Curing the Mold Problem at the Source

Everyone knows that when you leave something in the fridge too long or bread out on the counter too long mold grows on it and you have to throw it away.  While this isn’t the only place it grows or the only kind of mold, it is the most common and the most well-known.

The mold that we see is actually a colony as a result of mold spores attaching itself to a surface and become a colony.  Sadly, there is no way to just rid your life of all the spores in your home to prevent mold from even starting. Why? Because there are millions of mold spores. Even if you did manage to get rid of all the ones in your house, the moment you open the door or window more spores come right on in. So instead of trying to get rid of them we can work on lessening the possibility of the spore colonies forming.  In order to do that we need to know what causes mold.

There are three main elements that cause mold:

1. Moisture
2. Temperature
3. A Food Source

Moisture

While moisture is only one of the elements, it is the biggest contributor to mold growth. The amount of moisture in a given area is what determines the speed with which the spores grow into colonies.  When it comes down to it colonies can easily pop up if there is a wet spot that isn’t dried promptly. This insidious pest can begin to grow with 24 to 48 hours of the forgotten spill.

In many newer houses the walls and insulation were built air-tight.  The best of the best right?  In some cases it may be but when it comes to mold it isn’t.  Air-tight may have seemed like a good idea insulation-wise, but it inhibits the natural air circulation that would be able to dry out potential mold-attracting moisture.

One way to lessen the mold colony’s opportunities is to use the exhaust fans near the stove and when showering.  This removes the moisture so that it isn’t left to attract mold spores.  Open windows, circulation, or any moving air allows for those accidental or unnoticed wet spots can dry.

Temperature

Unfortunately mold can grow in almost any temperature you are comfortable in.  Since most everyone has seen the moldy bread they know it grows at room temperature. The mold in old refrigerator food means that it grows in cold temperatures as well!  Very cold freezers and complete deserts are where the mold won’t go, but not many people can live comfortably in either of those extremes.

Mold grows at temperatures as lows as the 40’s and as high as the 100’s, but it loves room temperature (around the 70’s).  So your nice cozy home with those average temperatures are also where the spores will like to congregate.

Also, mold can be caused by the humidity.  In a humid place there are two key elements right there–temperature and water.  Like the air, if the humidity is around 70% the spores will be able to float around until it finds a food source.  It ‘s not hard to find a food source when you consider almost everything a food source!  So if you live in a humid place you will need to be more aware of mold growth, and get rid of it as soon as you can.

A Food Source

There are so many sources that you wouldn’t even think would count as a food source for mold and yet they are.  Mold is not the picky eater of the family, its the bottomless pit that will claim almost anything as food.  In a bathroom, one of the most prevalent places for mold to grow, there are the tiles, any drywall it can reach and still have access to the moisture, and even dirt is a food source.

Most of the surfaces throughout your home have the necessary nutrients for mold to thrive. Carpet, insulation, cloth, wall boards, paper-backed materials, wood, and ceiling tiles can all be considered food. You can’t get rid of all these things just because mold considers it a food source. Just be aware of it so that you know to avoid combining all three elements to limit the mold growth in you home.

It only takes a wayward spark from an innocent little electrical strip to start a house fire.  It was an electrical strip that started a fire in the basement of this $800,000 home in Idaho Falls.  Luckily, the entire house wasn’t destroyed, but the basement was hammered and the two other floors of the house suffered soot and smoke damage.

Surveying the Disaster Zone

Walking down the scorched steps down into the basement, there was no place that hadn’t been at least darkened by the effects of the fire.  The banister that used to line the stairs could no longer stand to support any weight. Most of the supports were now too short to even connect to the railing to be effective and in some places they were completely gone.

The painted walls were stripped, the concrete foundations of the house readily evident in places where they weren’t so obvious before.  Where the walls of the hallway once stood there were only the wooden studs left.  Darkened by the soot and charred by the fire, the basement was nothing short of a complete mess.

Soot covered the entire scene in a hideous black blanket, as if trying to bury away the disaster slightly hidden beneath its thin layer.  White rectangular spaces peered out of the blackness, marking the places where pictures and decorations once hung on the still surviving walls.

What used to be carpet was now an obscure and singed mess of melted fibers, encrusted with the ever-present darkness covering the room.  Burned couches and crumbling exercise equipment only served to remind everyone of what used to be.  There’s no longer furniture, decorations, electronics and appliances down here.  Now its only debris to be cleaned up, moved out, and taken away to a dump.

The bricks and the cement seem to be the only true survivors of the fire, unyielding but darkened nonetheless.  Even upstairs, though the signs of the fire aren’t as drastic as the basement, it still needs fixing from the damaging smoke.

Yet this is not the end of this poor basement and house.  Tobin Cleaning and Restoration was called.

Local Idaho Falls Redemption and Renewal

After the Tobin crew spent hours upon hours for 4 and a 1/2 months working on this expensive house, it looked better than it ever had before.  The basement took on a crisp newness with such vitality as if to show the world that not even a fire could bring it low.  There are fresh cabinets in the upstairs kitchen just the way the owners had always wanted and wide open space in their basement instead of the enclosed and unneeded hallways that were originally there.

From painted trim to bright white banisters, from the brand new basement kitchenette to the custom stair handrails; this house had been beaten down to sooty, dirty bareness and rose from disaster to become fresh and revitalized to perfection.

Idaho Fall’s own Tobin Cleaning and Restoration was able to meet with the owners pre-reconstruction to get an idea of what they wanted to see happen.  Then members of the Tobin crew drew up blueprints and sketches to show what they were going to do with the mess and replace it with.  As work progressed, as carpets were laid, and walls coated, the Tobin crew were involved in some very high-end carpentry work and custom designed features.

In the end, the owners of this beautiful house were able to get what they had always wanted, coming out on top in a ‘could-have-been-more-disastrous’ fire.  Tobin Cleaning and Restoration not only cleaned, painted, re-carpeted, and swept away all signs of disaster, they did the minor remodeling that the owners were wanting in order to transform their home into their dream home.

Qualified Beyond Expectation

Certified in Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration as well as in Applied Structural Drawing, Tobin Cleaning and Restoration was able to completely provide all that was wanted to make this house a marvel.

Tobin Restoration has been providing Restoration services to Idaho Falls for over 35 years and enjoys the privilege of restoring the homes and businesses of Idaho Falls residents. We do all types of Restoration- Water Damage Restoration, Fire Damage Restoration, and Mold Remediation. Once the Restoration Services are complete we offer the Reconstruction Services to restore your home to its original state.

Request Idaho Falls Restoration Services

Tobin Cleaning and Restoration provides Restoration services 24 hours a day 7 days a week call us at 208 523 1080. If you are in the Idaho Falls Area and need Restoration Services Contact us to request restoration services in Idaho Falls or the surrounding area.

With Tobin’s professional cleaning practices, products and equipment we can disinfect and sanitize a wide range of surfaces subjected to microbial contamination. Surfaces exposed to over 120 organisms including the H1N1 virus. To learn more about these services or to get a free quote call 208 523 1080. Think your home may be contaminated? Give us a call.

What should you look for when choosing a restoration company?

• Experience
• Facility
• Equipment
• Insurance Relationships

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