Mold Remediation
Mold remediation is the third step after inspection and testing. The most crucial aspect of any project we undertake is remediation; eliminating mold and its toxins. We’re confident that no one else can eliminate the harmful effects mold can have on your health like we can. It’s because no other company possesses our protocols or technology.
Mold Remediation:
What is mold remediation?
Below are three distinct ways in which a professional or anybody may refer to “mold remediation.” It’s worth reading because each sets a different set of expectations in regard to what you may assume you are getting for your money.
1. The broadest definition: Remediation is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as the process of fixing something, especially by reversing or stopping damage to the environment. This includes mold inspection, mold testing, and sometimes mold removal. This definition implies that a plumber, roofer or other non-remediation company would be part of the remediation effort.
2. Middle-ground definition: The term “mold remediation” is most commonly used to refer to the entire process of eliminating the visual and health aspects of mold. This includes all services that we offer: inspection, moisture-detection, demolition, removal of affected materials and furnishings, air-scrubbing, and light reconstruction. The terms “mold removal,” “mold restoration,” and “mold abatement” are often used interchangeably with “mold remediation” However, these are not accurate synonyms and are instead components of the remediation process.
3. The narrowest and most common definition: All mold-related remediation work completed after inspection and testing and prior to reconstruction. This is essentially, eliminating mold and its toxins.
The third definition is the best because it accurately sets expectations for what a remediation company will actually do. While we do testing and inspections, many remediation companies in Florida don’t do inspections and testing, nor do they include any major reconstruction.
What is the best way to kill and denature mold?
Choosing the right mold remediation company is essential to avoid the health effects of mold and its mycotoxins. Here are four major factors to consider when reviewing a service provider:
- The service providers ability to treat large volumes of air and surfaces.
- Whether the disinfectants your provider uses, kills the types of mold found in your home and meet the required dwell-time for your type of mold.
- Third, does their chosen remediation method effectively denature both the mold itself as well its toxins so they are no longer able to cause harm after the remediation company leaves. Mold spores have tough outer shells, which is why dead mold spores are still allergenic and can release harmful mycotoxins, harming occupant health; after they are dead. The solution… the mold must be denatured.
- Can your provider eliminate harmful bacteria? If you think you may suffer from “sick building syndrome” there is a very good chance it is the water damage related bacteria, not mold that is the main culprit!
Let’s evaluate your options based on this critiera.
UV Light
Ultraviolet light can be a powerful tool to combat germs, however it is limited in its ability to reach all the complex nooks and crannies of contaminated surfaces in buildings . Ultimately UV light casts shadows, and this makes UV disinfection an impractical method for most cases. Therefore it doesn’t warrant the time to go over its pros or cons.
Ozone
Ozone molecules are extremely small – measuring only .0001272 micrometers. This should make ozone incredibly effective at destroying mold everywhere. Ozone machines also come with an affordable price tag that a DIY’er would love. On the surface ozone looks like the best possible choice; however…
“Available scientific evidence shows that at concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone has little potential to remove indoor air contaminants.” - EPA.gov
Ozone’s small size is it’s greatest advantage, however it is highly reactive, meaning it reacts quickly with the outer surfaces of porous materials before it can deeply penetrate. This causes it to break down or get consumed before reaching mold spores that are embedded inside materials like drywall, wood, or carpet fibers.
Liquid Disinfectants
Spray or Mist
Spraying and misting are less effective disinfectant methods due to the inability of larger droplets to reach into all the hard-to-reach areas in your home. Liquid solutions, like those containing bleach may not be as useful since they often contain mostly water which can make mold issues worse. To address this problem you should use alternative approaches such as wiping down surfaces with wipes or soaps that provide a longer dwell time on contact for better results against spores in tough spots around your home!
Wet Fog
Fogging machines provide an effective wetting of exposed objects with their tiny droplets, but the droplet size still prevents it from being as effective as other alternatives.
Dry Fog
With Pure Maintenance’s dry fog application, mold is eliminated from every corner of an indoor environment without wetting surfaces. Not only does this method provide sustained dwell-time on visible and non-visible areas alike, it also neutralizes any airborne mycotoxins. While ozone may achieve even better results, our dry fog process eliminates the show-stopping toxicity that ozone introduces. For the disinfection step in the remediation process, dry fog is without question the best solution on the market.
With Pure Maintenance’s dry fog application, mold is eliminated from every corner of an indoor environment without wetting surfaces. Not only does this method provide sustained dwell-time on visible and non-visible areas alike, it also neutralizes any airborne mycotoxins. While ozone may achieve even better results, our dry fog process eliminates the show-stopping toxicity that ozone introduces. For the disinfection step in the remediation process, dry fog is without question the best solution on the market.
Items You Should Consider
We are huge on educating our customers. If you want to be educated, we will spend as much time as necessary making sure you feel comfortable with our process and the reasons behind our process.
The following are a few things to keep in mind; regardless of you hire to do your mold remediation.
- We frequently advise our clients to use a separate mold inspection service. However, when there has clearly been water damage and you can clearly see mold growing, we often recommend forgoing an independent mold assessment and saving yourself the additional time and cost that separate process will create. We can still provide you all the reports and information need for your insurance or doctor.
- For testing, we always use a third-party laboratory to test any air or mold samples that we acquire. This is standard best practice, if testing is necessary.
- It seems like it should go without saying, but if you haven’t fixed the leak or source of excess moisture, it is critical that a plumber, roofer, or HVAC company gets involved to first get rid of any active moisture issues “feeding” new mold growth. If you can’t figure out who to call, because it isn’t real clear what is causing excess moisture, we can come out and will help you figure it out. If you end up needing a plumber, roofer or HVAC company, we know the best of the best in Jacksonville, The Beaches, St Johns, Fleming Island, Orange Park, Daytona Beach and Greater Orlando. Should you run into any issue with a company we referred, we want you to know, and will get involved if necessary.
- Once we have completed all water damage restoration and mold remediation, then it is time to rebuild. If you need to hire a remodeling or construction company to rebuild what we had to remove to complete our remediation work, we will refer you to Legacy Renovations every time. They are the best home remodeling company in Jacksonville, bar none. They get all of our rebuild work.
- If you are a DIY’er and the job is manageable, we are happy to get you started with a little coaching and advise, at no cost. Just give us a call, and we’ll drop by to see what you are up against.
As you can see, it is almost never a single business or expert that is responsible for getting life back to normal after you’ve experienced water damage and mold. With our network, we make it as easy as possible and work hard to keep your costs down.
Areas We Service
Duval County
Jacksonville
Jacksonville Beach
Neptune Beach
Atlantic Beach
Baldwin
Nassau County
Yulee
Ferandina Beach
Callahan
Hilliard
Nassau Village-Ratliff
Amelia Island
St. John's County
Nocatee
St Augustine Beach
Hastings
Fruit Cove
Vilano Beach
Crescent Beach
Palm Valley
Butler Beach
Saint Augustine Shores
Saint Augustine South
Sawgrass
Putnam County
Palatka
Interlachen
Crescent City
East Palatka
Ponoma Park
Welaka
Bardin
Your Solution
Get remediation with the lowest cost per square foot and highest levels of efficacy available.
