Restoring Dunkirk Homes after Mold Damage Incidents
4/11/2023 (Permalink)
SERVPRO Helps Dunkirk Homeowners Ease Mold Restoration
Any house can develop mold colonies at any time. Many breakouts are easy to control by making a few changes, such as removing wet contents, regulating temperature, and airing the affected rooms. Sometimes, the action you take does not seem to change anything, and that is when you realize the mold has become a problem. Finding a definitive way to remediate the mold damage is essential to restoring preloss conditions to your Dunkirk home.
Even if it is the first time your Dunkirk home develops mold damage, you can establish whether the problem is severe by considering the signs it exhibits. Hence, you can take corrective action in good time rather than wasting effort on trial and error solutions. A seasoned restoration team like SERVPRO can help because we understand mold development processes clearly.
Indicators of a severe problem
- Indoor air quality is compromised
- Structural materials developing rot-like deterioration
- Mold spreading within concealed areas
Mold emits a musty odor and releases particulate matter into the air when any abrasive force disturbs the colonies. If the contamination is significant, the released materials can compromise the indoor air quality. Limited contamination can also lead to the same outcome if it affects the HVAC air ducts. Either way, you need to take remedial action. Special skills are necessary when the problem affects the ventilation systems, while significant resources are essential if the colonies have spread over vast areas of the property. SERVPRO helps with both aspects since we have certified Applied Microbial Remediation Technicians who understand mold problems well. We also have sufficient equipment varieties, including special vacuum cleaners for extracting residues from air ducts.
Material Deterioration After a Mold Infestation
Mold develops in at least four stages, including sporulation and hyphal growth. Catching the infestation at your home in the early stages simplifies remediation since you can easily wipe it off surfaces with relative ease. However, if it progresses to the hyphal stage, it burrows deep into organic materials as it consumes nutrients. The resulting deterioration is similar to rot, leading to loss of structural integrity.
Solutions that counter severe contamination
- Controlled demolition to remove materials
- Standard and specialized cleaning
- Humidity control and air purification
Porous and semi-porous materials bear the brunt when mold contaminates a property. Porous materials include things like carpets, pads, and drywall. Removal is the best solution to tackle contamination affecting such materials. Semi-porous materials may consist of frames and hardwood floorboards. Demolishing the affected areas helps remove and replace heavily deteriorated materials. You should do such demolition in a controlled manner to avoid unnecessary problems. Our SERVPRO crews set up containment barriers, establish negative air pressure and use precision cutting tools to facilitate such demolition. We strongly suggest against DIY demolition regarding mold damage removal.
Cleaning the masses of moldy colonies and residues in your house is essential to defeating a mold problem. Since mold thrives in wet conditions, cleaning that does not involve water is preferable. Options such as vacuuming, wire-brushing, and damp wiping surfaces with antimicrobial products are usually sufficient. Our SERVPRO technicians use soda or dry ice blasting for challenging areas such as unfinished surfaces to improve the outcomes. The two methods drive pellets at high air pressure against a surface. The force disintegrates the pellets (bicarbonate of soda), creating the necessary agitation force to remove the colonies. Dry ice pellets sublimate from a solid to a gaseous state. Thus no cleanup of the medium or moisture is required.
SERVPRO of Dunkirk, Fredonia responds to any case of mold damage making it “Like it never even happened.” You can reach us at (716) 952-6401.