Estero, Florida Mold Remediation

All the conditions needed for mold growth are present in your Estero home except water.

The food source is cellulose. Paper and wood are cellulose. The temperature range is optimal for mold to grow. But we keep the moisture (humidity) low when we air condition our Estero homes.

Other sources of water can include plumbing leaks or leaks from the roof, windows and doors. If the Estero home is on a slab, water can seep or wick up into the floor coverings from below. High humidity will condense out onto building materials and furnishings if cooling occurs below the dew point. This is seen when the morning dew condenses onto the grass. Keep water vapor to a minimum indoors. Run the vent fan when showering, run the hood vent when cooking and vent your clothes dryer outdoors.

Mold spores are present, lying dormant, on most surfaces inside and outside your Estero home. That is not a problem unless the spore counts are very high in the indoor air. But if the mold spores get a source of moisture they will begin to grow. Any place where warm humid air meets cold air moisture will condense out into water. Undersized, oversized or poorly maintained A/C units will cause condensation. A rip or hole in the A/C ducting will cause condensation.

Exposure to Estero mold can occur when spores are inhaled. We breathe mold spores every day but when the spore count is very high or when our body’s immune system is weak because of sickness, asthma or allergies we can experience symptoms of illness. Inhaled spores are killed by the immune system. Very high spore levels can cause allergic reaction symptoms like runny nose, sore throat and sneezing. Estero People with Asthma and allergies will often have their symptoms worsened by exposure to high levels of mold.

Some species of Estero mold can cause respiratory infection when live mold invade the tissue of the lungs or respiratory tract. This is not a significant risk for healthy people but may affect individuals with weakened immune systems. Very large doses of certain Estero molds can result in allergic symptoms caused by Mycotoxins. Mycotoxins are the chemical weapons that different species of mold use to combat each other. The cases of serious physical or neurological damage being cause by mold exposure are very rare.

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Mold spores are the seed packages that mold uses to reproduce in Estero.

Mold spores are both small and aerodynamic. Some mold spores are as small as .5 microns in diameter. By comparison a human hair is 16 microns in diameter. Mold spores are a normal component of the air here in Estero. The “spore count” varies by season and is counted just like pollen count. There are thousands of kinds of molds. Relatively few kinds of mold are harmful to humans but a small number of molds are very dangerous.

To grow into a mold colony all a mold spore needs is water and a food source. The water can be a leak or flood or in the form of high humidity. Mold needs about 60% relative humidity to sustain growth. Molds favorite food source is wood fiber. In your Estero home there are many wood fiber products. The paper on your drywall, the press board in cabinets and furniture, door and window trim, studs and structural components and even the paper backing on your home insulation. When any of these wood fiber products get wet or the humidity is above 60% for several days mold spores that have settled out of the air in your Estero home begin to grow.

This is why it is so important to keep your Estero home under 60% relative humidity and your central air conditioning will do that. Keep your air conditioner in good shape and if you are away from your Estero home for more than a weekend be sure to leave the thermostat set no higher than 80 degrees and if you have a humidistat set it at 58%.

If you are a seasonal resident or vacationing have a trusted and competent friend or a qualified Home Watch look in on your Estero home regularly to insure that the humidity is below 60% and A/C system is functioning properly. Another enemy of mold growth is air movement. If you have ceiling fans in your Estero home, leaving them running on the lowest setting is relatively inexpensive and will discourage mold spores from landing. If the mold spore never lands, mold growth will not have an opportunity to begin. If you are away for an extended period and you’re A/C fails the humidity in your Estero home will rise and fall with the outside humidity. The heat of the day will pull moisture into the air as humidity and the relative coolness of night will cause the humid air to drop its water vapor as condensation. This process will wet all surfaces in your Estero home and cause a “humidity bloom”. In this situation mold will grow on almost everything. It will grow on furniture, walls, carpet, clothing, bedding and everything except glass, plastic and finished metals.

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Estero Mold remediation is an absolute must

Estero Mold remediation is an absolute must if you suspect the presence of harmful mold in your home or office. If you think that you have a mold problem, the first step is to call a Estero Certified Mold Remediator to evaluate the extent of your mold problem and devise a remediation plan for killing and cleaning mold from your property.

The first thing a Estero mold inspector will do upon coming to your home is evaluate the extent of your mold problem. In doing so, you can expect your Estero Mold inspector to first identify the source of the moisture that is causing your problem. That could be anything from leaky plumbing to a home with excessive humidity without enough ventilation. Once the source of the moisture is found, your Estero Certified Mold Remediator will locate the mold using a number of tests that measure everything from moisture levels in your walls, floors and ceilings, to the presence of airborne mold spores in your home. Once the extent of the mold problem is determined, your Estero mold remediation project will move to the next phase - containment!

Before any extensive work is done on the mold, your mold Estero mold remediation plan will require your Estero Certified Mold Remediator to contain the contaminated area to prevent the mold spores from spreading into other areas of the home. This means putting up a sealed plastic barrier and maintaining negative air pressure within the containment area so that mold spores aren’t drawn into other areas of the home once the work starts.

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