Have you noticed increased allergy symptoms or respiratory issues for anyone in your family? While springtime does tend to bring on seasonal allergies, some of these symptoms could be caused by something else – mold. If there is a mold problem in your basement or crawlspace, the mold spores will get into the air, which then circulates throughout your entire home. If you or a family member breathes in these spores, it could lead to a variety of different health problems.
Mold Health Problems and Mold Damage
If there is a mold issue in your home, you or your family members might notice an increase in asthma symptoms or other health problems such as: red eyes, itchy throat, headaches, tightness in chest, or a persistent cough.
However, mold can also cause other issues in your home. Mold forms best on damp to wet surfaces that are porous, such as wood or concrete in a damp basement. When it grows on these surfaces, it can lead to wood rot over time, compromising the structural integrity of the wood support structures in your basement or crawlspace. In addition, mold growth and mildew on your basement and crawlspace surfaces can cause unsightly stains to form. Mold is also a sign of a moisture problem in your crawlspace. If there is mold in your crawlspace or basement, there is a good chance you will see some of the following issues as well:
- Wood rot or metal rust
- Damp or wet insulation
- Condensation on pipes
- High humidity
- Water stains
- Pooling or standing water
- Musty odors
If you do see any of the issues listed above, carefully check your crawlspace for mold growth and contact the team at Affordable right away. We offer mold remediation with a technique called mold soda blasting for all of your mold damage repair needs in Alabama.
Soda Blasting for Mold Damage Repair in Alabama
While you may not have heard of soda blasting, it is Affordable Foundation and Home Repair’s preferred technique for mold removal. There are a few key steps to the soda blasting mold removal and remediation process that we offer here at Affordable:
- First, our team will come to your home and examine the scope of the damage in your crawlspace or other mold-infected area. We offer free estimates once we have performed an inspection to give you an idea of what repairs and cleanup will entail.
- After the inspection, we can begin the mold remediation process. For mold remediation, we use a mold soda blasting technique. This involves blasting highly pressurized baking soda at mold-covered surfaces in the crawlspace to remove mold and clean the surfaces.
- After blasting the area with baking soda, we vacuum the entire area and wipe it down to ensure that all traces of mold spores have been eliminated.
- If there are contaminated porous materials in the crawlspace, we will remove these to keep a mold problem from reoccurring in your home.
- Some final steps involve the application of a long-lasting odorless fungicide and a non-toxic anti-microbial sealer to all of the cleaned and treated porous surfaces in the crawlspace.
These are all the steps that we take to get rid of mold problems in your home. However, this process does not fix whatever was causing the mold problems to arise in your home. There are some additional steps that you can invest in yourself to keep mold from coming back in the future:
- Reduce Humidity: Many mold problems are caused by high levels of humidity in the crawlspace of a home. Consider installing a dehumidifier to lower humidity levels or closing off vents in the crawlspace so that humid outside air is not allowed to come inside.
- Improve Drainage: You can also improve the drainage around your home by cleaning gutters, lengthening downspouts, and fixing the grading of landscaping around your home to ensure it slopes away from the foundation. You may also want to invest in surface drainage systems from Affordable, especially if you frequently have problems with standing water in your yard.
- Invest in Waterproofing: In addition to mold removal, we offer a variety of different exterior and interior waterproofing services for residents of Alabama. We can install exterior waterproofing such as French drains or interior waterproofing such as sump pumps to keep your basement or crawlspace dry and mold-free.
- Encapsulate Your Crawlspace: One of the best ways to prevent mold from coming back in your crawlspace is to utilize our crawlspace encapsulation service. With this service, we install a vapor barrier in the interior of your crawlspace that seals moisture out and keeps the area dry.
To learn more about any of these options for mold damage repair in your Alabama home or business, call Affordable Foundation and Home Repair today. Our team has years of experience and is locally owned. We also offer financing options for Alabama homeowners. Our number one goal is your health, safety, and satisfaction – call us today to find out more about our mold soda blasting services for your Alabama home or business.
