Mold Removal & Cleanup for Houston TX
- Winner of the BBB Award for Excellence in 2010-2022
- Direct to Insurance Billing
- Licensed & Certified Technicians – Over 36 Years Combined Experience
- 24/7 — 365 Days a Year
Understanding the Effects of Mold Damage on Your Home
Mold is a natural component of our ecosystem, aiding in the decomposition of dead organic matter such as fallen leaves and deceased trees. Mold propagates through microscopic spores that are present in both outdoor and indoor air. When these spores land on damp indoor surfaces, they start to multiply. Hence, it is imperative to cleanse mold-infested air ducts under negative pressure to prevent the spread of mold spores.
If not eliminated, mold can lead to indoor allergens, irritants, and potentially harmful substances. While these irritants are sufficiently diluted in outdoor environments to be harmless, except to highly allergic individuals, they can build up to harmful levels in enclosed indoor spaces, like air ducts. Exposure to mold spores, either by inhalation or direct contact, can result in allergic reactions, including hay fever-like symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash. They can also trigger asthma attacks in individuals allergic to mold. Research on the health effects is ongoing, and the outlined effects do not encompass all potential health consequences of exposure to indoor mold damage. Mold can be insidious, which means that it’s possible to have mold in HVAC ducts without realizing it until symptoms appear, underlining the need for prompt mold cleanup.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends:
- Managing moisture is key to controlling mold
- Flooded areas and items should be dried within 24-48 hours to prevent mold growth
- All molds require moisture to grow
DryMore is a Mold Remediation Company licensed by the state of Texas.
The Mold Cleanup Process in Houston, TX
The procedure typically includes containment, cleaning and/or removing mold-contaminated materials, and a final clearance inspection.
Containment generally involves building a structure using a lightweight wooden frame and plastic sheeting, including a slit for workers’ entrance with an outer covering flap. If a long wall is infected, the framework with the plastic sheeting would be open on the side of the mold-affected wall, attached to the wall and ceiling using duct tape. Within the containment area, all openings like air vents and doors should be sealed with plastic to prevent the spread of contaminants to other parts of the building.
A negative air machine equipped with HEPA filtration is connected to an opening in the containment to draw air from the affected area, filter it, and expel it outside the building. This process maintains negative air pressure in the containment to prevent mold spores and other contaminants from escaping and contaminating other parts of the building during the cleanup. When the containment is in place and negative air pressure is maintained, the plastic sheeting will billow inward, indicating that negative pressure is maintained and contaminants won’t escape during mold removal. Once secure containment is achieved, mold cleanup can commence.
Why Should You Hire Professional Mold Removal Experts?
During the cleaning and/or removal of mold-contaminated materials, mold damage workers in Houston are required to wear PPE (personal protective equipment) for health safety while working within the containment area. The PPE typically includes full-face HEPA respirators, gloves, and full body suits including foot coverings, with all gaps, like those around the ankles and wrists, sealed, usually with duct tape. The cleaning methods commonly include wet vacuuming, damp wiping, HEPA vacuuming, and removal and discarding of contaminated materials, depending on the material and the severity of the contamination.
Porous materials such as carpets and upholstery are typically wet vacuumed, HEPA vacuumed, and discarded. Other porous materials like drywall are HEPA vacuumed and discarded. Wood surfaces are typically wet vacuumed, damp wiped, and HEPA vacuumed. Depending on the extent of mold contamination, wood surfaces may also need to be removed and discarded. Mold in air ducts is treated with special care as it can spread spores into different rooms. Non-porous hard surfaces like plastics or metals are usually wet vacuumed, damp wiped, and HEPA vacuumed. From these examples, it’s evident that the more porous a material, the more likely it needs to be removed and discarded. Less porous materials have a higher chance of being decontaminated and saved. After all contaminated materials are cleaned and/or removed, and the entire contained area, including the interior of the containment, has been cleaned, the clearance inspection can take place.
The containment should never be removed before the mold damage repair in Houston passes the final clearance. The clearance must be performed by a Mold Assessment Consultant licensed by the state of Texas, not by the mold remediation company performing the cleanup. This independent third party ensures there’s no conflict of interest and that the area has been thoroughly tested and is safe to reoccupy.
For more about mold inspection & testing in Houston TX, contact DryMore today at 713-299-7742.
While there are numerous mold damage companies in the area, we appreciate your choice in selecting us as your mold removal contractors.
Our Houston Mold Inspection & Mold Testing Procedure
Toxic black mold can cause a variety of allergic reactions and health problems such as chronic coughing and sneezing, eye irritation, irritation of the mucus membranes in the nose and throat, rashes, chronic fatigue, and persistent headaches. Are you dealing with a chronic illness like asthma or allergies and can’t pinpoint the cause? It could be due to poor indoor air quality, often resulting from toxic mold.Testing for mold is always our first recommendation. Our team of expert mold testers and assessors will guide you through the challenging process of testing for potential health hazards in your home. All our mold testing results are compiled into a lab report provided to you, the property owner.
Our Houston mold inspections kick off by thoroughly examining your home for potential “hot spots” as soon as we arrive. Using tools like moisture meters and infrared cameras, our mold inspectors are able to efficiently identify areas prone to mold growth. After pinpointing these potential trouble spots, we take either surface or air samples, or in some cases, both, and send them to a lab for a thorough analysis.
Once the results from the laboratory analysis are back, we determine whether mold remediation is required. We pair these findings with the information gathered during our initial building inspection and generate an indoor air quality report, along with a comprehensive protocol for home restoration services.
DryMore is a Houston Mold Remediation Company servicing the entire Southwest Texas area, including 77002, 77003, 77004, 77005, 77006, 77007, 77008, 77009, 77010, 77011, 77012, 77013, 77014, 77016, 77017, 77018, 77019, 77020, 77021, 77022, 77023, 77025, 77026, 77027, 77028, 77030, 77031, 77033, 77034, 77035, 77036, 77038, 77040, 77041, 77042, 77043, 77045, 77046, 77047, 77048, 77050, 77051, 77053, 77054, 77056, 77057, 77058, 77059, 77061, 77062, 77063, 77064, 77065, 77066, 77067, 77068, 77069, 77070, 77071, 77072, 77073, 77074, 77075, 77076, 77077, 77078, 77079, 77080, 77081, 77082, 77084, 77085, 77086, 77087, 77088, 77090, 77091, 77092, 77093, 77094, 77095, 77096, 77098, 77099, 77201, 77336, 77339, 77345, 77357, 77365, 77373, 77375, 77377, 77379, 77386, 77388, 77407, 77429, 77433, 77447, 77449, 77478, 77484, 77489, 77493, 77504, 77506, 77587.
Click here to view a list of cities we service.
