Professional Mould Removal
When dealing with mould in home or workplace you will be faced with a question whether to carry out the removal by yourself or by appointed professionals. What you decide will very much depend on whether you are a homeowner responsible for yourself or a manager responsible for others. When deciding on tacking the mould removal project you need to considered the following questions:
- Do you know the full extent of the contamination?
- Do you know all the factors causing the mould to grown in your home?
- Are you or anybody likely to stay at your place susceptible to moulds?
- Do you have all pre necessary protection equipment?
- Do you have suitable treatment agents?
- What is your budget?
- Are you confident that you can remove the mould once and for all?
Once you are clear on all the questions above tackle the job as any other DIY project with common sense approach and safety in mind.
If the contamination is substantial, possibly hidden or you are sensitive to mould spores and mould toxins you should seriously consider professional removal.
When looking for a professional mould removal company always approach several companies and talk to the people. Ask them how they will go about the job, what will they do to protect you and your loved ones and what will they make to ensure that the mould will not come back once you have paid them. The prices will understandably vary between contractors but keep in mind that the cheapest is not always the best. Request formal quotes and compare them and make an informed decision rather than one based purely on price because you might have to pay twice.
Professional mould removal contractors will almost always:
- Tell you about the method they will be using to remove mould;
- Method they will apply to prevent the spread of mould and contamination (such as active air management, air filtration , containment etc);
- Tell you about the products they will be using and how they will protect you from these often dangerous chemical agents
- Give you some sort of guarantees that the mould will not return
- Mould removal contractors working in commercial setting on medium and large scale projects will often provide information such as:
- Full risk assessment
- Method statement
- MDHS sheets for all the products they use
- Use only PAT tested equipment
- Use only certified HEPA filtration equipment
- Provide copies of Face fit certificates for all involved operatives
- Provide copies of Medical certificates for all involved operatives
- Provide copies of Asbestos refresher training for all involved operatives
- Provide copies of CRB checks (only required on some sites)
- Provide you with air clearance certification (reoccupation certification) after the mould removal project has been completed.
If you are a manager considering mould removal in your own premises you have the option or either using your own staff or appointing a professional removal company. When appointing your own staff you need to make sure that the people carrying out the work are happy to do the work, are competent to do so and are suitably protected. You need to make sure that other people working in the vicinity of the affected area are protected as well. Make sure that none of the material they be working on contains asbestos. For more information about working with asbestos see mould on asbestos page.
