The best way to get rid of mold is to never have it in the first place. However, even the best preventative measures will sometimes fail and you will find yourself facing a mold problem. All mold can cause health problems, including: Throat and eye irritation, nasal congestion, coughs and sneezing. At its worst, mold can cause deep respiratory problems. Most forms of mold can be eradicated with standard cleaning methods, but there is one type that requires stronger measures: The dreaded black mold.
In small amounts it is possible to attack even black mold on your own, but there are many local laws regarding large scale mold accumulation and its disposal. Because of the dangers of handling material embedded with black mold, even small areas are best handled by a professional Baltimore mold remediation company to ensure it is completely gone. Whether you are tackling a small, common mold issue or you have a professional working on a more serious growth of black mold, there are five steps you need to be prepared for.
Step One:
You or the professional cleaner will need to find the source of the mold. That means water contact with a dry material such as wood or fiber. It is useless to clean the mold until the water is dried up and can’t return. If you are aware of the source of the water, and know it won’t come back, such as in an area that was flooded from a storm, or a spill that didn’t get cleaned up quickly, then you can proceed to step two. Otherwise, you must seek out the place where water entered, seal it up and make sure the area remains dry.
Step Two:
Create a plan to isolate the trouble spot and gather protective clothing. If a professional mold removal company is used they will surround the area or cordon off rooms with polyethylene sheets, and wear ventilation masks and protective clothing when working around existing mold.
Step Three:
Get rid of the mold covered materials by double bagging it in 6 mil plastic bags. Wipe down outside of bags to make sure no dust leaves the contamination zone.
Step Four:
Clean remaining surfaces that were unaffected by might have come in contact with mold dust from the discarded surfaces. If the mold was not significant enough to warrant forced remediation, simply wiping remaining surfaces with detergent and water will likely suffice. Level 2, or higher, mold issues demand the use of a HEPA vacuum as well as a wipe-down with detergent and water. Throw out all cloths used to clean in the same manner as moldy materials, in a double 6 mil plastic bag.
Step Five:
Wait for all surfaces to dry before reintroducing new building materials, or room furnishings and decorations. Once the area is dry you must check to be sure the cleanup was successful. Visually look for signs of new moisture or mold spots. If you have had symptoms of mold exposure, your mold remediation professional will call you back into the area and there should not be any recurrence of the health issues.
