3 Reasons To Book A Fall Mold Inspection!

After a busy spring and summer season, Puritan Restoration is gearing up for the Fall. Typically, we tend to get more mold inquiries because of water damage events that occurred earlier in the year. Usually, when water damage occurs, there may be some mold issues, particularly if the water and extra moisture was not dealt with immediately. Keep in mind, mold only needs about 24 to 48 hours to begin to grow, so when there is a water event, time is of the essence.

If you want to learn more about mold, here are the top 10 articles on our website that have received the most page views:

As temperatures begin to drop, we turn to our furnace to heat our homes and businesses.

Did you know that by simply turning on your furnace you could be spreading mold spores throughout your property?

The main goal of this article is to list and explain the top three reasons to have a professional mold inspection in the Fall!

Give us a call if you are concerned that you may have mold lurking in your basement or other areas of your home.

At Puritan, our supervisors and technicians are trained and certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration (IICRC) and follow the guidelines of the IICRC S520 Standard for Professional Mold Remediation.

In addition to our remediation procedures, the training includes safety practices to avoid cross-contamination and personal protection measures. Our team of field specialists also receives additional education to maintain their certification.

We work closely with Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) firms who can provide testing, analysis, and written protocol if necessary, to ensure that the area of concern (AOC) is determined safe & healthy upon completion of services.

Peace of mind is just a phone call away, 617-527-2229 or send us an e-mail. We look forward to serving you! 🙂

1. Prevent Mold Spores From Getting In Your HVAC System

Prevent Mold Spores From Getting In Your HVAC System

In most homes, the furnace is located in the basement, usually in the storage area. The basement is also one of the most common areas for mold to thrive and grow because it is a dark, moist area. You will know you have mold issues if you smell a musty, earthy odor. If your home or business has ever flooded and was not dried properly, the prevalence of mold issues is highly likely.

If mold is prevalent in the basement, one of the major concerns is to prevent air borne spores from spreading throughout the rest of the home. In other words, turning on your furnace when there is mold in the basement could spread the spores throughout the home contaminating more areas.

The number one reason to get a Fall mold inspection is to prevent the spread of mold into other areas of your home when you turn on your furnace. If the mold inspector finds mold in the basement, then potential cross contamination can be prevented with a remediation plan.

2. Better Health

Better Health

Unfortunately, when Fall and Winter arrive, many blame health issues on colds and the flu. However, what most people do not realize is that mold spores can cause many of the symptoms we experience when we think we have a cold or flu:

The sudden onset of allergic symptoms involving the respiratory system such as cough, congestion, sinus infection, asthma, and bronchitis.
Unexplained headaches, decrease in attention span or memory, difficulty concentrating, or dizziness.
Other physical symptoms of mold could include skin rash, itchy eyes, fatigue, and a general unwell feeling that disappears when leaving the house.

Many of the symptoms above would be diagnosed as cold or flu symptoms by a Doctor.

However, as many toxic mold survivor interviews show, this is a common occurrence simply because most Doctors are not trained to identify sickness caused by mold.

If you experience these symptoms soon after turning on your furnace, then you likely have mold spores circulating in your home.

To verify that you have mold issues, you can check the furnace for black, gray-brown, gray-green, or white-and-orange spots. The insulation, condensers, cooling coils, and drip pans of furnaces and air conditioners, as well as the ducts are all potential areas where mold growth can occur. If you get mold in your HVAC system, get your ducts cleaned. Duct cleaning is only recommended, however, if the core problem causing the mold issues and the primary source of the mold contamination is properly cleaned.

3. Peace of Mind

Peace of Mind

Trained mold inspectors follow a step by step protocol to determine if there is a mold problem. They will do visual inspections; ask questions to get a better idea of the building history to find out about leaks, floods, etc. any indication of past moisture issues; measure the moisture levels; and may recommend that tape, swab, or air quality tests be done to determine the type of mold and the spore count in the home.

The relative cost of a mold inspection compared to the potential health issues and eventual structural issues that mold can cause in a property is minor and should give you a significant amount of peace of mind knowing that you have had a professional inspection done.

Bottom line, if you suspect that you have any mold concerns, particularly in your basement, we strongly recommend that you have a professional examine the problem so that you can prevent the spread of the mold throughout your home when you turn on your furnace.

Got Mold Questions?

Puritan Restoration is dedicated to helping homeowners and business owners in Norwood, MA and all surrounding areas. We are so passionate about education because we know that an informed consumer will be able to make better and informed decisions. We have built a reputation of trust in our service area. When you have questions about mold, don’t hesitate to send us an e-mail or call our experts 617-527-2229. Peace of mind is just a phone call away!

Three Reasons To Book A Fall Mold Inspection!