A1 Mold Testing

Bleach and other no nos

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 17:09:00 GMT

Let’s Talk about Bleach, Baby (and other Misconceptions about Mold Cleanup)

So are mold cleanup strategies.

That’s makes sense, right?

After all, if you don’t understand mold, how can you possibly hope to clean it up and keep it out of your house for good?

Is mold a type of plant? Is it a bacterial growth? Is it a type of algae or lichen?

No, no, and no.

It’s a fungi.

Does bleach kill mold ? Very few.

But on porous surfaces like wood or drywall, bleach doesn’t remove the mold, mold spores, or mold fragments , and that’s a problem.

Bleach is Not an Ideal Chemical for Mold Cleanup

If you Google “mold cleanup,” you’re guaranteed to find websites that recommend bleach as the best mold cleanup solution.

It’s not true.

Let’s start with some of the problems with bleach:

Most important?

Still sound like the kind of product you want to use in your house?

No way .

Sure, we use diluted bleach all the time in our homes and offices. Hospitals trust bleach mixtures to destroy countless germs and viruses.

But mold is a different sort of problem. That means mold requires different cleanup strategies.

Basic Mold Removal … and We Do Mean Removal

There’s just one way to get mold out of a contaminated structure.

Guess what? That doesn’t include wiping it with bleach or any other chemical.

In some cases, you can’t get mold out of porous materials like drywall or carpet. So, the mold – as well as permeable mold-affected structural elements – must be removed from the building .

Most Midwestern structures use lumber frames and drywall. If the conditions are suitable for mold, both of these materials are vulnerable to mold colonies.

Drywall paper is, by nature, a substance that makes a nice home for spores … and possible mold.

Lumber is wood. When it’s wet, wood is delicious, multi-layered, fibrous food for mold.

Scrubbing some bleach onto these dense materials might make you feel a bit better. But don’t kid yourself. In order to do the job right, these kinds of mold-infested bits have to be removed, under industrial-grade filtration, and with proper protective gear.

Correct Process = Mold Eliminated

Dave Bayne is the general manager and owner of A1 Mold Testing & Remediation. He often has conversations with customers who tried to use bleach for their mold problems … and failed.

“Everyone thinks that bleach kills everything,” says Bayne. “Scientifically speaking, bleach kills very few molds. We are not in the business to kill mold — we are in the business to remove mold. Dead spores are still allergenic and simply killing mold does not solve the problem.”

He continues by saying, “Treating a mold issue by using bleach is like you punching someone in the belly thinking that you’re going to knock them out, however, all you are really doing is making them mad. The same goes for treating mold with bleach – the mold may fight back by unleashing toxins that can harm your family’s health.”

When A1 Mold Testing & Remediation crews arrive, we use strict procedures to isolate moldy areas from the rest of the structure.

Then, we physically remove as much mold and spore debris as possible.

Then, finally, we apply anti-fungal spray that kills any leftover spores. In instances where we can’t remove affected lumber (for instance, in load-bearing walls), we coat the treated lumber with an anti-fungal sealant to prevent further growth.

It’s not an easy process, but it’s one that works. Unlike bleach.

Call or email today and put our A1 superheroes to work for your family’s health and peace of mind.

Bleach and other no nos

A1 Mold Testing

Mold can affect relationships

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 17:05:00 GMT

Unknown Factors Related to Mold Problems That Could Affect Your Marriage and Personal Relationships

Not necessarily with a contractor. And not with the insurance company.

With your spouse.

One common issue we encounter is when one spouse is adamant about having a mold professional perform a remediation.

The other spouse? He or she insists that:

On more than one occasion we’ve witnessed arguments over this very subject. Sometimes there are even tears. And yelling.

That’s when we slip outside to make a few phone calls.

At A1 Mold Testing & Remediation, we’ve seen mold cause major relationship stress and even divorce. What these people may not realize is that mold toxicity doesn’t just cause physical problems, it can wreck your emotional well-being , too.

“Mold is emotional,” says Dave Bayne, general manager of A1 Mold Testing & Remediation. “In very general terms, men tend to skew mechanical, and women are more biological. Many disputes that I see are that the man thinks that he can take care of the problem on his own, with the woman knowing this is not so. Best thing is to have a professional do an assessment and make recommendations on what should be done.”

Is Mold Really Hazardous to Family Physical and Emotional Health?

Mold is a jerk. It doesn’t care if you’re a burly man, an iron-willed woman, or a spunky child.

Mold also has very real health impacts.

A little patch of mold in your kitchen probably isn’t going to hurt you.

However, a full-fledged colony spanning feet in your basement, your bathroom, or the attic?

That’s a health problem waiting to happen.

Mold often affects people who are susceptible to other problems. For instance, the very young or very old, or people who suffer from respiratory problems or allergies.

It can even affect your pets.

There are a few symptoms that may indicate your mold problem is already out of hand:

One common complaint we see is that mold causes generally flu-like symptoms. Only it’s not flu – it’s mold exposure.

There are a couple of bright spots amid these scary symptoms.

So, the short answer is: yes, mold can definitely impact human and animal health. That means it can harm your emotional health , your mental health , and your relationships, too.

But what if your significant other scoffs at the idea of paying professionals to remediate the mold? What if he or she wants to swing a hammer at the wall and “fix it themselves”?

Is Professional Mold Remediation Really Necessary?

When it comes to these kinds of decisions, well, we certainly can’t recommend marriage counseling. However, we absolutely can give you a few insights to help you and your spouse prioritize your course of action.

Let’s back up and start with the basics.

For example, does every household mold problem require professional remediation?

Answer: Absolutely not.

The gross black stuff growing on the tile of your shower? We can give you tips for getting rid of it yourself.

Does a basement full of moldy drywall require professional expertise?

Answer: You better believe it.

In our real world experience, most mold problems fall somewhere in between.

The only way to know whether you really need a professional is to call for an inspection.

What Happens During an Inspection

Calling for an inspection is your first step. Dave Bayne, general manager and owner of A1 Mold Testing & Remediation, will stop by to say hello and do a thorough walk-through of your situation.

He carries specialized gear and tools meant to analyze environmental conditions that cause mold growth.

But his primary tools are his experienced eyes.

After two decades of mold-related work, Dave understands where and why mold tends to grow.

In most cases, Dave can complete an inspection within an hour and then offer you some possible recommendations:

Setting Your Spouse’s Mind at Ease

If Dave does recommend a remediation, at request, he’ll put together an inspection report. The report details his findings, including pictures and other vital points.

Have questions? Need more details?

You can call Dave and he’ll be happy to explain his scientific findings and any confusing construction terminology in the report.

But that’s not all.

Dave can also break down the remediation plan for your home, step-by-step, so that you know exactly what to expect when the A1 crew arrives.

Sometimes, this kind of detailed information is enough to put your spouse’s mind at ease.

Ultimately, your peace of mind is A1 Mold Testing & Remediation’s number one priority. It’s your home. It’s your family. And it’s your health that’s on the line.

We know that you worry about mold and its affects on your children, your spouse, and yourself.

Call or email today and let us put our A1 Mold Remediation, ask for Dave Bayne, and put your anxieties about mold rest. Trust your family’s health to A1 Mold Testing and Remediation.

Mold can affect relationships

A1 Mold Testing

How much does remediation cost

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 17:01:00 GMT

How Much Does a Mold Remediation Cost? 5 Factors That Might Affect the Price of Mold Cleanup

We all know that home ownership is expensive.

You fix a broken dishwasher. The next week, the water heater breaks.

You replace the gutters. Then, you realize that your shed is falling apart.

Such is life.

We’ve covered the first point in multiple areas of our website and blog. But we’ll briefly restate that, yes, mold can definitely impact human health . The risk factors are clear, and we can discuss those with you when you call.

Or you can read our other posts about mold’s health effects .

Today, though, we’re focusing on the cost of mold cleanup. What really goes into the costs of a mold remediation ?

Dave Bayne, owner and general manager of A1 Mold Testing & Remediation, says that pricing varies for good reasons. So, when people ask him how much a remediation costs, what does he tell them?

“It depends. Many factors play into a mold remediation,” he says. “It’s no different than when you go in to get your car fixed at a mechanic. What’s the problem? What do we have to do to solve that problem? Some issues are simple and are easy fixes, whereas others are much more complex and may not be that easy.”

Five Major Factors the Affect the Cost of a Mold Remediation

At A1 Mold Testing & Remediation, we pay a lot for liability insurance. How much?

Enough to make you question our sanity for being in this business.

Why does liability insurance for mold remediation cost so much?

Because of the hazards of the job.

Mold remediation is physically difficult and even dangerous:

Those are just a few reasons why liability insurance is so expensive. It’s a major cost of doing business.

At A1 Mold Testing & Remediation, we use specialized tools for work sites. Some of these things, like rolls of heavy-duty plastic, you can buy at large hardware stores.

Others, like air scrubbers, are specific to our work.

Air scrubbers are huge, box-shaped fans equipped with dense HEPA filters. We use them to suck air away from moldy work areas to the exterior of the structure.

They can move hundreds of cubic feet of air per minute. What’s more, they use industrial-grade filters so that mold spores don’t escape into the surrounding environment.

As you can imagine, air scrubbers are expensive. Some models cost nearly $2,000.

Our A1 crews work very, very hard on the job. Every day, they put on white Tyvek suits, respirators, goggles, and gloves. That’s their personal protective equipment (PPE) and it’s critical to the job.

Then, they climb into attics and cram themselves into crawl spaces.

Sometimes, the work is miserably hot. Other times, the cold is almost unbearable.

So, mold remediation labor is expensive. Sometimes more expensive than in other labor-intensive trades.

There are oodles of so-called “mold killing” products on the market.

Lots of them are ineffective. Some are outright fraudulent.

For our remediations, we use only proven anti-fungal sprays and sealants. You can see some of these products right on our website.

As you might imagine, these products aren’t cheap. But there’s a reason that we use them – they work.

That means our remediations are done right the first time.

Some job sites are simply harder than others.

Taking out a corner of drywall in a bedroom is one thing.

Climbing into an attic in the heat and humidity July is a whole other ball of wax.

That attic presents a whole range of dangers and challenges for our work crews. They must be careful not to fall through the ceiling. They must monitor themselves for heat exhaustion. They could accidentally bump their heads or shoulders on exposed nails.

And they must avoid these perils while trying to do tough, physical labor in cramped circumstances.

Our crews have the experience and grit to tackle every kind of remediation. But we do have to factor those additional challenges into the overall cost.

So, How Much Does a Mold Remediation Cost?

Some cleanups are quick and easy. They’re done in a few hours.

Some are complex, dangerous, and difficult. It might take us days or even weeks to finish, especially if it’s a huge commercial building.

A basic residential remediation typically costs anywhere from $500 to $6,000. That includes setup, the remediation, final cleanup, and waste disposal.

You’ve seen some of the costs that go into our side of the remediation. We do everything we can to minimize those expenses so that we can provide fast, safe service.

Competitive pricing is something we take pride in.

Call or email today and put our A1 Mold Remediation superheroes to work for your family’s health and peace of mind.

How much does remediation cost

A1 Mold Testing

Mistakes that CAUSE mold

Thu, 27 Aug 2020 16:54:00 GMT

What You Really Need to Know about Fungus: 5 Mistakes People that CAUSE Mold

Mold is everywhere.

Or, more specifically, mold spores are everywhere .

These tiny spores drift on the slightest puff of air.

The wind carries them through forests, deserts, fields, and across oceans and mountains. And these spores are so tiny (just a few microns in diameter) that they sift through the doors and windows of your home.

Like corn or soybean seeds, these spores need the right conditions to grow into a full-fledged colony. Corn, for example, doesn’t grow on county highways. There’s no soil and no water.

Likewise, mold won’t magically sprout on your kitchen counter just because the spores land there. The spores need the appropriate conditions, like food and water, as well as the right temperature. Lacking those conditions, the spores remain in a dormant state.

How Mold Grows in the Midwest

But water intrusion is the number one cause of mold problems .

Sometimes, there’s flooding.

Or maybe a roof leaked.

Maybe a water pipe burst.

For mold to grow, it needs:

There doesn’t have to be an obvious catastrophe, like flooding or broken pipes, for mold growth.

Perhaps homeowners accidentally created the conditions that made mold thrive.

This happens more often than you might think.

5 Ways Homeowners Accidentally Help Mold Grow

In the Midwest, basements are a common area for mold problems. That’s because basements – even those that haven’t flooded – often have a little bit of moisture. They often feel damp. Maybe there’s an undetectable leak in the foundation. Or perhaps there’s a little condensation on the wall’s interior.

Over time, that moisture, along with mold-friendly temperatures, give rise to mold growth. Sometimes, just having humidity at 50% or higher can start mold.

Using a dehumidifier religiously can help keep humidity levels below 50%. In some situations, this tactic alone is enough to prevent mold.

In some parts of the country, it’s common for shower fans to vent directly into the attic. And in other regions, local building codes totally prohibit this practice.

Why?

Because blasting moisture into the attic can cause mold, and later, rot. In the Midwest, we often see attics filled with mold. That’s partly due to our extreme weather conditions and partly because it’s just a bad idea to pump a lot of moist air into a big wooden box – it’s a recipe for mold.

Your safest bet is always to vent the bathroom to the home’s exterior. Does this complicate construction sometimes? Yes. But it’s still best practice.

Now onto attic ventilation.

Your attic must be ventilated properly to ensure that moisture does not get trapped inside the attic. Warm moist air rises through your home/building via stack effect. If that moisture gets trapped in an attic space, especially in a cold climate, it will cause condensation on the roof sheathing and will essentially lead to mold growth. You should make sure that the attic space is properly ventilated, so this does not occur.

Many homeowners take only minimal measures to dry out their homes. That’s a huge mistake. You must aggressively dry these areas before mold – which can begin spreading in just 24-48 hours – takes hold.

We applaud homeowners who try to clean up minor mold problems with their own grit and determination.

However, too often we see them using the wrong tools ( like bleach ) or failing to understand that visible mold is often just the tip of the proverbial moldy iceberg.

Improper or incomplete cleanup can mean bigger mold problems down the road.

A lot of people in the Midwest refuse to run their air conditioning until it’s absolutely necessary.

Some do it because they’re frugal. Other people just enjoy warm, humid conditions (we don’t, but hey, to each their own).

We even met a guy who moved his bedroom to the basement each summer just to avoid paying higher utility bills due to air conditioning.

This practice, while admirable from a budgeting standpoint, means your home becomes very, very humid. That humidity will almost undoubtedly contribute to mold growth.

Furthermore, keeping your HVAC system clean and running regularly actually improves its efficiency, meaning you pay less to run it, and you’re more comfortable, too. And if your air conditioner breaks, you really should let a professional handle the repair .

Running your air conditioning regularly will substantially cut the risk that your home’s humidity is too high in summertime.

Other Mold Risk Factors

The crews at A1 Mold Testing & Remediation see all sorts of other issues that cause mold.

“The biggest mistake that I see is not maintaining the outside of the home,” says general manager and owner Dave Bayne. “That can be grading issues, downspout extensions that are missing, concrete that meets the house not being sealed, etc.”

But even when people do pay attention to these factors, he says, mold may raise its ugly head.

“Another big mistake that homeowners make is not realizing the severity of their problem. Moisture can work in mysterious ways and can travel much further than you might think.”

Mold Needs Very Little Food and Water to Grow

From a homeowner’s perspective, mold is a pest. From a scientific angle, however, mold is an amazing lifeform.

Some species of mold are incredibly resilient. The spores can survive years of drought and extreme temperatures. They need just a little bit of moisture and food to spring into action.

Given just a tiny opportunity, those spores will go to work. Growing, thriving, living … potentially wreaking havoc on your home and your health.

Your job as a homeowner, then, is to deprive mold of those opportunities. Using some of the basic tips in this post you’ll be able to stop or prevent mold in a variety of structures.

In doing so, you’ll be protecting not only the home itself, but the people inside, too.

Need more information?

Call or email A1 Mold Testing & Remediation today. Ask for general manager Dave Bayne, and he’ll help you with other techniques to stop mold in its tracks.

Mistakes that CAUSE mold

A1 Mold Testing

DIY remediations gone wrong

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 13:51:00 GMT

Behind the Scenes of a Do-It-Yourself Remediation Gone Horribly Wrong: 5 Ways Homeowners Screw Up Amateur Mold Remediation

So, when they find mold in their homes or businesses, some folks immediately Google “mold cleanup,” or watch a short YouTube video.

Then, they dive right into an amateur mold remediation.

More cautious customers might call us for an inspection … just to get a better idea of what they are dealing with.

Then – sometimes – they decide that they can handle the job themselves.

We love their gumption. And some minor remediations absolutely don’t require professional expertise.

But if you try to take down a major mold problem without the right gear and expertise, bad things can happen.

Let’s review.

One of the most important aspect of mold remediation?

Containment.

That’s what we call the plastic-walled area we build around the mold-contaminated area. Most DIYers don’t take the time to quarantine the work area.

Then, they set about ripping apart walls and cabinets, and the next thing you know, the mold spores are released all over the house.

This plays directly into our first point.

Let’s say you actually do take the time to set up plastic barriers around moldy areas. Maybe you even go the extra step and seal the edges with tape.

Congratulations, you clearly care about your family’s health.

But you still spread mold all over the place.

How?

Building a containment area is just the first step. You also must vent the containment area to the outdoors.

An air scrubber (a big air filtration machine) sucks air from the containment area, forces that air through HEPA filters, and then exhausts that air outside.

In addition, it’s creating negative pressure inside the containment area. This means air always flows from the rest of the house, through the containment, and then outdoors.

Without this negative pressure, air can and will flow through tiny gaps in the containment area.

That means mold spores will be released into the house, either during or immediately after cleanup.

Sure, you can see that visible mold on your basement wall. All you have to do is cut out a bit of the wall and call it a day.

Right?

Wrong.

Mold remediation requires constant probing and analysis. Often, visible mold is just a tiny part of the overall colony.

In some cases, we’ve started remediations in one small corner of a home, only to look in the wall cavity and see mold growing from floor to ceiling.

If you take out just the visible portion, you’re not accomplishing much. And you might have made things worse, because you disturbed the mold and provided airflow that makes it spread through the house.

We also meet DIYers who take things too far.

Like, way, way too far.

Sometimes, that bit of mold behind the baseboard is limited to just one small area. By carefully disassembling the wall, we can quickly decide whether we need to keep looking or if the job is done.

Amateur mold remediators, on the other hand, aren’t familiar with mold growth patterns. They haven’t seen thousands of moldy basements.

So, they go crazy. They remove foot after foot, wall after wall, just to make sure that they’ve gotten all of the mold.

We love that kind of determination.

However, this is wasted time, energy, and money. You’ve taken a small remediation and turned it into an unnecessary fiasco.

On top of that, now you must pay to rebuild the areas you removed.

If we had a dime for every time someone said, “I used bleach to treat my mold and everything’s fine,” we could have retired years ago.

Diluted bleach is a fine cleaner. It’s a wonderful disinfectant and it kills many odors.

But is it a go-to anti-fungal chemical?

Nope .

Same goes for all your other household products. From Pine-sol to Borax, none of these chemicals are designed to kill mold spores and inhibit future growth.

What’s more, they treat only surface mold. Not the stuff that grows in and around and in sneaky, hard-to-find places.

Mold Remediation the Right Way

Dave Bayne, owner and general manager of A1 Mold Testing & Remediation, says he’s witnessed all sort sorts of amateur remediations gone wrong.

“The do-it-yourself mold remediation failure I see the most is that people fail to put proper engineering controls in place, and they make a bigger mess than they already had,” he says. “It is not simply a matter of ripping out the contaminated drywall and you are done, as most homeowners seem to think. Mold remediation can be much more complex than that. As I tell most DIY’ers, a bad remediation is often worse than no remediation at all.”

SEE DAVE’S ANSWER TO THE QUESTION: What are common mistakes people make when trying to remove mold by themselves? AS SEEN ON PORCH.COM

Those are some of the major reasons to trust certified professionals. And there are plenty more.

Professionals understand that mold remediation is a bit like a puzzle.

There are a lot of pieces to this puzzle:

If just one of those puzzle pieces is missing, the whole remediation falls apart.

That’s why it’s best to call a certified professional for help.

Professionals — like Dave — treat each job site to get a better idea of how the mold started, how to correct that problem, and finally, how to perform a quality remediation that lasts.

Call or email A1 Mold Testing & Remediation today, chat with Dave about the mold issues in your home, and then put him to work for your family’s health and peace of mind.

DIY remediations gone wrong

A1 Mold Testing

Get to know Dave

Thu, 30 Jul 2020 13:23:00 GMT

Who Does This Guy Think He is, Anyway? Behind the Scenes with A1 Mold Testing & Remediation’s General Manager Dave Bayne

Dave likes to answer incoming calls whenever he can. Why?

But those points don’t really tell the story of the man who runs A1 Mold Testing & Remediation.

We recently sat down with Dave to learn more about who he is and why he works so hard in this challenging field.

Dave: “Like a lot of people do with their careers, I sort of fell into this industry by accident. I moved to Lincoln from Chappell (in the panhandle of Nebraska) and wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. My parents introduced me to an old family friend who happened to own a small mold remediation business, and I went to work for him.”

Dave: “Well, I wasn’t really familiar with mold remediation at all back then. I quickly realized that it can be backbreaking work. You’re wearing these hot protective suits, breathing through a respirator, and tearing out moldy drywall, carpet, lumber, paneling all day, every day. Sometimes you’re crammed in an attic in the middle of summertime and it feels like you’re inside an oven. But it was just part of the job.”

Dave: “Not long. I started helping with office work and my boss decided to give me a lot more responsibility. I started attending courses to become fully certified for mold remediation, too. Within a few years I was doing a lot of customer communication, inspections, report writing, and more. The business really started to take off.”

Dave: “After a few years, I went to work for another company, A1, which was run by a guy named Steve, who split his time between carpet cleaning and mold remediation. I was hired as the General Manager of the mold remediation side of things, and eventually Steve just let me run with it. The company grew almost 700% in the 10 years I was the general manager. We were really fortunate that the business grew and grew.”

Dave: “Yes, in 2017, Steve decided that he was ready to start living a life of semi-retirement [laughs]. He sold A1 Mold Testing & Remediation to me, and now I’m the owner and general manager.”

I make all of the major business decisions and handle all of the important paperwork. On top of that, I take almost all of the phone calls. I do all of the inspections, write all of the inspection reports, and do all of the mold sampling. I also guide the work crews and do quality checks to make sure the job’s done right.”

Dave: “We have a large space in south Lincoln where we keep our equipment. That’s also where my office is located. A lot of people would probably be shocked by the size of our operation. We have six work vans for the crews. And inside the building we have dozens of air scrubbers (air filtration machines), air movers, fans, HEPA vacuums, and power tools of every kind. It’s kind of overwhelming to organize and keep clean sometimes.”

Dave: “That’s tough. But I guess I’d say I really like working with people and I like helping them solve their problems. The downside is that a lot of the people I interact with are very stressed out because they are worried about their homes and their families. It’s hard sometimes to keep that stress from affecting me, too.

The best part, though, is that we always get through it. At the end, I like knowing that we’ve done all we can to give customers peace of mind about their family’s health. Sometimes I feel like I should’ve gotten into business as a therapist, though [laughs].”

Dave: “I remember once I did a mold inspection for a family in central Nebraska. It was a typical older farmhouse, and it did have a significant mold problem in the basement, but nothing out of the ordinary. I did a report and offered a remediation plan but didn’t hear back from them.

A couple of years later, the homeowner called me back saying there was a mold problem in the basement. So, I went back out to do another assessment – that’s not totally unusual because some families put off remediation until they realize the problem is out of control. Then they ask me to come back out and give them a second inspection.

When I arrived at the house, I didn’t recognize it. It was like a brand-new home. When I spoke to the owner, they said that after the initial inspection, they’d decided not to do a remediation – instead, they bulldozed the entire house and completely rebuilt it. And now, their new home had mold, too.

It was one of the craziest stories I’ve come across. And if you have a mold problem, definitely don’t tear down your house [Laughs]. At least, not until we’ve had a chance to talk about it!”

Dave: “I’ve come to love this work, partly because it’s so challenging. It’s satisfying to help homeowners and business owners when they really need guidance. I’m constantly educating myself so that I can continue consulting and offering my expertise in the Midwest and around the country. I want to share my knowledge with other mold professionals, too, because a lot of them are struggling to make the business side of their services run smoothly, and here at A1 we’ve got that part figured out.”

Get to know Dave

A1 Mold Testing

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How Mold Remediation Works

Thu, 16 Jul 2020 17:03:00 GMT

You know you have a mold problem.

You aren’t sure how bad it is. But you think you might need a professional to do the work.

You can’t help but wonder what you’re getting into.

If you call a professional mold company, what’s the process? How does mold affect you and your family?

How does this mold remediation thing work, anyway?

Inspection is the First Step of Mold Remediation

Every mold problem is different. Some jobs require a bit of surface cleaning, a little elbow grease, and that’s it.

Others require more intensive work, such as drywall removal, HEPA vacuuming, and more.

The only way to know for sure is to start with the first step: inspection.

After you call or email Dave Bayne, general manager and owner of A1 Mold Testing & Remediation, he’ll schedule a time to visit your home or business.

When he arrives, he’ll ask you a few questions.

Then he’ll grab his inspection bag and go to work, thoroughly checking the structure. He’ll be analyzing things like:

If the situation requires, he may also recommend basic mold sampling.

Then, in many cases Dave will type a report outlining his findings.

If necessary, he’ll recommend a course of action.

He can do that with confidence because he’s so familiar with Midwestern construction techniques and the water problems that affect these structures, not to say he has two decades of remediation experience.

The Mold Remediation Begins

If you opt for a mold remediation, know that each job – like each mold problem – is a bit different.

The A1 remediation team’s approach varies depending on where the mold is and how much mold there is.

For example, is there just one basement corner that requires cleanup? Or is your whole attic covered in mold? These jobs require very different planning and tools .

“Engineering controls are imperative for mold remediation,” says Bayne. “Negative air machines and containments are essential to prevent cross contamination. Also, for worker protection, full body protective coveralls, air purifying respirators, eye protection, and hand protection (gloves) are also needed. So, if you look at it from occupant exposure it is the first statements, but the workers need to be protected as well.”

Some jobs require just one morning of labor, while others take several days of work. In both cases, families are generally able to live and sleep in homes as usual.

The remediation always follows a few fundamental steps :

Protection

We’ll use various plastic sheets to protect your carpet, flooring, and immovable belongings. This protects surfaces and belongings from our work boots, tools, and prevents further mold contamination.

Containment

Containment is a key aspect of mold remediation. We use heavy-duty plastic sheets, extendable poles, and residue-free tape to quarantine the mold work area. This prevents mold spores from escaping into other parts of the structure.

Air Pressure and Filtration

We vent the containment area with tubes connected to industrial grade HEPA air filtration machines (commonly called “air scrubbers”). These machines suck air from the containment, filter it, and finally expel it outside your home.

In addition to filtering the air, these machines also create negative air pressure inside the containment area. In short, that means that all air is moving directly from your home, into containment, through the air scrubber, and finally, to the outdoors.

Negative pressure is critical because no containment area is totally airtight. This negative pressure forces the air out of the house instead of allowing it to leak back into your living space.

Removal of Mold

Our workers wear protective gear when they enter the containment area. Then, they begin the process of removing moldy materials, such as carpet or other porous goods.

In many cases, we deal with moldy drywall and wooden wall studs. We use various hand and power tools to neatly and carefully remove these areas. Doing this part precisely is important – it makes it much easier for your construction contractor to rebuild the area once we’re done.

Every bit of moldy material is placed into heavy-duty plastic bags. We use tape to seal the bags and then HEPA vacuum and wet wipe them and finally dispose of them.

HEPA Vacuuming

Once we’re satisfied that the moldy materials are gone, we use vacuums equipped with HEPA filters to clean the containment area. We vacuum every surface (including those not affected by mold) to make sure we’ve snagged as many mold spores and mold fragments as possible.

Wet Wiping and Anti-Fungal Treatment

Once we’ve completed vacuuming, we will then wet wipe all remaining surfaces and then will apply anti-fungal solutions or paints to inhibit future mold growth.

We use highly effective agents you can’t buy at any hardware superstore. And we only use products that we would (and have) used in our own homes.

One of our go-to products is Sporicidin. You won’t find it at the store, but you can buy it directly from authorized dealers like us.

The Rebuild

After some remediations, you’re left with walls that need to be rebuilt. You’ll hire a contractor to rebuild these areas to your specifications. We can even help you find a trustworthy contractor!

Future Mold Prevention

A mold remediation is pointless if you don’t address the problem that caused mold in the first place.

Owner and General manager Dave Bayne will help you pinpoint the problem. He’ll apply his two decades of experience to find the water source and help put a stop to it.

That way, your first mold remediation will also be your last.

Mold Remediation Doesn’t Have to be Scary or Complicated

Now you know the fundamental steps to a mold remediation.

It’s labor intensive work. It requires extensive construction knowledge. And most important, remediation necessarily uses multiple techniques to protect both workers and family members.

Call or email today, ask for Dave Bayne, and take action to solve your mold problem.

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How Mold Remediation Works

A1 Mold Testing

Choose A1 Mold Remediation for Your Family's Health

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 12:15:00 GMT

You pack their school lunches with healthy food. You read them bedtime stories. You make sure they brush their teeth twice a day.

You do these things to protect your child’s developmental, health, and safety.

And you do it all out of love.

Unfortunately, sometimes your own home can become an enemy of your health – and the health of your loved ones.

Maybe a water heater leaked. Or perhaps a spring downpour overloaded your gutters.

In any case, part of your home’s interior got wet.

Mold tends to bully people who are already susceptible to other environmental challenges:

Mold-related health problems might reveal themselves in various ways.

“As with any health complaint that a person may have, we need to determine the source, what is causing you to be ill,” says Dave Bayne, owner and general manager of A1 Mold Testing & Remediation. “Mold-related illness can exhibit the same symptoms as many other illnesses. The first thing to determine is what the state of your indoor environment is and if there is a potential problem.”

Possible Mold-Related Health Problems

Mold can have many effects on humans and animals, including:

Sadly, this is just a partial list of potential mold-related health issues. In some cases where people and animals are particularly susceptible, mold and its toxic byproducts can cause death — even in hospitals, where you’d never suspect that mold is a problem.

However, there are a few bits of good news here:

Owner and general manager Dave Bayne has two decades of remediation experience. In that time, he’s spoken with thousands of customers concerned about their families’ health.

As a dad to four children, Dave understands that you want to protect your family.

Believe it or not, Dave bought his first home with a mold problem. However, before he moved his family into this new home, he remediated the issues that were present.

Why did he take the time to do so? He cares about the health of his family.

Because the science shows that long-term mold exposure is bad for your health.

Federal Government Recommends Remediation in Certain Cases

The federal government has published information on this very subject.

The Centers for Disease Control has a straightforward recommendation for anyone who is affected by mold:

“If you are susceptible to mold and mold is seen or smelled, there is a potential health risk; therefore, no matter what type of mold is present, you should arrange for its removal.”

That’s it.

Pretty basic, right?

The hard part is that mold remediation isn’t always simple. It requires education, experience, and specialized equipment.

How We Protect Your Home During a Remediation

Many families remain in their homes during remediations – even large-scale jobs. This is possible because of the way we isolate the mold problem.

Here are some of the OSHA-approved techniques we use to protect your home and your family:

The containment area uses heavy-duty plastic sheets and various poles and clamps to create a nearly airtight “box” of sorts for our crew.

We use industrial-grade HEPA air filtration machines to negatively pressurize the containment area, and those air filtration machines are then vented to the exterior of the home.

What Happens in Containment, Stays in Containment

Here’s what happens inside the containment area:

Once we’ve completed the remediation, we work our way out of the house, cleaning our way as we go.

What Happens After a Remediation

Remediations often remove portions of moldy drywall, internal wall materials, and more. A1 workers remove these moldy pieces with care.

We cut neat lines and in precise dimensions, which makes rebuilding, “or build back,” as easy as possible for your construction contractor.

Dave Bayne may perform a post-remediation inspection. This inspection ensures that the A1 crew removed all moldy materials.

Remediation = Peace of Mind

You can’t keep your children safe from every danger in the world – that includes mold. Hospitals and schools can’t, either .

No wonder parents have trouble sleeping at night.

The good news is that you have the power to keep your home healthy and safe from certain environmental hazards.

You can stop mold and its health impacts by calling A1 Mold Testing & Remediation. Our customers tell us that our expertise and hard work helps give them peace of mind.

Call or email today, ask for Dave Bayne, and trust your family’s health to A1 Mold Testing & Remediation.

Choosy Moms Choose A1 Mold Remediation to Protect Their Family’s Health

A1 Mold Testing

Do You Know the Expensive Mistake Your Neighbors Made When They Found a Mold Problem in their Home?

Tue, 26 May 2020 12:56:00 GMT

Let’s say you’re chatting with a neighbor about home maintenance.

You admire each other’s leafless gutters. You exchange tips on winterizing lawn sprinkler systems.

Then, they casually mention that they found a minor mold problem in their basement – and that they took care of it themselves.

“We used a mold testing kit that we bought at the hardware store, that way we knew exactly what we were dealing with.”

They kindly offer to explain the mold kit process to you – just in case you might have a similar problem in the future.

But you already know they wasted their money.

You also know that they may have made their mold problem worse.

9 Reasons Home Mold Test Kits are Worthless Scams

“Home test kits are not a controlled method of testing,” says Bayne. “They will grow mold almost 100% of the time in almost every environment. With mold testing, you must have a baseline to compare your results to. You also must have comparable sample volumes and media for all molds.”

There are a lot of other reasons to avoid these kits.

“Sampling for mold should be conducted by professionals who have specific experience in designing mold sampling protocols, sampling methods, and interpreting results. Sample analysis should follow analytical methods recommended by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH), or other professional organizations.”

“In some samples, the vials with media leaked over entire kit. In one, an unopened kit was moldy. No expiration dates on the kit; old media could affect the accuracy and reliability of the results. Label claims that kit can identify toxic mold, but the report the lab sends can’t tell you this. One unused plate came back positive for mold growth, indicating contamination at some point; not very reassuring for post remediation use .”

By the time it’s said and done, you might’ve spent

All for nothing.

Professional Mold Sampling Actually Works

Home mold testing kits are a waste of money.

Professional mold testing, on the other hand, is valuable in specific situations.

When sampling is truly necessary, A1 Mold Testing & Remediation uses certified procedures for the job .

Tape/Swab sampling (referred to as surface sampling) is the most basic sampling procedure. It can provide valuable information such as:

Professional surface sampling is fast, easy, and relatively inexpensive.

It’s important to note, though, that surface sampling doesn’t give you a full picture of a mold problem:

In addition to tape sampling A1 Mold Testing & Remediation also performs Air Sampling , which may help determine airborne mold concentrations.

We collect a background sample from the exterior as a baseline and then indoor samples as necessary. Each sampling regime is formulated for the particular project that we are working on. As with remediation, no two sampling regimes are the same. Each regime is specifically designed for the project. Air sampling can provide very useful data in identifying a potential mold problem that may not be visible.

Call for Guidance in Mold Testing

These are just a few of the many factors to consider in mold sampling. We haven’t even touched on the most important part – how sample results guide the cleanup and remediation process.

A1’s owner and general manager, Dave Bayne, can evaluate your mold challenges and determine whether mold testing is necessary. Call him now and ask about his sampling procedures. He’ll be happy to explain.

As for that mold kit you already bought from the hardware store? If you haven’t opened it, hold onto your receipt – return it and get your money back.

Do You Know the Expensive Mistake Your Neighbors Made When They Found a Mold Problem in their Home?

A1 Mold Testing

The Hard Truth of Mold Remediation that No One Wants to Talk About

Tue, 19 May 2020 13:23:00 GMT

No one wants to deal with a mold problem.

It’s stressful. It’s time-consuming. It’s disruptive. It’s EMOTIONAL!

That’s why Dave Bayne, A1 Mold Remediation’s owner and general manager, isn’t just a manager — he’s also a part-time psychotherapist.

We’re only partially joking.

Mold just sucks.

It damages your belongings, your home, and your health.

Mold is a Potential Mental Health Problem

Along the way, it can wreak havoc on your emotional well-being, too.

Mold causes immense stress on families:

So, when Dave is breaking down his services for potential customers, he plays it straight. He offers hard truths, but he does it with empathy and kindness.

“Mold is a very emotional subject,” says Bayne. “No one wants mold in their homes. However, if your home suffers from a moisture problem and is not dried out properly, it will inevitably have a mold issue. It can be embarrassing for some to have mold in their home, somewhat like when you come to a stoplight and your brakes are squealing.”

Dave knows that your home – and your family – are your top priorities.

And he knows what happens if you try to put off the problem: often, the mold gets even worse. Take it from the Environmental Protection Agency – if you find a mold problem, act quickly.

Why is Mold So Stressful?

In short, mold remediation is a lot like peeling an onion. You start carefully pulling back the layers of a structure until you find the source of the problem.

Not everyone understands how to attack these challenges in a logical and cost-effective way.

That means you need a mold professional who:

At A1 Mold Testing & Remediation, we know you never asked for a mold problem.

No one does.

Why You Shouldn’t Wait to Call Dave

Mold is the enemy.

A1 Mold Testing & Remediation’s Dave Bayne is your ally.

He’ll help you develop an attack plan for your mold problem.

But you shouldn’t put it off for later. Why?

Mold is an ugly enemy. The United States military knows it and has plans in place to deal with mold. You should recognize that truth, too.

Mold typically follows immediately after a water problem , such as a leaky water heater or basement flooding. If you don’t quickly remove the water and then dry the structure, mold begins growing.

It’s common to see visible mold growth within 24-48 hours. You may see black clumps on a wall. Or perhaps you see strange fungus-like structures on furniture. Or you may not see it at all because it’s growing inside a wall cavity.

Mold’s Immediate Effects on Your Home

Once mold establishes itself, it may tough to remove without disassembling (a gentler term for “demolishing”) parts of your home.

Sometimes a mold colony’s growth stalls once a structure is totally dry. But then the dried pieces of the colony may break off and drift around the home.

All it takes then is a bit of water – or even higher-than-average humidity – and those spores and colonies began to grow again.

Drywall is a common mold target. Typically, the mold colony starts at the bottom of the wall, where water collects. The wooden lumber used in the frame of your house gets moldy, too.

At first, there may be just a few black spots. With the right conditions, though, the mold will quickly spread up, down, and all around the wall.

Sometimes the mold affects just a few inches or feet. In more severe cases, we’ve seen mold from floor to ceiling … and worse.

Don’t give mold more time to spread.

Give yourself some peace of mind. Protect your family.

Call or email A1 Mold Testing & Remediation and ask for Dave Bayne.

He’ll walk you through the realities of mold remediation. Those truths aren’t always fun – but dealing with them now means less expense and less heartache later.

The Hard Truth of Mold Remediation that No One Wants to Talk About

A1 Mold Testing

A1 Mold Superheroes Fight Back Against the Mold Minions: 5 Reasons to Hire a Certified Expert to Evaluate Your Mold Problem

Tue, 12 May 2020 09:19:00 GMT

Do you need a superhero to combat the mold in your home or office?

Every mold problem is unique.

Some are easy fixes; others are not.

What are the top two factors in whether you need to hire a professional remediation company?

Answer #1: The size of the affected area

This is especially true if you aren’t sure what sort of water problem caused the mold. Because if you don’t know where the water came from in the first place, the mold might just come back again.

Answer #2: You can smell something moldy, but you can’t see it

Or if you know there’s been water damage, but you aren’t sure where or how the damage occurred.

An experienced mold professional can track down mold hiding in the most obscure (and surprising) places.

Questions Homeowners Ask About Mold

When you find (or suspect) mold in your home you’ll ask yourself the same questions that so many of our customers do:

The reality is that there are countless factors that play into mold problems and the methods you might deploy to fix them.

Each instance of mold is different. Sometimes you quickly clean up mold on your own, wash your hands, grab a beer, and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

Other times, such as after flooding or water pipe failures, mold threatens to ruin entire buildings. Quick, knowledgeable action can mean the difference between successful remediation … or a ruined investment.

So, let’s dive in.

5 Reasons to Hire a Real, Licensed Expert to Help you Evaluate Your Mold Problem

And your bonus reason to seek out a mold professional:

Call Dave Bayne at A1 Now

At A1 Mold Testing & Remediation, our owner and general manager, Dave Bayne, has been working in the industry for two decades. In that time, he’s evaluated basic leaky kitchen sinks to jaw-dropping damage at massive military bases … and everything in between.

When people call him saying they have a mold problem, he’ll ask them a few basic questions.

“What is your level of concern? Do you know what the moisture problem was that caused the mold to grow?” If you don’t know for sure, it is time to call a professional,” says Bayne. “Mold can be tricky, and it is not always a black-or-white situation.”

No matter the job size, he always applies the same investigative and remediation principles.

He also knows you want real answers from a real person. Dave will happily tell you that mold removal isn’t as complex or expensive as it’s often made out to be.

He’ll also explain the terminology behind mold remediation. And he’ll do it in easy-to-understand language – not mumbo jumbo that makes the work seem harder (i.e. more expensive) than it really should be.

If he doesn’t think you really need his services, he’ll tell you. He also encourages customers to get bids from multiple companies so that you feel safe that you’re not being overcharged.

Do you want references? He’s happy to provide them.

Ready to be done with your mold problem once and for all?

Call or email today and put our A1 Mold Testing & Remediation superheroes to work for your family’s health and peace of mind.

A1 Mold Superheroes Fight Back Against the Mold Minions: 5 Reasons to Hire a Certified Expert to Evaluate Your Mold Problem

A1 Mold Testing

Your Ultimate Guide to Picking a Mold Remediation Company that Provides Honest, Hardworking, Midwestern-style Service

Tue, 05 May 2020 13:16:00 GMT

Open Google and search for “mold remediation near me.”

Go ahead. Seriously. We’ll wait.

(sits back, twiddles thumbs, yawns)

Now peek at those search results. Do they look fishy at all?

It’s interesting what you’ll find when you’re looking for mold professionals, particularly in the Midwest. Our relatively low population means full-time mold remediation pros are few and far between.

For starters, many of the results you see are part of national franchises .

Their local ties? Slim to none.

What’s more, many of the companies you see are general restoration service providers – the kind that clean up following hurricanes, fires, and other unfortunate incidents.

They also do “mold cleanup.”

Restoration Companies Don’t Specialize in Mold Remediation

But restoration companies don’t specialize in fixing mold and water intrusion problems.

Their employees may have only minimal mold remediation certification … if they have any at all.

So, if you hire a restoration company for a mold problem?

That’s a bit like asking a plumber to fix an electrical problem.

Sure, some of the basic home construction concepts and terminology are the same. But there’s no doubt that an electrician is better suited to fixing electrical issues.

So, wouldn’t it be best to hire a specially trained mold expert to help you with a mold problem?

Wouldn’t it be nice to work with a locally owned business?

Better yet, wouldn’t it be great to know the name of the person who’s going to answer the phone when you call for help?

A1 Mold Testing & Remediation is a Nebraska-owned company, founded in Lincoln and serving customers throughout the Midwest.

And the guy who will answer the phone when you call?

His name is Dave.

A1 Mold Testing & Remediation is a Midwest Company

Dave Bayne is the owner and general manager of A1 Mold Testing & Remediation. When you call, he’s the man who picks up the phone.

“Clients generally will tell me that they are glad to know that I am from Nebraska, born and raised,” says Bayne. “It gives them a confidence that I will do the right thing rather than be influenced by a larger force to stay in accordance with their franchise agreement. They get the sense that I am here to stay and they can call on me in the future.”

To people who have lived in the Midwest their whole lives, those values matter.

Here’s what you can expect when you call Dave for help:

When you call, Dave will ask you basic questions about your mold problem. For example, he’ll want to know if you’ve had any water problems in your home or business.

Because each home – and each family – is unique, so is each mold problem. Dave takes the time to fully understand each potential mold challenge.

He also openly shares his mold knowledge with curious home and business owners.

Why?

Because he’s a mold detective, a mold removal superhero, a father, and a Nebraska native. That’s how we do things here in the Midwest.

Hire a Midwest Mold Expert

General restoration franchises are like fast food joints.

They’re national (or even international) companies.

They have few Midwest roots.

They may thrive on the quantity of jobs they complete … no matter the quality of their work.

Because A1 Mold Testing & Remediation is locally owned and operated, it’s like doing business with a neighbor – not a faceless corporate employee from a giant company.

Ready to be done with your mold problem once and for all? Trust a Midwesterner like you to do the job right.

Call or email today and put our A1 Mold Remediation superheroes to work for your family’s health and peace of mind.

Your Ultimate Guide to Picking a Mold Remediation Company that Provides Honest, Hardworking, Midwestern-style Service

A1 Mold Testing

The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Mold and Mold Spores

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 20:58:00 GMT

Mold is widely misunderstood.

So, it makes sense that mold cleanup strategies are misunderstood, too.

After all, if you don’t understand mold, how can you possibly hope to clean it up and keep it out of your house for good?

Is mold a type of plant? Is it a bacterial growth? Is it a subspecies of algae or lichen? An evil alien lifeform?

No, no, and no. And of course, no.

What is Mold?

No one knows how many species of fungi exist. By some estimates, there are more than 300,000 species of fungi in the world. That includes everything from the mushrooms you ate on your pizza, to the species that helped make the cheese . Fungi include yeast , too, meaning they helped make the pizza crust.

Molds can be incredibly useful. For example, without mold we wouldn’t have the antibiotic penicillin, which has saved countless human lives since its discovery in the early 20 ^th century.

Every species of mold is very different. They all have one thing in common: they reproduce using spores .

Spores are akin to plant seeds, but much, much smaller – just 2 to 100 microns in diameter.

If you place a mushroom cap on a piece of paper and wait overnight, you may see many millions of spores on that paper the next day.

Spores are so tiny and lightweight that the smallest draft can carry them from place to place. You cannot keep mold spores out of your house.

The only areas free of spores are companies – like computer hard drive manufacturers – which have so-called “clean rooms” , or hospital operating rooms that must be absolutely free of all contaminants in order to protect sensitive products and patients.

Generally, indoor mold spores don’t cause many problems. However, if the spores land on a place with the right conditions, a mold colony may begin to grow.

What are Spores, Really?

Spores are a testament to nature’s ingenuity.

Some spores are essentially bulletproof . They can survive for years without water or food, as they wait for the right conditions for mold growth.

As mold grows, it produces tiny stalks that rise higher and higher. At the tips of those stalks they produce spores. With minimal airflow, those spores become airborne and float through the environment, indoors and out.

Spores are very, very tough . They’re also impervious to many chemicals. But if you have the correct fungicide or sealant, like A1 Mold Testing & Remediation, the game changes.

How Mold Grows from Spores

In order to grow, all those spores need is:

That’s how mold spreads . The mold grows hyphae (long, stalk-like structures), which can quickly send out more and more tiny roots that spread and spread, a bit like the runners from strawberry plants.

As mold grows, it can cause problems like:

Even if you fix the water source and the mold stops growing, it can still cause health problems. Those spores and fragments may drift into the air or your ventilation system with the slightest disturbance.

Stopping Spores from Growing Mold

Dave Bayne is the general manager and owner of A1 Mold Testing & Remediation. He finds mold biology fascinating. But he emphasizes that these fungi have their place, and that’s not in your kitchen or attic.

“Molds and other fungi are a necessary in our world, we just don’t want it in our homes or businesses,” says Bayne. “One fascinating fact about mold is that it is sometimes not visible, making it very challenging to find during our investigations. That to me is the fun part about my work.”

Bayne also marvels at the way mold can develop from scarce resources. Mold is so efficient at acquiring nutrients that it can use bits of organic material found in a layer of dust as food.

Other food sources might include:

That means we can’t really control mold’s food sources – because mold can find a meal just about anywhere!

Our best bet, then, is to control moisture .

Mold needs just tiny amounts of water to grow.

Once mold spores have both food and water sources, they begin growing.

Temperature can and does affect mold growth. Some species thrive in cooler conditions, while others flourish in warmth. But it’s very common to see multiple species of mold cohabitating in the same area.

The Color of Mold Doesn’t Matter

Some customers want to know what species exactly they’re looking at. But the truth is, species rarely matters – because the remediation process is the same for every type of mold.

“Black mold” commonly makes headlines. But “black” mold is not a specific species – many molds have a grayish or black appearance. The only way to precisely identify a specific mold is to view it under a microscope.

It’s important to note that some molds do produce mycotoxins . Those species are called toxigenic fungi.

Toxigenic fungi do not always produce mycotoxins – but sometimes, they do. Scientists still aren’t sure why some colonies produce mycotoxins and others do not.

To date, scientists have pinpointed roughly 400 types of mycotoxins produced by several varieties of common molds. Researchers believe they’ll find many more as they continue their work.

Scientists have already confirmed that some mycotoxins can cause health problems in humans. But for many other mycotoxins, there’s been very little research, meaning we don’t know exactly how these toxins affect people or animals.

According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information , that’s partly because so much environmental research in past decades has focused on obvious chemical pollution and industrial waste.

Now, the science on natural contaminants is slowly starting to catch up, including the effects of mold exposure.

In the meantime, we do know that mycotoxins can be very dangerous. If you receive enough exposure, the Food & Drug Administration indicates that the results can be fatal for humans and animals.

You can be exposed to mycotoxins by skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion.

Molds Might Smell, Even When You Can’t See Them

At some point in your life, you’ve undoubtedly walked into a basement and smelled a “moldy” odor. That smell is unmistakable.

Some molds produce microbial volatile organic compounds that spread through the air, where we can detect them with our noses. We often describe the smell as “musty.”

There’s a common misconception that basements always have a musty smell because, well, they’re basements.

That’s simply not true.

Exposure to these microbial volatile organic compounds is not only unpleasant, according to the Environmental Protection Agency , they can have effects on your health, including:

And that’s just a partial list.

A persistent musty odor may be an indicator that mold is growing somewhere in the building, and it should be inspected for mold.

If you can smell the mold but you can’t see it? The mold colonies might be growing in wall cavities, which are one of their favorite hiding places.

Mold is Miraculous … and Potentially Hazardous

Fungi are just one of many examples of life’s diversity and resilience.

Fungi grow almost everywhere in the world. They can survive incredible hardship and environmental conditions.

They are often beneficial to other creatures, including humans.

However, mold colonies do not belong in human homes because they cause problems with indoor air quality. Dave Bayne understands this, and it’s something he stresses to his customers.

“I take great pride in knowing that we remove something that is very dangerous to one’s health and in doing so make their environment safer. However, many do not take it seriously, including some of my fellow competitors.”

He says it’s frustrating when some so-called professionals don’t take proper precautions to protect themselves – or their clients – from mold exposure.

“Mold removal is a serious issue and needs to be done with great precaution,” says Bayne. “As with anything, there is a right way to do things. Unfortunately, our industry is for the most part unregulated.”

That’s why he stresses the importance of continuing education in the mold industry.

“The conferences that I attend and the certifications that I hold are touted in our industry as the best,” says Bayne. “Our certification body is the only one that has had their certificants grandfathered into any state’s licensing when they have passed new laws requiring licensure.”

In short, mold might be a tough and formidable organism, but it is no match for the expertise of a seasoned professional, like those at A1 Mold Testing & Remediation.

If you think you might have mold growing in your house, we’re here to help.

Call or email A1 and ask for Owner & General Manager Dave Bayne, and he’ll be happy to talk about all things mold — for your family’s health and peace of mind.

The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Mold and Mold Spores

A1 Mold Testing