Mould -Dispelling the Myths
Mould
Sorting the Myth from Fact.
Firstly, we wanted to dispel a few myths about removing and testing for mould.
The super market products don’t work. If they did, you wouldn’t be contacting us.
Vinegar doesn’t remove or kill mould. If it did, we’d use it and so would the chemical companies. It’s a lot cheaper than the solutions we do use.
Bleach doesn’t remove or kill mould. Again, if it did, we’d use it.
There is NO product you can spray (or ‘fog’) that kills mould and makes your home safe. Let’s face it, your home was probably mould free for years before you had a problem, so why would you pay money for something that only has a 12 month warranty? That’s not a solution!
Unfortunately, there are currently no laws or regulations pertaining to mould removal. This means that anyone can call themselves a mould expert and sell solutions that only work for a short time.
Particle Counters Don’t Test for Mould. Particle counters count particles, not mould. We don’t use particle counters!
SWIFFER Cloths (ERMI) are not accurate. ERMI was developed by the US EPA to assess mould in water damaged buildings using large numbers of properties for sampling. The theory for ERMI is fantastic, but the US EPA has withdrawn it’s support for the practice. Sadly, the science just doesn’t stack up and more work needs to be done. But more importantly, it doesn’t actually tell us anything about where the contamination is.
So, here are the facts.
Yes, mould in large concentrations isn’t good for your health. It’s an allergenic, irritant, in large quantities it can be toxic and if it get’s in to your lungs it can cause long term health problems. But to be fair, you need to be either sensitive to mould, unlucky or living in a property for some time with a mould problem to become ill. So, unless you’re in a high-
Mould needs moisture. You won’t get mould growth unless you have a moisture problem with your home (or workplace). Similarly, we can’t solve your mould problem until we identify and solve the moisture problem.
Mould can be invisible. Mould loves to grow in dark places, like under carpets, behind cabinets and furniture and in wall cavities. Simply looking for mould isn’t good enough. A proper investigation should include sampling. Without sampling, we’re only guessing!
Killing Mould isn’t enough (or possible). Mould is in abundance in nature, so to say we’ve killed all the mould is an impossibility. It also doesn’t solve the problem. Alive or dead, it remains allergenic, toxic, an irritant and a respiratory risk. The problem hasn’t gone away, all that has happened is you’ve wasted money.
There is a Standard for Mould Remediation and a Voluntary Qualification. The standard is the IICRC S520 Standard. The (minimum) qualification is the IICRC Applied Microbial Remediation Technician (or AMRT). And yes, we use the standard and have the AMRT qualification (and many more)
We sample using three different methods.
o We use a Mycometer to obtain a relative score for mouldiness (US EPA Verified and supported by many independent tests)
o Surface tapes and air traps to identify most species.
o Cultures, to get to the real nitty gritty of what is going on in the property.
So, In Summary
To remove Mould we must do the following;
1. Identify the cause of excess moisture
2. Solve the moisture problem
3. Dry the property
4. Identify the extent of the contamination
5. REMOVE as much of the contamination as possible
6. Test that the levels of contamination have been returned to normal (or natural) levels.
7. Test that the property is dry
Failing to take any of the above steps, pretty much guarantees that the problem isn’t solved. And you can bet on the mould coming back.
So, what do you get for your money?
Firstly, we’re independently qualified to conduct an inspection. (we’re not qualified by a chemical supply company)
We’ve remediated lot’s of properties, so we know what to look for, where to look for it and how to remove it
When we conduct an inspection we;
o Look for moisture using thermal hygrometers, pin-
o We look everywhere for mould, including. If necessary, climbing into roof spaces and under houses (when it’s safe and possible) and use boroscopes to get into the hard to reach spots.
o We test for mould. If we can’t find it visibly, we can still prove it exists with testing
o We provide you with a plain English report, that details our investigations, identifies the cause and provides you with solutions.
o We can help you with VCAT, Your Landlord or Your Insurance Company.
o We don’t produce or charge you for a detailed technical report unless you need one. About 90% of our clients simply need to know if they have a problem and how they fix the problem. An expensive 25-
o We generally have same day results. We prefer to use our Mycometer Field Testing Unit, it’s faster, more accurate and it’s benchmarked so we can provide you with meaningful answers.
If you use us to remove the mould, you get
o A professional team that know what they are doing
o A lifetime guarantee on our works. If we follow all the steps above, that mould problem is solved forever. *
o We guarantee we won’t contaminate the rest of your property.
o We can look after everything that needs decontamination, including your contents items
o If your claim is accepted by your insurer, we’ll even help you with the claim
o We won’t be stealing your money selling you band aid solutions. We fix the problem!
* If the source of moisture is fixed, we dry the building in accordance with the IICRC S500 standard and we remove the mould in accordance with the IICRC S520 Standard, provided there are no additional moisture events, we can guarantee that the mould is gone forever.
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