Mold Inspection For Your Home or Office

Mold inspection is done by professionals in order to track down the specifics regarding the problem. Mildew can show up in a house or commercial structure for multiple reasons. Heavy storm damage might have occurred due to a hurricane, flood, prolonged rains, a tsunami or even a typhoon. Burst pipes or other plumbing difficulties can cause leakage which can lead to moldy structural components. A leaky roof can allow dampness to enter the attic and broken sump pumps in the basement can lead to spores multiplying down below. If the home or office building is located in a very humid region of the country, this high humidity can lead to mildew. No matter what the cause, it must be eliminated properly in order to maintain the building and keep human inhabitants healthy. Some of the illnesses that show up with exposure include asthma, allergic reactions and skin lesions. Here are some steps that need to be taken to solve the problem:

- Inspection: It’s important for the homeowner, business owner or a professional to inspect the property to find out where the problem lies. It’s also crucial to learn what kind of mold is growing. It can be black, white or green and can have a telltale aroma. If an inspector does this task, he or she may bring a special detection kit to help ascertain the type.

- Contain it: It’s crucial to keep the problem contained and not allow it to spread to other regions of the building. Mold spores multiply quickly and break down building components.

- Destroy it: There are various ways to destroy this growing problem. This task must be done with caution, however. It’s important to wear a mask or gloves in order to protect breathing pathways and skin. Simply covering it with paint will not be sufficient as this substance can eat through paint and wall coverings.

- Replace: If wallboard or boards are infested, they will have to be removed and replaced. Simply cleaning certain surfaces won’t work. Some fibers and soft materials such as carpeting and padding may have to be thrown out as they won’t be reparable.

- Ventilation: Rooms such as the bathroom or kitchen should have adequate ventilation to keep steam from showering or cooking to accumulate in these areas. Every bathroom should have vents and fans installed to get rid of moisture and a stove should have a fan above the cook top.

- Fix the source of the trouble: Whether it’s a leaky roof, broken pipes, clogged rain gutters or an ineffective basement sump pump, the source must be found and repaired or this same trouble will happen again.

Moldy infestations can be a devastating situation within a home or office building. The owners’ best bet is to have a mold inspection performed and then take all steps necessary to deal with it. After the inspection, the problem needs to be contained; the spores must be destroyed; some contaminated items and structural components must be replaced; ventilation must be adequate and the source of all leaks must be repaired.