The Roths enjoyed their vacation home every summer weekend and frequently escaped for relaxing overnights mid-week, too. So when they opened the door and saw the wreckage, they were speechless. They had visited only a few days ago! Nevertheless, a pipe had burst, flooded the first level, buckled the beautiful hardwood flooring and soaked the wallboard to waist level. But that wasn’t all.
“The cold water triggered the heating system, which provided perfect conditions for microbial growth,” says Kevin Lethers, President, Paul Davis Restoration of Polk County, Florida. “Mold coated every surface. The home smelled terrible and mold spores made the air quality hazardous.”
Wisely, the Roths shut the door and called for help. Paul Davis Restoration handles thousands of residential and business mold remediation projects just like this one, which clearly require skilled professional help. But how are homes and companies to detect less obvious mold infestations inside and out? Mold is sly and lurks in obscure locations like under siding, beneath floors, behind shower walls, underneath appliances, behind wallpaper and inside HVAC ductwork.
The United States does not have specific laws or regulatory standards governing mold. Therefore, smart mold detection relies on two approaches: common sense and regular maintenance. First, tour your property and think logically. Is mold visible? Does a space smell musty? Do walls feel cooler than they should? Do surfaces feel moist or look stained? Be wary of DIY mold testing kits or mold testing services, which usually are not useful to define, understand or treat a true problem.
Next, maintain your structure to circumvent mold risks before they sprout into big problems. Inspect roofs regularly, manage basement humidity, service HVAC systems and retain skilled plumbing services. Additionally, channel precipitation away from building exteriors by installing and maintaining effective gutter systems and landscaping. Mold relies on moisture to grow. Controlling moisture indoors and out dramatically reduces mold growth risks.
If you do suspect a mold infestation? Retain professional experts like Paul Davis Restoration, which employs sophisticated testing, humidity and moisture measurements, temperature mapping and more to evaluate the area. Skilled and experienced experts not only detect and define the mold threat, they also deploy state-of-the-art treatments to manage the problem and reduce recurrence.
