New Jersey's
Mold Removal Expert

Remodeled homes often wind up concealing a lot of the clues we look for when we assess for mold making the issues often difficult to find. Take for instance an older 1940's home recently renovated where the attic was converted to a master bedroom (now we can't see the underside of the roof) and the rear porch was enclosed (has an inaccessible crawl space and enclosed cathedral ceiling with failing ridge vent). More time and some invasive investigating / sampling is often necessary.

Scrubbing molded areas with a detergent and water and then drying the area thoroughly often works for small areas of mold. Using bleach is not recommended as it may cause more harm than good. But there are instances where using a Biocide may be called for.

Simple cleanses and spot remediation can be completed in a few hours where more elaborate remediations and restoration might take weeks. It depends on the impacts to the home and the occupants.

Many times moisture makes its way into the wall cavity and stimulates molds to grow. Given time they will start to “Bleed Through” the outside wall and at first look like a small dark area. If the moisture source is not obvious, further investigation by a pro is recommended.

Yes! Mold is a natural part of our environment where we like to see normal fungal ecology. But so are bears, ticks and poison ivy. You wouldn’t want to see any of them in your house now would you? The same goes for mold, there are some that we just don’t want to see in our homes at any level due to the potential health risks.

Cleaning mold often does not address what is causing the mold to grow in the first place. And that’s what we call the “Moisture Trigger”. While we often think of moisture as a “puddle”, in this case, molds don’t like puddles, they like elevated humidity which is hard to detect on your own. Better call a mold pro.

We all have had those stubborn leaks. They tend to show up only when the rain hits the house a certain way then presto – a puddle or damp spot in the wall. Molds are uniquely adapted to exploit these intermittent micro-climates. Before the mold issue becomes intolerable, better call a mold pro.

Mold growth of this nature is often tied to elevated humidity and poor ventilation in your closet. If you exercise frequently putting your sneakers away damp could be the culprit.

The term “Black Mold” or “Toxic Black Mold” has been attributed to a dark / black mold (called Stachybotrys) that has been demonized in the media as a result of some very well-known lawsuits. While Stachybotrys is known to produce “mycotoxins” that can adversely affect human health, it does not fare to say it is toxic.

While the State of New Jersey does not require any specific certifications, anyone you work with should have a NJHICL & proper general liability insurance.  There are numerous mold certification firms that offer training; any contractor you work with should have mold training and participate in ongoing continuing education.

Many times, areas less than 10 square feet can be cleaned by an individual. If it’s more involved than that, it’s best to get a quote from a mold pro who follows EPA guidelines. Access challenged spaces work well with dry ice treatments where easily accessible basements respond well to traditional “rubbing and scrubbing”. Your particular space will dictate what is best.

We are all going to die (eventually). But there are no known documented death’s from mold toxicity that we are aware of. But the young, old and immuno-compromised individuals are more susceptible to mold related illnesses.

Just give us a call and we can help with the numbers. Of course, its best to have a formal mold assessment / inspection done first delineating mold impacts. But if it appears to be a small issue, we can usually figure it out pretty quickly. There's no fee to prepare a quote if you own your home. For Home Buyers, we have a small fee that we credit back when you engage us.

Rust colored mold on your walls might not be mold at all. There is a type of micro-organism called Iron Bacteria that often gives the appearance of a rust colored mold.

They are used interchangeably where a Remediation is the removal of molds back to Normal Fungal Ecology. You can't get rid of mold 100%.