What You Need to Know Before Hiring A Mold Remediation Professional

We know mold removal can be a daunting task. Where should you begin? Can you do it by yourself or is it better to hire a professional to do the job? The truth is that mold removal isn’t as complicated as it’s often made out to be, and it doesn’t have to be expensive. In this article we’ll guide you through the tips for finding the right pro to get the job done right without breaking the bank.

Should you test for mold?

In most cases, pre-esting will not be neccessary. If you can already see it, you usually do not need to spend money on pre-testing mold. You just need to get it removed as soon as possible, it’s that simple. No visible mold growth belongs in a healthy home and all mold should be removed the same way.

If a so-called mold remediation professional tries to convince you that you need to spend hundreds of dollars on pre-testing when you actually can see the mold, we advice you to be very wary. It’s often just a waste of time and money. Don’t hesitate to ask them a lot of questions, and if you aren’t satisfied with their asnwers, move on to another professional.

However, when you need ‘hard proof’ for a negotiation, for example if you are buying a house that has mold, we recommend pre-testing when there is visible mold.

What can I expect to pay for mold remediation?

Unfortunately there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. The amount of money you can expect to pay for mold removal depends on the size of the job, what needs to be removed, the size of the area needing to be contained off, and the difficulty of building the containment chamber. Please note that there are mold professionals out there that exaggerate the amount of work that needs to be done, driving up the price. It is always a good idea to get several quotes from as many credible mold removal specialists as you can. We advice you to always do your own research as well and always request multiple quotes to compare.

However, if you get a quote that’s shockingly low, that’s a big red flag. You have to know that mold remediation is a specialized trade, in the same way as electricians and carpenters, and that means that it isn’t always cheap. If one company is offering a shocklingly low price, chances are they will not do the work following all (safety) standards and your mold problemen may not properly get addressed following the IICRC standards.

Can I do it myself?

When it comes to mold removal projects, we strongly advice you to hire qualified professionals. When not using the right equipment and understanding what and how to handle mold, you can cause the air quality in your home to become much worse and impact other areas of your home that were not an issue before.

Here’s what to expect from a mold remediation specialist

Mold removal experts should have no problem explaining what the problem is – and how they are going to solve it. So-called professionals who are using complicated technical terms in order to confuse you about the state of your problem aren’t the kind of people you want to hire.

True professionals will always wear the proper safety clothing for mold remedy jobs when they are in your home. Always check if they are wearing a good quality filtration mask and either neoprene or vinyl gloves. The real experts will also wear full protective suits when dealing with mold.

The area professionals are working in will always be sealed off by them so that spores of the mold cannot spread to other parts of the home.

In terms of equipment, mold professionals use expensive, professional equipment such as HEPA air scrubbers, HEPA vacuums, commercial-strength dehumidifiers, etc. Regular handymen won’t have that kind of professional equipment.

What happens after the mold is removed?

After mold is removed from its source, the air should be cleaned of airbone mold spores using HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) air scrubbers and air exchange (i.e. replacing dirty moldy air with clean fresh air through simple ventilation).

Your average filter simply cannot catch these airborne mold spores and will pose an air quality risk – not exactly what you want after paying for professional remediation.

Some mold remediation companies also do restoration work, just like a general contractor. What you can expect to pay for this will depend of the style of the home, building materials used, etc.

To sum it all up, it doesn’t have to be difficult choosing the right professional to give you peace of mind. The good ones are able to clearly explain what work they will be doing, use professional equipment, have lots of experience and will charge a reasonable price.