The Importance of Professional Mold Remediation: Why DIY Isn't Enough

10/21/2024 (Permalink)

Mold can be a persistent problem in homes, especially after water damage. While DIY solutions might seem like a cost-effective approach, professional mold remediation offers several key advantages.

1. Thorough Inspection and Assessment

SERVPRO® professionals conduct a comprehensive inspection to identify all mold-affected areas. Mold can hide in places you might not consider, such as behind walls or under flooring. Our thorough assessment ensures that all mold sources are identified and addressed.

2. Advanced Equipment and Techniques

SERVPRO uses advanced equipment and techniques for effective mold removal. From air scrubbers to HEPA vacuums, our tools are designed to eliminate mold spores from the air and surfaces, reducing the risk of recurrence.

3. Containment and Prevention

To prevent the spread of mold during the remediation process, SERVPRO sets up containment areas. This includes sealing off affected areas with barriers and using negative air pressure to keep spores from spreading to other parts of your home.

4. Comprehensive Cleaning and Sanitizing

Our team cleans and sanitizes all affected areas to remove mold spores and prevent future growth. SERVPRO’s specialized cleaning agents and techniques ensure that your home is safe and mold-free.

5. Restoration and Repairs

After the mold is removed, we focus on restoring your home to its pre-mold condition. This may include repairing damaged drywall, flooring, and other structural elements.

By choosing professional mold remediation from SERVPRO, you ensure a thorough and effective solution to your mold problem, protecting your home and health.

Humidity, Mold and Air Quality in Your Eastern NC Home

6/1/2018 (Permalink)

High humidity continues to be an issue during the summer months in Eastern NC.

We here at SERVPRO of Lenoir, Duplin & Jones Counties want the people of Eastern NC to understand the high humidity issues we all deal with every summer as it relates to our homes.

Air barriers help to control the airflow through and within an enclosed structure. By controlling airflow, moisture is also controlled and therefore lessening the threat of mold in your home.

If moist indoor air comes into contact with a cold surface, it can result in condensation. An air barrier prevents cooler surfaces from being connected with indoor humid air. Warm air can store a lot of moisture, wile cold air stores very little moisture.

When the amount of moisture that can be stored in the air changes from warm to cool, the temperature gets colder. When it’s hot, more moisture is stored in the air, causing high humid levels. But when it’s cold, not much moisture can be stored at all. For those of us in the Lenoir, Duplin & Jones County area, that enjoy grilling out, let’s use this example: if you had a large propane tank filled with gas and you shrunk it, it would eventually spill over. And that’s called condensation.

Back in the day, older buildings would very seldom have condensation problems in cold weather because they were so well ventilated. In other words, they were leaky. The relative humidity in older homes would rarely rise above 25%. As tighter houses have been built, and they have failed to provide mechanical ventilation, the indoor relative humidity has gone up in newer homes.

In tight, heated and unventilated houses, the amount of moisture in the air along with the amount of condensation that can occur are drastically different than in old leaky houses. Condensation can occur wherever water vapor can find a cold spot, such as on roof or on walls, and the inside of window panes, and even inside the walls.

Using another example: if the temperature is 40°F outside and the outdoor relative humidity is 50%, you could allow that outdoor air to enter your home and heat it up to 70°F. The amount of moisture in the air stays exactly the same because the storage capacity of the air increases with the temperature. As a result of this, the relative humidity initially drops. As the moisture is added to the air, the relative humidity rises, and the moisture content rises also. How is moisture added to the air? As you breathe, sweat, boil water, take hot showers and grow houseplants indoors, all of those activities generate moisture in you home.

Indoor humidity becomes a problem when air leaks out of a house through holes in the structure. As the air reaches surfaces colder than 52°F or 53°F, the air will cool. When the air reaches its maximum capacity to store moisture, condensation will occur with the threat of mold beginning not far behind.

If the outdoor air temperature is around 30°F, the indoor air will drop the moisture that it gained on the way out. Since condensation in the walls can cause puddles, and in some cases, rot the structures framing. Condensation is something homeowners should want to avoid. If an air barrier is installed, it can help prevent condensation. Your air conditioning could also cause condensation.The same scenario can happen in reverse during the summer months. For example: if the outdoor air is 85°F and the relative humidity is 75%, the outdoor air leaking inward comes into contact with a surface below about 76°F, then the moisture in the air will condense and in some cases, also causing mold. If an exhaust fan is in your home, the air leaking in could cause condensation issues on air-conditioned surfaces, such as on the back side of vinyl wallpaper.

If moist air enters into a leaky house through gaps in the roof or wall,  you may experience problems. But in a tight house with good air barriers along with a supply-only ventilation system, most of the air that’s enters inside the house is drawn in through the air conditioner, so the first cold surface it comes into contact with is the cooling coils of the air conditioner.

If air leaks are present in your building, you usually can’t see the condensation. However, condensation is sometimes visible in the attic space. The only thing a homeowner has to do is look for frost, dampness forming, or any sign of mold on the underside of the roof sheathing.

Not much of a hole in the ceiling of a humid house is needed for condensation to accumulate in the form of frost. Later, as the sun warms the roof up, the frost will melt, the water falls and then you could have have a leaky roof on your hands. Some homeowners would then call a roofer, he puts on a new roof, and it doesn’t fix anything because that was not the problem to begin with . It was an air leak. 

If you as a homeowner are experiencing any of these issue, call the professionals at SERVPRO of Lenoir, Duplin & Jones Counties @ (252)208-7888. We are faster to any disaster and will make it like it never even happened.

Mold at School...Not a good Thing

3/13/2018 (Permalink)

Clearly mold in a school setting is not a good environment for any child.

• SERVPRO of Lenoir, Duplin & Jones Counties is committed to helping keep our schools free of any mold situations that could be harmful to your kids health. A damp, moldy school environment could be harmful to kids for a several reasons. Damp indoor environments could create conditions that are more favorable for standing water. In schools this can increase pest infestations, all of which could release allergens into the air. Moisture also can cause building materials to release toxins into the air that could cause physical and/or mental health issues. Damp environments may lead to growth of different kinds of molds indoors. Although some molds could be anywhere at any time, indoors or out, including in schools. When wet conditions exist, molds could grow to higher than normally occurring levels. Some schools may be in poor repair and poorly maintained. Many schools could have plumbing problems, leaky roofs or poor ventilation systems, which could create the ideal moisture conditions needed for molds to grow. Moisture and mold problems can be present in schools regardless of the climate or time of year, and may be present in older buildings as well as new construction. Delaying repairs or cutting back maintenance could make the mold problems worse. Many schools have mold problems because of poor construction, or because they are so tightly sealed and poorly ventilated, which prevents most of the moisture from escaping. School personnel and parents should be alert to and help monitor schools for moisture, water damage, and resulting mold problems. We all love an care for our kids and SERVPRO of Lenoir, Duplin & Jones Counties is no different.

A Few Tips for Mold Safety

8/2/2017 (Permalink)

If visible mold is seen, don’t disturb it. The mold infestation can be accidentally spread throughout your home. When visible mold is disturbed, it can release microscopic spores into the air and can circulate inside your home.                    

Things to do:

• Stay out of the affected area.
• Turn off the HVAC system and fans.

Contact SERVPRO of Lenoir, Duplin and Jones Counties at (252)208-7888 for mold remediation services as soon as possible.

Things Not to Do: 

• Don’t touch or disturb the mold in any way.

• Don’t allow air to blow across any surfaces with visible or suspected mold growth.
• Don’t try to dry the area yourself.
• Don’t spray any bleach or other disinfectants on the mold.

About Our Mold Remediation Services

SERVPRO of Lenoir, Duplin and Jones Counties specializes in mold cleanup and restoration, in fact, it’s a cornerstone of our business.  Our crews are highly trained restoration professionals that use specialized equipment and techniques to properly remediate your mold problem quickly and safely.

If You See Signs of Mold, Call Us Today!(252)208-7888