If you can see mold growing on the walls of your home, it’s safe to assume you have a mold issue—but what if none is visible or you only spot a small amount? If you suspect you have mold in your home, it’s a wise idea to start with a professional mold assessment.
What’s involved with a mold assessment? This test identifies the types of mold in your home and measures the mold spore count in the air. There are all kinds of different mold strains that can lead to a range of health problems. A quality mold assessment will describe which molds in your home are non-toxic or toxic and show the severity and extent of the mold growth.
Identifying the source
If you have mold growing throughout your home, assessment is the first important step, followed by removal, cleaning and remediation of the contamination. However, it is also critically important to identify the cause of the problem and correct it as quickly as possible.
The best mold remediation contractors will include this type of evaluation as part of their mold assessment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shares several common moisture sources that can lead to mold if left uncorrected:
- A roof leak that allows water to seep into the home
- High indoor humidity (over 60%)
- Excess moisture in the bathroom, kitchen, or other high-moisture areas
- Poor ventilation in the kitchen, where cooking and washing dishes increases humidity
- Leaking pipes under sinks and throughout the home
- Hidden leaks in walls
- Poor drainage of rain water from a home’s foundation
- Improperly vented clothing dryers
- A house foundation with incorrect grading that that leads ground water toward instead of away from the home
Taking preventative measures
Mold cannot grow without water or moisture, so the best way to control indoor mold growth is to control moisture. That means taking action to prevent and reduce humidity and condensation by:
- Venting bathrooms and other moisture-generating areas to the outside of the home
- Using de-humidifiers that increase ventilation
- Using exhaust fans whenever cooking or washing
- Fixing any and all water leaks
Mold and moisture go hand in hand, so when you obtain a professional mold assessment, make sure you also receive a thorough inventory of moisture sources and water infiltration issues that caused the mold in the first place. At AOA Cleaning and Restoration, we do more than just remove and remediate mold—we educate homeowners on how to correct the source of the problem and avoid problems in the future.
If you’re ready to schedule your mold assessment or would like more information, call us at 201-848-8600. We are a licensed mold remediation contractor, certified by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) and the Restoration Science Academy (RSA).
