Professional Mold Removal
New Life Restoration offers mold remediation services to residents and business owners in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. If you know you have mold, we can identify the infected area and follow safe protocol to remove it from your home.
If you suspect you have mold, call us today to schedule your consultation. Mold can cause serious health problems, so mold remediation is a way for our family company to help keep your family safe.
Mold vs. Mildew
The first step in identifying a mold problem is to separate it from its cousin, mildew. Although mold and mildew can look the same to an untrained eye, there are differences.
- Mildew starts out in a shady moist area – for example, in the bathroom or shower, behind the refrigerator or dishwasher, etc. It is a surface fungi, so it grows on top of surfaces and has a gray or white color, but can later change to yellow, brown or black. Mildew is not toxic or poisonous, and it can be easily removed by cleaning the infected area.
- Mold also grows in damp areas, but it is often the result of a larger infestation that spreads from the surface and begins to grow inside and behind the material (such as a wall). Mold is usually fuzzy, although it can sometimes be slimy in texture, and it comes in many colors including black, white, brown, green, blue, yellow and gray. Mold is responsible for many health problems. It cannot be easily removed like mildew, because it will simply grow back. Because of this, mold should be removed by a trained professional.
Misconceptions of Mold
There are many misconceptions about mold, with some people taking it too lightly, and others taking it too seriously. Because of these misconceptions, it’s important to get the facts and let trained professionals deal with the problem. Here are some of the most common misconceptions about mold:
- You can just wipe mold away.
Some people don’t think that mold is an issue – they think they can just wipe it away with bleach. This is not true. As we mentioned above, mold isn’t only growing on the surface, it’s also growing underneath and within the surface. This means that you can wipe it away but it will inevitably come back again and again.
- Mold doesn’t pose health threats.
It’s also important to know that many types of mold are very serious and can impact your health. The health effects of mold include allergic reactions, inflammations, asthma, respiratory infections, joint pain, migraines, extreme fatigue and other issues. Mold is even more problematic in people with weakened immune systems, such as children or the elderly. Wiping away surface mold will not stop these health impacts; the mold must be removed properly.
- All mold is hazardous.
On the other hand, some people take mold so seriously that they believe all mold is hazardous. While this overly cautious mindset can be helpful, it’s important to know that not all forms of mold are toxic. There are over 100,000 different types of mold, and while some can cause serious health issues, others are harmless.
To avoid the misconceptions of mold, it’s important to get the facts. A mold test can identify the specific type of mold in your home, and then a professional can carry out the protocol required for removing that specific type of mold.
Dealing with Mold
At New Life Restoration we take a scientific approach to dealing with mold which includes:
- First you call us at (805) 925-1600 to schedule a consultation. We are available 24/7 and serve approximately a 100 mile radius from our office in Santa Maria, CA.
- Next we arrive and do a visual inspection. This visual inspection can help us assess whether you are dealing with mold and not mildew.
- If we suspect mold, we call a professional inspector who is certified to do mold tests. As we mentioned, there are many types of mold. The mold tests will tell us exactly what type or types of mold you are dealing with.
- Based on the results of the mold tests, we will follow the safe protocol for eliminating that specific type of mold. This involves containing the area so the infection doesn’t spread, removing infected materials, disposing infected materials, cleaning, and rebuilding as needed.
Schedule a Consultation
New Life Restoration is a family company that wants to keep YOUR family safe from hazardous mold in your home or business. If you suspect that you have a mold problem, call (805) 925-1600 to get help from the mold remediation and removal experts at New Life Restoration.
We provide services in Santa Maria, Nipomo, Orcutt, Arroyo Grande, Pismo Beach, Lompoc, Santa Ynez, and other cities and towns in the Santa Barbara county and San Luis Obispo county areas.
Related Resources
We love sharing our expertise and experience. Here are a few articles we’ve written that you may find useful as you deal with your mold issue:
