Understanding Mold Infestations and What to Do First | SERVPRO of Oxford/Batesville/Clarksdale

3/15/2024 (Permalink)

Mold infestations can seriously impact your families health. SERVPRO of Oxford/Batesville/Clarksdale is here to restore your home when you find mold.

No one ever thinks that suffering a mold infestation will ever happen to them. After all, mold only grows in dirty houses, right? Of course not! Mold is everywhere all the time, and it can grow in any house across the Oxford community if the conditions are right. 

Knowing what to do to prevent mold infestations is one thing, but learning how to properly and safely respond to them entirely another thing. We explain more about mold infestations and how to keep yourself safe below, so check it out to learn more. 

Where Mold Grows 
Mold spores are microscopic and can be found floating inside and outside your home. They are virtually everywhere! They can easily float into and out of your home through open windows or through air vents.

While it is common to have mold spores anywhere in your home, that doesn’t necessarily guarantee that you will suffer from a mold infestation. Mold needs a dark and damp environment in order to take hold and grow, which is why some of the most common locations for mold are in your attic, crawl space, basement and even in the corners of your bathroom. Once a few spores find the right environment, they can settle in and start to grow. 

Signs of an Infestation
One of the troublesome things about mold is that it can grow silently and without much warning. Since mold colonies often grow in places that don’t experience high traffic, these colonies can be left to grow for a long time before being discovered. Once the infestation gets large enough, it can start to bubble paint, discolor walls and give off a musty or earthy scent.

If you notice any of these signs pop up around your home, you can certainly do a visual inspection, but use extreme caution if you go digging around in your attic or basement. Some types of mold can be hazardous to breathe in so you don’t want to disturb the spores. The best thing you can do is to step back and call us right away.

Our mold mitigation team can take care of you right away! Our team has the proper tools and restoration gear to stay safe while we work, and we have the training to make sure we tackle the entire colony with confidence. 

We will prioritize containing the area, which means we will shut vents and turn off your HVAC system to temporarily stop the flow of air. Now that your space is secure, we will get to work on cleaning up the area and work on sanitizing mold infested materials. 

Restoring Your Home

If your mold infestation has been left to grow for a while, you could also be looking at serious structural problems in the aftermath of our mitigation strategies. Since mold is moist, that lingering moisture will slowly degrade your home and eat away at wood beams, walls and other structural supports. 

Our goal is to tackle each concern completely and handle your entire renovation to make sure your home is safe and structurally sound once more.

Mold infestations should always be handled by a team of professionals. Call SERVPRO of Oxford/Batesville/Clarksdale today.