How to Address and Eliminate Mold

Mold is a common problem impacting many homes and businesses. It can grow in just about any space where there’s uncontrolled moisture. While a small section of mold growth won’t typically have a negative impact on your health, it’s still important to remove…and quickly. If it’s allowed to grow over an extended period of time, it can spread to other items and areas of your home or business, creating a much larger and more challenging problem to address. In addition, unchecked mold growth can potentially result in health issues for occupants over time.

At Cousino Restoration & Environmental, we provide comprehensive mold remediation services and can handle just about any job you may have – no matter the size. Our specially trained mold mitigation experts use industry best practices to restore your home or business to a healthy condition, providing you with peace of mind.

Eliminating Mold in Your Home

Mold can grow in your home due to a variety of reasons, including:

Burst pipes
Large spills that go untreated
A leaking roof
Chronic plumbing conditions, such as a leaky pipe
Flooding from a storm or other adverse weather
High humidity or warm, moist air condensing on cool surfaces

Common signs that you may have mold in your house include:

Strong, musty odors
Visible mold on walls, floors, ceilings, tiles or other surfaces
Excessive humidity in your home
Evidence of previous moisture issues that may have resulted in undetected mold growth in areas that aren’t visible

If you notice mold in your home, you should always work with a professional mold remediation company that can address the issue correctly. This is the best way to ensure all mold is properly contained and eliminated from your home. Trying to get rid of mold yourself can often create more problems than it solves:

Spores may spread to other parts of the house, creating a larger problem that will require more extensive and costly professional mold remediation treatments down the road
The mold may be treated incorrectly, resulting in regrowth at a later date

Mold Prevention Tips

Mold growth is a serious problem that can potentially damage your house and cause adverse health reactions in family members who are allergic to mold. Therefore, preventing mold from developing is always the best approach. The following tips will help you minimize the risk of mold growth in your home:

Keep surfaces and materials dry – Moisture that is allowed to remain on surfaces will create ideal conditions for mold to grow. Wipe up spills, condensation and other moisture as soon as possible.
Dry carpets immediately – Wet carpet can grow mold within a day or two.
Address standing water immediately – Standing water from a burst pipe or a flood will wreak havoc on your home and cause mold to grow, often in areas that aren’t visible. Standing water should always be considered an emergency and addressed at once.
Use the exhaust fan in the bathroom – It is designed to eliminate moisture and should be used anytime you shower.

Additional Mold Elimination Considerations

Walls, in particular, present an area of significant concern. If you notice visible mold growth on wall surfaces, there is a good chance that the other side of the wall may present a perfect breeding ground for mold, especially if the wall was wet for an extended period of time.

How to Address and Eliminate Mold, Fire and Water Damage Restoration Services by Cousino Restoration & Environmental Company

Never attempt to get rid of mold yourself. Although it’s tempting and may reduce the appearance of mold on walls and other surfaces, it isn’t solving the problem that caused the mold to grow in the first place. Without first identifying and treating the root cause, you will simply be masking the issue and allowing it to spread to other areas of your home or business over time.

In addition, be aware of potential health risks that may impact family members who come into contact with mold. Everyone is affected by mold differently. While some people have no reaction at all, individuals who have allergies or asthma are at a much higher risk of an adverse reaction. Infants and toddlers are particularly at high risk since their lungs are still developing.

Finally, if you’re concerned about mold in your home or business being toxic, it’s critical to have it tested by a mold remediation professional such as Cousino Restoration & Environmental. After testing the mold samples in your home, our team can advise you about the risks associated with any potentially toxic strains and recommend the proper treatment methods to restore a safe, healthy environment.

Eliminating Mold in Your Business

Mold can grow just about anywhere, and it’s common for commercial buildings to be impacted by mold. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility to address any mold issues immediately. Because many mold issues may be hidden from view, it’s important to work with a professional mold remediation specialist who has both the expertise and the proper equipment to safely eliminate mold and prevent it from returning.

Potential Damage to Your Building

While the mold may initially be located in one specific area of the building, it can spread quickly across surfaces and in the air. In addition, it can travel through the ductwork in your building, resulting in a much more widespread problem in a short period of time.

Since mold grows in moist environments, its presence may also signal that you also have a moisture problem that must be addressed before it causes extensive damage to your building. At Cousino Restoration & Environmental, we offer professional water damage restoration services and can ensure any moisture problems are correctly treated before additional damage occurs.

Potential Health Issues for Employees and Customers

When mold spores become airborne, they are inhaled by any employees and customers in the area. This can result in adverse health reactions for anyone with mold allergies, asthma or other respiratory conditions. If you have employees that develop chronic health issues from mold exposure, it can cause prolonged absences from work that result in expensive workers’ compensation claims. In addition, you may experience reduced productivity when employees are unable to work due to mold exposure.

Black Mold

After extensive water damage, it’s possible that black mold will grow in your home. The most common black mold strain, Stachybotrys chartarum, can potentially result in serious health issues if it isn’t addressed properly.

Black mold commonly grows on organic materials, such as:

Wood flooring and trim
Sub-flooring
Studs
Joists and rafters
Plaster
Drywall
Insulation
Carpeting
Furniture

When black mold feeds, it releases spores into the air which can be distributed throughout the interior of your home or business through the ductwork. Because black mold releases these airborne spores, you need to work with a professional mold remediation specialist such as Cousino Restoration & Environmental to ensure it is safely eliminated and all remaining spores are neutralized to prevent regrowth.

Keep in mind that not all mold that is black in color is a black mold strain. Cousino Restoration & Environmental can provide the required testing to determine if what you see is indeed black mold, and regardless, perform the necessary services to treat the affected area properly.

Cousino Restoration & Environmental Can Help You Get Rid of Mold in Your Home or Business

If you need to get rid of mold growth in your home or business, Cousino Restoration & Environmental can help. We have over 45 years of experience performing comprehensive mold remediation services in the Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan areas. We use the most advanced equipment and methods to safely and effectively remove all mold and prevent regrowth.

No job is too big or too small. We assist with all aspects of the process, including mold inspection, mold testing and mold mitigation. This gives you peace of mind that the entire process is handled correctly, and your property will be safe and mold free moving forward.