Mold Damage – Mold Testing
Michigan Restoration Specialists

• Certified Mold Testing
• Mold Remediation
• Site Containment
• Anti-microbial Applications
• Soda Blasting
• Ozone Treatment
• Thermal Fogging
• Air Purification
• Air Movers & Scrubbers
• Rapid Air Source Machines

Rapid Recovery Service has certified and experienced mold remediation experts available to quickly evaluate, test, estimate, contain, and remediate mold, mildew, and fungus that may appear in your home, office or commercial building.

It is essential to remember mold resulting from water damage or a lack of proper ventilation is progressive. That is why “Timely” action must be taken by homeowners when the water damage occurs or mold is first noticed. The longer water flows or wet, damp, dark conditions exist, mold will colonize and absorb into building materials, resulting in a greater recovery problem. Merely stopping the source of the incoming water does not stop further water damage and often causes secondary damage which may be excluded on most typical homeowner insurance policies.

The picture shows extreme examples of Toxic Black Mold in various stages. Toxic mold can be inside walls, under tubs, behind appliances etc. and you may not be able to see or smell it. Take the threat of Toxic Black Mold seriously, but remember that mold can be eliminated in a short period of time and life can and will go on as normal! Mold can grow out of control if untreated and ignored, the problem only makes it worse. For professional mold testing, inspection, and remediation call us today to set up an inspection.

Top Eight Mold Mistakes

If you suspect that you’re dealing with a toxic mold problem, it’s imperative that you avoid some common and costly mistakes:

1. Ignoring Mold Health Symptoms – Be concerned about possible mold problems if one or more occupants is suffering from unexplained health problems such as ongoing itchy eyes, bloody nose, sinus problems, headaches, nasal congestion, runny nose, skin rashes, skin sores, coughing, breathing difficulties, difficulty in remembering things and in thinking clearly, feeling disconnected from the world around you, and/or chronic fatigue. Please remember that some occupants may experience mold health symptoms, while others may have none, with all living or working in the same mold-infested area. People differ significantly in their sensitivity to mold.
2. Ignoring Mold Clues in the House – You contribute big-time to becoming a mold victim when you ignore roof leaks, plumbing leaks, sewer line leaks, water stains on ceilings, the indoor smell of mold, visible mold growth, high humidity (60% or more to drive mold growth from humidity alone), a wet or damp basement/crawl space.
3. Assuming There Is No Mold Problem Because Of No Visible Mold Growth – The worst mold infestation problems are often the ones you cannot see inside floors, ceilings, walls, basements, attics, crawl spaces, and the heating/cooling equipment and ducts. Airborne mold spores are invisible to the eye, very light, and are easily carried in air current movements or in the air flows of your heating/cooling system to mold cross-contaminate your entire house from just one hidden mold problem. Here is what you can do to detect invisible mold in your home:
   • Test the air of your basement, attic, all rooms, and the outward air flow from each heating/cooling register for the possible presence of elevated levels of airborne mold spores, in comparison to an outdoor mold control test.
   • Use a hidden moisture meter to scan all walls and floors for hidden water problems.
   • Use a fiber optics inspection device to check for mold growth inside wall, floor, and ceiling cavities
4. Assuming That A New Home Is Mold Free – Today’s new homes often come with built-in mold infestation problems because:
   • Moldy building materials are received from the builder’s supplier — today’s timbers are not kiln-dried as in the past, and thus contain a high internal moisture content that makes mold growth possible.
   • Builders, supervisors, and employees do not utilize any type of quality control process to inspect materials for mold to help prevent moldy building materials from being used in new home construction.
   • Builders store their inventory of building materials outside on the ground with no plastic sheeting to protect them from the rain (which thus supplies the necessary water to enable mold to grow in and on the materials)
   • Construction crews fail to cover the entire home under construction with plastic sheeting at the end of each construction day to protect the building materials from rain (which thus supplies the necessary water to enable mold to grow in and on the materials). The roof and side walls need to be protected against rain until the entire roof, siding, windows, and doors are installed to seal out rain.
   • Builders fail to inspect and test the home for mold growth while it is being constructed and at the home’s completion.
   • New construction utilizes building materials like chip wafer boards, drywall (plasterboard), and plywood – all of which molds love to eat
   • All wood-based construction materials in newly constructed homes are not sprayed with an EPA registered fungicide or wood protectant
5. Not Testing Your Home For Mold – Test your home to make sure it is mold free.
6. Assuming That A Dried Wet Area Is Now Mold Safe – Mold needs moisture to grow and to multiply as it eats your home building materials and personal possessions. This moisture can come from high indoor humidity, or from roof, siding and plumbing leaks.
   If mold spores and colonies run out of moisture, they do NOT die, but instead, become dormant, and can wait millions of years for access to high humidity or a future water intrusion.
7. Using Chlorine Bleach To Kill Mold – Do not use chlorine bleach to kill mold growth and mold spores. Bleach is not strong enough, even when freshly manufactured, to kill mold. In addition, the manufacturer’s usage directions on the bleach container do not recommend its use to kill mold. Bleach is NOT an EPA-registered fungicide. If you want to effectively kill mold, use an EPA registered mold fungicide
8. Using Other Ineffective Products To Kill Mold – Regular paint, paint containing a mildicide element, Lysol, ammonia, and other household cleaners and disinfectants will not prevent or kill mold. Paint will not prevent or kill mold, it only hides the problem temporarily and gives the mold something delicious to eat: the paint itself.