subject: Omaha Mold Removal Tips [print this page] My name is Steve Sleeper for Dan Taylor and his team at AMI Environmental, where they make environmental problems go away. Dan and his team did a lot of the mold abatement in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, so has some good Omaha Mold Removal Tips.
Dan, if I suspect I have a mold problem, where should I look?
[Dan] Well, you may suspect that because you have a moldy, damp odor in the air. The first place to look for is a water source. Commonly, you'll find it in wet areas of the home; bathroom, showers and sinks. Also, kitchens may have a leaky faucet or drain that goes undetected for a long period of time. Once it's found, repair the problem, and take care of the moisture and do proper cleaning.
Other places to look are mechanical space areas, where you've got air conditioning units that have condensation pans. Make sure they're all properly working and draining. Mold can be caused by improperly vented clothes dryers, cooking at high temperatures and boiling water.
Even a little bit of additional humidity can cause mold to grow. Generally mold will not grow in a comfortable humidity zone, which is thirty to fifty percent relative humidity. Once you start getting over sixty percent you have a breeding ground for mold.
[Steve] I've looked everywhere and I can still smell the mold. Any more Omaha Mold Removal Tips?
[Dan] Well, then it's time to start thinking about some of the areas within wall cavities - and it can be a couple of places. There are pipe chases that run through those walls. Oftentimes if there's furniture pushed up against the wall, there's some temperature variations that create a good opportunity for the mold to grow.
For mold growth, you have to have moisture, an absence of light and a carbon source. Our homes are constructed with dry wall products and the paper in the dry wall is an excellent carbon source and it helps the mold proliferate in those areas. In the southeast we have vinyl wallpaper and a lot of high humidity and it gets behind vinyl wallpaper, which becomes an actual vapor barrier.
Vapor barriers are good and important, but they need to be on the right side of the wall system. So many times we've found that once we start looking behind vinyl wall board, there's a good chance mold is growing there.
[Steve] What kind of protective gear should I wear when dealing with Omaha Mold Removal?
[Dan] It's important to have proper personal protective equipment. This means an N95 respirator, which you can buy at most hardware stores or home supply stores. It fits on your face and covers the nose and mouth.
Make sure it says N95. Just a paper mask is not the same. Although they appear to be paper masks, there's something more to them as long as it says N95 on it. The other thing you want to protect is your eyes. Get goggles that cover your eyes and don't have air vents on the sides. Getting the mold spores in your eyes can cause problems.
And obviously the other thing is protecting your hands and your feet. Also, good personal hygiene when you're finished with the cleanup is important.
[Steve] Thanks, Dan. To claim a free report on Omaha Mold Removal Tips, call 402-951-9474
