As a professional mold remediation company, we get a lot of questions from property owners whose general contractors have found mold in their home during renovations. A lot of property owners report that their general contractor has handled the mold, but they want a mold professional to come out and double check. On occasion, there are general contractors who have also been specifically trained in mold remediation. Many general contractors may not have experience dealing with mold safely and effectively. That isn’t to say that these contractors didn’t have good intentions when attempting to handle a property’s mold issue. However, an improper mold remediation can lead to a lot more issues in the home, including more extensive damage and costly remediations.
Experience Required To Remediate Mold
Environmental contaminants such as mold require pollutant insurance in order to have the proper requirements for remediation. Mold remediation requires extensive training, certifications, and insurance to ensure that technicians are properly educated before even stepping foot into the field. On the other hand, general contractors are only required to have general liability insurance. This means that they do not have the proper requirements to handle a mold remediation. So what does one who has limited experience do when faced with a mold issue? They turn to the internet! The amount of misinformation about mold that can be found online is shocking. In fact, many unreliable online sources will even tell you that mold can be cleaned with bleach of all things. After all, bleach can clean everything, right? The truth is that the high water content in bleach can actually sustain mold growth further beneath the surface. This is why it is imperative that whoever does your mold remediation is properly educated, trained and certified in the mold remediation industry.
General contractors may be able to remove contaminated building materials from your property, but they may not know to employ the use of containment before doing so. When removing contaminated materials, mold spores can become airborne. Without proper containment, these airborne mold spores are free to float around, spreading to all corners of the home. Containment is widely overlooked in improper mold remediations. This can be detrimental because without containment, mold spores from affected areas can spread to unaffected materials throughout the home, causing even more damage. Containment isolates the affected area, ensuring that no mold spores continue to spread throughout your home.
Choosing The Right Mold Remediation Company
If this is the first time you’ve dealt with mold or moisture damage in your property, you may be unsure where to start. Understandably, many people just blindly trust general contractors who say they’ll be able to take care of the mold during renovations. This is why it is important that property owners educate themselves on proper mold remediation procedure before deciding how to handle the issue. Here are a few things that you can look for when researching mold remediation companies.
- Research: Checking a company’s online reputation can give you a good idea of who you may be working with. Read their reviews on Google, Facebook and Yelp. You may even want to check their Better Business Bureau rating for good measure.
- Qualifications: Ensure that they are properly licensed, certified, and insured. There is nothing wrong with asking to see a company’s insurance certificate. Is each employee individually trained, certified and educated to perform mold remediation?
