While many homeowners think of mold removal as a simple do-it-yourself “clean-up job,” the reality is that it is a far more complicated process with much more serious implications than that. Done properly, mold mitigation can rid your home of an aggressive and unwanted organism. Done incorrectly, it can allow the mold to, at best, remain on the surfaces where it was found, and at worst, spread more rapidly.
There are a number of reasons why mold removal is not a DIY job and should be left to professionals:
Lack of proper equipment/training. Homeowners generally do not have the types of gloves, breathing filters, eye protection, and other equipment they need in order to do the job safely and effectively. They also lack the training required to understand how best to take on the task.
Health effects. When not done correctly, mold removal can bring the person doing the work into contact with mold, which can result in a number of symptoms including nasal and sinus congestion, itchy, red, watery eyes, throat irritation, headache, respiratory issues including wheezing and shortness of breath, and skin irritation.
Airborne spores. Improper removal techniques can send spores into the air, facilitating the spread of the mold to additional surfaces. Airborne spores can also potentially impact others in the areas.
Tip of the iceberg. Mold is a very invasive organism. What initially appears to be a small and easily handled infestation can quickly reveal itself to be far more widespread than expected. And a project left half completed as you try to decide whether to buy more supplies or contact a professional often poses greater health risks than existed before it was started
Risk of recurrence. When mold removal is not executed properly, it is easy for the mold colony to regenerate and spread, especially since you tend to let your guard down, incorrectly believing that the problem has been resolved.
Mold prevention education. Mold removal experts can not only rid your home of mold, they can provide information on how to prevent another outbreak from taking place.
Ultimately the money saved on taking a DIY approach to mold removal more often than not is spent many times over when you add up the cost of the initial supplies and then tack on the fee to have a mold remediation specialist come in and finish the job. Consequently, there are both financial and health reasons to leave mold removal to the professionals.
