While there are a lot of different ways to kill and remove mold from your home, depending on what the mold has gotten on or into, you may want to use one technique before trying the other. Note that killing mold and removing it is not one and the same thing. Killing mold is just that: terminating the life of the mold so that it ceases to continue growing. Since the mold is dead, it cannot cause infections if it gets onto your skin because it must be alive to change into yeast. However, the bad thing about simply killing the mold is the fact that it does not have to be alive in order to cause an allergic reaction in a person. The mold spores remain intact and in their same physical condition as before, so when the spores enter the body, the body does not realize that the spores are dead and pose no threat.
You can use a wet vacuum to clean up standing water in areas of your home where it exists, since this is where mold likes to grow the most. This is especially true if there are any cellulose-based materials that have been soaked by it, such as paper, cardboard, and anything else that can be decomposed. You should only use these vacuums when the surface is wet, so mold spores do not get tossed into the air. The equipment should be cleaned and dried thoroughly after you use it, since mold and its spores can attach themselves to it.
Sometimes you can use a damp paper towel or damp cloth to clean mold off of surfaces that are nonporous, like countertops or a vinyl floor, but if you are going to do this, using chemicals that kill mold are a must. Trying to clean mold off of porous surfaces like drywall usually ends in heartbreak, because most of the time they cannot be saved. The entire item is usually too contaminated. Clothes can be saved sometimes, but this is only because of the very thin nature of the item. Thick porous surfaces like drywall are simply too thick for it to be feasible to try to save them.
HEPA filter-equipped vacuum cleaners are good to have around if you are trying to remove as much mold from your home as possible, since these vacuum cleaners will filter clean air back into the room as you vacuum. The mold spores and dirt particles will get caught in the filter and are easily disposed of afterward. When you dump the contents of the receptacle, do not touch it with your bare hands. Wear gloves if you can and do not let it come into contact with your skin. Try not to stir the contents up and do not breathe them.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
flood water damage restoration chicago and other states such as
New Jersey mold remediation contractor companies across the united states.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Mold Precautions for the Work Area
A thorn in the side of any and every workplace is mold. Mold is a very dangerous form of fungus that can get into our lungs and cause all kinds of nasty ailments such as asthma, colds, fatigue, bleeding in the lungs, rashes, uncontrollable coughing, and even chronic dandruff. Employers, as well as employees should take precautions to make sure that mold has not infected their work environment. It is also important to make sure that employers and employees immediately report if they experience any of the aforementioned symptoms. If so, professional help may need to be called in to clean out the mold and prevent further infestation.
If a mold inspector is called in and he or she does find mold, it is important that you inform your employees of the mold, and that the problem is indeed being taken care of. It is also important that you inform them of the measures that will be taken during the removal of the unwanted guest. The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) strongly recommends that you do this for the safety of the employees. The important thing to tell the employees is when the remediation will begin and for how long, so that they know if they will have to make arrangements for the current situation. And if any employees begin to exhibit any health complications or symptoms brought on by exposure to mold, it is strongly recommended that they see their doctor before these symptoms worsen, and that they see an expert on medical effects of mold.
Once the infestation has been cleared out of the workplace, there is a test that must be passed in order for your employees to return. If the test is not passed, you will have to wait longer, but it’s not worth the safety of your employees to go cheap on these necessary precautions. Once the test has finally been passed, you can move your employees back into their respective work areas.
If you have chosen to simply ignore the mold infestation, you are liable for medical bills of your employees, and you could be in danger of losing your business. Of course, this can only happen if it is possible to proven that you knew of the infestation and chose to do nothing about it. However, it is definitely recommended to not ignore the infestation and shell out the cash to have it cleared out as soon as possible.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
If a mold inspector is called in and he or she does find mold, it is important that you inform your employees of the mold, and that the problem is indeed being taken care of. It is also important that you inform them of the measures that will be taken during the removal of the unwanted guest. The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) strongly recommends that you do this for the safety of the employees. The important thing to tell the employees is when the remediation will begin and for how long, so that they know if they will have to make arrangements for the current situation. And if any employees begin to exhibit any health complications or symptoms brought on by exposure to mold, it is strongly recommended that they see their doctor before these symptoms worsen, and that they see an expert on medical effects of mold.
Once the infestation has been cleared out of the workplace, there is a test that must be passed in order for your employees to return. If the test is not passed, you will have to wait longer, but it’s not worth the safety of your employees to go cheap on these necessary precautions. Once the test has finally been passed, you can move your employees back into their respective work areas.
If you have chosen to simply ignore the mold infestation, you are liable for medical bills of your employees, and you could be in danger of losing your business. Of course, this can only happen if it is possible to proven that you knew of the infestation and chose to do nothing about it. However, it is definitely recommended to not ignore the infestation and shell out the cash to have it cleared out as soon as possible.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
Mold Insurance Claim Advice
If you have mold damage to your home and it is due to something that’s covered in your insurance, such as water damage, a lot of the time it is covered. If it is a mold infection that has occurred over time, it is probably not covered. These are two general rules to go by if you’re trying to get your insurance company to cover the cost of removing the mold from your home.
Insurance companies are scrambling for reasons to deny insurance claims concerning mold and what adjusters and claim representatives like to tell people intending on filing a mold-related insurance claim is that mold has been around longer than people have and that it’s not as dangerous as all the hype is making it out to be. If you are going to file an insurance claim related to mold and they tell you that, it might be a good idea (especially if your claims adjuster is Jewish or Christian) to quote to them Leviticus 14:33-48. This is a scripture in the Bible that all but plainly records what the Lord has to say about mold and the dangers of it growing in the home. It says that the house is considered unclean and the mold should be removed and disposed of properly (i.e. away from where there are people). In this way, you will possibly have the upper hand because they will no longer be able to say that mold has only been recently seen as a problem when it grows in the home. Even if you are not Jewish or Christian, the text does prove that mold has not only existed as long as people have, but that it has been a problem just as long.
If you can prove that the mold in your home was a secondary problem caused by something that is covered by your insurance, your company might cover the funds needed to correct the problem. Read over your policy and determine what is covered by your insurance policy and what is not. Whatever you do, do not let your insurance adjuster sneakily get you to agree that the mold in your home has been around for a long time or that there could be a water leak hidden somewhere near the infection. As soon as you even remotely agree to something like this, they have you where they want you. Wait until any and all investigation into the problem is completed before you agree to anything with your insurance company.
List everything you need to have covered, including the cost of you having to relocate while the mold remediation is taking place and make sure you get all of the benefits that you are supposed to get under your policy.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
Insurance companies are scrambling for reasons to deny insurance claims concerning mold and what adjusters and claim representatives like to tell people intending on filing a mold-related insurance claim is that mold has been around longer than people have and that it’s not as dangerous as all the hype is making it out to be. If you are going to file an insurance claim related to mold and they tell you that, it might be a good idea (especially if your claims adjuster is Jewish or Christian) to quote to them Leviticus 14:33-48. This is a scripture in the Bible that all but plainly records what the Lord has to say about mold and the dangers of it growing in the home. It says that the house is considered unclean and the mold should be removed and disposed of properly (i.e. away from where there are people). In this way, you will possibly have the upper hand because they will no longer be able to say that mold has only been recently seen as a problem when it grows in the home. Even if you are not Jewish or Christian, the text does prove that mold has not only existed as long as people have, but that it has been a problem just as long.
If you can prove that the mold in your home was a secondary problem caused by something that is covered by your insurance, your company might cover the funds needed to correct the problem. Read over your policy and determine what is covered by your insurance policy and what is not. Whatever you do, do not let your insurance adjuster sneakily get you to agree that the mold in your home has been around for a long time or that there could be a water leak hidden somewhere near the infection. As soon as you even remotely agree to something like this, they have you where they want you. Wait until any and all investigation into the problem is completed before you agree to anything with your insurance company.
List everything you need to have covered, including the cost of you having to relocate while the mold remediation is taking place and make sure you get all of the benefits that you are supposed to get under your policy.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration and
mold remediation companies across the united states.
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