Finding that you have mold in your house can be very stressful, for a couple of reasons. The danger to your health can be significant, and the cost to have it removed can also be a serious issue. If you only have a small mold problem in one area of your home you may be able to take care of it yourself. However, if the problem is large, in more than one area, or has worked its way into the walls, it might not be something you can handle as a homeowner. At that point, you’d be better off calling in a mold remediator.
What Is A Mold Remediator?
Mold remediators are people who are specially trained to handle mold problems in homes and businesses. They know what they’re doing and they have the right tools, equipment and chemicals to get the job done. They guarantee their work, too, so you won’t have to worry about the mold coming back, as long as the problem that caused it (such as a leaking pipe) has been taken care of. Not all remediators are the same, so you’ll want to check them out and get the right one. Here are some things to look for:
- Is the remediator licensed and insured?
- What kind of guarantee is offered, and for how long? Is it in writing?
- Are there any Better Business Bureau complaints against the company?
- What kind of cost will you be looking at for the remediation?
- How long will it take?
- Will you have to stay elsewhere while the job is being done?
- Does the remediator handle any other work, such as fixing a pipe, re-sheetrocking an area, or painting? If not, can he or she recommend someone?
It’s important to ask these kinds of questions. You don’t want to get caught unaware because you thought you had everything planned out but really didn’t. Those extra and unwanted expenses can really push your budget if you don’t get a good remediator that’s going to take care of everything for you for a fair price.
Get More Than One Estimate
You should always get more than one estimate from multiple remediators. The prices charged for services are usually similar, but there can be sharp variations. Ask around for recommendations and carefully compare the services offered with the final price. Don’t sign a contract until your questions have been answered to your satisfaction, you’ve checked with more than one company, and you feel comfortable with the remediator you’ve chosen to do the work.
Make Sure You’re Comfortable With The Remediator
Tools and equipment and know-how are important, but personality matters, as well. The remediator and the people he or she works with will be in your home or business, possibly for several days – depending on the extent of the problem. You want people you can trust and feel comfortable with, and you can find them by taking the time to locate the right mold remediator to handle your job.
15 comments
Also be sure your remediator has the new RRP lead certification from the EPA before they do any demolition in your home
Concerns about what felt like major pressure to agree to a mold job beginning the next day for a rate decrease. Then having a handful of day workers show up gutting my basement in less than 16 hours and demanding post dated check payment.
I don’t know if in fact the work (mold eradication) was accomplished.
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This is excellent advise!
I have been looking for advise for sometime know regarding how to rid our home of mold.
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Make absolutely certain that the mold remediation company you hire is licensed, certified and most importantly, insured. My best friend had a nightmare with an uninsured mold testing and removal company in his commercial building.
I am planning on going tomorrow to get finaicing for this beautiful brick home and i am getting it pretty cheap because the basement has quite a bit of mold. it used to be a wet basement and that was fixed but the bank took this house back but never had the mold removed and has let it sit with no electric on or anything for months now. after reading everything online i am worried..when the relator and i wrote up the offer today on the house i put in the paperwork that i wanted the bank to have the mold removed.
Make absolutely sure that the person you hire is certified. Someone who isn’t properly trained could use improper coverings or make the mistake of carrying polluted materials through the house which can contaminate the rest of your house.
Aside from the references and simliar projects done by the remediation company, it is also good to ask them the reason why you should choose them over the other. If they are going to focus on cost of service alone, you better move on to the next one. Quality service and guaranteed result should come hand in hand with the rates.
I agree that consulting ith several companies can help you find the best mold removal services you can find. We are planning on moving to a new house in a few weeks and want to make sure all the mold is cleaned before we move there. Do you know how long it takes to properly inspect a 3 bed 2 bath house? I want to make sure I take enough time off work to be there when the company I choose gets there.
My wife and I have been deep cleaning our house, and we found something that we are scared might be mold. We decided that it would be best to find a professional instead of dealing with it ourselves. I really like that you say to find out how long it will take the company to clean it up. I know that I wouldn’t want it to affect the health of my family in the end.
I’ve been wanting to help my parents find some mold removal services to help them out after we discovered a little bit in their basement. I’m glad that you talked about wanting to find a guaranteed service for mold remediation, which I think is something they would really like. Being able to have some sort of guarantee is always good, so I think that shouldn’t be any different for mold removal!
Thanks for mentioning that finding mold in your home can be stressful because it has a serious danger impact to your health and could be costly to remove it. My wife is thinking of hiring a specialist next month because she found mold growing in our basement and wants it removed for our children’s health safety. I think it’s a good investment to hire a reputable professional that has the necessary equipment and training to safely remove it if we decide to hire them.