Moisture & Mold Solutions for Your Manhattan Home or Office

9/26/2018 (Permalink)

If your NYC property mold damage is larger than 10 sq. ft, you should contact a mold remediation service like SERVPRO of Central Manhattan

Indoor humidity levels between 30% and 50% are ideal.

Moisture problems in your Manhattan home or business have a variety of causes and can lead to major property damage and encourage harmful mold and mildew growth.

Common causes of Moisture and Mold in your home can be:

• Water from a leaking water pipe, toilet, shower or bathtub, also weather related flooding in your home. Depending on the severity, conditions can lead to rot, structural damage, premature paint failure, and a variety of health effects.
• Excessive moisture from condensation and high humidity can have negative effects on your property and may indicate poor ventilation or that repairs are needed.
• Water can seep into your house from the outside through a leak in your roof, foundation, or small gaps around windows or doors.
  
  
• Normal activities such as cooking, bathing, clothes drying and dish washing also add moisture to the air.

All of these common problems contribute to overall high indoor humidity levels leading to mold and mildew growth. Mold can grow quickly and spread fast if moisture is left untreated, under ideal conditions (optimal temperature and level of humidity) it takes 24-48 hours for mold growth to occur. Typically you will start to see visible mold in 12-20 days, the more time passes the greater chance for mold to develop and spread through your property.

When you find mold damage in your Manhattan home or business it is essential to call for remediation services as quickly as possible, as mold can cause adverse health effects. Additionally, mold also leaves behind a musty smell and has the power to rot organic materials. For health and safety reasons, when you find mold, you should contact SERVPRO of Central Manhattan professionals and have them remediate it for you.

When SERVPRO of Central Manhattan arrives at your New York City home or office, we can swiftly inspect the mold damage and then identify a remediation strategy. The first step to containing the problem is to set up plastic sheeting, block vents and doorways, so the spores cannot spread while the colony is being removed.

Certified professionals have the training and experience to:

• Identify moisture sources
• Evaluate mold growth (visible or suspected)
• Contain damage to the smallest area possible
• Physically remove contamination
• Dry materials to ensure that mold will not return
• Perform or recommend procedures for returning property to a preloss condition

It is a good idea to inspect your Manhattan home or business regularly for any damage caused by moisture, if you notice any problems, take immediate action to fix them before they cause further damage or balloon into larger, more complicated issues. Here are some way you can reduce moisture and prevent damage in your home from water and mold.

Install vent fans in kitchens and bathrooms.

• Run a dehumidifier.
• Cover dirt floors in crawl spaces with a plastic vapor barrier.
• Seal air and duct leaks.
• Houseplants can absorb moisture from the air
• Never let wet clothing or other fabrics lie around
• Avoid activities that add moisture to the air on humid days, such as taking hot showers and boiling water on the stove.

Indoor plants that help absorb moisture:

These are perfect plants to have in your home or business to help decrease moisture in the air, with the added bonus of purifying your air of certain contaminants at the same time.

Reed Palms, English Ivy, and Boston Ferns

These plants will reduce humidity levels by absorbing moisture from the air through their leaves.

Some moisture problems in your Manhattan property may require more complex solutions, and sources of moisture may be hidden.

Consult SERVPRO of Central Manhattan for a complete inspection if you have serious water damage or mold problems due to humidity, condensation or a water leak or flood. Luckily, our team at SERVPRO of Central Manhattan is highly qualified and trained in water and mold remediation and restoration services.

We are here for you in these very stressful times, our team is Always Here to Help! Contact SERVPRO of Central Manhattan @ 718-375-2388!

Our experts will come in and assess your Manhattan water or mold problem, take the proper steps to limit additional damage. Our teams works quickly to eliminate the water, prepare the area for our advanced drying techniques, inspect for additional damage or mold and work with you to restore your property back to a stable, safe and healthy condition.

What Causes Mold Inside The Home?

4/19/2018 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Central Manhattan has a team of trained mold removal specialists.

Mold needs dampness, water, or mugginess to prosper. Mold spores will start developing when they reach a wet surface. Some basic spots mold can be hiding include:

• Showers, baths, sinks, and toilets are common spots for mold. These places tend to be clammy and, without legitimate ventilation, provide the perfect home for mold.
• Air conditioning and warming vents.
• Fireplace and stack. When not being utilized chimneys and smokestacks are cool, clammy, and murky—fertile ground for mold spores.
• In the attic. In the event that your rooftop has a leak mold can develop and spread through the ventilation space in the upper room. It will likewise flourish in ventilation or soffit vents.
• In the cellar. That recognizable basement smell is proof of dampness and—more than likely—mold. Frequently, mold will be found surrounding pipes, close to the foundation, sump pump, windows, or vents.

Indoor mold development must be halted by drying the dank conditions inside. In the event that there is mold development in your house it is important to stop it quickly and eliminate the source of the issue. In the correct circumstances mold growth will become rapid, in as meager as 24-48 hours.

If you believe your home has mold it’s important that you call an expert as soon as possible. They will begin by examining and testing the zone. The Mold Remediation Specialists at SERVPRO of Central Manhattan are experienced and certified in water and mold removal. They’re specialists in mold restoration and know how to efficiently deal with mold, utilizing the best available hardware.

SERVPRO of Central Manhattan’s specialists will evaluate the damage and, if required by law, receive a protocol for a Certified Mold Assessor in order to devise a strategy. They will then focus on the compromised area, utilizing barriers and negative air pressure chambers, containing the mold so they can get to work cleaning and restoring your home.

The specialists at SERVPRO of Central Manhattan are thoroughly trained in remediation, guaranteeing that the rebuilding of your home or business is completed swiftly and efficiently.

SERVPRO of Central Manhattan offers an immediate response every minute of every day, or you can call to plan an extensive exam of your home or business.

Is Black Mold Really Dangerous?

4/2/2018 (Permalink)

Contact SERVPRO of Central Manhattan for all of your mold removal & remediation needs.

We’ve all been there. You go into your basement or your bathroom and there, on the wall, you see it: black mold. You panic, because you’ve heard horror stories for years about the dangers of black mold, but is there really any truth to the hype?

In truth, the term “toxic black mold” is a misnomer with no scientific validation at all. In fact, the term “toxic mold” is also inaccurate. According to the CDC, “the term ‘toxic mold’ is not accurate. While some molds can produce toxins, specifically mycotoxins, the molds themselves are not toxic or poisonous”.

So what kinds of mycotoxins can black mold produce? The trichothecene types below are found in toxic black mold:

• Cyclosporin
• Roridin E
• Satratoxin F, G and H (the most abundant type of trichothecene)
• Sporidesmin G
• Stachybotryolactone
• Trichoverrol
• Trichoverrin
• Verrucarin J

Molds come in a rainbow of colors but it is the black mold species Stachybotrys chartarum that has been falsely dubbed “toxic black mold”. In reality, mold is everywhere in our environment, it’s the dosage that makes the poison.

There is no argument that excessive exposure to almost any type of mold can cause adverse health effects, no matter what the color.

In addition, mold growth can also damage buildings—weakening structure and causing unpleasant odors, as well as causing ugly staining. Cleaning mold is often exactly what causes it to spread; the process dislodges mold spores and allows them to travel into new areas of the environment.

To avoid this it’s best to call a professional when you suspect you have a mold issue in your home or business. SERVPRO of Central Manhattan has years of experience in mold removal and remediation and can ensure that any damage caused by mold is repaired properly, and completely. With SERVPRO of Central Manhattan it’ll be "Like it never even happened."

The Real Truth About Mold Removal And Mold Remediation

3/23/2018 (Permalink)

Mold can be very dangerous to your health. Contact the professionals at SERVPRO of Central Manhattan immediately if you find mold.

Many contractors and even mold removal companies will try to confuse you as to the difference between mold removal and mold remediation. Some will try to tell you that for a small mold issue, you can get mold removal, but for a larger more dangerous issue, you’ll need a more complicated, and expensive, mold remediation. Out of fear, many will choose to go with remediation and spend the extra money. That makes sense, mold can be extremely dangerous, causing severe illness and other problems, but the fact is that mold removal and mold remediation are interchangeable terms that mean the same thing!

Mold is endemic in our environment, meaning you can find it almost everywhere that water and oxygen are present. While some mold, such as the mildew in your shower (when in small quantities,) are considered “cosmetic mold” and can be simply sprayed with bleach, other types of mold (and even mildew when it spreads,) can become dangerous and toxic.

Certified Mold Specialists

SERVPRO of Central Manhattan has certified mold remediation technicians that can not only help to identify and properly remove the mold in your home, but they will also locate the source, and eradicate the cause of your mold issues.

When you find mold in your home, make sure that your mold professional can explain the mold remediation process in simple terms. Many small mold issues should not be expensive to handle. Moldy drywall is one example. If the affected area is small, it should not be a tremendously expensive fix. The most important issue with small drywall fixes happens once the damaged section is removed. It is imperative to ensure that spores are not spread further, so great care must be taken with the disposal of affected areas. If the technicians you hire use extremely technical terms to frighten you into tremendously expensive treatment options, be wary.

When you call SERVPRO of Central Manhattan, we will carefully inspect your property to ensure that not only are all mold issues are addressed, but also that we locate the source of the issue, and eradicate it. If we do find an issue that needs to be addressed, we will use specialized filtration equipment to capture microscopic mold spores that may be in the air and to prevent them from spreading during removal.

In addition to mold removal, we also specialize in cleaning your belongings and ensuring that they are sanitized and safe to use. Should major restoration need to be done, we can also handle reconstruction and finishing to ensure that you are back to normal as quickly, and cleanly, as possible.

Mold doesn’t have to be scary, so don’t let an unqualified contractor or “specialist” make it into a nightmare.

Mold Remediation

11/30/2016 (Permalink)

If you have mold problems call SERVPRO of Central Manhattan

Mold likes to develop in damp, dark areas of your home. Unfortunately with mold damage, by the time you notice it, the problem is usually much worse behind the walls, under the floors or in other sneaky hiding places. Black mold is insidious and loves to grow behind walls, in crawlspaces and under floorboards anywhere that is damp, dark and humid. By the time you see signs of it, the problem is usually much bigger.

Black mold tends to have a strong, musty smell, and of course it displays a trademark black color. If you believe you have black mold growth in an area of your home after these initial inspections, you should contact a professional mold remediation company like SERVPRO of Central Manhattan

Black mold can cause health problems and decrease the value of your home. It is imperative that you contact a mold remediation specialist at the first sign of a mold problem.

Call SERVPRO of Central Manhattan at (212) 246-4148