Services

Mold anywhere in your home is a serious matter, and dealing with it should not be put off. It’s key that you take action right away to remove and recover from it, or you could experience serious damage to not only your property, but also to your health.

Is Mold Behind Kitchen and Bathroom Cabinets Toxic/Dangerous?

Some people find that they are more sensitive to mold than others, so it may affect you more or less than another person. The extent of how dangerous mold is also depends on the type of mold that has invaded your property and how many mycotoxins it has released into the atmosphere. Typically, black mold is far more toxic than white mold.

Mold can affect your health in numerous ways, and it will present itself through symptoms like memory issues, trouble thinking, brain fog, or allergy issues.

Where Can Mold Be Found?

Mold needs food and moisture sources to grow and survive, so wet climates, temperatures of around 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit, and poor air circulation make the perfect home for it. Any free-floating mold spores in the air will also greatly contribute to a higher chance of mold growth. Most often, mold will use the following sources for food:

• Concrete
• Wood beams
• Cinder blocks
• Basement cabinets
• Drywall
• Non-waterproofed building materials

Mold has a variety of places it can inhabit; the list above is not exhaustive, but it also needs moisture sources, some of which could be fire sprinklers, heavy rains, appliance problems, or busted plumbing and/or HVAC components.

Have any of these above issues affected your household? It’s best if you repair any damage right away before it becomes worse. You may or may not already have mold in your home as a result of any water damage.

How to Know If There Is Mold in Your Property

Sometimes mold is not visible to the human eye, so you’ll need other ways to detect it than just with your own senses. If you have any suspicions of mold growing on your property, you can purchase and utilize a mold testing kit to catch the mold in its early stages. The earlier you get it taken care of, the less work you’ll need done – and money you’ll need to pay!

Mold Removal from Wood Cabinets Process

You should not try to remediate mold on your own; when you hire a professional to do it, here is the general process he will follow:

1. Develop a Mold Remediation Plan

Depending on your insurance plan and how the damage to your property occurred, your insurance may cover at least part of the remediation cost, so the first thing you’re mold specialist will do is investigate the extent of the damage to your property and present you with this information as well as what the process of remediation will look like for you to submit to your insurance company. If you have any other documentation, such as a mold test done by an industrial hygienist, you should submit this as well.

2. Move Your Personal Belongings to a Safe Place

Any of your personal belongings that are near and around the mold may become damaged as well, so the restoration company should move it to a different part of your home as soon as possible.

3. Solve the Moisture Issue

Remember that any excess moisture or water damage in your home is most likely the main cause of any mold growth, so your mediation contractor should locate and repair the moisture source at the beginning stages of the process. Often, a moisture meter would be utilized to detect.

4. Isolate the Affected Area

The last thing you want is for the problem to grow worse, so it’s key that you isolate it, especially as the remediation process will cause some stirring of the mold spores. If it’s just in a small area, the mold specialist will only need to close all doors and windows around the contamination. However, if the mold issue is larger, your contractor will likely need to also use polyethylene sheeting to block off any contaminated areas.

5. Demolish the Mold-Damaged Areas

Unfortunately, some areas will have been too severely damaged to just clean off. Your mold specialist will have to demolish and completely remove any areas that are beyond recovery.

6. Properly Throw Away the Removed Building Materials

Mold can survive through quite a bit and grow back later if the remediation process has not been done correctly and thoroughly, so your professional will most likely double-bag anything being disposed of in polyethylene bags. For extra precaution, it’s wise to even wipe down the outside of the bags as well.

7. Clean and Sanitize

Once the demolition process is complete and any affected materials have been properly removed and disposed of, your contractor will then sanitize what is left, most often using wire brushes and disposable wipes.

8. Water Damage Repair

Again, you want to be absolutely sure that all moisture has been taken care of, so if there is any moisture present once the process is complete, the mold professional can use specialized fans and dehumidifiers or something to raise the temperature in the room to thoroughly dry any damp areas.

Step 9: Reconstruction

Not all restoration contractors offer to reconstruct the area, but they may be able to at least sub-contract or refer you to a company that can. Your goal is to either get your home back to what it was before or, perhaps, get it to an even better condition.

Step 10: Repairing Your Personal Belongings

Your insurance company may not refund you for damaged and totalled items, but it’s worth documenting them as well as the process and submitting a claim. Whichever company you hire for repair, they will not only repair, but also clean and put back any personal belongings.

Prevent Mold from Returning

Once you’ve gone through the remediation process, the last thing you’d want is to do it all over again! To keep mold from returning, maintain your plumbing and HVAC components, waterproof any materials that aren’t already, check for moisture issues on a regular basis, ventilate your property, clean and maintain your roof and gutters, and use an air purifier to lessen the amount of mold spores in the atmosphere.
Call us today for a free estimate if your home or property has experienced mold damage.