Ask Restoration Master

The cost of biohazard cleanup will depend on how much of the material is present and how many hours the professional believes the job will take.  Biohazard cleaning professionals generally charge an hourly rate that can range from $75 to $250.  The hourly rate will depend on the professional and the estimate will take the hourly rate into account along with the number of estimated hours the job will take.

It is nearly impossible to tell how long the job will take.  A professional will evaluate the extent of the damage and give you an estimate of the hours.  Just as a reference, a professional that charges $75 an hour and estimates that the job will take 20 hours will charge a total of around $1,500.

Call a couple of different professionals and inquire about their hourly rate.  It never hurts to get a few different quotes.

It is common for mold to form on outside surfaces like brick and cement and its presence can be unsightly.  Fortunately, you can remove small amounts of mold and mildew from these surfaces with effective DIY methods.  If there is an extensive mold problem on the brick and concrete surfaces on your property, it is best to call a mold remediation professional.

You will need to following supplies to remove the mold from these surfaces:

• Gloves
• Goggles
• A push broom or deck brush with stiff bristles
• Pressure washer
• Vinegar

Make sure you follow these steps to remove the mold:

• Dry the area: Mold thrives in moisture which is why the affected area should be thoroughly dried first. Allow the area time to dry in the sun.  If the area is not in direct sunlight, you can use a fan to help dry the area.
• Sweep the area: Use the push broom or deck brush to sweep away the mold or mildew growth.
• Wash with pressure washer: If sweeping the area is not enough to remove the mold, you should try pressure washing the surface. You can rent a pressure washer at a reasonable price from a hardware store.  Make sure you spray the surface thoroughly to wash away the mold and mildew.
• Treat the area with vinegar: Vinegar is very effective for removing mold. If there is still mold on the brick or concrete surfaces after using the power washer, try treating the affected surfaces with a solution of white vinegar and water.  Put the mixture in a spray bottle and spray the affected areas.  Allow the solution to sit for a few minutes and then scrub the areas with the deck brush or broom.  You must be careful when using this solution because vinegar can kill your plants.
• Call a professional: If the mold or mildew persists despite your best efforts, contact a mold removal professional to handle the job. These professionals have the right equipment to remove mold from any surface inside and out.

The short answer is yes, if a leak occurs within your walls, the sheetrock will be damp.  Sheetrock absorbs water which can cause noticeable stains and weakening of the material which can easily lead to structural damage.  If you notice any stains or dampness with the sheetrock in your condo, you must act immediately.

Leaks within walls are difficult to detect and it may take some time before you discover the leak.  Stains and dampness on the sheetrock are the biggest indicators that there is a leak behind the wall.  This issue must be taken care of quickly because more water will get absorbed in the sheetrock, increasing the risk of structural damage.  These leaks can also cause mold growth within the walls which will worsen the damage and introduce health risks.

Make sure you check the walls within your condo regularly for dampness, stains, or any signs of weakness.  If you do notice dampness or water stains on the sheetrock, call a professional right away to check for a leak behind the wall.

If there is standing water in the home, you must tell the property manager immediately to call a water damage restoration professional to remove the water.  The musty smell could indicate that there is also mold growth which must be handled by a professional.

Standing water should never be ignored in a home or building because it will continue to get absorbed in the surrounding building materials, leading to serious structural damage and mold growth.  Standing water will never go away either, it must be extracted.  Water damage restoration professionals have advanced water extraction equipment that can remove any amount of standing water.  Once the water is removed, they will thoroughly dry the area with dehumidifiers and air movers to extract moisture from the affected materials.  They will then thoroughly clean and disinfect the area, repair resulting damage, and look for any mold or mildew growth.  Most water damage restoration professionals are also mold removal experts.

The important thing is to make sure the property owner gets a professional to the property as soon as possible because the damage is getting worse the longer the problem is not addressed.

It is inevitable for wooden decks to be affected by mold or mildew as these substances are a part of the natural environment.  When it comes to removing green mold from your wooden deck, you have the choice of doing it yourself, or hiring a professional to clean your deck.  The cost of cleaning mold from your deck will be less if you choose a DIY option.

One DIY cleaning option is to wash the deck with a pressure washer.  You do not need a lot of power to pressure wash a deck; between 800 and 1,000 psi of pressure is recommended to clean a wood deck.  Anything more powerful can damage the wood.  A pressure washer that can handle this job can be rented for between $50 and $100 per day.

Another DIY cleaning option is to scrub the deck with a cleaning solution without using a pressure washer.  To do this, you will need a scrub brush or broom, laundry detergent or vinegar, and a garden hose.  You can make a cleaning solution that is 1/3 of a cup of laundry detergent per gallon of water, or a cleaning solution that is one-part water to one-part vinegar.  Apply the solution to the deck and scrub with the brush or broom.  After scrubbing, use the garden hose to thoroughly rinse the deck.  This cleaning option will simply cost you the price of the materials if you do not have them already available at your home.  Do not use chlorine bleach to clean mold from your deck because this will only kill the surface mold, not the mold roots embedded in the wood.

If you chose to hire a professional to clean your deck, you can expect to spend between $0.25 and $1.50 per square foot.  Deck stairs can cost between $50 and $70 to clean, which is a separate charge from the square footage of the rest of the deck, and many professionals will have a minimum cleaning charge that can be between $100 and $250.  Choosing to have the deck sealed or stained as part of the professional cleaning will cost extra as sealing can typically be done for $1 to $5 per square foot and staining can be done for between $0.50 and $7 per square foot.

Regardless of which option you choose to remove mold from your deck, you need to act quickly.  If given enough time, mold can cause damage to your wood deck and even trigger allergies and other health issues.