When to Hire a Mold Expert

When a mold infestation strikes your home or your workplace, one of the first questions that may arise is whether you can handle it yourself, or would be better off handing the job to a professional remediator.  The answer doesn’t always come easily, especially since plenty of us would rather save on the expense of hiring an expert, and assume that we can handle any mold that comes our way with some protective gear and a bottle of industrial strength mold remover.  What’s interesting is that, at least half the time, you may be right in taking on the job alone.  Nonetheless, mold remediation is a service industry for a reason – sometimes, you will come across a contamination that is either beyond your amateur capabilities, or needs to be done in a manner that does not place especially vulnerable persons at risk. 

In the first place, not all mold infestations can easily be perceived from a visual inspection alone.  While you can easily see mold that grows on the walls and on the floors, it will take professional inspection to determine the extent of the mold damage hidden inside cavities, and behind and underneath panels.  Only an expert will also be able to figure out sources of moisture and other elements that foster mold growth, and examine the building structure in a thorough manner that does not overlook any details. 

If you are fairly sure that the mold that you see is all you have to deal with, and the contamination is relatively small, then you may not need professional assistance to handle it.  However, you may want to turn the problem over to an expert in the following situations:

There are persons who are at greater risk of mold infection who inhabit the building.  This includes the elderly and infants, those who have compromised immune systems, and those who are asthmatic or allergic to mold particles.  Missing out on hidden mold growth could prove problematic later on.

The building has a history of leaks or other structural problems.  It will take an expert to not only wipe out the mold itself, but repair the damage or defects to prevent it from resurfacing.

People are constantly ill in the building, without a clear reason.  Mold contaminants lingering in the air may be making people sick without them knowing.  It may take an expert to find out for certain if toxic mold is what is afflicting them.

The mold contamination is larger than 30 square feet.  Even if the mold is all visible, in large quantities, it may prove too much of a challenge to clean it up and keep the mold particles from escaping to surrounding areas.  Professionals are used to large-scale mold remediation and will most likely have the machinery to deal with it much faster and more efficiently than a regular individual.

Expensive mold cleanup solutions have been proposed, and you need a fresh expert opinion.  You may have already decided to utilize the services of a professional, but which one?  Getting another expert to sort out the proposals and choose the best one for the price will ensure that you don’t get swindled.

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