Steps for a mold remediation or water damage project in Sandpoint, Kellog, and Coeur D’ Alene area homes?

Safety
Before attempting anything, be sure you know exactly what steps to take when dealing with any restoration. When trying to do any repair work for water damage, mold removal, fire damage, smoke removal, or construction, be sure to have a professional make sure there are no electrical hazards, dangerous CAZ zones (combustible appliance zones), dangerous carbon monoxide levels, asbestos, or lead issues. These are just a few things to keep in mind along with many others when attempting to do any restoration work. Be sure that when you have a contractor attempt any restoration work that they follow some of those basic safety guidelines. For more safety guidelines check with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Identify the source
If you live in Sandpoint, Kellog, or Coeur D’ Alene, Idaho then you know we can experience high humidity. Before you can get an estimate from a certified mold remediation contractor or industrial hygienist they first should identify what is causing the mold to grow. Mold needs moisture to grow so you need a specialized contractor who might have specialized equipment such as a thermal imager to seek out potential water damage. United Restoration Inc of Sandpoint, Kellog, and Coeur D’ Alene, Id has advanced moisture detecting meters as well as a thermal imager. When you are a hammer everything looks like a nail. We take a non destructive approach. When you have experienced mold or water damage problems it is important to do a thorough diagnosis before prescribing the cure.

Containment – Negative Air – Treatment
When starting water damage mitigation or mold abatement, mold spores can become aerosolized. Cross contamination can become a problem when a restoration goes wrong. An inexperienced contractor can create a situation much worse than the original problem. Specialized mold remediation contractors in Spokane, Washington or Coeur D’ Alene, Idaho use techniques that prevent cross contamination. You want to be sure that a proper containment barrier is installed along with negative air. Once containment has been properly set up there should also be a specialized air scrubber placed within the containment zone. Contaminants can be removed by wiping, wire brushing, soda blasting, etc… Most non porous materials can be salvaged where as porous materials such as carpet, drywall, paper, etc… should be bagged and thrown away. Some materials, paintings, or valuable documents might be salvable but can be extremely costly. Every square inch should be heap vacuumed and a thorough sporicidal wipe applied. United Restoration, Inc. takes it one step further and treats water damage and mold areas with a vaporized hydrogen peroxide gas. H202 is a great way to reach cracks and crevices that we can not reach with conventional tools.

Post Testing
Some third party inspectors take air sample, but may only require a visual inspection in order to receive a pass. Once post inspection has been completed then you should receive a document proving that your property was restored by a professional water damage or a certified mold remediation contractor. In Sandpoint, Kellog, and Coeurd A Lene, Id United Restoration, Inc is eager to help you with your restoration needs. In  Spokane, Wa mold abatement contractors will often suggest the customer use a third party for post inspection in order to receive clearance.

Be sure that Your Sandpoint, Kellog, or Coeur D’ Alene, Id Mold mitigation, removal, and abatement contractor have the following.

Contractor Registration – License – Bond
Be sure that your contractor has there contractor registration in Sandpoint, Kellog, and Coeur D’ Alene, Id. Most states will require that you have your license, bond, and insurance before they will allow a contractor to become registered with the state.

Insurance
Most states do not care if contractor has mold or pollution insurance so it is very important that you ask for proof of mold or pollution insurance.
Proof Of Certification
It just makes sense that if you are going to have heart surgery that you have a Heart surgeon not a lawyer perform the surgery. You want to make sure that your contractor has the proper credentials before you give them the scalpel to perform surgery on your home.

Cost
Although mold abatement can be costly, in the end you want it done right the first time. Mold abatement don’t the wrong way not only will cost you more money in the future but can potentially cause problems with structural integrity, and pose serious health risk to you and your family.

The key to preventing mold growth is moisture control.

United Restoration Inc offers special environmental controls. Eliminating the water is key to eliminating the excess water impact, but you also want to make sure that you keep your percentage of Relative Humidity(%RH) below 55%. Maintaining a dry environment will eliminate what mold needs to grow MOISTURE. Moisture is the enemy. The SaniDry system is the key to having a clean, Dry, and comfortable living environment.

There are two environmental controls we offer. The first one is the upright SaniDry. This unit is ideal for levels above the crawl space.

The second system we offer is the SaniDry CSB – small enough to fit in your crawl space Dehumidification Fights Home Allergens With the help of the SaniDry XP Basement and Crawl Space Dehumidifier and Air Filtration System, you too, can live in an allergen-free home and experience the benefits of less humidity and pure air.

The air in your home isn’t as pure as you may think, and that’s the result of one particularly pesky critter known as the dust mite. In fact, dust mite fecal matter is the number one home allergen!

How can you get rid of dust mites? Lower the relative humidity in your home to below 50 percent. By lowering the humidity in the air, you are removing the dust mite’s water supply. They don’t have to drink water, but simply absorb it from the air. If there’s no moisture in the air, then there’s no water for the mites.

Three factors are known to cause mold growth:

1. A comfortable climate. Mold thrives at temperature between 68 and 86 degrees farenhieght.
2. Water/moisture. Mold problems can start to occur when %Rh is above 50 percent.
3. Food/organic material.

By using a dehumidifier in your basement or crawl space, you’ll reduce or eliminate mold growth.