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Mold Removal ... Its everywhere! its inside and outside of your home. Under the right conditions, it can start to grow in your home, inside your house! Los Angeles Mold, under the current conditions around the country, is becoming more and more common, as stated in the media. Los angeles mold has clients influence's you so that you can become educated and able to prevent mold from appearing in your home. We also offer Mold Removal and Remediation Services to rid the mold from your home or business. We offer a free visual inspection and air testing of your home. Call now for a free visual inspection
Our Mold Inspections make sure to get rid of black mold, toxic mold, and we guarantee mold removal and mold prevention for the future.

We serve all of Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Riverside Counties.

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How you can prevent Mold from taking hold of your life!

How can I prevent mold from growing in my home?

While mold spores are all around us, mold growth can be prevented.  As mentioned earlier, mold growing in your home requires MOISTURE, WARMTH, and FOOD. Depriving mold of any of these three items will stop it from growing, but it will not kill the mold that is already there. Mold spores will remain dormant, and if the moisture, warmth and food all reappear, mold will begin to grow again.

The most important steps in controlling mold growth are to clean any existing mold and to eliminate excessive moisture. You can take numerous precautionary steps:

• Vacuum and clean regularly to remove possible sources of mold growth. Pay special attention to bathrooms and other areas of your home that are likely to generate a lot of moisture.
  
• In portions of your home that are susceptible to moisture, use area rugs or washable floor surfaces rather than wall-to-wall carpeting. If you use area rugs, launder them periodically.
  
• Do not store materials such as paper, books, clothes, or other possible sources of food for mold in humid parts of your home.
  
• Repair water leaks in your roof, windows, or any other part of the home as soon as possible.
  
• Clean refrigerator drip pans regularly according to the manufacturer's instructions. If your refrigerator and freezer doors do not seal properly, moisture can build up and mold can grow there. Remove any mold on the door gaskets and replace faulty gaskets.
  
• If you live in a house, make sure that your gutters and downspouts are clear of debris that may block the flow of water from your roof. Make sure the area under your downspouts is properly graded so that rainwater from the roof flows away from your foundation. Splash blocks can help rainwater to flow in the proper direction. If necessary, extend your downspouts.
  
• Make sure other areas around your foundation are graded so that rainwater does not flow toward the house.  Do not put gardens or plants too close to your foundation so that watering them could cause water to flow toward your house. If you water your lawn with a sprinkler, make sure the water does not hit your house or the area next to the foundation.
  
• In the kitchen and bathroom, open windows or use exhaust fans when engaging in activities that produce moisture. Exhaust fans should be vented to the outdoors and not to an attic or crawl space.
  
• If you have a clothes dryer, make sure it is vented to the outdoors.
  
• If you use a humidifier, make sure it does not produce an excessive amount of humidity.  During the summer, 60 percent relative humidity or lower probably will prevent condensation and mold growth in most parts of the country, but that is too moist for the middle of winter, when 40 percent relative humidity or lower will prevent condensation on windows.
  
• If you live in a house with a basement, consider using a dehumidifier there. The cool basement floor and walls can be a source of moisture build-up.
  
• If your home has an attic, make sure it is properly insulated and ventilated.
  
• If you have a crawl space under your house, cover the soil in the crawl space with waterproof polyethylene plastic. If your crawl space is ventilated, close the vents in the summer and keep them open in the winter.
  
• If you have water problems in your basement or crawl space, clean up affected areas as quickly as possible and take immediate steps to resolve the source of the problem.
  
  

  How can I determine the level of moisture in my home?

  Weather forecasters talk about the relative humidity outdoors. Likewise, the inside of your home has a relative humidity, which is a measure of the moisture content in the air. Hardware stores sell instruments to measure the humidity inside your home.

  Humidity is an important factor affecting the comfort level in your home. Have you ever awakened in the middle of a winter night to discover that your throat and nose feel very dry? That could mean the humidity in your home is too low. To remedy the problem, some people use humidifiers, which are designed to raise the humidity in a home. Your goal should be to have enough humidity in the air so the members of your household can stay healthy and comfortable.

  Too much humidity can cause droplets of water to form on your walls, floors and windows, which can lead to mold growth. This formation of water droplets is called condensation. It occurs when warm moisture comes in contact with a cool surface. If you pour a glass of ice water and leave it on your kitchen table, the glass soon will begin to sweat. The sweating does not come from inside the glass. It is created when moisture from the air condenses when it comes in contact with the cold outer surface of the glass.

  A sign of excessive humidity in a home can be condensation on the inside of windows, especially if you have double- or triple-pane windows. If condensation is present for prolonged periods, take steps to reduce the level of moisture or increase ventilation in your home. Condensation also can result from the use of unvented fuel-burning appliances, such as kerosene heaters or wood-burning stoves.

  Another sign of excess moisture could be the warping of floors or difficulty in opening wood windows and doors. In such cases, the moisture from the air is absorbed into the wood, causing it to expand.

  How can I control the humidity in my home during the winter?

  Mold growth on inside walls can occur during the heating season, especially on the surfaces nearest the outside of your home. Moisture traveling through the air from the bathroom, basement, kitchen or other sources may condense when it comes into contact with a cold wall. By having well-insulated walls, you not only can save energy, but you also can reduce the likelihood of condensation and mold. You can raise the temperature of your walls by increasing the circulation of warm air from your heating system.

  During the heating season, an indoor humidity level below 40 percent will prevent condensation in homes in most parts of the country. A lower level of humidity or extra insulation may be needed to prevent condensation in homes in very cold climates.

  How can I control the humidity in my home during the summer?

  Humidity has an important effect on comfort during the summer. The higher the humidity, the hotter you will feel. One of the ways air conditioners operate is to remove humidity from the air, which makes you feel cooler.

  If you live in an area with high humidity, be careful about leaving windows and doors open during the summer. This will allow moisture from the outside air to enter your home. A way to control indoor moisture during humid summer months is to run an air conditioner and/or a dehumidifier. If you use a dehumidifier, clean it often. Also, empty it daily or have it drip directly into a drain.

  Warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. Therefore, when your home is warm in the summer, more moisture is likely to stay in the air rather than condensing on the surfaces of walls and windows. In most climates, keeping an indoor humidity level below 60 percent in the summer probably will prevent condensation and mold growth.

  Even though your air conditioner removes moisture from the air, the areas around your air conditioning system can be a source of water build-up. Make sure the drip pan on your air conditioner has not overflowed, and check near your air conditioning system for traces of dampness where mold can grow.

What is mold?

There are hundreds of thousands of types of molds. All are fungi, which means they are many-celled organisms that reproduce by sending tiny seeds called spores into the air. Mold needs four things to grow: food, air, the right temperature and water. Although fungi grow naturally “outdoors", molds are very common in buildings and homes and will grow anywhere indoors where there is sufficient moisture. They like dark, damp, warm environments, and can grow on anything from basement walls to garbage pails to houseplants, and many building materials. Moisture can come from water damage, excessive humidity, water leaks, condensation, water infiltration, flooding, leaking roofs, leaky plumbing, sewer backups, and frequently overflowing washing machines.

What are the health concerns about molds?

Mold and its spores contain allergens, meaning that in some people sensitivity to fungi (molds) can cause allergic reactions such as allergic rhinitis or asthma. Certain molds can cause infection, in the same way bacteria do. Molds may also produce musty odors known as volatile organic compounds that may cause irritation to the eyes, nose and throat.

What is stachybotrys chartarum (Stachybotrys atra)?

Stachybotrys chartarum (also known by its synonym Stachybotrys atra) is a slow growing, greenish-black mold that needs an environment of constant moisture. It grows only on wood, paper and cotton products and can be found in 2% to 5% of American homes. Under specific environmental conditions, Stachybotrys chartarum may produce several toxic chemicals called mycotoxins. These chemicals can be present in spores and small fungus fragments released into the air, but there is currently no evidence that these small levels of exposure are harmful to humans.

What are the health effects of stachybotrys chartarum?

If Stachybotrys chartarum spores are released into the air, there is a potential for humans to develop symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, runny nose, irritated eyes or throat, particularly if the person has developed an allergy to this fungus. Stachybotrys chartarum has been blamed for pulmonary hemosiderosis (bleeding in the lungs) in a small number of infants. However, experts claim that this is “not proved”. Other factors such as second-hand tobacco smoke may be more important.

What should people do if they have stachybotrys chartarum in their building or home?

Mold growing in homes and buildings, whether it is Stachybotrys chartarum or other molds, indicates that there is a problem with water or moisture, and this should be addressed immediately. Once mold starts to grow in insulation or wallboard the only way to deal with the problem is by removal and replacement. Mold under carpets typically requires that the carpets be removed. Walls and other hard surfaces can be cleaned with a weak bleach solution of 10 parts water to 1 part chlorine bleach to prevent mold growth only if done immediately after flooding has occurred. Moldy items should be thrown away. For more information on mold, visit the Environmental Protection Agency Web site, http://www.epa.gov/iaq/molds/moldresources.html.

Basic Facts about mold

Mold is alive, but it is neither a plant nor an animal. Mold is a type of fungus. It is part of a group of living organisms that are very common and serve an important role in the environment. Penicillin, an antibiotic that has saved many lives, is a type of mold, as is yeast.

However, mold can grow on bread and other types of food, making it unfit to eat. Mold can grow on the walls, floors and ceilings of your home as well as on your personal possessions. People often refer to some household molds as mildew, although the term also can apply to molds found outdoors

Mold spreads by creating reproductive cells called spores and sending them into the environment. Mold spores are too small to detect with the naked eye. They are everywhere around us and you cannot avoid being exposed to them.

Mold spores travel in the air and attach to people's skin, clothing, shoes, shopping bags and belongings. Other ways spores can enter your home invisibly are:

• through open doors and windows
• through your home's heating, ventilation and air conditioning system
• on the fur of a pet

Once spores enter, they can settle onto carpeting or other surfaces inside your home. You cannot keep spores out of your home, but regular home cleaning and maintenance often can prevent mold problems before they arise.

Where does Mold grow?

Mold seeks MOISTURE, WARMTH, and FOOD, and all three conditions are necessary for it to grow. Mold is most likely to find a place to grow in a bathroom, basement or kitchen, but it can grow in other rooms if conditions are favorable. The climate where you live and the living habits in your household can affect the ability of mold to grow.

Mold spores can thrive and reproduce in wet or damp parts of your home: areas that have had flooding or where leakage has occurred in roofs, pipes, or walls, or areas around house plants, especially ones that sometimes are over-watered. In just 48 hours, a moist environment combined with room-temperature conditions and an organic food source can lead to mold growth.

1. Some places where mold can grow in your home are:

   carpet drapes upholstery leather wood products clothing

   paper cardboard books rags wallboard cloth

   ceiling tiles ductwork paint wallpaper household dust

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