Mold cleanup is best when remediator follows a step by step method.
Your Naples or Ft Myers CIE, Certified Indoor Environmentalist can determine if a
structure has a mold issue and make recommendations for corrections.
Note:
Certified Indoor Environmentalist - third party assessment:
Best that inspector not perform any type
of remediation so there is no conflict of interest. Your goal is to have inspector provide accurate
information without bias so that educated decisions can be made.
Your
Cape Coral, Ft Myers and Naples Certified Indoor Environmentalist and all mold professionals will recommend you follow established
protocols to insure your water damage and / or mold cleanup is done properly.
1) Preliminary mold inspection, to identify
the source and extent of the problem.
2)
The actual cleanup, done following nationally accepted industy guide lines such as the S-500 and S-520.
3)Finally
the Post -remediation or Clearance inspection / testing performed by a Certified Indoor Environmentalist of Industrial
Hygienist that has $1million in liability with Errors and Omissions insurance (for MOLD). Mold E&O will be required
as of July 1, 2010 by Florida law for all mold inspectors.
Not performing the mold cleanup
in this order can not only be costly in dollars but also in the consumer's safety and health. If a home is sold in the future,
home owners need to be able to prove the "problem" was addressed properly. Mold problems are a health concern but
if dealt with properly they are just another home repair.
Preliminary Mold Assessment:
(independent assessment company best)
Do You have Mold? Reasons or benefits for a preliminary Mold Inspection:
Defined “Scope of Work”: Defines the boundaries of the affected area(s)
needing remediation. Additionally, knowing if the airborne levels are in a range of thousands, or hundreds of thousands may
affect decisions regarding the timeliness of remediation, and the continued occupancy of the home.
Documentation: Many insurance adjusters will not authorize or undertake mold remediation
if the presence of mold growth is not scientifically demonstrated. We identify the presence or absence of mold growth with
AIHA EMLAP accredited laboratory analysis. Elevated moisture presence is identified through non-intrusive visual inspection
with the use of infrared thermal imaging and other moisture detection equipment.
Recommendations for corrections: Know the extent of cleaning and what specific
items/materials can be saved and how, plus what items/materials should be disposed based on nationally accepted industry standards.
Receive accurate remediation proposals: Saves homeowners and insurance companies
money.
Achievement of “Clearance” is a significantly higher percentage: Providing
useful information to remediation companies equals a successful project and allowsoccupants to return home quicker
since additional cleaning after post remediation inspection and testing is reduced or eliminated.
Assessment cost is covered by most insurance companies:
Cross contamination? Many times when remediation is performed without a preliminary
assessment and a containment is used; the post remediation air quality will pass inside the containment but will fail outside
the containment. Knowing the extent of airborne microbial amplification before remediation begins eliminates questions
of whether cross contamination occurred.
Can be used as part of the Seller’s Disclosure: Detailed documentation gives the prospective buyer a sense of comfort
knowing the entire process was handled appropriately from start to finish while following accepted industry standards.
This is a great website with tons of valuable information:
"What is the Purpose of a Post Remediation Mold Clearance Inspection?
The purpose of a
mold clearance inspection is to assure that the mold cleanup has been done correctly and effectively in the work area and
to confirm that the cleanup did not accidentally distribute high levels of moldy dust and debris into other building areas
or into its mechanical systems such as heating or air conditioning systems. "
"Can We Rely on Air
Tests for Mold after a Mold Cleanup Job?Simple air tests for mold after a mold remediation job may be quite
unreliable as the airborne level of particles varies enormously from moment to moment, especially depending
on variables in building conditions such as we list below. An air test captures a small volume of air at a moment in time
and should not be used as the sole criteria for passing or failing a mold clearance inspection and test. Here are some of
the sources in variability in the level of indoor particles in air:
Water Damage
/ Intrusion
Water
Damage / Intrusion
In
the event of storm damage or a plumbing failure it is important that the consumer / homeowner understand the proper approach
to water restoration save money and minimize possible damage to your possessions.
Unfortunately,
to minimize assessment and immediate costs, many homeowners, property managers and homeowners associations are deciding to
use unqualified personel to extract water with “wet vacs”, install low capacity fans and spray a deodorizer to
cover the smell.
This
approach (do it yourself) often creates secondary damages:
the delaminating of carpeting and flooring;
unwanted effects of humidity on pictures, documents, clothing and more;
the absorption of moisture in gypsum board (drywall), baseboards, and
insulation;
the growth of mold.
A qualified mold inspector can determine if the structure has been dried properly using non intrusive moisture detection equipment such as thermal imaging
infrared cameras and moisture meters.
Hire an independent “Certified Indoor Environmentalist” to perform this assessment.
The
following steps are recommended by a IICRC water damage restoration company:
Protect
all occupants from electrical danger
Remove
as many contents off the floor as possible
Evaluate
the damaged areas
Extract
all standing water
Create
wall opening for ventilation
Install
Dehumidification equipment
Install
high velocity air movers
Install
specialty drying equipment if necessary
Return
daily to monitor the drying process
HAVE
A QUALIFIED INDEPENDENT “AmIAQC Certified Indoor Environmentalist”
Assessment
the moisture removal and possible mold contamination.
Remember:
water intrusion from a unit above down thru the walls is not considered “clean water”
and can create possible health concerns.
We
hear to often about homeowners calling on a carpet cleaner when their carpets are wet or they have two or three inches of
water in their building.Hire water damage restoration professionals, the cost
of water damage restoration is much less than the cost of mold remediation.
Note:
It
is common for the unseen moisture / mold problems to be ignored.Drywall soaks
up water like a sponge, and without the proper tools to find these affected areas and the proper equipment to dry them
it is impossible to be sure of the structures safe indoor air quality. An independent company to assess the cleanup
job is always in the consumers best interest.
Licensed Mold Remediation / Cleanup Individuals
Naples Florida licensed mold remediator
Cape Coral / Ft Myers areas
RMS Environmental Construction Services Gene YacobacciState of Florida Licensed
Mold Remediator # MRSR1 800-344-3746 (Office) http://radonandmold.com/
Mold remediation or cleanup needs to be done following nationally accepted
industry standards. A preliminary inspection / assesment should be performed to determine the extent of mold investation,
areas condusive to mold growth and recommendations for corrections.
Mold assessment company should be independent from the remediation company. Mold
assessment company should maintain general liability and mold E&O insurance of not less than $1 million (new Florida
law). Effective July 1, 2010, mold remediators are required to be licensed by the DBPR as State of Florida Mold Remediators.
(d) Perform or offer to perform any mold remediation
to a structure on which the mold assessor or the mold assessor’s company provided a mold assessment within the last
12 months.
.
(d) Perform or offer to perform any mold assessment to a structure on which the mold remediator or the mold remediator’s
company provided a mold remediation within the last 12 months.
Mold Remediation today is a consumer beware situation. Anyone
can claim to be a expert mold remediation professional; a large ad in the yellow pages does not mean they know what they
are doing.
As a consumer, you should always ask
for references.
Do
your homework, contact independent inspection companies and ask them who the best remediation companies are.
Asking mold inspection companies is best - not home inspectors.
Under the new Florida Law Home
Inspectors and Mold Inspectors are two different professions. Limted sampling done by home inspectors just indicates
if you need a mold inspection.
Board-awarded by the American Council for Accredited
Certification
State of Florida Licensed
Mold Assessor / license #MRSA 2
State of Florida
Licensed Home Inspector / license #HI 2202
FL DOH certified
radon measurement tech R1751
State of Florida Licensed Mold Assessor # MRS5
John
Cosgrove, CIE
Council-Certified
Indoor Environmentalist, (CIE)
Board-awarded by
the American Council for Accredited Certification
State of Florida Licensed Mold Assessor / license #MRS 5
FL DOH certified for radon, R1867
John Cosgrove,
CIE, Inc.
State of Florida Mold Assessor License #MRSA 763
Greg Gomez, CIE,
State of Florida Licensed Mold Assessor / license #MRSA763
Council-Certified Indoor Environmentalist, (CIE)
Board-awarded by the American Council for Accredited
Certification
Grg Gomez has proven his knowledge
of mold and indoor air quality issues by performing hundreds of mold inspections / assessments throughout Naples, Bonita Spring,
Ft Myers and all of Southwest Florida.
Since 1999, Radon & Mold Professionals
has consistently excelled in providing the Best Radon Testing, Mold Inspections,
Mold Sampling (Testing), Odor Identification, Allergen Screening, Formaldehyde Testing and Infrared Thermal Imaging Camera
survey's for Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Ft Myers, Ft Myers Beach,Cape Coral and Marco Island, Florida including for Home
Inspections . Environmental Inspections
/ testing performed by ACAC Board Certified indoor Environmentalists (CIE) that have performed thousands radon tests
and mold assessments in Naples, Bonita Springs and Ft Myers area.
We use Air Chek, Inc. FL DOH certified Radon Measurement Business RB0214 for our radon measurement services. Florida
Department of Health allows only FL DOH measurement specialists and FL DOH certified mitigation specialists to "express"
"evaluations and observations" of radon tests or radon mitigations to "Florida citizens and customers, or potential
customers". We have been the leader in performing residential Real Estate radon tests for years, we think in part,
because we strive to follow the FL DOH's many rules concerning radon. ***Accuracy is not guarunteed on this web site. The radon evaluations, observations and opinions posted here are not those of the Radon & Mold Professionals.
