Moldy Subfloor

4/26/2023 (Permalink)

Removing contaminated subfloor

Mold - you can't wish it away and you can't really avoid it. However, you can get rid of it. There are many kinds of mold. In nature, they're beneficial as those molds decompose biological matter that would otherwise drown the world in waste. When the mold spores drift inside your home, if the spores find a suitable, damp environment, they begin to grow. The result is more than distasteful - it can cause health effects. If it's growing under your flooring, you need to fix the cause, kill and remove the mold, then replace the flooring. In this particular case the damage floor was present for the last few months and they didn't notice until their floor was about to cave it. For all your mold assessment and remediation needs, please call SERVPRO of Lake County Fl. 1-352-735-3311 

Got Mold

4/4/2023 (Permalink)

Microscopic mold spores naturally occur almost everywhere, both outdoors and indoors.

This makes it impossible to remove all mold from a home or business.

Therefore, mold remediation reduces the mold spore count back to its natural or baseline level.

Some restoration businesses advertise “mold removal” and even guarantee to remove all mold, which is a fallacy.

Consider the following mold facts:

• Mold is present almost everywhere, indoors and outdoors.
• Mold spores are microscopic and float along in the air and may enter your home through windows, doors, or AC/heating systems or even hitch a ride indoors on your clothing or a pet.
• Mold spores thrive on moisture. Mold spores can quickly grow into colonies when exposed to water. These colonies may produce allergens and irritants.
• Before mold remediation can begin, any sources of water or moisture must be addressed. Otherwise, the mold may return.
• Mold often produces a strong, musty odor and can lead you to possible mold problem areas.
• Even higher-than-normal indoor humidity can support mold growth. Keep indoor humidity below 45 percent.

If your home or business has a mold problem, we can inspect and assess your property and use our specialized training, equipment, and expertise to remediate your mold infestation.

If You See Signs of Mold, Call Us Today

(352) 735-3311

Mold HVAC

3/20/2023 (Permalink)

HVAC duct growth

SERVPRO of Lake County Florida was called to this home to do an HVAC inspection when the owner spotted mold on the returns. After further investigation there was visible growth and this turned into a mold remediation within the HVAC system. 

Mold under Kitchen sink

1/12/2023 (Permalink)

Mold growth under kitchen sink

Some restoration companies advertise “mold removal” and may even guarantee to remove all mold. This is a fallacy because removing all mold from a house or business is impossible; microscopic mold spores exist almost everywhere, both indoors and outdoors. Here are the facts:

• Mold is present almost everywhere, indoors and outdoors.
• Mold spores are microscopic and float along in the air and may enter your home through windows, doors, or AC/heating systems or even hitch a ride indoors on your clothing or a pet.
• Mold spores thrive on moisture. Mold spores can quickly grow into colonies when exposed to water. These colonies may produce allergens and irritants.
• Before mold remediation can begin, any sources of water or moisture must be addressed. Otherwise, the mold may return.
• Mold often produces a strong, musty odor and can lead you to possible mold problem areas.
• Even higher-than-normal indoor humidity can support mold growth. Keep indoor humidity below 45 percent. For all your remediation needs, please call SERVPRO of Lake County Florida at 352-735-3311       

Got Mold

1/10/2023 (Permalink)

This makes it impossible to remove all mold from a home or business.

Therefore, mold remediation reduces the mold spore count back to its natural or baseline level.

Some restoration businesses advertise “mold removal” and even guarantee to remove all mold, which is a fallacy.

Consider the following mold facts:

• Mold is present almost everywhere, indoors and outdoors.
• Mold spores are microscopic and float along in the air and may enter your home through windows, doors, or AC/Heating systems or even hitch a ride indoors on your clothing or a pet.
• Mold spores thrive on moisture. Mold spores can quickly grow into colonies when exposed to water. These colonies may produce allergens and irritants.
• Before mold remediation can begin, any sources of water or moisture must be addressed. Otherwise, the mold may return.
• Mold often produces a strong, musty odor and can lead you to possible mold problem areas.
• Even higher-than-normal indoor humidity can support mold growth. Keep indoor humidity below 45 percent.

If your home or business has a mold problem, we can inspect and assess your property and use our specialized training, equipment, and expertise to remediate your mold infestation.

Mold Remediation

1/10/2023 (Permalink)

Encapsulated wall studs after sanding & treated with antimicrobial products

When is Encapsulating Mold Appropriate?

Always wear the proper PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) before removing as much mold as possible by scrubbing the moldy surface with a fungicide. Professionals will sometimes sand wood to remove additional mold that could not be removed by scrubbing. Sanding mold is rather hazardous though, because it sends so many microscopic mold spores flying into the air, where they are easily inhaled. Only professionals should attempt to sand moldy wood. After as much mold as possible has been removed, a mold sealant is applied. Note that you should never paint over mold with regular paint. Regular paint, or even mold-resistant paint, will not prevent mold in the wood from growing or spreading. It will only make it harder to see the mold when it does begin to grow. Only a product designed specifically to encapsulate mold should be used for that purpose.

Water Damage that turned into Mold

12/14/2022 (Permalink)

Micro cleaning and containment

From leaking damaged roof to burst pipes and flooding, water damage is one of the most common and potentially destructive problems you can face as a school corporation. If not taken care of immediately, excess water in your attic can promote electrical hazards, cause expensive damage to your classroom structure and furnishings and can even lead to the growth of hazardous mold. When the worst happens, call the experts at SERVPRO of Lake County Florida. With one call, we’re at your side, providing expert guidance on what to do, with the experience to fix the problem fast. In this case we were on site within one hour of the emergence call. We put up containment do to the growth and started cleaning and moving contents to a clean room.

Water damage happens for a variety of reasons, including:

• Plumbing leaks
• Burst or broken pipes & hoses
• A clogged toilet
• Moisture behind walls
• A leaking roof
• Foundation cracks
• Refrigerator /Ice maker leaks

Whatever the cause, fast mitigation is key to restoration, and this is where SERVPRO of Lake County Fl. excels 24 Hr. per day 7 days per week. Please call SERVPRO at 352-735-7711

Mold Containment

12/8/2022 (Permalink)

Containment

SERVPRO of Lake County Florida was contacted by a home owner for some remediation services. When we contacted the home owner he stated that she had the home inspected by a environmental company and that they took air samples in his home. We ask him if we could see the written protocol (report). After reviewing all the documents we began putting up containment in the bedroom. The drywall under window was effected and had to be removed.  After all this work was completed the environmental company did a clearance test in the home since the homeowner had some health concerns. The home owner was extremely happy with the entire process and would highly recommend SERVPRO of Lake Co. Florida        

Mold Remediation

12/5/2022 (Permalink)

Mold Remediation

Mold Action Guide: What to Do About Suspect Mold in buildings: Step-by-Step Action Guide to the necessary steps to address mold in buildings, How to find mold in a home, house, building, or office, how and when to hire an expert, how and why to test for mold, how to remove mold, how to prevent mold.

This was a water damage that went left untreated at a business. SERVPRO of Lake County was quick to respond and proper steps where taken to make this business safe for customer and staff

Mold on kitchen cabinets

11/28/2022 (Permalink)

Mold on top of cabinets

Black mold in cabinet - What you should know!

So you just opened a cabinet door to grab something from under the sink and noticed a musty smell, moved some things around and noticed some mold growth. Now what? Well, don’t get overly worried right now. It may be the case you just have a very small problem on your hands that can be dealt with fairly simply and affordably. Of course, it may also be the very small tip of a larger iceberg. How can you know for sure? Well, technically it’s impossible to know what’s going on below the cabinets without removing them. But that’s clearly an expensive process that you don’t want to begin unless you know you have a bigger problem on your hands. What we suggest in this case is to call SERVPRO of Lake County Florida a certified water & mold damage restoration company to have us assess the situation. We can check behind and underneath the cabinets to see if moisture has traveled elsewhere. If that is the case, it’s usually the case the mold growth has also expanded. But mold damage can be tricky because you really don’t know what you’re up against until you start peeling back layers. Given that, many homeowners can’t help but start doing a little demolition themselves.  If you feel inclined to start pulling back cabinets or punching through drywall, please just keep in mind that doing so will kick up mold particles that you can end up breathing or that can travel to other parts of your home. That’s why SERVPRO will contain the affected area before removing any areas as well as wear full body and face protection.

Drywall Removal

11/1/2022 (Permalink)

Cutting out affected drywall

When sawing through moldy drywall, you can have an assistant hold a vacuum hose with a Hepa filter nearby to further decrease the spread of mold spores or our SERVPRO Franchise uses a drywall saw with an attachment for our Hepa-vacuum. When removing moldy materials, place them in heavy plastic garbage bags before carrying it out of the home so no mold spores are spread to other areas of the home in the process. It’s imperative that you do everything possible to prevent spreading mold spores throughout the house so that you don’t end up with mold in other rooms. If there is any mold on the wooden studs, clean those as well as you can with an antimicrobial cleanser. Allow them to dry completely, then apply anti-microbial sealant to make sure any remaining traces of mold cannot continue to grow and spread. Sanding wooden studs to remove mold growth should only be done by a professional who is suited up in PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), since it greatly increases exposure to potentially harmful mold spores. SERVPRO technicians are well trained to preform remediation services on any scale whether small or large projects. Please call SERVPRO of Lake county Florida at 1-352-735-3311

Mold in the house

9/6/2022 (Permalink)

Moldy Chair

Mold in the home: how big a health problem is it?

Whether it is a cold damp winter day or a humid summer day, mold can grow on walls, clothes, books, toys, and even CDs. It can turn prized possessions into musty relics that only look fit for the garbage. But is it also a health hazard? What effects can mold have on a person’s body? Molds are a form of fungus. There are many different types, and they can occur both indoors and outdoors. Molds produce spores, which spread by floating around in the air. Mold spores are present in all indoor environments. There is no way to prevent spores, and they can persist in conditions where mold itself cannot grow. Mold spores thrive in environments that are moist and warm, so when they land on a damp spot, they begin to grow. Molds can grow on a variety of different surfaces, including fabric, paper, wood, glass, and plastic. As they grow, they may digest the material they are growing on.

Industrial Hygienist

6/27/2022 (Permalink)

Growth on Ductwork in Ceiling

An Industrial Hygienist is often called in to test the indoor air quality of structures affected by growth. The hygienist takes air and lift samples to be sent to the lab for comparison to outside levels. The samples are sent out to a lab, who tests each specimen and compares the results to a control group and samples from the outside environment. These tests help determine whether the spore levels inside the structure are outside of the safe range. If the structure "fails" the preliminary test, the hygienist will write a protocol that remediation companies can follow to help deem the structure safe. Here at SERVPRO of Lake County, we frequently work with protocols. Growth jobs can include setting containment, demolition, and micro cleaning. Our crews work diligently to clean the affected areas and reduce spore counts. After mitigation is complete, the hygienist will return to perform a post-test. This test shows whether the mitigation efforts were successful or if further action must be taken.