Tips for Tackling Mold at Your Business | SERVPRO of Walker & Winston Counties

12/13/2023 (Permalink)

Don't let mold take over your property! Call SERVPRO of Walker & Winston Counties to remove the fungi.

We all take pride in our businesses and work hard every day to provide the best quality product or service for our community. After all, that’s what fills up our cups as business owners! 

We all want what’s best for our businesses day in and day out, so it can be especially frustrating to deal with the unexpected or discover something like a mold infestation on a seemingly regular day of the week.

Our team is here to help get your business back on its feet! One of the services our commercial cleaning crew offers is commercial mold remediation, and we will help you recover quickly and efficiently. 

Where Mold Grows

Every building and business is different, but most often the areas of your building that experience moisture issues are in your attic, basement and bathrooms. Mold thrives in dark and damp areas, which are coincidentally places that you don’t often travel to on a typical day at work. 

If you run down to the basement to grab an old piece of equipment or head into the attic to inspect a fan and are hit with a musty odor, it’s time to do some investigating. 

An unaddressed water leak could have sparked the mold infestation or lingering humidity from an inefficient attic space could have been the culprit. Either way, do not disturb the mold colony. Some mold shouldn’t be inhaled and you could actually make the problem worse by trying to clean it up yourself. Call SERVPRO of Walker & Winston Counties commercial services division instead!

How We Can Help 

We will identify the emergency contact for the project as soon as you call us and then we will ask our follow up questions to ensure we fully understand the extent of the situation. Once we arrive, we will don protective gear and then head to the location to inspect the mold and identify the type and reason for the infestation. 

We will get to work containing the area like shutting off all fans and your HVAC system to stop the airborne transfer of particles and then we will filter the air to capture any microscopic spores out of the air. Our air scrubbers really get to work during this part of the mold mitigation process! Then we will give the entire area a thorough cleaning and use our antimicrobial treatments to ensure the mold cannot grow back. 

Why Restoration Might Occur for a Mold Problem

Mold made up of many different mold spores that will continue to grow and thrive at your business until the problem is discovered. Because of that, the mold colony could wind up growing in your building for days, weeks and months before it is identified! Over that period of time, mold can start to degrade drywall, subfloors and other building materials that can impact the safety of your building.

Once your space is clean, we will be able to address any structural repairs to ensure your building is a safe place for all of your staff and/or customers. Our goal is to help you completely recover from a mold infestation so your building can function smoothly and remain a safe space for everyone under your roof. 

Got mold? Contact SERVPRO of Walker & Winston Counties today.

Mold In the Crawlspace

1/19/2023 (Permalink)

The south is known for its year-round humidity. Here in Alabama, we know this is to be absolutely true. If your structure is built over a crawlspace, chances are, at some point, you have seen mold in there. Excessive rain can cause the ground to become moist and if there is not a vapor barrier in your crawlspace, that moisture from the ground can evaporate into the crawlspace creating very humid conditions. 

 
High humidity in crawlspaces can increase the chances for mold growth on the building materials such as the subfloor, joists, and beams. One of the first warning signs is a strong musty smell; this can mean that there is mold nearby. 
 
Mold is something we take very seriously because of the risk of continuing damage if the source is not taken care of. Most of the time, water damage is the root of mold beginning to form in, or under a structure. Our goal is to contain the affected area to reduce spores from traveling to unaffected areas. We will run dehumidifiers and air scrubbers to assist with the drying and restoration process. These machines help control the environment until the problem is resolved.

Should you find mold, or what you think is mold in your crawlspace, contact your local SERVPRO mitigation team to help your structure back to preloss condition. We are always here to help. 

Mold & Mildew: What's The Difference?

1/25/2022 (Permalink)

The thought of finding mold in your home or business can be quite frightening, especially when you’re unsure how to get rid of it. Mildew and molds are fungi - simple microscopic organisms that thrive anywhere there is a moist environment. This will make it difficult to be able to get rid of it on your own.

Mildew (which is mold in early stage) and molds grow on wood, ceiling tiles, cardboard, wallpaper, carpets, drywall, fabric, plants, foods, insulation, decaying leaves and other organic materials. Mold growths (also known as "colonies") can start growing on a damp surface within 24 to 48 hours. They reproduce by spores - tiny, lightweight “seeds”- that travel through the air.

 Mold can digest organic material, eventually destroying the material that they are growing on, and then spread to destroy adjacent organic material. In addition to the damage molds can cause in your home, they can also cause mild to severe health effects if left untreated.

If you or someone you know has discovered growth in their home or business, give us a call! We are always here to help.