The presence of moisture inside your building – regardless of the source – can lead to mold growth in multiple ways. Under the right conditions, it only takes 24 to 48 hours for mold to grow. And once mold starts to grow, it can spread in residential and commercial buildings – causing problems for your people (family members, students, tenants, employees, customers) and your property. Mold can affect the structural integrity of buildings by eating away at the wooden studs or inside the walls. Mold can also destroy personal belongings.
Signs of mold contamination include:
- Visible mold growth on drip pans, air handlers, or ductwork
- Black dust around air vents
- A noticeable musty odor that permeates the building
- Long periods of high humidity indoors
- People complaining of headaches, respiratory problems (difficulty breathing), allergy symptoms (sneezing, coughing, runny nose, eye irritation), or skin irritation (rashes)
Mold in air ducts circulates in the air and exposes everyone in a building to health issues; the spores can also land on damp surfaces and thrive. Some mold species are so toxic, they can be a serious threat to people with chronic lung disease, a weak immune system, or asthma.
If you or someone in your building finds signs of mold, contact our Arizona Total Home Restoration team. Take these precautions for safety reasons –
- Don’t touch visible mold, don’t disturb it, and don’t expose it to air drafts (to prevent mold spores from becoming airborne).
- If you believe the heating/ventilation (HVAC) may have mold contamination, don’t run your system until we can come and perform a professional assessment.
- Don’t trust retail mold-testing kits sold at home improvement stores – they’re often ineffective, inaccurate, and unnecessary if the mold is already visible.
- Don’t investigate or treat hidden mold alone – it’s potentially more hazardous than visible mold (you can accidentally release spores into the air).
- Don’t take a do-it-yourself approach to try to kill mold on your own – wiping, scrubbing, and bleaching can worsen the problem by spreading the pores; this starts the mold growing process all over again.
You don’t have to do-it-yourself when Arizona Total Home Restoration is nearby!
Mold Remediation Process
Once you contact the Arizona Total Home Restoration about suspected mold contamination, we’ll employ our 8-step restoration process adapted for mold remediation.
Step 1: Verification of Mold Contamination
- Assess the environment for visible mold.
- Perform professional mold testing to determine whether mold is present at unsafe levels.
Step 2: Source Identification
- Identify the source of the mold (the moisture).
Step 3: Source Containment
- Stop the source of the moisture.
- Fix the water problem causing the mold.
Step 4: Contain the area
- Isolate the area where mold was found.
- Protect the rest of the building from becoming contaminated.
Step 5: Remove contaminated materials
- Remove contaminated materials like drywall, insulation, ceiling tiles, floorboards, wooden furniture, and flooring.
Step 6: Cleanup
- Remove the mold from surfaces with antimicrobial cleaners from the manufacturer, Benefect.
- Remove airborne mold spores with a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) air scrubber.
- Add a sealant to make the area more resistant to moisture and mold growth.
Step 7: Post-mold remediation testing
- Collect samples from the cleaned area for analysis.
- Employ testing to confirm mold remediation was effective, and the indoor air quality meets the regulatory standards.
Step 8: Property restoration or reconstruction
- Restore the property to original pre-contaminated conditions.
- Coordinate repairs and replacements as needed.
- Schedule full remodeling or reconstruction as needed with services that are AHERA certified (through EPA) and IICRC certified; only certified commercial mold inspectors are used.
- Provide a 3-year workmanship warranty for commercial projects.
Call Arizona Total Home Restoration for certified, fast, and complete mold remediation services.