25 Questions For Your Mold Remediation Professional

25 Questions To Ask Your Mold Remediation Professional

By Sanjay Gupta, Marketing Director

This week we published two articles that discussed the issue of conflict of interest and why consumers seem to be confused about post mold remediation procedures.

The goal of Wonder Makers Environmental and this website is to provide useful information on the topic of mold that consumers, contractors, and health professionals can use as a resource.

Mary DeBoer and several other mold sensitized individuals contacted me asking if there are some specific questions that contractors should be asked.

Great question. Consumers should understand that they have the power to make informed decisions and choices.

Some preliminary thoughts.

GET AT LEAST THREE QUOTES

Get more than one quote when mold is found in your property and it is determined that remediation must take place. You have choices, make sure you get a minimum of three quotes so that you can compare. Also, remember, it is not always the cheapest quote that is the best. What matters most is whether the job will be done professionally and properly.

FIX THE MOISTURE PROBLEM

Realize that If mold is found, the underlying cause of the mold problem needs to be fixed. If there are moisture issues, before any remediation should occur, the cause of the moisture issues should be fixed first to prevent future mold issues.

DO NOT IGNORE YOUR MOLD!

It is imperative that if you are faced with a mold problem, ignoring the problem will simply make the situation worse and result in higher future remediation costs. Mold growth is of particular concern because it impacts the air quality which can lead to health concerns and it also degrades the structural integrity because mold literally feeds on the home just like a parasite feeds on its host.

10 KEY QUESTIONS: GET “YES” ANSWERS

The next step and likely the hardest is for you to try to figure out how to properly remediate, and considering that there is a lack of uniform regulations throughout most of North America, this makes it even harder to make a decision.

The only recourse you have is to educate yourself about mold and make sure that you do your due diligence before hiring a contractor.

Your ultimate goal is to ensure that the job is done right and with this in mind, here are 10 questions that you should receive YES answers to:

1. Is the mold remediation company prepared to give you a written contract/change order?
2. Is the mold remediation company prepared to provide you with a remediation plan?
3. Is the mold remediation company prepared to provide you with a post-remediation report?
4. Is the mold remediation company prepared to recommend independent indoor environmental professionals that can provide you with a post-remediation verification report?
5. Does the mold remediation company carry insurance?
6. Do the employees have mold related training and certifications from one of the major recognized industry training groups such as the RIA, IAQA, or IICRC?
7. Does the mold remediation company set up containment to prevent cross contamination?
8. Does the mold remediation company use negative air machines and air scrubbers to clean the air?
9. Is the mold remediation company willing to provide you with referrals and their contact details?
10. Does the mold remediation company use DOP (Dispersed Oil Particulate) tested equipment which is a process that tests the integrity of the HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters used?

MARY SUGGESTS THESE 15 QUESTIONS TOO

Mary DeBoer shared a list of 15 questions that she compiled by asking the mold sensitized community on FaceBook.

1. Do you know what mold sensitized means?
2. Have you ever dealt with a mold and/or MCS sensitized individual?
3. Do you believe that mold can cause health issues? If so, is it the mold or the air borne spores?
4. Does bleach and other chemicals work on mold?
5. How do you clean and treat the contents of a mold contaminated home? What are the most difficult items to clean and which items do you recommend throwing out?
6. Will you be testing all areas of the home to determine if other areas are contaminated via airborne mold spores?
7. Before investigating and cutting into any potentially contaminated areas will you first contain, seal off the area and wear protective gear?
8. Can I keep my HVAC system running during the remediation process?
9. How will you keep the HVAC system clean and free from any cross contamination?
10. What kind of tests do you use to evaluate and determine the severity of the situation?
11. Do you use a moisture meter?
12. What is an acceptable level of moisture in wood?
13. What is the clean up process after remediation is complete? Will you be cleaning the previously affected and contaminated areas or the whole house?
14. What are the acceptable levels of Stachybotrus and Chaetomium after remediation is complete?
15. What bags do you use to remove any contaminated items from the home?

25 Questions For Your #Mold Remediation Professional @moldsensitized http://t.co/dbgHl6pwuu PLEASE RETWEET

— Mold Sensitized (@moldsensitized) May 8, 2015

Disclaimer: The information contained in this posting has been obtained from sources which are believed to be credible. No warranty of suitability that the information will appropriately address a particular concern is made or implied as each individual case has specific details that should be considered when developing a remediation work plan or a general course of action.