Mold Cleaning and Remediation: Best Practices To Follow

4/25/2018 (Permalink)

Mold in a residential property.

If you discover black mold or any other sort of fungus in your building, don’t assume that you know the right thing to do. Chances are that some of the DIY mold cleanup procedures you’ve been told to use are wrong, and they could put you and your building’s occupants at risk. There are three sets of mold standards professional adhere to that you should know about:

• EPA standards
• OSHA standards
• IICRC standards

EPA and OSHA Standards for Mold Cleanup

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have their own approaches to handling mold that they suggest building owners and Asheville, NC mold remediation experts adhere to:

• Building owners should not attempt to clean up spaces larger than 10 square feet on their own.
• Because an HVAC system can easily become contaminated with mold, the ductwork and units should be inspected and cleaned thoroughly.
• If flooding was caused by a sewage backup or if the water is otherwise contaminated, it should be cleaned up by a professional only.
• If you are concerned about how the water or mold may affect your health, contact a professional.

IICRC Mold Standards

When it comes to mold remediation efforts, the team you hire should adhere to IICRC’s standards. Those standards differ from EPA and OSHA’s in a few ways. The greatest difference in methods is the way in which these organizations test for mold. The IICRC rejects the EPA’s method for detecting mold, which involves a visual assessment. Instead, it utilizes the “Indoor Fungal Ecology” test, following the three Cs:

• Condition
• Class
• Category

A remediation expert who adheres to this methodology should look for conditions conducive to mold growth, quantify the water damage and categorize the type of water as either clean water, gray water or black water. By following these three steps, a professional should be able to effectively remediate the problem.

Every mold remediation expert adheres to different mold standards. The important thing is to ensure that the professional you hire follows guidelines appropriate to your situation. Ask about a company’s approach before making the final hire.
Visit http://www.SERVPROashevilleeast.com for more information on mold.