Beyond Bleach: Professional Mold Abatement Explained

 What Is Mold Abatement And How Does It Work?

The hidden dangers lurking in damp corners of your home might be affecting your health more than you realize. When moisture meets organic materials, mold quickly follows – and with it comes a host of potential health problems that simple cleaning can't address.

Tim Rhoades, restoration expert and owner of Premier Restoration of the Carolinas, pulls back the curtain on what professional mold abatement really entails. Unlike quick surface treatments, proper remediation tackles the root cause: moisture control. By maintaining indoor humidity below 60% and addressing leaks, you can prevent mold's unwelcome return. The process involves specialized equipment like HEPA vacuums and professional-grade antimicrobial treatments that penetrate porous surfaces where mold hides.

What many homeowners don't realize is that mold's health impacts vary significantly between individuals. While respiratory problems are most common, those with asthma or other pre-existing conditions face greater risks. More concerning is that effective treatment often requires removing affected materials completely – including drywall, flooring, and insulation – because mold typically grows in hidden spaces between structural elements. Timeline expectations depend entirely on the scope of contamination, ranging from a few days for small areas to several weeks for extensive remediation projects.

Before hiring just anyone to address your mold concerns, verify their IICRC certification – this industry credential ensures technicians understand proper remediation protocols and safety procedures. Your home's health directly impacts your family's wellbeing, making professional assessment and treatment an investment in both your property and your peace of mind. Have you noticed musty odors or unexplained respiratory issues in your home? It might be time for a professional mold inspection.

To learn more about Premier Restoration of the Carolinas visit:
https://www.PremierRestorationoftheCarolinas.com
Premier Restoration of the Carolinas
888-847-2214

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Restored with Premier Restoration of the
Carolinas, where we turn floods,fires and moldy mayhem into
clean slates and fresh starts,hosted by Tim Rhodes, the guy
who's been knee-deep in disaster, so you don't have to be.
If your home or business hasbeen through it, don't panic,
tim's here to talk recovery,restoration and everything in

(00:27):
between.
Let's get things restored.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Mold isn't just ugly it's unhealthy.
In this episode, tim Rhodesbreaks down what mold abatement
really means, how it's differentfrom a quick cleanup and why
trusting a pro could save yourhome and your lungs.
Welcome back everybody.
Skip Monning, co-host, slashproducer, back in the studio
with Tim Rhodes, owner ofPremier Restoration of the
Carolinas.
Tim, how's it going?

Speaker 3 (00:55):
It's going good.
How are you Skip?

Speaker 2 (00:58):
Doing just fine.
And you know I mentioned to youearlier that mold is a special
concern for me, because I've hadsome episodes in my house where
there's a lot of water inplaces I didn't want it to be,
and so I'm concerned about that,as a lot of people are, because
when it shows up you need morethan bleaching a prayer.
So, tim, from your perspective,what is mold abatement and how

(01:20):
does that work?

Speaker 3 (01:22):
Mold abatement is a process of safely identifying,
removing and preventing thereturn of mold by controlling
moisture.
Moisture is the root cause ofmold.
It involves addressing andfixing leaks, improving
ventilation and lowering indoorhumidity below 60%.
Once you get all that in check,you can normally keep control
of mold.

Speaker 2 (01:44):
Very good.
Now what's the differencebetween just mold removal and
mold abatement?
What exactly does that mean?

Speaker 3 (01:53):
Well, I don't think there's a difference.
I think it's the same.
I'd say everybody's got theirown process of the way they do
things.
It involves a lot of HEPA vacand a lot of scrubbing.
You know it involves a lot ofHEPA vac and a lot of scrubbing.
You know we HEPA vac a lot andwe use chemicals that pulls it
out of porous materials and thenHEPA vac it and wipe it and

(02:14):
brush it.

Speaker 2 (02:18):
Repeat that process Now.
How do you assess the severityof a mold issue before starting
treatment?

Speaker 3 (02:26):
Just look at it, really you can, you can look at
it, see how bad it is.
But I mean, you know we, wehave mold tests, we we can do.
But uh, you can, uh you, youget in there, start crawling
around, you can see where allit's growing, you kind of see
how bad it is and can you tellthe different types of mold that
there are no black molds?

Speaker 2 (02:43):
big evil thing you got to test that.

Speaker 3 (02:45):
That's what the mold tests, for.
They can break it down okay,gotcha, gotcha.

Speaker 2 (02:50):
So what kind of health risks are associated with
untreated mold?

Speaker 3 (02:57):
Well, you know any kind of breathing problems it's
going to create all kinds ofbreathing problems and that's
your main one you start.
I've had some people you knowtell me it gives them headaches,
breathing problems.
You know it causes a lot ofdifferent things to a lot of
different people.
So not every person's the same.
So not every mold, you knowtreatment's the same.

(03:19):
So it just depends on, you know, the customer with their
medical problems.
Molds, I mean, you knowtreatment's the same.
So it just depends on, you know, the customer with their
medical problems.
Molds, I mean you know itaffects everybody differently.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
So you know, I'd imagine, if somebody's got
asthma or a you knowpre-existing condition, that
that's going to make it worse.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, it will, I'm certain.
I'm no doctor, but I would sayit would.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
Yeah, absolutely will .
I'm certain.
I'm no doctor, but I would sayit would.
Yeah, absolutely.
Well, can mold abatement orremoval be done without tearing
out walls or flooring?

Speaker 3 (03:51):
Depends on the whole situation.
That's a big picture rightthere.
Most of the time it's behindsheet rock, it's between
hardwood floors and sub floors.
So you know, sometimes if it'sjust in your crawl space, yep,
you pull insulation out, you cannormally get it out.

Speaker 2 (04:10):
But if it's between sub floors and flooring behind
sheet rock, you know you'regonna have to tear some stuff
out yeah, I've had experiencewith that where I had a bathroom
that flooded and had tile inthe bathroom floor and at first,
the restoration person thatdealt with this several years

(04:31):
ago or else I'd have beencalling you but he said, oh, I
think we're not going to have todo much in here, until he
figured out that whoever put thetile down this was prior to me
owning this house they just putthe tile on top of some linoleum
and they said, oh yeah, we gotto pull the tile out, pull the
linoleum out, dry it out, putthe tile back, and so I guess,

(04:53):
like you said, depends on what'sin the subfloor, I guess.
So how long does a typical moldabatement process take from
start to finish?

Speaker 3 (05:08):
That's.
That's hard to say without youknow.
Without looking at the wholeproject and seeing how big the
whole project is, you know itcould go.
You could be in and out of acrawl space, depending on the
size of it.
In two or three days it couldbe tearing out a whole house
that flooded from top to bottom.
You could be there for fiveweeks.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Just depends on the whole situation so it depends on
on what's happened, yes, buttypically let's say, if it's a,
if it's a bathroom that'sflooded and you've got to get
some mold out of the subfloorand all that I mean is that a
pretty quick.

Speaker 3 (05:48):
Yeah, I'd say, by the time you go in and tear out,
you're probably, you're probablygoing to be there five to seven
days probably, depending on howbad the mold is, just the tear
out, you're going to be therefor a day or two and then you
know, you know, addressing themold and taking care of the mold
, removing the mold, you'regoing to be there for a couple
more days, you know, I'd sayfive to seven days Plus,
depending on how muchconstruction you've got to do
too I guess.

Speaker 2 (06:10):
Yeah, wow.
Well, what should homeownerslook for when choosing a
certified mold remediationcompany?
When they're looking, they needhelp.
They think they've got mold intheir house.
What should they be looking forto find the best solution?

Speaker 3 (06:25):
Well, I mean, you know they just need to be
certified with the.
You know the common certifieris the IICRC and that just makes
sure that you know.
You know what you're doing, youknow the protocol, you know how
to take care of it, and thatjust you know.
That's make sure they'recertified, make sure they know
what they're doing.

Speaker 2 (06:44):
And could you say that again?
What was that certification?
It's the IICRC, iicrc, so lookfor that.
I would imagine most peoplemake that pretty prominent on
their website.
I would think.

Speaker 3 (06:59):
Yeah, I mean, but all you got to do is ask is ask
everybody, you know, if they'recertified, they have a pocket
card with them, they, they giveyou a pocket card and it shows
all your certifications, justyou know.
That's just protection for youto make sure the homeowner is
getting somebody that iscertified and knows what they're
doing gotcha gotcha well tim.

Speaker 2 (07:18):
no pun intended, but thanks for clearing the air
literally, and we appreciate themuch needed clarification.
I feel a little bit betterabout my situation and we'll
look forward to seeing you nexttime.

Speaker 3 (07:30):
Sounds good.

Speaker 2 (07:32):
All right, brother, have a great one.

Speaker 3 (07:34):
You too.

Speaker 2 (07:36):
We'll see you next time.

Speaker 1 (07:42):
Thanks for tuning in to Restored premier restoration
of the carolinas.
If disaster strikes, don'tgoogle, call the pros.
You can reach tim at888-847-2241 or visit us online
at premier restoration of thecarolinascom.
We'll bring the tools, the teamand maybe even the shop vac,

(08:04):
because when things go wrong, wemake it right.