What is Mold Remediation?

Mold remediation is the clean up and removal of mold, particularly toxic mold, from an indoor environment, such as a home, office, school, etc. If there is only a small amount of mold present, the homeowner or building owner may be able to clean away the mold themselves. If the mold is widespread, professionals may need to be hired, as specialized equipment and methods may be required to remove the mold completely.

Mold remediation is not easy work. Once a toxic mold problem has been determined, there are a number of steps that need to be taken to not only remove the mold, but prevent its recurrence. You, or the mold remediation expert, will need to change the conditions causing the mold growth and then tackle the mold clean-up. It is important that you are suitably prepared and protected before starting to remove the mold.

Mold is caused by a moisture issue within the area where the mold is growing. The first step in mold remediation is resolving what is causing the moisture and allowing the mold to thrive. Mold can begin to grow within 24 – 48 hours of moisture building up in an area. It is important to remove whatever is causing the moisture, or to decrease the humidity with the use of dehumidifiers or increased ventilation. Mold remediation is a pointless task if the initial causes are not also dealt with.

It is important that anyone working on the situation is properly protected. Mold can cause many types of health issues, which is why mold remediation is so important. When cleaning up the mold, all exposed areas of skin should be covered and goggles, a filter mask and rubber gloves should be worn. Anything that becomes contaminated with the mold during clean-up should be sealed in a plastic bag before removal from the area to prevent contaminating somewhere else.

There are a number of different methods that can be used to remove the mold from the contaminated area. Before beginning any mold remediation work, the area should be sealed off to prevent mold spores traveling to different areas. Mold releases spores when it is disturbed, which is why protective measures are so important during mold remediation. Wet vacuums, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuums and damp wiping with disinfectant are all ways to remove mold. Finally, for porous surfaces where the mold may have infiltrated the object, it may have to be discarded.

Mold remediation can take from hours to days depending on how large the area of contamination is and how wet it is. Before removing any protective sealing from an area that has been cleaned, it should be allowed to dry thoroughly. This will stop mold particles from re-entering the area and starting to grow all over again while it is still damp.