Molds are everywhere and are a common occurrence plaguing people living from east coast to west coast. Mold remediation is the process of cleaning an area free from molds to prevent human exposure and negative impact on the home.
If you see molds returning to the kitchen walls yet again for the hundredth time, you might also be tempted to grab the scrub and attempt to do mold remediation (for the hundredth time). Hold back and check the other side of the wall if you can. You may find out that while the side facing the kitchen is clean, the other side is host to a thriving community of the pesky spores.
It is easy to spot the obvious places in the house where mold growth is possible; mostly near wet and damp areas. However, do not limit your examination to visibly moisture rich areas. Behind your walls may be leaky plumbing, and up on top might be a small hole in the roof. This will create an environment susceptible to mold formation.
Typical costs
Mold remediation on a wall either made of gypsum or wood can typically cost around $2000; not an inexpensive operation but certainly affordable. But what started out as an affordable expense can quickly escalate to an expensive procedure if you find out that not one wall, but majority of your household is infected with molds.
You could decide to perform mold remediation yourself sparing your pocket the expense. But without the proper equipment and know-how, your mold removal strategy might be ineffective and a waste of time. There are numerous tips and guides on do-it-yourself mold remediation, but beware, mold remediation is not always the answer to a household's mold infestation problems.
Think of replacing
In general, if an item is covered with molds by more than 50%, you really should consider replacing it. Molds are very hard to get rid of and even if you failed to kill just one spore, that spore will rapidly gain ground and before you know it, you're back where you started. Hence, if majority of a wall is swathed in molds, it is better to have it replaced with a new one. Same goes with ceilings, kitchen sinks, and tiles.
Carpets, table cloths, and other porous materials tend to be the most difficult to clean and have the highest likelihood of being replaced. On the other hand, plastic surfaces and metals are among the easiest to clean, and so, rarely need replacement.
So how do you know when mold remediation is not the answer anymore? In the end, all it really matters is cost: weigh the cost of mold remediation versus the cost of replacing the moldy item. Be practical and chose the one which is cheaper. If both costs are more or less the same, maybe replacing the old fixture with a new one is the happier and more exciting way to go.
