Removing mold in the garage is a generally less complicated issue than in other areas of the home. The biggest issue with mold removal besides proper precautions and disposal methods is ensuring that the mold is removed. Mold can hide behind garage walls, so it’s important to locate and remove the mold. Getting professional help to remove the mold in your garage is advised.

It’s a smart decision for any homeowner to take a good look at the conditions in your garage. You can assess the potential threat of mold growth. Not doing this could result in a costly cleanup process. Maintenance, regular cleaning, and controlling humidity in your garage are key to putting an end to mold in the garage. All of these small steps can help with solid mold prevention in your garage.

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Incorrect air conditioner fan settings can contribute or help prevent mold.  Such a simple little setting can cause a big problem!  How can this problem be avoided. Make sure you’re a/c fan is set to “Auto.” The “auto” setting allows the thermostat to turn on the a/c when it reaches the set temperature. So, if your thermostat is set to 75ºF, when the inside air temperature reaches 75ºF the a/c will kick on, cool the house and pull moisture out of the air. The moisture is funneled out of the house via the drain line. The Auto setting also uses less energy because the fan only runs during the heating or cooling cycle.

If the fan is set to the “on” position, the fan runs constantly, circulating warm dry air. In Florida, it circulates warm moist air, which can spawn mold growth. When the temperature reaches 75ºF, the a/c will still kick on and cool and reduce the humidity. But until it does, the fan is blowing humid air throughout the house. The moving air holds a temperature longer, even though it's higher in humidity, so the cooling/drying cycle rarely kicks on. You may begin to notice a stuffy” smell in the house. The constant air movement can clog the air filter faster, making the air handler work harder when it does cool. 
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In Florida, it’s recommended to use the Auto setting and leave a ceiling fan or two running on low. This combination provides the best airflow and humidity control to prevent mold in your Florida home.

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Run Your AC. Mold prospers in wet, moist spaces. Many homeowners don't realize this but the ac unit was developed to dehumidify spaces.  So, while Florida rain showers may bring cool winds, don't allow that to entice you into leaving your home windows open. This allows the moisture and an opportunity for leaks to escalate.

Check the condensate drain pipeline of your AC unit to ensure it’s trickling regularly. If it isn’t, the pipeline is blocked and water may be building up inside the unit– or on your flooring. To stop clog and mold accumulation, pour a mug of bleach blended with water down the drain each year.

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A recurring chore in keeping your home clean is vacuuming the floors, but few homeowners ever enjoy this task. Hauling the vacuum from room to room and moving furniture can be quite irritating. Not to mention having to change the vacuum attachments in order to reach the hard-to-reach places.

A central vacuum system can make it much simpler to clean your floors. But it does have a few drawbacks as well.

A central vacuum cleaner keeps a canister receptacle and the motor in a single location and usually, it’s in the basement or garage.

Some systems are designed to spin air in a canister and exhaust it outside the home. While other systems will collect dust and debris in a canister or a bag that needs to be emptied from time to time.​

Keeping your HVAC system updated and clean will keep the moisture level down in your home as well.  This is another effective way to prevent mold from spreading in the home. Clean window air conditioners and central air conditioning equipment often. Clean air purifiers and dehumidifiers every three months. This is essential maintenance to get rid of accumulated dust and dirt which will feed mold growth. Installing new filters in the air supply duct registers will provide a fresh air supply. It’s also good to use portable HEPA filter air cleaners to remove airborne mold spores.​

Black mold is a mold that is often a black color, although it can be greenish or gray as well. The mold can grow in homes in damp and humid areas. It feeds on organic materials and common household materials like drywall, carpet, insulation, or subflooring that has been exposed to moisture. As the mold grows it can release toxic substances. These substances can cause health problems. ​

​You can actually test for black mold in your home yourself. There are mold testing kits that are available at the hardware store or even on Amazon. The pricing can vary in range for the do-it-yourself project usually around $30-$50. When you do it yourself you can take samples from a suspected affected area, and then send them off to a lab to be tested.

Why are crawl spaces a breeding ground for mold issues? Because of the high moisture and humidity in crawl spaces. Think about the location of the crawl space. It sits underneath your home right on top of the earth. The dirt and soil from the earth contain moisture. And this moisture forms very easily in confined areas. Homes in  Southeastern states report having this issue more often. The EPA says, “The best way to control mold growth is to control moisture.” www.epa.gov/mold So what are some ways to control moisture in the crawl space?

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The following are basic adaptable steps that can be used to quickly  remediate mold properly.  

Step 1: Educate yourself about moisture
Evaluating moisture www.cdc.gov/mold/faqs.htm and mold growth is more than just what you can see growing on the walls or in the corners. Mold can also be invisible, growing behind what you can see. So you have to think and ask yourself, could there be mold in this area? 
First off, mold grows because of water or moisture.  So the next thing to do is become a master of moisture. Understand where it’s coming from and how it’s getting in the house. Mold can spread and grow anywhere in the home as long as moisture and oxygen are present.  It particularly likes to grow on drywall, tiles, wood, insulation, and fabrics. 

Step 2: Write down your findings of the mold problem and create a plan of remediation
Be sure to document the mold situation with photos and videos and even write down details. This documentation will be used to develop a remediation plan.  This documentation can be of great assistance to whatever company manages the remediation.  
  
Step 3: Figure out how much of a mold problem you have to deal with. 
How much contamination are you really looking at?  Knowing the extent of damage will impact the approach to mold removal and clean up. The goal of mold removal is to remove all the mold growing within the home.  

Step 4: Remediate mold contamination
The cleanup process for mold remediation will look a little like this:

• The water problem will be repaired. This will help prevent new mold spores from growing.
• Isolate The contaminated area will be isolated.
• Suppress dust. Do this by misting the contaminated areas.
• Remove materials. 
• Place materials in plastic bags. 
• Clean. All non-porous materials and wood surfaces that are moldy must be cleaned. Cleaning of the affected area and egress. 
• A Visibility test will be performed. 
• The are will be dried completely. Fans, dehumidifiers, or raising  the indoor air temperature are a normal part of this process 
• Replace. All materials that were moved should be replaced or repaired.

Step 5: Determine if cleanup has been successful. 
There are some final things that need to be done even after the mold is gone. Lastly, determine if your clean-up efforts have been successful. Here are some options and guidelines to follow.

• The moisture problem has been fixed. Verify this by revisiting the home soon after remediation — you shouldn't see any signs of recurring water damage.​
• No sign of visible mold, mold-damaged materials or moldy odors.
• ​Homeowners should be able to occupy or re-occupy the home without physical symptoms or aggravated health complaints.

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When it comes to mold, the key is to implement a comprehensive moisture management strategy. Health issues from mold can be prevented and decreased by doing it right the first time. Following an immediate and thorough remediation plan is essential for getting rid of the mold.
Act Quickly!

When it comes to mold, moisture is one of the most important things to consider. Moisture is what all life needs to exist - and mold is no different. So that makes moisture control very important - whether you are having a mold remediation job performed or not.

A good example of this is a large condo job that us here at HERO Remediation are working on as we speak. The condo remediation project all comes down to moisture. Many of the residents are concerned when they don't see any issue on the surface, but our moisture meters, thermal cameras, and other tools indicate a different matter, and we recommend removing sheetrock to get to the actual issue. But once we open the walls and show them the damage and mold behind it, they understand why the moisture readings we found showed that we needed to remove the sheetrock.
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Moisture control is very important, as we can see. In fact, the EPA provides a very helpful Moisture Control Guide that you can use. But without going into an entire EPA document, here are some basics that can help you keep moisture under control:

1. Use a dehumidifier. We live in Florida - so humidity is part of life here. If it is in your budget, consider having a professional dehumidifier put in your HVAC system. Some people rely on their AC system to dehumidify their home or building, but this is very often not enough.
2. Keep your HVAC system running when you are away. Humidity in the air can cause a mold issue throughout your home or building in a matter of 48 hours - that's right, just 2 days. Often times, mold issues occur because people leave for the summer, go on a vacation, or otherwise leave their home for a while and turn off their HVAC system - leaving the home to have the same humidity as the outside of your home.
3. Keep plants to a minimum. This one is a bit personal, and we are not saying that we can't have plants. But if we really love plants and fill our homes with them, it can become an issue. Especially small areas where a lot of plants are up against a window can turn that area into a steamy greenhouse. Also, consider having plants that don't require a lot of watering.
4. Don't ignore maintenance. Seems simple, but if we let a "small" leak go for too long, that small leak can make big problems. Be sure to fix leaks as soon as they are found, and don't leave other maintenance tasks undone for too long.

We call it "moisture control" because it requires us to control the moisture in our home. Keeping relative humidity below 60%, keeping leaks and water issues at bay, and calling a professional like HERO Remediation whenever there is an issue - and doing it early enough that the issue doesn't become worse.

Windermere Air Sampling…Is It An Effective Way Of Testing For Mold?
​Mold is a big issue in many homes today so diagnosing the problem is very important. A qualified mold assessor normally tests for mold by carrying out a visual inspection first, and then taking a surface sample. Another test that can be done in conjunction with these tests is air sampling. Let’s take a closer look at what this involves and whether it is an effective way to test for mold.
 
Air samples are a good way to diagnose a mold source that has not yet been detected. Mold spores are impossible to see with the naked eye, so the sample is sent to a lab and analyzed. The results will reveal whether or not there is mold present in the home and, if there is, will show the severity of the problem.

Hero Remediaiton is fully licensed and has years of experience. If you need air sampling services in Windermere, then give us a call: 407-608-9478
How Does it Work?
What areas of the home are air samples normally taken? Obvious places include areas where mold is already visible. Samples would also be taken in areas of moisture intrusion or water damage and anywhere that has a musty odor, which could indicate mold growth.
 
There are various factors that can affect an air sample reading. Firstly, its best to carry out testing with doors and windows closed and any indoor-outdoor air exchangers switched off. The weather also plays a role, for example, it is not a good idea to take an air sample during severe thunderstorms or extremely high winds as these can affect the accuracy of the test. Air pressure changes can also alter mold spore levels which would change those levels indoors as well.

How Can You Improve Your Indoor Air Quality?
A healthy indoor air quality is essential to the well being of a home’s occupants.  There are a lot of simple ways to improve indoor air quality, one of those ways is regularly replacing your HVAC systems filters.  But, how often should they be changed to maintain a healthy environment in the home?
 
While you need to have your HVAC system serviced once a year, you should change the filter a lot more regularly.  Depending on the amount of use the system gets, every 3 months is ideal.  However, under certain conditions, you may want to consider replacing it more often than that.  When checking the filter, if you notice it is damaged or has become wet or damp, then it should be replaced immediately.  If not, dangerous toxins such as mold spores can be released into the air and dispersed through the house.
 
Changing the filter as often as once a month is beneficial for some homes.  This might be necessary for larger families or those with pets.  If anyone living in the home has allergies or if there are any smokers in the house, these are also reasons to change the filter more frequently.
 
Your homes outdoor environment should also dictate how regularly you change HVAC filters.  For example, if there is a lot of construction going on in the neighborhood, if you live in an agricultural area or even if there have been wildfires in the surrounding area, it would be wise to replace filters often. 
 
Replacing your homes HVAC filter regularly is a simple and effective way to maintain a healthy indoor air quality.  

Need air sampling in Windermere? Then contact us today!

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Central Florida's Water Damage Restoration
​& Mold Remediation Heroes