Sneaky Signs of Water Damage in Your Home

When mold is identified in your home, you’ll likely need either mold removal or mold remediation. Mold removal is simply cleaning mold on visible surfaces. Mold remediation involves a multistep process that locates the source of moisture and mold growth and treats it to prevent a recurrence. 

Let’s be clear: Unless you’re a mold remediator, you should not remediate mold yourself. The thought of calling an expert and having them decide that your house needs weeks of potentially expensive work is stressful, but not doing anything about a problem can add up to more time and money spent later. According to Vermeulen and Mark Cornelius, a member of the Institute of Inspection Cleaning, Restoration, and Certification (IICRC) board of directors, there is a standard of care for mold remediation called the ANSI/IICRC S520, which he says every mold remediator should follow. “The only acceptable way to remediate microbial growth is to remove it,” Vermeulen and Cornelius say. “Therefore, if a mold remediation contractor enters the home and simply sprays a chemical on the mold, they have not performed proper remediation.” 

The experts told CR that if mold is visible on the front side of the drywall in a room, then there is probably the same amount of mold, or more, on the drywall inside the wall cavity, and that the only way to address the interior of the wall cavity is to gain access to it. The same can be true with wood flooring and cabinetry that blocks access, he says. “The majority of mold remediation projects will also need contractors to construct containment and decontamination chambers under negative pressure in order to prevent cross-contamination,” Vermeulen and Cornelius say. They urge homeowners to check to see if the contractor you are considering using is an IICRC-certified firm and employs an IICRC-certified Applied Microbial Remediation Technician (AMRT).

Of course, you’re probably wondering how much mold remediation will set you back financially. But Vermeulen and Cornelius tell CR that mold remediation project costs can vary depending on a myriad of factors, including severity and location of the mold. They encourage homeowners to review their insurance policy to see what it states about mold and mold remediation (oftentimes, mold is either capped at a certain amount or excluded altogether) and to get multiple estimates from various companies. Don’t just consider the total of the invoice, they say, but rather the scope and remediation work plan.