Tampa homeowners often expect a reprieve from wet conditions once we hit the winter months. However, we’re facing our first El Niño winter in five years, and the moisture isn’t going anywhere.
If you’re a long-time Tampa resident, you know that with outdoor moisture comes indoor mold. With no break in humidity levels, you may find yourself facing a mold infestation in the coming months.
When mold growth takes over, it’s time to hire a mold remediation contractor. How long does mold remediation take and what can you expect from the process?
Read on to learn what to prepare for before your mold remediation process begins.
What Is Mold Remediation?
Before you make an appointment to tackle your mold problem, it’s important to understand what mold remediation is. Some contractors may use the terms remediation and removal interchangeably, but there are distinct differences between the two.
Mold remediation encompasses mold removal, the process of killing mold and removing materials that can’t be cleaned of mold easily. It also includes correcting the conditions that led to mold growth, in the first place. As a result, it’s the most thorough and dependable way to approach mold growth for long-term results.
How Long Does Mold Remediation Take?
Once you’ve found the right contractor that offers true mold remediation services, it’s time to schedule your mold remediation services. The longer you live with mold, the higher your chances become of developing mold illnesses. Fast action is crucial.
That said, mold remediation can be disruptive to your day-to-day life. There is no answer to the question of how long mold remediation will take that will apply to every homeowner. However, understanding what goes into it can give you a better sense of how long it can take.
Assessment and Planning
First, your mold remediation contractor needs to assess the extent of your mold problem. This includes inspecting mold growth in your home and measuring humidity levels in the affected areas.
At this stage, we can often provide a better estimate of how long the rest of the process will take. When the mold growth is contained to one small area, we may be able to complete the process in as little as one day. However, it often requires several appointments to move through the steps below.
Prep
Mold spreads through microscopic spores that act a lot like seeds. They can float through the air or attach to clothing and animals to find surfaces that will support the growth of new colonies.
No matter where mold growth occurs in the home, we must create a containment barrier around it before we get started. This prevents cross-contamination and keeps mold spores from spreading as we disturb them during demolition.
Demo
Demolition is only required if the mold infestation has taken hold of structural materials beyond remediation. In other words, if mold growth in your floors, walls, insulation, or other materials can’t be removed, we’ll have to remove them from your home.
As you can imagine, this is one of the more disruptive phases of the process. We’ll always let you know when demo will start and stop so you can plan accordingly. Demo can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, depending on how much the mold infestation has spread and how much material we need to dispose of.
Removal
During this phase, we’ll work to remove all mold by means of two methods. The first is the removal of mold-damaged porous items. This often includes textiles like carpets and carpet pads. It may also include porous furniture like upholstered chairs and couches.
The second is to remove or kill any mold growing on surfaces we don’t need to demolish. We use a combination of HEPA vacuums and antimicrobial cleaners to remove mold from everything from walls and floors to exposed studs and ceilings. We also recommend hiring a state licensed and NADCA Certified Contractor to clean your HVAC system and air ducts.
Remediation
Remediation is a term that does encompass both mold removal and treating the conditions that led to mold growth. We can often complete both steps on the same day, although it will depend on the size of the area that requires treating and the extent of the growth.
In order to treat the conditions that led to mold growth, we’ll install dehumidifiers and air scrubbers in the contained area. The goal is to remove any remaining mold spores while reducing humidity levels in the home. We may advise leaving this equipment in place for days or weeks at a time.
Clearance and Restoration by a Third Party
Before removing the containment barrier, we recommend hiring a third party to inspect the area to check for any remaining mold or humidity. We believe in the work we do and want homeowners to rest assured that we’ve completed the job before moving back into the home or inhabiting the affected space.
If getting rid of mold in your home involved demolition, you may also need to hire contractors to restore your property. Always make sure that your contractors are state licensed, insured, and well-reviewed.
Can You Really Get Rid of Mold in Tampa Homes?
If you’ve dealt with mold before, you know that not all approaches work. For example, DIY methods may not kill all mold spores or mold growing in porous materials. Before long, the colonies return in full force.
At Big Easy Restoration, we pride ourselves in doing thorough work. Because humidity levels are so high in Tampa, you may face mold growth again in the future. However, we will do our best to remove all mold in your home at the time that you hire us and to eliminate any current conditions supporting that growth.
Call Big Easy Restoration for Tampa Mold Remediation
This year, we’re not experiencing the same reprieve from Florida humidity that many homeowners expect in the winter months. How long does mold remediation take when you need it? The answer varies, and the best way to find out is to talk to the professionals.
After years working in New Orleans, our founder brought his mold remediation expertise to Tampa to serve homeowners and commercial property owners in the region. Contact us for professional mold remediation today.
