It’s a known fact that mold is everywhere around us, including in our homes. While mold spores usually won’t pose any serious threat, sometimes they can grow and start to take over parts of your personal space. When that happens, you’ll need to undergo cleanup and remediation tasks.
Normally, you’d want to hire a professional mold remediation company if it covers an area bigger than 10 square feet. However, if it’s not that big of an area, you may handle it yourself. Unfortunately, mold can be dangerous, especially if you have allergies or certain health problems such as tuberculosis. That’s why, if you want to tackle mold, you’ll need to follow these 7 safety tips in order to protect yourself.
Isolate the Area
First, you need to isolate the cleanup area and prevent unprotected family members from entering it. Remember that mold can easily migrate from one room to another, so once you close the area, you shouldn’t leave it unless you successfully get rid of the infestation.
Wear Protective Equipment
You need to wear appropriate personal protective equipment regardless of how big or small the infected area is. At a minimum, you should wear a face mask whenever you handle mold-contaminated material. But our advice is to also use work gloves, safety glasses, protective footwear, and a face mask.
Avoid Direct Contact
Touching mold with your bare hands or skin is dangerous. Not only can you become a carrier and spread the spores to other rooms, but you might also experience allergic reactions. So do your best to avoid direct contact, even with items that are only partially infested.
Don’t Disperse Mold Spores Into the Air
When removing mold, you need to be careful not to disperse any spores into the air, as they can be inhaled by other occupants in the same building. Also, pay extra attention when checking behind wall coverings to avoid the release of spores.
Safely Dispose of Damaged Materials
Once the remediation is complete, you need to dispose of any damaged materials such as bags and seals. If you are unable to completely clean drywall, furniture, or carpeting, you’ll also have to throw them away. Otherwise, you increase the risk of further infestations.
Never Paint Over Mold
When cleaning surfaces, it can be tough to get rid of pesky stains. However, whatever you do, never paint over mold. In fact, doing so can trap mold spores and offer them a dark and damp environment to grow again in the future.
Avoid Using the HVAC System
Lastly, avoid running the HVAC system if you believe that it contains mold spores. You must either clean it beforehand or contact a professional and have it checked. By activating your HVAC system without proper cleanup, you will disperse spores all across your home.
Professional Mold Remediation
It’s important to remember that mold is dangerous, and you should only attempt to clean small infestations. As a matter of fact, the Environmental Protection Agency highly recommends professional help for any contamination that covers an area bigger than 10 square feet.
Mold Solutions is ready to tackle any mold problem, regardless of its severity. Our team relies on the most advanced remediation equipment available to safely dispose of mold.
