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SERVPRO Cleanup & Restoration Services
Mold Mitigation & Remediation
Intrusion of water into your home or place of
business is an out of the ordinary event. This could
result from broken water pipes or water heaters,
sump pump failure or from long-standing leaks.
Organic materials found inside a building, such as
wood, paper, drywall, and some types of insulation,
provide food sources for molds (given an adequate
amount of moisture) to flourish.
A water damage, if left unattended for any period of
time, may lead to mold growth. People may experience
health effects associated with exposure to mold in
damp buildings, according to a
two-year study by the Institute of Medicine.
These health effects may include a runny nose,
sneezing, coughing, congestion, aggravation of
asthma, sore throat, or inflammation of the sinus.
Concerns are more likely to arise when "at risk"
individuals are exposed to mold growth. "At risk"
people can include immune suppressed or compromised
individuals, young children, and individuals with
chronic inflammatory lung diseases such as asthma
and severe allergies.
 SERVPRO
professionals handle water damages every
day. Prompt action is required to prevent new mold
growth. If your property has sustained a recent
water damage, it is vital to have the water removed
and the structure dried promptly.
When excessive mold contaminates a building,
remediators follow five principles in dealing with
the mold:
Principle 1: Provide for health and safety.
Since moldy buildings are associated with health
problems, remediators protect the health of workers
and occupants. Some work practices prevent workers
from exposure as they disturb the mold during
cleanup. Other work practices prevent mold from
spreading to occupied areas of the building.
Principle 2: Document conditions and processes.
Remediators record conditions in the building such
as the extent of the contamination and the amount of
moisture saturation. Once remediation is completed,
an independent indoor environmental professional may
record that mold in the building is returned to
normal conditions.
Principle 3: Control the mold contaminant at its
source.
Work practices aim at keeping mold contamination
from becoming airborne and then spreading from the
source to clean areas. This reduces the amount of
airborne mold that workers are exposed to. It also
makes the process of removing mold more efficient.
Principle 4: Remove contamination.
Once mold has grown beyond normal levels, the most
effective solution is to remove the excess mold
contamination. This may be accomplished by
physically removing materials damaged by growing
mold, by vacuuming excessive mold spores into HEPA
filters, and by damp wiping soiled surfaces with
detergent cleaning products.
Priniciple 5: Correct the moisture problem.
This is the key to dealing with mold. Stop the
source of moisture that initially contributed to
mold growth. Even the best cleanup efforts will not
keep mold from returning if a building continues to
have moisture problems.
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