The basic idea of mold test kits is to detect the mold in your home first of all and then secondly, to send off the test samples to a mold laboratory for analysis and so they can identify just what kinds of mold you have living in your home. If you have one kind of mold in your house, odds are that you have at least a second.
If you see mold growing on your wall, floor, ceiling, or your air conditioning system, you can use scotch tape to lift mold particles off of the moldy area and onto the surface of the mold test kit. You could also scrape the mold particles off of the surface with a knife or other item, but this is not recommended because it will stir up the spores. Doing this barehanded is also not recommended; do not touch mold with your bare hands. Use some kind of glove, preferably latex, if possible. After you collect the mold into the test, even if you used gloves, wash your hands thoroughly. Do this even if you’re going to go and test another area of the home, because you don’t want to cross-contaminate the sites.
After you are done, you should print your name, the name of whoever owns the property, the address, and the exact location of that particular test sample, the date, and the kind of sampling method you used. Also include the duration of the test in minutes or hours, along with the person’s name who conducted the test and how they can be contacted.
Take samples from your air conditioning ducts. You should run the air conditioner on its fan setting for about ten minutes before you do the test and you should tape the test kit to the grill of the duct so the air hits the sticky surface directly.
Testing each room, basement, attic, garage, and any kind of crawl space is also necessary. Use a fan to stir up the air in the room for about 10 to 15 minutes before testing.
Also test the outdoor environment for mold to have something to compare the indoor results to.
If there is a kind of mold that exists in the indoor tests that does not exist in the outdoor tests, then the cause of that mold is restricted to the indoor environment and is not coming from the outside. This mold is being generated from the inside of the home and you should do your best to find the cause in the area where that test was taken.
After you’ve looked at the tests yourself (wearing gloves and eye protection), have them sent to a mold laboratory for analysis and identification. They will send you back the results and after that, calling in a professional mold remediation specialist is necessary.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodingnc.info
http://www.floodnj.info
Saturday, September 29, 2007
How to Dry Out Your Home
If you have had a home or some kind of building submerged in water, by way of either rain, or some kind of flood, then you are probably well aware of just how frustrating of a task drying it out can be. If you have not had to do this before, then you’re in luck, because here are some different ways to start drying it out.
One of the most unexpected things that can happen is a flood. And sometimes, the water can get high enough to where it can get inside of your home, or building, and drying this water out is a long arduous process. And, depending on the building, hot air drying techniques can do more harm than do help.
The very first thing you should do before drying your building out, is to make sure that there is no room for electrical hazard. You should make sure that all of the power in your home is completely off. You shouldn’t just be aware of the electrical hazards; you should keep an eye out for biological ones, because the flood water could very well be infected with human waste, chemicals, dead bodies, and countless amounts of bacteria that could cause serious medical harm. It is important that you protect your eyes, hands, mouth, and wear a respirator. You should wash your hands very thoroughly after cleaning, and once again before eating. It is recommended that you use strong disinfectant hand soap.
It is also important that you keep documentation of the damage done to your home. It is preferred that you document the damage with photos and a video camera. This will be a big help when making an insurance claim and finding out what compensation you will be eligible for.
You should also take time to make temporary repairs to prevent more water from getting into your home and causing further damage. Once again, these repairs should only be temporary.
A recommended place to begin drying out your home is the attic. If there is any wet insulation, you should remove it immediately, because it is cumbersome, and holds a lot of moisture for a long period of time causing more damage to the foundation, such as wood rot, rust, and drywall damage. It is also important to remove anything else that has water on it, or in it. You should make sure, after these measures are taken, that you keep your home cool, and that air is circulating. You might want to keep your windows open for a short amount of time, as long as it’s not raining.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
North Carolina Water Damage Restoration and other states such as
New Jersey Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
One of the most unexpected things that can happen is a flood. And sometimes, the water can get high enough to where it can get inside of your home, or building, and drying this water out is a long arduous process. And, depending on the building, hot air drying techniques can do more harm than do help.
The very first thing you should do before drying your building out, is to make sure that there is no room for electrical hazard. You should make sure that all of the power in your home is completely off. You shouldn’t just be aware of the electrical hazards; you should keep an eye out for biological ones, because the flood water could very well be infected with human waste, chemicals, dead bodies, and countless amounts of bacteria that could cause serious medical harm. It is important that you protect your eyes, hands, mouth, and wear a respirator. You should wash your hands very thoroughly after cleaning, and once again before eating. It is recommended that you use strong disinfectant hand soap.
It is also important that you keep documentation of the damage done to your home. It is preferred that you document the damage with photos and a video camera. This will be a big help when making an insurance claim and finding out what compensation you will be eligible for.
You should also take time to make temporary repairs to prevent more water from getting into your home and causing further damage. Once again, these repairs should only be temporary.
A recommended place to begin drying out your home is the attic. If there is any wet insulation, you should remove it immediately, because it is cumbersome, and holds a lot of moisture for a long period of time causing more damage to the foundation, such as wood rot, rust, and drywall damage. It is also important to remove anything else that has water on it, or in it. You should make sure, after these measures are taken, that you keep your home cool, and that air is circulating. You might want to keep your windows open for a short amount of time, as long as it’s not raining.
Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
North Carolina Water Damage Restoration and other states such as
New Jersey Water Damage Restoration companies across the united states.
Cladosporium Mold
Cladosporium mold is one of the most common and globally present molds in existence. It has around 40 species that are found in soil or on decaying organic matter and some studies that have been conducted in North America and in Europe claim that the mold is present outdoors year round, although the concentration of this mold is quite low during the winter.
In the summer, spore levels can reach from 2,000 to 50,000 particles per cubic meter of air. The air and concentration of these spores in your home are influenced by two factors: the outdoor concentration and whether the mold is growing in your house or not.
In the home, Cladosporium species manifest themselves as an infection in the walls, second to Penicillium species, Aspergillus species, and Wallemia sebi. It is prevalent on building materials that have gotten wet. The four species that occur most commonly are Cladosporium herbarum, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Cladosporium macrocarpum. The spores of these molds are dispersed by air currents and are extremely common in outdoor environments; when they are found indoors, they grow on surfaces where moisture is present.
The different species of this mold that occur are not generally human pathogens unless a person’s immune system has been compromised in some way. They do, however, have the tendency to cause allergic reactions in certain people. Exposure to high levels of spores can induce asthma and chronic allergies. A concentration of 3000 spores per cubic meter of air space are usually seen as being of clinical importance. Some people may react to a lower concentration of these spores depending upon their own individual sensitivity to them. Infections of the toenails and skin can occur, along with some reports of sinusitis and some pulmonary infections, but only rarely do these occur.
These species of mold are detected quite easily in mold test kits and spore traps around the home and can appear as black, grey, green, or brown when it grows upon a surface. Generally speaking, the only negative effects associated with Cladosporium are allergic reactions and are less serious of a threat than molds such as Penicillin, Aspergillus, and Stachybotrys. Prolonged exposure to Cladosporium, however, can cause weakened immune systems and while they do not produce any mycotoxins of any significance, they do produce some volatile organic compounds that are associated with odors.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodingct.info
http://www.floodedbasementnj.info
In the summer, spore levels can reach from 2,000 to 50,000 particles per cubic meter of air. The air and concentration of these spores in your home are influenced by two factors: the outdoor concentration and whether the mold is growing in your house or not.
In the home, Cladosporium species manifest themselves as an infection in the walls, second to Penicillium species, Aspergillus species, and Wallemia sebi. It is prevalent on building materials that have gotten wet. The four species that occur most commonly are Cladosporium herbarum, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Cladosporium cladosporioides, and Cladosporium macrocarpum. The spores of these molds are dispersed by air currents and are extremely common in outdoor environments; when they are found indoors, they grow on surfaces where moisture is present.
The different species of this mold that occur are not generally human pathogens unless a person’s immune system has been compromised in some way. They do, however, have the tendency to cause allergic reactions in certain people. Exposure to high levels of spores can induce asthma and chronic allergies. A concentration of 3000 spores per cubic meter of air space are usually seen as being of clinical importance. Some people may react to a lower concentration of these spores depending upon their own individual sensitivity to them. Infections of the toenails and skin can occur, along with some reports of sinusitis and some pulmonary infections, but only rarely do these occur.
These species of mold are detected quite easily in mold test kits and spore traps around the home and can appear as black, grey, green, or brown when it grows upon a surface. Generally speaking, the only negative effects associated with Cladosporium are allergic reactions and are less serious of a threat than molds such as Penicillin, Aspergillus, and Stachybotrys. Prolonged exposure to Cladosporium, however, can cause weakened immune systems and while they do not produce any mycotoxins of any significance, they do produce some volatile organic compounds that are associated with odors.
Jim Corkern is a writer and respected contributor to the Water damage restoration and mold remediation Industry. Visit his sites for more information.
http://www.floodingct.info
http://www.floodedbasementnj.info
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