Cleaning up mold in your home is both tedious and potentially dangerous to your health due to toxins in the spores. If you can see or smell signs of mold in your home, it’s best to employ professionals to clean it up. If you need professional mold abatement in San Diego, call us at EZ Dry Flood Damage.

What causes mold growth inside homes or buildings?

Mold thrives in areas that are dark (it can’t grow under UV light), humid, and warm. It also needs something to feed on, such as drywall, cotton, or wood. Hence, damp basements and attics are the perfect places in your house for mold to grow.

Humid conditions are a huge factor for their distribution, so if your basement or attic becomes damp after heavy precipitation, they are very susceptible to mold growth. There are plenty of ways that these areas can become damp, such as leaking pipes, flooding, bad ventilation, condensation, and roof leaks.

Usually, you can see visible mold growth or smell mold coming from these areas, and you should remove the mold immediately before it starts to spread. Even if you can’t smell it, but your house experienced heavy flooding or there were leaking pipes, it’s good to test your house for mold growth. There aren’t always noticeable signs of mold growth, so you should test your house after events like flooding.

Remove mold on my own

Whether you should remove the mold by yourself or professional depends on how big the affected area is. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), homeowners can carry out mold removal on any area that’s less than 10 square feet with mold growth. If the area is greater than that, it’s highly unsafe, and you should hire a contractor. Contact us if you’re looking for mold abatement in San Diego.

It’s also better to hire a contractor that specializes in mold removal or remediation, rather than a general contractor. Mold can introduce serious health hazards if it disperses around your house, particularly for small children or those with weakened immune systems.

If you also suspect that there’s a mold infestation in your HVAC system, call a contractor immediately. Your A/C will rapidly distribute the mold and disperse it into the air you breathe.

Preventative measures you can take against mold

While we don’t recommend attempting to remove mold on your own, there are several preventative measures to take to avoid mold growth in the first place. You should always keep your attics and basements clean, regularly open the windows to allow adequate ventilation and sunlight.

If there are plumbing issues like leaking pipes or roof leaks, fix them immediately as the resulting dampness is perfect for mold growth. You should also avoid hanging wet clothes in dark areas like your basement or attic, as it will increase the humidity.

Looking for professional mold removal services after discovering mold in your home? EZ Dry Flood Damage offers mold abatement in San Diego, as well as drying and leak detection services.

Mold Abatement San Diego