As students begin to go back to school, now is the time to examine buildings that may have been closed or minimally used for the past several months. If your summers are hot and humid, you may have a problem with mold growth.

Identify and Correct Conditions That Encourage Mold Growth

Mold on floor

Mold thrives in dark, damp, and warm spaces. If your buildings have not been air conditioned over the summer, conditions may be perfect for mold. If you smell an earthy, musty odor, you probably need to look for mold growth.

Look for leaking pipes and signs of water damage as you make your inspection. Any source of moisture that is not eliminated within 48 hours can contribute to mold growth. If you find signs of plumbing or water damage, call a qualified plumber to correct the problem.

Look for Structural Damage

Mold, if left untreated, can cause structural damage in wood-framed buildings. As mold grows, it digests whatever it is growing on. Moist wood is an ideal environment for mold. If enough of the wooden support beams are eaten away by mold, they can weaken the structure of the entire building.

Hire a Qualified Mold Removal Service

While you could remove small areas of mold yourself, chances are good that if you have mold in one area, you probably have it throughout the building. It is safest to call in a qualified mold removal service to completely remove the problem.

Mold Removal Cost

Costs for mold removal vary, depending on the size of the building and how extensive the mold problem is. If the building has been flooded and mold is growing throughout, you may spend tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove it. If the mold problem is more localized, the cost will be lower. Speak to your insurance agent and get quotes from several qualified mold removal services to get a more accurate idea of the cost of the project in your building.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.