The Types of Mold in Your Home and Their Health Impact

7/16/2019 (Permalink)

Photo by Michael Schiffer on Unsplash

Everyone has heard a mold story, telling a tale of how mold occurred in someone’s home and the difficulty they had in removing it successfully. Many people hear the stories and conclude that mold only strikes in older homes. The fact is mold can occur in any home, regardless of age, and is a result of mold spores. Of course, not all mold is harmful, at least not at first, but when left untreated, mold can be quite dangerous in your home.

Common Molds in Homes

While some homeowners will never have a mold problem, mold can be unavoidable. This is a list of the most common types of mold and the health risks they present when not treated quickly and effectively.

• Alternaria is a common mold that can be found inside and out in damp areas. Alternaria causes allergy symptoms and asthma attacks.
• Aspergillus is another common mold found inside homes which causes allergic reactions and respiratory infections.
• Cladosporium is the mold found in carpets, wood floors and cabinets, and aging fabrics. Cladosporium results in breathing difficulty and recurring respiratory issues.
• Penicillium often occurs after water damage to insulation, furniture, carpets, and more. It spreads quickly and easily and can cause sinus infections, allergy flare-ups, and inflammation of the lungs.
• Stachybotrys, also known as black or toxic mold, creates mycotoxins which cause asthma attacks, breathing issues, depression, fatigue, sinus infections, and more. It grows in damp areas and can be detected by its musty smell.

Mold Prevention & Treatment

The most successful treatment for mold is prevention. Since mold often results when water damage occurs or when surfaces regularly get wet and aren’t dried and cleaned properly. Preventing mold can be as simple as drying out areas which are damp, cleaning carpets, floors, and walls regularly, and fixing any leaks. When buying a home, it’s important to have a home inspection to ensure there is no mold growth.

Should you find mold is an issue in your home, call on the professionals, like the ones at SERVPRO to eradicate the problem. After the mold issue is taken care of, remember to keep damp areas clean and dry and consider adding a quality air purifier to your home to help remove mold spores and avoid future mold problems.

Removal, Remediation, Restoration – Understanding Mold

4/18/2019 (Permalink)

Mold Remediation, photo by @gilbertpropertylaw

Mold Spores and What to Expect

Because mold spores live everywhere – inside your home or office and outside as well - removing ALL mold from your property is virtually impossible. The truth is these troublesome spores are microscopic, floating along on the air, entering your home or business when you open doors and windows, through your heating and cooling systems, and even coming in on people and pets.

Mold in Your Home

When mold spores arrive in your home or business they seek out damp, moist spaces in which to thrive. Thus mold growth (spores growing into colonies) begins quickly, manifesting within only 48 hours. You’ll know when mold is there, because even if you don’t see it, you’ll smell the strong, musty odor it emits. These bothersome mold colonies can produce allergens and irritants which result in health concerns for those living in your home and those working in your company.

Mold Removal in Fontana CA

Complete mold removal is impossible, so when companies “guarantee” to remove all mold, their claims are false.

On the other hand, mold remediation is quite possible. Mold remediation is a process focused on reducing mold levels in your home or business back to natural levels. And while each mold problem is unique and will require a customized plan for your home or office, the steps to remediation are similar in all cases. Step one is contacting a trusted mold remediation specialist like SERVPRO. In step two, an inspection and assessment is performed. This is followed by steps three and four and includes mold containment and air filtration. Steps five and six feature removal of mold-infested material and mold, followed by the cleaning of all the property’s contents.

The process is completed in step seven, the restoration of your property. The restoration process includes repairing the mold damaged areas including, but not limited to, replacement of drywall, subflooring, carpeting, as well as painting, and any reconstruction needed depending on the severity of the damage caused by the mold.

Interested in learning more about SERVPRO of Fontana? Read testimonials from real clients or give us a call at (909) 357-4337.

Our Address:

SERVPRO of Fontana
15218 Summit Avenue, #300-426
Fontana, CA 92336 

Resolve to Eliminate Mold in Your Home this Year

1/8/2019 (Permalink)

Mold in Orange County

While it may be a new year, that doesn’t mean all of the troubles from last year are gone. If your home has a mold problem, that issue is going to continue to plague you until you look into home mold remediation services. If you suspect you still have mold in your home, this is the year to resolve to get rid of it!

What Causes Mold?

The mold in your home can be caused by a number of different issues, and you’ll need to address this underlying cause after you’ve had the mold removed. In some cases, a minor leak in your plumbing is the cause. In other cases, it may be something more involved like a leak in your roof or flooding from a storm. Any time you have moisture in your home, mold spores can begin to multiply and grow. If you don’t deal with the cause at the same time you have the mold removed, it’s only going to return.

Why Deal with Mold Now?

You may be wondering why you should deal with mold now if you haven’t done so before. The bottom line is that mold is dangerous to your health. You should never put off having remediation services come in and clear the mold from your home. Otherwise, it may impact your breathing, make your allergies worse, cause damage to your home, and more.

If you have mold in your home, make it your New Year’s resolution to have it treated. The longer you put it off, the larger the problem will become and the bigger the impact it will have on your health. Don’t try to remove mold yourself—without the right equipment and training, it’s impossible to find all of the mold or dispose of it correctly.

Call SERVPRO of Fontana today to schedule your mold remediation.

Contact us at (909) 357-4337 or email us.

How to Tell if Your Home has a Mold Problem

6/22/2017 (Permalink)

Discover How to Detect Mold

It’s every homeowner’s worst nightmare: a mold colony that quickly spreads throughout the house. Not only can mold cause structural damage and lower your home’s value, but exposure to this fungus can also be a serious health risk – especially for people who have a mold allergy.

If you suspect that there’s mold in your home, don’t delay. Some of the most common warning signs include:

Moisture Buildup

Water leaks and condensation problems aren’t direct symptoms of a mold infestation, but they do create a very inviting environment for spores to grow. Mold flourishes in damp areas, and you’d be shocked at how quickly it can appear – we often see early signs of growth within 24-48 hours of a flood.

Musty Odor

Since mold grows best in damp, dark spaces (ultraviolet light is harmful to it), it will often start to form within walls, behind major appliances, and in other out-of-the-way places. A pungent, musty smell is often one of the first indicators that it has entered your home. If this happens, you’ll definitely want to call a mold removal company before the problem spreads any further.

Visible Patches of Mold

Even visible areas can harbor mold growth, especially if they’re quite humid or the site of a recent water damage event. Spotting out-in-the-open mold usually isn’t too difficult. It tends to form scattered, fuzzy clumps on walls, floors, and ceilings. Household molds may range in color from white to gray-green to black (depending on species).

For mold removal services near Riverside, SERVPRO of Fontana is the name you can trust. Call us today at (909) 357-4337.

How to Fight Winter Mold Growth

6/22/2017 (Permalink)

How to Fight Winter Mold

Mold grows surprisingly well in the winter – at least indoors. As we insulate our homes and crank up the heat, we’re also trapping moisture and increasing the humidity. This creates the perfect environment for this nasty fungus to take root – but you don’t have to let it.

Here are a few of our top tips for fighting winter mold growth:

Keep Humidity in Check

If there’s enough moisture in the air, mold can thrive even without a clear source of liquid water. Humidity indoors often spikes in the winter months, but you can control things a bit by placing one or more dehumidifiers throughout the house. These are especially effective in kitchens and bathrooms, where there tend to be higher local humidity levels.

Inspect Your Roof, Gutters, and Downspouts

Your roof, gutters, and downspouts are an important drainage system. They do more than just keep the rain off your head – they’re designed to funnel that water away from your home’s foundation and basement.

Problem is, autumn and winter debris (like twigs, leaves, and chunks of ice) can block up your gutters and downspouts. This can cause rainwater and snowmelt to back up into your home, or to drip down and erode the foundation. Ensure your drainage systems work properly all winter long by checking for blockages and clearing them out.

Clean and Vacuum Regularly

Frequent vacuuming and quickly drying up spilled water becomes even more important in the winter months. Pay attention to your basement and bathrooms in particular, as well as the area around the doors to outside.

With winters often full of snow and mud, you and your family/houseguests are likely to accidentally track debris inside, so be sure to keep your entryways especially clean. Even small amounts can serve as food for mold, and a damp, poorly lit area might as well be a welcome mat (which, by the way, you’ll want to wash as well).

For mold removal and water damage restoration services, call SERVPRO of Fontana today at (909) 357-4337.

Take Precautions

1/20/2016 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Fontana handles water damage everyday and know prompt action is required to prevent mold growth. Mold is more likely to spread when an environment has been subject to moisture for a long period of time. If your property ha sustained a recent water damage, it is vital to remove excess water and dry the structure promptly. If there is an ongoing moisture problem in the building, it is important to be alert for:

- The presence of visible mold.

- Strong musty odors which may indicate mold is present.

- Any evidence of past moisture problems that might have caused undetected mold growth.

- Excessive Humidity.

These conditions may require the expertise of a qualified indoor air quality / environmental professional to inspect the building for mold growth and water damage problems. The environmental professional will provide a written protocol / report with his or her's recommendations on how the properly mitigate the damages if your property is contaminated with mold.

Environmental Professionals

1/7/2016 (Permalink)

Indoor air quality / environmental professionals evaluate the quality of the air inside a structure. Some specialize and are skilled in testing buildings for presence of mold. Using various testing devices, these professionals collect air and surface samples to compare the indoor spore count to the outdoor enviroment. If you have concerns about mold, the SERVPRO franchise professional can assist you in locating a qualified indor air quality / environmental professionals.

SERVPRO of Fontana professionals care about proper restoration of your structure. In most water damage situations excessive mold growth is not a problem SERVPRO of Fontana professionals can safely restore your building to pre-loss condition. The need to adress the presence of mold can only be determined by an on-site, indoor environmental inspection. Please keep in mind SERVPRO franchise professionals do not interpret insurance policies or coverage, you must consult your insurance company to determine the scope of policy coverage.