Mold Quick Facts
Mold Grows Quickly:
Mold needs only moisture, temperatures above 40 °F (4 °C), and organic material to survive. Mold can grow in 24-48 hours, preferring areas with no sunlight, limited airflow, and little disruption.
Mold Destroys Your Home:
Because mold eats or digests what it is growing on, it can damage a building, its furnishings and personal belongings. If left unchecked, mold eventually can cause structural damage to building materials. Molds gradually destroy the things they grow on. You can prevent damage to buildings and building contents, save money, and avoid potential health problems by controlling moisture and eliminating mold growth.
Cleaning Visible Mold is Not Enough:
Mold can grow in fiberglass insulation, on top of ceiling tiles, inside HVAC systems, behind drywall panels, in wall cavities, and behind wallpaper. Even when it's visible, it's often impossible to tell the difference between mold, soot, and dirt without testing. The mold you can see is just the beginning, and some of it is extremely hard to find!
Bleach & Detergent Will Not Eliminate Mold:
Bleach and detergent are useful for removing mold on nonporous surfaces. However, materials such as ceiling tiles, carpeting, and wallboard will have deep mold penetration and may need to be replaced. Removed mold will re grow if all sources of moisture and humidity are not eliminated.
Mold Cleaning is Hazardous:
It only takes 3-5 mold spores to cause an allergic reaction, and some molds contain mycotoxins that are carcinogenic or deadly. Cleaning and air movement will cause mold to release their spores -- it's easy to accidentally knock hundreds of thousands of spores loose from a single patch of mold. Because of this, containment procedures using HEPA filtration is necessary to prevent contaminating the entire house or building.
Mold Inspections Require Professional Equipment and Training:
All of our inspections use state of the art thermal imaging cameras, moisture meters, borescope cameras, source sampling and air sampling to make an accurate assessment of the conditions currently in the areas of concern.
An infrared inspection can detect:
- Hidden leaks and water damage
- Mold growth within wall, floor or ceiling areas
- Standing water and moisture within building cavities
- Areas where poor insulation or structural weakness is causing poor air retension, resulting in increased electrical costs to maintain the air heating or cooling systems
