Tulsa Mold Remediation: Basics, Risks, Prevention and Removal

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), mold is quite literally a part of daily life. In fact, hundreds of thousands of different mold species coexist right now alongside people, just as they have done for millennia.

While only a handful of mold species regularly causes mold remediation problems for homeowners and business owners, all mold species need one vital component to grow: moisture. Without access to moisture, mold spores cannot take root, grow, colonize and spread.

Controlling moisture is the key to mold prevention. But you can’t always control the presence of moisture, which is where mold remediation and mold removal may become necessary.

Mold Basics

Mold is a four letter word to homeowners and business owners alike. This holds true despite the fact that some types of mold can be very beneficial!

But the type you find growing inside your home or commercial building is unlikely to do you any good and can do plenty of harm if mold remediation is not begun promptly.

What does mold eat?

As the American Environmental Health Foundation points out, mold doesn’t actually feast directly on wood, carpeting or drywall. Rather, mold is after the tasty moisture and organic sugars, water and minerals that exist on the surface of these furnishings.

This is why mold can grow on practically anything made of organic matter, from library books to suitcases, gym shoes to curtains.

How does mold spread?

Once a mold colony becomes successfully established in one location inside your home or workplace, the colony will send out tiny airborne explorers called spores to look for other suitable homes.

When the mold spores find a new location with the right balance of moisture and organic matter, they will land, settle in and start to quickly reproduce. This is how mold grows and spreads.

What is black mold?

The most famous type of toxic mold is called black mold, which is actually a group of molds, the most famous of which is known as Stachybotrys chartum.

This type of mold is dark green or black in color and has a distinctive odor. Black mold, like all molds, can grow anywhere that has optimal conditions.

While black mold is not the only mold that can cause health symptoms, black mold is particularly dangerous because it is a type of mold that can produce mycotoxins. Some people are particularly susceptible to mycotoxins poisoning.

For this reason, it is smart to leave all black mold remediation needs to professionals.

What is hidden mold and where does it grow?

Many homeowners and business owners have what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calls “hidden mold.” Hidden mold, as its name implies, is very hard to see!

Favorite growth places for hidden mold include inside drywall, behind wallpaper, in closet corners or attics, deep inside concrete basement walls, under floorboards or carpeting and even inside books.

Finding hidden mold isn’t easy but it can be done, especially if you use your nose. Mold may be hidden from your sight, but it is hard to hide that characteristic sharp, dank, grassy or musty odor.

Hidden mold is also fond of any place that is chronically damp or humid, making bathrooms, laundry rooms, garages, work sheds, attics, basements, small closets and air ducts favorite hiding places.

Mold Risks

Mold removal and mold remediation can present risks both to human health and to structural integrity. The longer a mold colony (of any species) goes undetected and untreated, the more potentially damaging it becomes.

As Medical News Today outlines, health symptoms linked to mold exposure, especially during mold removal, are initially similar to common cold and flu symptoms. Over time, some types of mold can cause nerve and memory damage.

Mold can also compromise homes and buildings by weakening the structure. Over time, untreated mold colonies can create roof leaks, weakened walls, buckling floors and unlivable conditions.

Perhaps the most horrific example of this happened in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, LA, and Hurricane Harvey in Houston, TX. After each storm, thousands of homes had to be condemned and demolished due to mold overgrowth that weakened the structures beyond repair.

Mold Prevention

In the great outdoors, mold is a vital component for maintaining natural ecosystems. It does this by breaking down organic matter as a food source.

But indoors, the organic matter mold finds to eat is more likely to be the same matter that is literally holding up your roof – the cellulose present in wood, carpeting, dry wall and other plant-based materials.

So at its simplest, mold prevention boils down to keeping everything in your home or workplace as dry as possible.

When this doesn’t work, it is time to look at your mold remediation options.

Mold Remediation and Mold Removal

For most people, the known dangers of tackling your own mold remediation outweigh the costs of hiring a professional mold remediation company.

According to the EPA, if the mold colony measures less than 10 feet, you may be able to do the mold remediation yourself.

But if mold is covering a larger area or you suspect hidden mold may also be growing behind walls or under floors, inside air ducts or sewage pipes, this is a job for mold remediation professionals only.

Mold remediation professionals have been trained to follow all safety procedures to contain the mold colony, dry the area, remove all contaminated materials including microscopic dust and mold spores, clean the area and conduct tests to be sure all mold has been successfully eradicated.

You will notice mold remediation professionals wear the full complement of safety gear, including face masks, goggles and protective suits to minimize mold exposure while they work.

Most importantly, working with a reputable mold remediation company means you get a warranty for work completed. So if you experience a recurrence, your mold remediation warranty provides for additional mold removal treatment.

Reset Restoration are mold remediation experts in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Don’t Let Mold Cause Health Problems In Your Tulsa Home or Business

If your Tulsa building or home requires mold remediation, contact the Reset Restoration mold remediation experts immediately. Reset Restoration provides 24/7/365 emergency mold remediation response.

If your friends, family and neighbors have had significant mold damage to Tulsa homes or businesses you can contact Reset Restoration mold remediation experts in Tulsa 24/7 to inquire about Tulsa mold remediation services. Call Reset Restoration today at (918) 582-7373.

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