It may be tempting to see a small spot of mold, such as around a window frame, and feel you could handle removing it yourself. There are several reasons, however, why you should leave this task to a professional mold remediation expert, even if it is just a small amount. Here’s why:
● Hidden mold – There is likely more mold present than what you can see. If the environment in your home is conducive to mold growth, there is a good chance that it has activated and is colonizing behind the scenes and thorough professional mold remediation is necessary.
● Containment – Using an improper mold removal technique can inadvertently cause the mold spores to spread to other areas of your home. A mold remediation professional knows how to contain the mold during the removal process.
● Mold removal – Most DIY mold methods just kill the mold spores rather than removing them. Since dead mold spores can cause respiratory distress as much as live ones, that is not an effective mold remediation option.
● Some mold is highly toxic – While most species of mold will not cause serious illness in most people, some such as stachybotrys chartarum, often referred to as black mold, can most definitely have devastating effects on the human body. Without proper precautions during mold remediation, you could put yourself and your family in serious danger.
● Replacement – Some building materials and other affected surfaces must be replaced if they have been contaminated by mold. Unless you have experience with this, you won’t know if you should keep or replace various things. You could spend money replacing that which you didn’t need to or having ineffective results because you didn’t replace something you should have.
Other benefits of using a professional for mold remediation is learning what caused the mold to begin with and having peace of mind that the process is handled in the safest, most reliable manner possible. There are so many things you can handle as a DIY project, but mold removal simply isn’t one of them.
