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Archive for March, 2011

Flooding: When is a Mold Clean up Job Complete?

Monday, March 28th, 2011

If you have ever had a mold infestation, you know just how time consuming and costly it can be to deal with. But how do you know when the job is done correctly and you no longer need to re-check for mold? The last thing any homeowner wants is another mold outbreak.

This article helps to answer those tough questions and identifies when you should order your post mold remediation clearance inspection and test.

There are a few things you should do after a mold cleanup.

  • Mold Clearance Inspections: After you have any large area of mold removed, you should hire an independent expert to inspect and test the building for mold before you pay the cleaning contractor. Be sure that the post mold-remediation clearance inspection includes a thorough visual inspection. Simple screening tests for the presence or absence of mold are not reliable. The last thing you want is to pay for an unsuccessful mold cleanup.
  • There should be no visible mold in the building: If you can see it, it is still there, meaning the something went wrong during the mold removal process.
  • All demolition and cleaning should have been completed before the mold clearance inspection is begun: Why test for mold if you are not finished the job? There is obviously still mold.
  • No moldy building contents should have been left in or stored in the building, and nothing that was removed from the building should have been returned unless it has been cleaned: So not be foolish. Clean everything thoroughly. You do not want to risk another mold outbreak.
  • There should be no wet areas in the building, including no hidden wet areas in building cavities or behind floor baseboard or trim: Mold likes moisture. So eliminate the moisture and you will hopefully keep the mold from coming back.
  • The building should not smell moldy: If you smell mold, there probably is mold.
  • Occupants returning to the building should not have an allergic or respiratory-distress or respiratory illness response that appears related to being inside the building. If this occurs, consult your doctor. People exposed to mold, allergens, and stress can become hyper sensitized to mold and other respiratory irritants.
  • Mold work area containment systems such as plastic barriers should be left in place until after a successful mold clearance inspection, including the lab work.

If you have any questions concerning mold, its removal or detection, please contact Atlantic Environmental Solutions by calling 877-296-6653 or click here today!

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Mold Allergies and Springtime

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

Mold can be a problem 365 days a year, but that problem increases in the spring.

Often mistaken for pollen allergies, mold allergies increase around the same time of the year. Mold begins to grow more rapidly as the temperature heats up.

To make things worse, you may even be suffering from both mold and pollen allergies, so it is best to consult a doctor and have some allergy testing done before you go jumping to conclusions.

If you do have mold allergies, there are some steps you can take to lessen the pain.

1.   You can take allergy shots to help combat your mold allergy.

2.   You should open some windows in the evening to help let in some fresh air. This is the opposite of what you should do in the summer months.

3.   Turn off the fresh air intake damper for forced air heating during the spring, but open it during the summer and winter.

4.   Reduce your humidifier setting to maintain a drier atmosphere inside.  Mold likes a moist home.

5.   Keep your house warmer in the spring.

If none of this works, it may be time to call a mold specialist.

Atlantic Environmental Solutions (AES) is a certified inspection, remediation and consulting company with the expertise to help clients quickly and affordably correct indoor air quality issues resulting from mold, water intrusion, fire, sewage, and more. For nearly a decade, our consultative approach and proven methodologies have helped residential and commercial customers throughout Maryland and Washington, DC to resolve even the most difficult environmental problems.

Contact Atlantic Environmental Solutions for all of your mold removal needs by calling 410-296-6653 or clicking here today!

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Mold and Schools

Friday, March 18th, 2011

When you think about the current issues surrounding our schools, you probably think about test scores and graduation rates. But there is another risk lurking in the shadows – mold.

This article outlines the signs and risk factors of mold as well as some helpful prevention techniques to keep your school safe.

Mold has been linked to repertory health issues such as asthma – the leading cause of schools absences – and has been known to irritate the eyes, nose, throat, skin and lungs. Mold can also trigger allergic reaction in certain situations.

You may think your school is safe, but mold can grow on almost anything, including wood, paper, carpet, foods, and insulation. All mold needs to grow is oxygen, water and a source of food.

A little moisture can result in a lot of mold and the water needed to promote mold growth can enter schools in a number of ways – leaky roofs, pipes, windows, foundations, floods, poor drainage, or mis-directed sprinklers.

However, you can protect yourself with a few simple steps. If you control the moisture, you can control the mold.

Conduct regular building inspections to look for signs of mold, moisture and leaks and immediately problems to your maintenance staff.

Another way to combat mold issues is to keep the relative humidity of the building around 50% and remember to ventilate bathrooms, locker rooms and other moisture-generating sources.

You should also establish policies that restrict moisture-generating activities such as carpet cleaning (unless moisture removing equipment is used).

For more helpful tips to keep your schools mold free, please call Atlantic Environmental Solutions at 877-296-6653 or 410-296-6653 or click here!

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How to Remove Mold in your Spring Cleaning

Friday, March 11th, 2011

Mold is something that we do not want in our homes.  It is an irritant and can cause physical effects on people, such as respiratory problems, sinus infections, headaches and severe colds. As this article states, there are some simple ways to get rid of mold in your spring cleaning this year.

The first way to rid your house of any mold problem is to find the source.  Mold is pretty easy to identify on sight and appears as a black and blue substance on your wall or surfaces. It also thrives in moist areas. So keep a look out in basements, kitchens, and bathrooms. Besides visible clues, mold can put off an odor. If an area of your home has a musty smell than try to find a source of mold.

After you have identified the mold problem you need to take care of it. Your clean up can happen in a manner of ways.  The size and scale of your mold problem should be considered. If you have a large problem you should contact a professional to help.  Any patch less than ten square feet may be manageable for the homeowner. Before cleaning make sure to wear protective material such as gloves and a mask.

As for the cleaning, the article explains, “For the wash, use laundry detergent diluted with warm water, and applied with a sponge. After this area has dried, a 1/4 cup of bleach diluted with 1 gallon of water in a bucket is applied to the same area using a sponge. When this area has dried, clean the area again using the bleach mixture. As a final cleaning procedure, re-wash the area with a detergent containing borate as its main ingredient. This detergent should be applied with a sponge, as with the previous detergent and bleach, but don’t rinse this solution off the cleaned area.“

For any mold questions contact Atlantic Environmental Solutions at 410-296-6653 or click here today!

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Mold and Asthma

Friday, March 4th, 2011

Mold can very negatively affect any asthmatic person.  From inflaming a person’s symptoms to triggering a full on Asthma attack, mold is dangerous for any person with respiratory issues.  This is alarming because mold can thrive on almost any moist surface.  It is for these health reasons that it is important to rid your environments of mold, especially if you are afflicted with asthma.

The EPA mentions some easy ways to rid your home of this threat to your respiratory system:

  • Wash mold off hard surfaces and dry completely. Absorbent materials, such as ceiling tiles and carpet, may have to be replaced if they are contaminated with mold.
  • Fix leaky plumbing or other sources of water.
  • Keep drip pans in your air conditioner, refrigerator and dehumidifier clean and dry.
  • Use exhaust fans or open windows in kitchens and bathrooms when showering, cooking or using the dishwasher.
  • Vent clothes dryers to the outside.

Humidity level is also an important factor is keeping mold away. The EPA recommends that your mold levels be between 30 and 50% for ideal conditions.  These levels are measured with hygrometers which can be purchased at most hardware stores.

For more information about getting rid of mold in your home, contact Atlantic Environmental Solutions here or by calling 410-296-6653.

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