Category: Mold Removal

If you see mold growing on walls or other places inside your home in Northern VA, it can also be invisible behind those areas as well as other places in your home. Anytime you have mold, you have a moisture or water problem. Once you know where the moisture is coming from, that will need to be addressed, or mold removal will only be a temporary fix.

It is best to call in Northern VA professionals such as Envirotex Environmental Services for mold removal at your Northern VA home unless it is in a small area. But even small spaces may not be all there is, and a professional can locate mold with their equipment, knowledge, and expertise.

A professional environmental company will evaluate your mold contamination at your home in Northern VA and then map out a plan for mold removal. Professionals will clean up mold growing inside your home while avoiding exposing your family to mold spores floating around that can cause health issues.

Mold removal at your home starts with closing off mold–contaminated areas from other parts of the Northern VA home with polyethylene sheeting. Contaminated areas are misted to suppress dust. Moldy and wet materials are removed, placed in plastic bags, and later disposed of properly.

A wire brush may be used on non–porous materials and moldy wood surfaces and wiped with disposable wipes, which are then placed in polyethylene bags and disposed of properly. Surfaces are vacuumed with a HEPA vacuum. Afterward, all surfaces are scrubbed with a damp cloth and detergent until all mold is removed and rinsed with clean water.

The cleaned materials are allowed to dry so that any moisture will evaporate. Fans and dehumidifiers may be used to help with drying.

Any materials which were removed need to be replaced or repaired.

If your mold removal at your home in Northern VA was a success, the moisture problem should be fixed and not present any more issues with mold. There should be no visible signs of mold–contaminated materials or moldy odors inside your Northern VA home. After mold removal, you and your family should be able to occupy your home without any danger of developing health issues.

Mold spores are microscopic and float in the air. Mold can be present anywhere, inside and outside your home in Manassas, VA. These spores may enter your Manassas, VA home through doors, windows, or AC/heating systems. They can also ride in on your clothing or your pet.

Mold spores thrive on moisture and multiply into colonies when exposed to water. Before starting mold removal at your Manassas, VA home, you must address the water or moisture sources causing mold growth. If not, you will continue to have a mold issue at home.

Each mold removal will be different for each individual scenario. But typically, an inspection and mold damage assessment will occur before mold removal. Once the mold is detected and damages noted, a professional mold removal specialist will use several different containment procedures to prevent the mold from spreading during the mold removal process.

An advanced containment procedure, such as negative air chambers, may be used to isolate the mold–contaminated area with physical barriers and negative air pressure to keep the mold from spreading during the cleanup process. Any fans and heating and cooling systems will be turned off to prevent mold spores from spreading throughout the rest of your Manassas, VA home.

Mold removal specialists will use specialized filtration equipment to capture microscopic mold spores out of the air. Powerful “air scrubbers” and HEPA vacuums are used to prevent the spread of spores during the mold removal process.

Depending on the amount of mold growth inside your Manassas, VA home and the types of surfaces where mold appears, antifungal and antimicrobial treatments are used to eliminate mold colonies and new ones from forming. Most likely, mold–infested porous materials such as drywall and carpeting will need to be safely removed from the home to stop mold growth.

Furniture, curtains, and clothing will be cleaned by various techniques to clean and disinfect the belongings inside the home in Manassas, VA. Using fogging equipment, odors are removed, and the house is deodorized.

Once the mold removal has been completed, you may have to have drywall or carpet replaced, depending on the severity of the damage. All mold–contaminated materials that need to be removed from your Manassas, VA  home will be carefully contained and disposed of properly.

If you have any questions about a mold issue at your home in Manassas, VA, please don’t hesitate to call Envirotex Environmental Services.

Have you ever found take–out food left in the back of your refrigerator, long–forgotten food that is now mold–infested? Household mold is more common than most Manassas, VA homeowners realize. It’s pretty gross, the look and the smell. But sometimes, it happens. Mold removal, in this case, is relatively simple; throw the container away.

The first glimpse of any mold at your home in Manassas, VA, may start in your bathroom. This could be around your bathtub, in the grout, or the walls. 

Perhaps your laundry room is showing minor signs of mold. Once you start noticing these signs, mold removal from these areas might be more profound. Some mold growth may start small but can result in a major disaster if left unattended.

Mold growth is more prevalent in areas where moisture is more common such as bathrooms, kitchens, basements, attics, and crawl spaces. Mold also prefers a dark environment. Most likely, these areas in your Manassas, VA, home would be found in your basement, garage, and bathroom with no window. Mold removal should be considered at the first signs of any mold growth at your home in Manassas, VA.

Homeowners may treat small areas of mold, but once you have several areas inside your home that are showing mold growth, you should hire a professional team such as Envirotex Environmental Services, who knows the signs of mold and where to look. Professionals use thermal imaging, a system that detects and identifies sources of moisture that may be causing your mold growth.

Not all mold is seen with the eyes; some could be behind the walls or under the flooring at your Manassas, VA, home. So what you may be seeing visually, a whole lot more could be lurking behind your walls and other areas that can’t be visually seen while looking around a room.

Mold can make family members extremely sick. Without mold removal at your Manassas, VA, home to rid your home of mold, you could be looking at unnecessary sickness among family members and a lot of structural damage if the mold removal isn’t performed quickly. Mold removal should be left to the experts so that once they leave, you know your home will be a much safer environment for your family.

If you suspect mold, call the experts at Envirotex for mold removal or any other environmental services your home in Manassas, VA, may need.

Mold is impossible to be eradicated from your home in Northern VA completely. However, you can control mold growth. Mold spores inside your home are usually harmless until they settle on a damp area of your home and begin to grow into active mold. Mold removal becomes imminent once you have mold growth inside your Northern VA home.

Prolonged mold exposure can have adverse effects on your health as well as your property. Those who are prone to mold allergies are more vulnerable, and mold removal is something that you want to take care of as soon as possible. The damage to your home in Northern VA can get out of hand if mold removal isn’t done immediately.

Contact a specialist in your area for a mold inspection at the first signs of any mold or a moldy–like smell, and from there, mold removal will be scheduled to eradicate the mold from your Northern VA home. What starts small can end up being a catastrophe in itself and require professional mold removal by an Environmental Company such as the team at Envirotex.

However, mold removal is only one process to getting rid of your mold problems. You must find the source of your moisture and fix it so that whatever mold removal is necessary, you won’t have to do it again in the future.

A mold removal professional will contain the contaminated areas of your home before cleaning or removing any mold–containing materials. This is because spores from disturbing the mold during removal or the cleaning process will move in the air and settle on other surfaces.

Depending on the type of material your mold is growing on inside your Northern VA home will determine if disposal is necessary. Mold growth on porous materials generally is removed and safely disposed of, whereas non–porous materials are cleaned with special agents and sanitized. Furniture, curtains, floors, walls, and more are cleaned. This also includes deodorizing and eliminating odors with the use of fogging equipment.

A combination of safe techniques and equipment during the mold removal process may be used to remediate active mold growth and prevent any further spreading of mold spores throughout the house in Northern VA. These processes could include—HEPA vacuuming, antimicrobial supplication, and air scrubbing.

Contact Envirotex for any concerns you may have with mold growth at your home in Northern VA.

Despite the fact of how hideous and unclean mold can look growing in your Northern VA home, it is also harmful to your family’s health. Mold produces allergens and irritants. If any of your family members are sensitive to mold, inhaling or touching mold or their spores could cause an allergic reaction. These allergic responses may include hay fever–type symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing, red eyes, and skin rash. Once you see signs of mold inside your home in Northern VA, it is imperative that you make a plan for mold removal to rid your home of these mold spores that can be detrimental to your family.

Moisture plays a big part in mold growth—While you may see mold growing on surfaces inside your Northern VA home, there could be mold also growing behind your walls where you can’t visibly see it. Knowing where your moisture came from and how it got into your home is one of the critical factors in the mold removal process. Identifying your moisture source will help locate further mold growth that is not visible. Getting rid of the moisture source at your Northern VA home is also essential otherwise, once the mold removal process is complete, it will only come back if the source of your moisture problem isn’t fixed.

A Plan for Mold Removal for Homes in Northern VA

• Repair the water issue so the mold won’t come back once the mold removal is complete.
• Isolate the contaminated area by closing all the doors and windows and covering the hallways with polyethylene sheeting. Seal the seams with duct tape.
• Mist the contaminated area to suppress the dust.
• Remove all the wet and damaged porous materials and place them in plastic bags. These bags can be disposed of with your regular trash after wiping down the bags with a damp cloth and solution before taking them from the contaminated area.
• Surfaces in the contaminated area must be vacuumed with a HEPA vacuum.
• All non–porous materials and wood surfaces infested with mold must be cleaned.
• Once cleaned, the materials need to be dried to let any leftover moisture evaporate. To help the process, use fans, dehumidifiers, or increase the temperature inside your home in Northern VA.
• Any materials which were removed may need to be replaced or repaired.

Your typical mold removal process may be similar and more or less in–depth than this plan. If you have any questions, call Envirotex Environmental Services, and they will be glad to help.

It all depends. Most homeowner’s insurance will cover your Manassas, VA home if a sudden and accidental occurrence causes water damage. These occurrences include a pipe that bursts or a type of overflow, such as an air conditioning that malfunctions. If the source of your mold is a peril that is already covered in your homeowner’s insurance, such as water damage, then most accidents should be covered. What this means for you is that if mold growth develops from an accident, mold removal would most likely be covered under your insurance policy and any property damage from the mold to your home in Manassas, VA.

Some examples of when your homeowner’s insurance policy may cover mold removal—

• If your water heater ruptures and the water spread over your floor causes mold growth to the flooring and surrounding walls, mold removal should be covered.
• If your Manassas, VA house caught on fire and the water that was used to put out the fire causes mold, mold removal, in this instance, should be covered by your homeowner’s insurance.
• Suppose your dishwasher malfunctioned and flooded the kitchen floor at your home in Manassas, VA, resulting in mold growth. In that case, your homeowner’s insurance should cover mold removal and any damage caused to your property.

Because mold damage can be outrageously expensive, most insurance policies have a limited amount of what they will pay out for mold removal and property damage. In places prone to mold, such as in Florida, you can purchase mold coverage above the amount they cover, but it could become costly. The best way to prevent mold removal is to be aware of all appliances that use water, check for water leaks under sinks, around the washing machine, and dishwater. Taking extra precautions can save you a lot of headaches that could leave you with an empty pocketbook when dealing with excessive mold damage at your home in Manassas, VA.

If you notice any mold growth around your home in Manassas, VA, call the experts at Envirotex Environmental Services. They will be glad to help rid your home of any mold growth that could potentially be a concern for your family’s health and destructive to your property.

If you already see mold in your Northern Virginia residence, there is no need to have a mold inspection. Any mold must be removed, and the source of the mold will need to be addressed also. If the mold source is not fixed, your mold will keep coming back.

A successful mold removal should follow these five principles.

1. Safety first. Anyone involved in the removal process and the occupants of the Northern Virginia home should be protected.
2. Assessment. A preliminary assessment should be performed both during and after the mold removal process.
3. Controlling contamination. Cross-contamination must be prevented so the mold does not spread from the contaminated areas to other areas that do not have mold or has less contamination.
4. Remove the source. The mold needs to be physically removed at its source.
5. Remove the moisture. Mold needs moisture to grow. The moisture problem that caused the mold growth at your Northern Virginia home will need to be eliminated.

A Northern Virginia mold removal professional will focus on the source of where your mold is coming from. This source will need to be removed such as drywall, carpeting, etc. and replaced once the mold removal has been completed. If you have a leak causing the mold or moisture coming into your basement, you will have to have this taken care of or the mold removal will only be a temporary fix.

Once the mold has been removed, a mold removal professional from Northern Virginia will clean the air of airborne mold spores using HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) scrubbers and air exchange which replaces moldy air with clean, fresh air through ventilation or negative air controls.

Proper safety gear will be worn including a full protective suit and a high filtration face mask by the mold removal professional team. These professionals will seal off the work area so the mold spores will not disperse throughout the home in Northern Virginia. An antimicrobial chemical is used to clean mold and mold stains. Sometimes a sealer or encapsulant is used to treat areas that are more resistant to water damage and mold and to control odor.

During a mold removal, your HVAC air ducts may require professional cleaning since the air ducts can collect dust and mold spores.

It is always best to call an environmental service company for any mold removal for Northern Virginia homes.