Your Health and Safety Come First
You may be facing a catastrophe such as flooding, storm damage, bathroom water damage, or sewage backup. This is a hazardous situation and should be addressed immediately to prevent further property damage and health issues. It can only take 24 – 48 hours for mold to start growing in the right conditions, and can go unnoticed if you’ve been away from your home.
Have you discovered bathroom mold or mold in your kitchen, basement, or another area of your home? Even if it isn’t widespread at this point, its presence is a sign of a bigger problem.
Finding mold means that you have a water leak, condensation, dripping water line, or another water problem that must be repaired or the mold will continue to spread. Mold needs moisture to grow.
Mold contamination is bad news for you and your property. It damages the structural integrity of your building, destroys personal belongings, and is a serious health risk to you and anyone occupying the space. Local business owners rely on ATH for commercial mold remediation.
I've Got a Mold Problem. What Do I Do?
Some people are allergic to mold and never know it until they get sick. But you don’t need to be allergic to experience the negative health effects related to mold.
Some mold species are toxic and can affect anyone who touches them or breathes in their spores. Inhaled mold spores can also irritate the respiratory system, making them a serious threat to people with chronic lung diseases, weakened immune systems, and asthma.
If you find signs of mold in your home:
- Do not touch any visible mold and don’t disturb it or expose it to drafts of air. This is to prevent mold spores from becoming airborne, which causes health hazards and could spread the mold to other areas of your home.
- If you believe that the heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) system might have mold contamination, do not run your HVAC system and contact ATH Restoration immediately for a professional assessment of the situation. Once again this is to prevent the spread of airborne spores.
- Often, mold testing kits found in home improvement stores can be ineffective, inaccurate, or unnecessary if there is visible mold growth.
Could I Have Hidden Mold?
Does your home smell musty, has it had water damage or is someone living with you having symptoms of mold-related health problems?
Mold can grow in hidden places like behind drywall, wallpaper, or paneling, under carpets, or on the top sides of ceiling tiles, and in many other out-of-the-way places you might not see.
Never try to investigate or treat hidden mold yourself. It’s more hazardous than visible mold because uncovering it can release spores into the air.
How Will ATH Restoration Help Me?
First, we will perform a free professional assessment. During the assessment, we will answer your questions, provide guidance, and make recommendations.
If there’s no visible mold but its suspected there could be hidden mold growing out of sight, our certified air quality specialist will perform professional mold testing.
If there is visible mold or mold testing indicates the presence of mold contamination in your home, mold remediation is the next step.
ATH Restoration will begin by stopping the mold at its source by identifying and repairing the water problem causing the mold. Then the area with mold will be contained to keep the rest of the house from being contaminated by spores.
The mold itself will be removed using antimicrobial cleaners. A sealant may be used to make the area more resistant to water damage and mold growth. Any contaminated materials like drywall, insulation, and carpeting will be discarded.
These items are almost impossible to decontaminate. ATH Restoration can help coordinate the reconstruction of demolition areas using one of our licensed renovators.
During mold remediation, spores are removed from the air with a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) air scrubber.
After remediation, a mold inspector will test the area again to confirm that the treatment has been completely effective
Signs of Mold Contamination Include:
- Visible mold growth.
- Musty odor when you enter the affected area.
- Long periods of high humidity indoors.
- People experiencing symptoms of mold allergies in your home (i.e. sneezing, coughing, runny nose, eye irritation, rashes, difficulty breathing).
Basements and bathrooms are common areas where trapped moisture leads to mold, but mold can grow anywhere and on any surface with sufficient moisture.
Water damage from flooding, roof leaks, high humidity, and plumbing leaks are more dramatic causes of excess moisture that allows mold to grow inside the home. Seemingly minor bathroom water damage can turn into a major mold remediation project if it’s neglected.
What Products Does ATH Restorations Use in Mold Remediation
Mold is a living organism, a type of fungus. Its spores create even more mold, so eliminating it is a top priority. Traditionally, harsh chemical cleaners are used to remove and kill mold. Although they are effective, they present their own set of problems. Lingering chemical odors may prove a health problem for sensitive people such as asthmatics.
ATH Restorations believes that Mother Nature can provide an eco and human-friendly remedy. We use a range of cleaning products from the manufacturer, Benefect, which are only available to commercial restoration services like ATH.
The products have botanical essential oils as a base. These natural oils are grown and blended to exacting standards to create cleaners that kill 99.9% of bacteria. The products they have developed not only meet but surpass the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s efficacy requirements for broad-spectrum hospital disinfectants.
The result is, ATH Restorations repairs and cleans your property and you are safe in the knowledge that your home is mold-free, there are no chemical side effects to worry about, and you are doing your part to protect the environment.
ATH Restoration is always happy to answer questions at any time during the mold remediation process. We want you to understand what’s going on so you know you’re getting the best possible care.
What a life-saver Nathan was for us!
We live in England and got the call from our property manager for our house in Mesa that our renters smelled something strange under the kitchen cabinets...I foresaw a nightmare unfolding.
By the grace of God, the online mold remediation form I submitted sent us Nathan at ATHR...He helped us navigate the insurance system. He worked seamlessly with our renters. He took complete control and handled every detail.
What Products Does ATH Restorations Use in Mold Remediation
Find guidance with our article, 17 Mold Prevention Tips Around the House, and other resources in our blog.
See before and after photos of our work in mold removal.