Do You Need Professional Mold Removal?

DO contact a mold removal company if you have any of the following:

1. Mold that covers more than 10 square feet (about a 3 foot x 3 foot area).
2. Significant water damage (floods, second story bathtub overflow that damages the floor and/or ceiling, burst water pipes and the like).
3. Walls, floor, ceiling or other water-damaged areas have been wet for more than 48 hours.
4. Existing, on-going mold and moisture problems.
5. Your furniture, walls, wallpaper, floorboards, etc. have visible and extensive damage.
6. You suspect a hidden source of water – for example, when you see condensation build up in an area where no water should exist.
7. Someone in the house is experiencing significant health problems or being affected negatively by the moldy odors.
8. You have reason to believe that your home’s heating or air conditioning system may have a mold problem (mold near the intake, condensation build up on any of the system’s component parts, etc.).  In this case, DO NOT turn on the system or attempt to clean the mold yourself because the possibility of the mold becoming airborne is extremely high.
9. If you see or smell some obvious signs of mold but not the mold itself and you suspect it might mean something terrible is happening behind the walls.

Hidden Mold

In some cases, indoor mold growth may not be obvious. It is possible that mold may be growing on hidden surfaces, such as the backside of dry wall, wallpaper, or paneling, the top of ceiling tiles, the underside of carpets and pads, etc. Possible locations of hidden mold can include pipe chases and utility tunnels (with leaking or condensing pipes), walls behind furniture (where condensation forms), condensate drain pans inside air handling units, porous thermal or acoustic liners inside ductwork, or roof materials above ceiling tiles (due to roof leaks or insufficient insulation).

Some building materials, such as dry wall with vinyl wallpaper over it or wood paneling, may act as vapor barriers, trapping moisture underneath their surfaces and thereby providing a moist environment where mold can grow. You may suspect hidden mold if a building smells moldy, but you cannot see the source, or if you know there has been water damage and building occupants are reporting health problems. Investigating hidden mold problems may be difficult and will require caution when the investigation involves disturbing potential sites of mold growth make sure to use PPE.