by Mold-B-Gone | Dec 15, 2021 | Mold Information, Mold Removal
Mold and mildew are two words that people often interchange with one another. They are used to describe the growth of fungi on organic material, but they have some key differences. Both can be harmful to your health if you come into contact with them or breathe in spores they release into the air, but they require different approaches. Here’s what you need to know about mold vs. mildew.
What Is Mold?
Mold is a type of fungus that grows in moist, damp places. It thrives on organic material with weakened cell walls to break down and absorb nutrients from its surroundings. Mold can grow practically anywhere indoors where there’s plenty of moisture, including concrete, wood floors, drywall or sheetrock, countertops, or tiles made of stone or cement, fabrics like carpeting, and upholstery materials.
What Is Mildew?
What’s the difference between mold and mildew? Like mold spores floating through the air see an opportunity to attach themselves to surfaces, they come into contact with when it gets wet enough for them to flourish in your home. They smell musty but usually don’t release harmful toxins unless you breathe in their spores, which cause infections similar to other fungal diseases such as Valley Fever and Ringworm.
How to Get Rid of Mold and Mildew?
Both types of fungi can be removed with a gentle scrubbing action using soap, water, and elbow grease to strip away the spores attached to surfaces so they don’t spread or grow back. You may need special tools like brushes or mops if mold has grown into porous areas such as drywall which you cannot clean by hand.
For fabrics like drapes and carpeting that hold on to mildew smells even after cleaning, try adding some baking soda for more thorough deodorizing power before laundering them again in hot water since cold washing won’t remove stubborn odors caused by mildew residue left behind on fibers.
Is DIY Mold and Mildew Cleaning Safe?
If you are worried about the safety of cleaning mold and mildew yourself, don’t! Instead, turn to the professionals at Mold-B-Gone for mold cleaning services in Atlanta. We have the experience and know-how to safely remove these harmful fungi from your home without exposing you or your family members to dangerous spores. Contact us today for a consultation or to learn more about the processes and cleaning solutions we use!
Ready to learn more? Read: Top 10 Reasons You Need to Be Aware of Mold!
by Mold-B-Gone | Nov 16, 2021 | Mold Information, Mold Remediation
Mold can be a serious problem. It will not only make your home uninhabitable, but it could also cause health problems for you and your family. If you think there may be mold in your house, how do you confirm its presence? And how can you know if the presence is harmful? In this blog post, we will look at 8 ways to tell if there may be mold in your house as well as how to get rid of it!
Signs You Have Mold in Your House
- A musty smell that won’t go away. No matter how well you clean or the room perfumes you use, this keeps lingering. It might even get worse when your air conditioning is turned on.
- Black or dark spots on various surfaces of your home. This can look dry or slimy. Keep in mind that it won’t always be perfectly black. In many cases, mold is a dark green or even a brown.
- Fuzz growing on surfaces or near windows. This mold is likely easy to address but still is a concern.
- Spots appearing on walls and ceiling that may look like watermarks. Whether these are actual watermarks or mold growth, you’ll need help as excess moisture almost always means mold growth.
- Bubbling wallpaper. This often indicates excess moisture behind the paper or in the wall, which means mold is lurking.
- Water pooling around the foundation of your house. If you notice water collecting, there is likely an issue with how well your gutters are working or how much rainwater they’re allowing into the basement. Either way, this can lead to mold growth in damp conditions, which will need to be addressed by a professional team of experts!
- A musty smell coming from under sinks and cabinets where appliances like refrigerators may be located. It’s possible that these smells could come from food gone bad so keep an eye out for other signs before assuming it’s mold – especially if the appliance isn’t even turned on!
- Sagging floors or ceilings. While not always related to mold problems specifically, this could be a sign of moisture damage so it’s best to get an expert in your home to check things out.
What to Do if You Notice Signs of Mold in the Home
If you notice any of these signs, how do you know if there’s really mold in your house? The only way to be sure is to have an Atlanta mold inspection expert come and test. While this costs more than going DIY, it is the only reliable method.
If you are in the Atlanta area, Mold-B-Gone is the mold remediation service to turn to. For more information or to schedule our mold cleaning services in Atlanta, contact us today.
For more on this topic, read: How Do I Know if Mold Is Growing in My Basement?
by Mold-B-Gone | Nov 6, 2021 | Mold Removal
Did you know that mold can grow on a variety of surfaces, including wood, drywall, concrete, and even plastic? Mold is typically found in areas with high moisture levels, such as kitchens and bathrooms. Due to its unpleasant nature and potential health risks, you’ll want to clean mold off your walls when you find it. Here is a step-by-step guide to going DIY with getting mold off a wall.
If you have been struggling to remove mold from your walls yourself or if the problem has grown out of control, then it might be time to turn to our mold cleaning service in Atlanta.
How to Remove Mold From Your Walls
The first step is to clear the area around the wall. Mold spores will latch on to anything they can, so if you get them on your furniture or rugs, they will take root. If you have wall-to-wall carpet, cover it. Everything you can move, push to the other side of the room.
Next, try cleaning the wall with an antimicrobial solution. With certain types of mold, this will get the job done. Then, you clean up the area, put things back in place, and wait to see if this address your mold problem.
If the mold returns, you need to dig deeper. Use coarse-grit sandpaper to strip off all of the paint around the moldy area. Then wipe down the drywall using soapy water and an antimicrobial solution. Finally, spray it with disinfectant before letting everything air out. Once it dries, you can repaint.
Need a little more guidance? Read: What Can I Do If I Have Mold In My Apartment?
What if the Mold Keeps Coming Back?
Mold doesn’t like light and air. If you can get these two things into the affected area, mold will have a hard time growing there again after it is removed completely. You also might need to cut a hole into your wall to clean behind the drywall.
If this sounds too complicated, let us help! We come equipped with everything we need so you don’t have to worry about how to remove mold from wood, drywall, concrete, and more. We are your experts in mold removal as well as Commercial Mold Removal in Atlanta.
by Mold-B-Gone | Oct 19, 2021 | Mold Facts
Do you have mold in your home? If so, it is important to understand the coverage of your homeowner’s insurance policy. Mold can be costly to remove and eradicate, but not all homeowners’ policies cover the cost in every case. Will homeowner’s insurance cover your mold problem? Here’s what you need to know.
Why Is Mold Dangerous?
Mold is dangerous because it can be hazardous to your health. It can cause an allergic reaction (like sneezing, watery eyes, and coughing), asthma attacks, or other respiratory problems like shortness of breath or wheezing, skin irritation (like eczema), and eye irritations. Mold exposure also may make you more susceptible to infections in your lungs and other parts of the body.
Mold often appears in basements, bathrooms, bedrooms or any dark humid places. This is because mold feeds on moisture and when there’s a lot of humidity in these spaces then it can grow quickly and spread throughout your home.
Read more: 15 FAQs About Mold and Health
Does Home Insurance Cover Mold?
Most homeowner policies cover mold if the source of the mold is something already covered by your policy. So the answer to, “Is mold covered by insurance?” is a not-very-helpful, “Maybe?”
For example, if your home floods and you do not have flood insurance as part of your homeowner’s policy, the resulting mold and its remediation are not covered by home insurance. The same is true if the mold develops due to neglect on your part, as most homeowner’s policies have clauses stipulating that you must perform the appropriate maintenance to prevent problems for them to be covered.
What to Do After Mold Has Appeared?
Whether or not mold is covered by insurance, if you start to find signs of a mold infestation, then contact your insurance agent immediately to clarify the terms of your coverage. Then, find an Atlanta mold inspection service to work with. A mold inspection will help determine the extent of your problem and allow you to better understand what treatments are needed in order to safely and completely remove the mold from your home.
Mold insurance coverage can be complicated, but it is important that homeowners have a clear understanding of what their policy covers in each case so they know how best to proceed if they have an issue with mold. If you need any more information about mold removal, speak with Mold-B-Gone.
Where could mold be lurking? Check out 7 Areas Mold Is Growing in Your Home!
Thinking about going DIY. Read: Reasons to Hire a Professional Mold Remediation Service.
by Mold-B-Gone | Sep 20, 2021 | Mold Remediation
Mold is a common problem for homeowners, but one that needs to be treated quickly and thoroughly to protect your health and house. Once you have it in one spot of your home, mold does spread. We suggest that as soon as you notice signs of a problem, your contract with mold experts in Atlanta.
But how does mold spread in a house? As it ends up, there are multiple things that facilitate mold spore spread.
Natural Air Flow
There is always airflow in your home, even when your HVAC system is off and the doors and windows are closed. Just walking quickly can generate enough of a breeze for mold spores to catch a ride. Black mold does spread very easily with even the slightest breeze. While this doesn’t allow for significant travel, it is enough to let the affected spot essentially grow in size.
Your HVAC System
This one allows for some serious travel, and it is one of the biggest ways mold spores spread. Moving air picks up the spores and your system pulls them into the ductwork. They can then take root there in the ducts, and then new spores travel on the air as it is pushed out of your ducts, allowing mold to enter every space in your home.
Feet, Hands, and Paws
How does mold move? In some cases, it is with you—or your pets. When you step on or touch mold, even without knowing, then touch another surface, you allow the mold spores to travel and make their home in another part of your house.
Preventing Mold Spread
The first step in preventing mold spread is to identify the source and all other presence of mold in your home, then eliminate it. Mold inspection in Atlanta will assist with this.
The next step is to work to prevent mold from growing in your home in the future. While mold can spread from home to home, meaning no prevention method is perfect, you should work to keep your humidity levels within safe ranges and eliminate any sources of excess moisture, such as wet carpeting after a flood or a lack of ventilation in a bathroom.
Mold is a scary thought, but it can be eliminated from your home with the help of a professional mold mitigation team. If you have found traces of mold in your house or if you know someone who has been diagnosed with an illness related to exposure to mold, please contact us today for more information about how we can get rid of that pesky stuff! We work on all types of properties and will come out and assess your situation.
For more information on mold and its dangers, read: What Is Black Mold?
