONTAMINATED
Next, is to isolate the areas affected by the mold so that the spores do not affect other areas of the home or office. Block off the doorways with plastic so that when you are moving the contaminated elements the spores do not spread. On most cases where more that 30 sq ft have been affected a trained expert in the mold remediation is brought in the take care of the situation.
STEP 3: SUPPRESS THE DUST
One can suppress the dust by misting the affected areas so that when the mold contaminated elements are removed the dust and other particles do not fly around and affect other areas this will just increase the cost if other areas get contaminated.
STEP 4: REMOVE THE AFFECT MATERIALS
After all the necessary precautions have been taken then its time to start removing the contaminated materials from the areas that have been affected with mold and mold spores. Upon removing the materials place these mold contaminated items in a large plastic and deposed of this material properly so that it does not become a biohazard for other places or other people.
STEP 5: CLEAN THE AREA OR AREAS
Once the biohazardous mold contaminated materials have been removed from the areas that were affected by the mold, these areas will now need to be cleaned by using wire brushes and a detergent solution or an EPA regulated type of cleaner that will clean mold with a damp cloth and make sure that all the areas that are contaminated are now clean and the mold has been removed. Vacuum all the surfaces with a HEPA filter vacuum and discard all filters and cleaning supplies when then cleaning has been finished.
Check the areas that are visible to see if there are any more signs of mold if all is clear then the repair can be completed, but if not more cleaning may need to proceed before one can proceed to the next and final step.
STEP 7: REPAIRING THE AREA
Finally, once the removal and cleaning of the mold contaminated areas have been properly disposed of and the cleaning of the area or areas have taken place then the repairing can take place. Such as replacing drywall or paneling.