If you live in a house with areas that receive very little sunlight or airflow, and those areas have a tendency to stay damp, there is a very good chance that you have quite a bit of mold to contend with. In some cases, the mold can be mild and only requires a bit of cleaning up and a change in the way the space is treated. In other situations, the mold can be severe and requires immediate environmental remediation. If you have a severe mold infestation, it could wreak havoc on your home and on your health. Some people are more sensitive to it than others, but black mold is extremely toxic and is not something that anybody should mess around with. If you have a mold infestation on your hands, here are a few pointers on how to find and select a mold remediation contractor.
- Clean it up. If you have a bathroom or other room in your house that is particularly damp and prone to mold growth, be sure to clean it up really well and dry out the area. Some people prefer to use bleach, but if you prefer to go the more natural route, you can dilute some grape seed oil in water and create a natural solution that won’t stain your clothes or leave a nasty toxic smell. Once you’ve cleaned up the area, just be sure to make a serious effort to keep it dry. You always want to leave the window open and the vent on when you take showers. If possible, you also want to keep the bathroom door open. Whatever you can do to keep the area as dry as possible should be done. If the mold is resilient, then you will need the help of professionals.
- Talk to your landlord. If you’re renting your house or apartment, then it should be your landlord who pays to fix the mold situation. If this is the case, then he or she will want to be the one who facilitates the whole process. If you go behind your landlord’s back and have the house inspected without permission, you could create an unnecessary source of tension. Instead, you want to describe the situation you’re dealing with in detail, do some research on the different pricing options available, and present them to your landlord so that the process can be expedited as quickly as possible. No need for unnecessary drama. If you haven’t heard of Microbial Insights Inc. you may want to ask your landlord if you can have them do an inspection. They will know exactly how to solve your particular problem.
- Change the environment. Once you’ve eliminated the mold, you’ll want to make sure that it doesn’t come back. The only way to do this is to determine which environmental factors led to its growth in the first place. It’s very likely that it was due to lack of sunlight and air flow. Talk to your landlord about installing a window or vent in the space.
