Mold Cleanup & Remediation

How Does Mold Grow?

Mold is all around us. When spores find the right conditions, they multiply and create colonies. You know you have a colony when you see a mold patch on your wall.

There are over 100,000 types of mold species. They all have specific characteristics in common. For example, they thrive when there is humidity, something to feed on, and warm temperatures.

Dripping pipes or water damage create the right humidity conditions for spores to grow into a colony. If your humidity index is above 60%, you have the perfect conditions for mold to grow. As for temperature, the sweet spot is between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

For more on why mold takes hold in high-country homes, read the hidden dangers of mold in your Colorado mountain home.

Mold can remain dormant for long periods. Once the right circumstances arise, the spores will awaken and start growing. Mold will happily grow on drywall, paper, dust, wood, carpets, linen, fabric, and upholstery.

Client To-Do's

What To Do When You Spot Mold

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mold can lead to numerous health complications, especially if left to grow within your home or business. These symptoms may start with a sore throat, stuffy nose, or coughing but can quickly become more serious. Therefore, you should follow these steps as soon as you spot even early signs of mold growth in your home.

Avoid Disturbing The Mold

Refrain from cleaning large areas yourself, as this can release spores into the air, spreading them to other areas of your home. You may also want to turn off any moving air within the room, including fans, your HVAC system, and similar equipment.

Restrict Access

Because mold can cause serious health complications, you must restrict access to the area where it was spotted. Keep children, pets, and elderly family members away from the mold area. You can close the door and prevent access if it's in a single room. If it's spread in parts of the house you must use, try to block it off so that no one can touch it or bump into it.

Find the Source

Mold typically grows in damp environments, so it's crucial to identify the source of the moisture. This could be a leaky pipe, a window that doesn't seal properly, or even high humidity. Addressing the source of the water is critical to preventing mold from returning.

Contact Valley Restoration and Construction

If the mold covers a large area, or if you're dealing with toxic black mold, it's best to contact a professional mold remediation company like Valley Restoration. We have the training and equipment to remove the mold safely and can also help address any underlying moisture problems contributing to mold growth.

Valley's Process

Our Mold Removal & Cleanup Process

When you call Valley Restoration and Construction for mold remediation, you can expect us to walk through the same steps we do for each project.

Identify and Isolate the Mold Area

When Valley Restoration receives your call, we will first identify and isolate the area to prevent mold spores from traveling to other parts of the house. We will also turn off the HVAC system to stop mold from further invading the air ducts and moving throughout the house.

Identify And Fix the Humidity Source

For a colony to grow, a source of humidity is usually required. This can be a dripping pipe or other water-related problem. Once the area is isolated, we need to find this source of humidity and fix it to prevent future moisture buildup.

Clear the Mold

People often make the mistake of cleaning mold with a wet sponge and detergent, thinking this solves the problem. The dark spot on your wall is just the top part of the colony. Think of it as a flower: the stem and petals release spores into the air. Underneath your plaster or drywall lies its sturdy roots, which will survive any simple wall scrubbing.

Prior to any disruption of the mold surfaces, we contain the area. To eradicate the entire colony, including the parts not ordinarily visible, we scrub the surface where mold has grown with antimicrobial and antifungal chemicals that attack mold colonies in their entirety. Disinfecting and sanitizing the area is essential to eradicate all mold remnants.

Any cleaning is completed under negative air conditions using a HEPA filtered commercial negative air machine. After cleaning and sanitizing the area, any raw materials (framing, joists, subfloor, etc.) is then coated with a mold resistant paint.

We take extra care to clean floors, windows, the HVAC system, upholstery, and any other place where colonies may have formed.

We remove any items that we cannot clean. Sometimes, drywall, carpets, and subfloors need to be removed. We judge the extent of mold damage and the type of surface. Any salvageable item is treated and sanitized.

For anything that must be removed, we will repair or replace these items so that your home is fully put back to normal. This may require us to replace drywall, carpets, or subflooring. We may also need to repair the source of the mold, like burst pipes, portions of the ceiling or roof, and other areas in your home or business.

Clean the Air

Since spores are tiny, they can readily travel through the air from one room to another. Once we have dealt with the source of the problem, we use HEPA filters, HEPA vacuums, and air scrubbers to capture even the most minuscule spores that may still linger in the air, thus preventing a future colony from forming.

Make Sure the Moisture Levels Are Normal

While our air purifiers ensure clean and spores-free air, we also run professional dehumidifiers to remove excess humidity. We measure the humidity levels with moisture meters and test your home or business to evaluate how much moisture has been removed and whether the humidity levels are back to healthy.

Your Mold Remediation Experts

Mold damage can be challenging, especially when it invades your home or business. Thankfully, Valley Restoration and Construction is here to help you through every step of the mold remediation process.

FAQs

Common Mold Damage Questions