Mold Prevention: Your Checklist for a Healtheir Home

11/3/2023 (Permalink)

Wall with mold growing after water damage

Mold: a four-letter word that spells big trouble for homeowners. It lurks in damp corners, silently spreading and potentially causing health issues. Here’s how you can preemptively strike against mold:

1. Monitor Humidity: Keep indoor humidity below 60%.
2. Ventilate: Ensure bathrooms, kitchens, and laundry rooms are well-ventilated.
3. Inspect for Leaks: Regularly check pipes and fixtures for leaks and repair promptly.
4. Dry Wet Areas: Wipe up spills and dry out wet areas within 24-48 hours.
5. Proper Sealing: Seal windows and doors to prevent moisture seepage.
6. Routine Inspections: Have a professional inspect your home annually, especially if you’ve had water damage in the past.

By following these steps, you can maintain a mold-resistant home. If you suspect mold growth, contact SERVPRO of Wood River Valley for expert remediation services. Let’s keep your home safe and sound, together.

The Truth About Mold Removal

4/14/2022 (Permalink)

The SERVPRO team is highly qualified and trained in all facets of mold and mold removal.

Did you know that removing all mold from a home or business is absolutely impossible? 

Microscopic mold spores are a natural part of the world and are prevalent almost everywhere. The SERVPRO team is not just "faster to any disaster", we are highly qualified and trained in all facets of mold and mold removal. Though mold removal is often fairly straightforward, it's still wise to hire SERVPRO of Wood River Valley to come and assess the situation. Sure, you can Google "what products remove mold" or "handyman mold removal near me," yet because of the complexities of mold itself, you may not be able to eradicate the problem as a professional team can. 

When water damage occurs,mold can begin to grow in as little as 48 hours. This time frame is important, especially because mold is more problematic for children, the elderly, or anyone with respiratory issues. Mold can also enter your home via open windows, your HVAC system, a pet, or even by attaching to shoes or clothing. Mold thrives on moisture and is often prevalent in bathrooms. When mold spores have entered your home, they can quickly become colonies when exposed to moisture or water. The mold colonies grow incredibly rapidly, producing allergens that are often harmful to our health. When mold has been caused by water damage, the first thing that must happen is for the water and any moisture residue to be removed and thoroughly dried to ensure that the mold doesn't return. 

Mold often produces a terrible odor, and some describe it as a "musty" smell. Most people describe this smell as under their carpet or within the drywall of their home or business. If you notice a strong smell in your home or business area subject to high amounts of moisture, you may have mold. Mold thrives on moisture, and rooms with high humidity can easily succumb to mold spores. To help prevent mold from spreading in humid spaces, keep the indoor humidity below 45%. 

If and when you smell the musty odor or your space has had significant water damage, it's crucial to call the SERVPRO of Wood River Valley team immediately at (208) 735-1447. You'll want to stay out of the affected area and turn off your heating or air conditioning unit, as that is an easy way to feed the mold colony's growth. It may be tempting, but don't try to start the cleaning process of the mold yourself, but the smart decision is to let the SERVPRO team be the one to eradicate it for you. In some cases, the use of bleach or something similar will work for small areas. If you can smell the odor, chances are, the mold has grown to a point a professional removal team is necessary. 

SERVPRO of Wood River Valley are trained in handling and removing all types of mold. We are trained in what to look for in the spreading of molds. We are equipped with the highest-end equipment to prevent the further spreading of all types of mold. You can trust us to thoroughly inspect an area and ask the appropriate questions to know what safety materials and equipment to use. Not only will we remove the mold, but we will also remove the musty odor and restore your space to what it was before mold took over. 

Shower Mold

12/24/2020 (Permalink)

Your bathroom provides an ideal environment for black mold because of the constant use of water and the high levels of humidity. The good news is that you can clean up some of that unsightly shower mold between visits from Wood River Valley Idaho, mold remediation professionals. Before you get started, remember a few vital tips:

Vital Tips to Clean Up Unsightly Shower Mold

• Never mix bleach, vinegar, and other cleaning products.
• When you treat the surface mold, hidden growth is still present behind the tiles where you can't reach.
  
  

It's good to conduct surface cleaning regularly, but it's still necessary to have professionals visit to get rid of mold hidden by the shower walls, the ceiling, and the floor.

Use a Homemade Solution

You can use undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle. Full-strength vinegar is the most effective, and you don't need to wipe the vinegar away. Within an hour or two, you shouldn't be bothered by vinegar smell anymore. Alternatively, you could mix 1 cup of Borax or bleach with a gallon of water and put this mixture in your spray bottle. The Borax spray doesn't need to be rinsed off, but the bleach spray must be rinsed away. Remember that bleach releases toxic fumes.

Wipe and Scrub Affected Surfaces

It's important that you get the right amount of spray on the shower mold, so that there's an even coating, but not so much liquid that you increase the potential for mold growth. Use a clean cloth or sponge to wipe the area down. Pull out a scrub brush for stubborn areas. Don't use that brush for anything else, or you'll risk spreading mold throughout your home. Moldy grout can be particularly hard to clean.

Replace Grout, Tiles, and Other Surfaces

If you can't get rid of mold stains, there's probably a deeper problem. This should be addressed by professionals. Removing wallboard, tiles, or wallpaper can release mold spores into the air, allowing them to float into other rooms of your home.

Shower mold may be a common occurrence, but this doesn't lessen the severity of this risks of associated with this fungus in your home. Make sure you take steps to clean up and treat mold as soon as you see or suspect its presence.

Our Mold Remediation Specialists Explain Our Containment Strategies For Your Burley Home

12/26/2018 (Permalink)

Our SERVPRO of Wood River Valley can help you to protect the unaffected areas of your home and restore the damaged areas to their original condition.

Mold Containment Strategies For Damaged Burley Homes

With microbial growth in your Burley residence, containment must become a priority. Preventing the spread of a damaging organism throughout your home can help to protect unaffected elements and reduce the overall costs of mold remediation for the property. Our qualified team can help you to isolate the affected area of your property with advanced equipment and strategies, reducing the possibility of mold spores accessing new areas and making the situation worse while our technicians remove the existing mold colonies to return your property to original condition.

Mold damage in Burley homes is often misunderstood and underappreciated until the situation reaches a point that it causes structural failures or health effects. Most of these properties could have saved significant time and money by getting the professional assistance they needed sooner, but many homeowners do not fully understand how quickly mold growth can move between surfaces, contents, and entire areas of the home through access to HVAC ducts.

That is why when our SERVPRO professionals first reach your property we begin our assessment into the full reach of the organism at that moment. We can determine where other areas of your home could have gotten accessed by the HVAC system and protect these surfaces with the use of antimicrobial spray to prevent mold and fungal growth. The affected materials and areas of your home get quarantined as efficiently as possible.

This containment of the organism is only effective if the air circulation in your home has gotten shut off. Physical barriers get installed with thick sheet plastic to keep spores from reaching new areas in the vicinity with the conditions that support their growth. We work inside of this physical containment with negative air and air scrubber machines to improve air quality and reduce the volume of active mold spores and volatile organic compounds to protect our technicians and others in the house while the colony gets removed.

Containment is critical to prevent mold colonies from spreading to the point that they get out of control. Our SERVPRO of Wood River Valley can help you to protect the unaffected areas of your home and restore the damaged areas to their original condition. Give us a call at (208) 788-0183.

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