Prices can vary 3X-5X for the same work. Get 3 quotes to compare prices. Compare apples to apples. Check to see if the quote includes drywall rebuild and the industry required post remediation air testing to make sure the home’s indoor air has not been left contaminated. Check as well if the quote includes post-remediation testing and a mold free warranty.

Evaluate firm history including years in business. Review client ratings and recommendations: Angi and Google reviews. Make sure to ask about the credentials of the actual work supervisor that will set up the job and visit the site every day. This is more important than company credentials.

Make sure the work will be green, chemical free. No EPA-restricted / toxic chemicals. Confirm that the mold will be removed and not simply painted over. Note: Covering up and /or leaving hidden mold is, unfortunately, a common practice. It certainly costs much less than doing it right.

Warranty? Guarantee? Mold free 2-year warranty? Satisfaction guaranteed?

Caution Regarding Remediation Supervisors. Florida does not license mold remediation (or mold assessment) companies, as they do General/ Building contractor companies — only individuals. Evaluate not only the firm’s ratings but most importantly the credentials and experience of the proposed job supervisor. Are they licensed and insured? Check here.

Can a Mold Assessor also do Remediation? Florida Law prohibits a company from doing an Initial Mold Assessment and then doing the Remediation work on the same job. The exception being, if the company is also a Florida Licensed General/Building Contractor they do not have these restrictions.

Do mold remediators perform drywall repairs/rebuild? Generally, no. Mold Remediators typically leave walls open where drywall has been removed, and leave the homeowner to find someone else to do the repairs. If your Mold Remediator is also a General/Building contractor, they will be able to provide a quote to do both the remediation as well as rebuild the drywall and perform drywall finishing (smooth, knockdown, popcorn.) Having one contractor doing multiple trades is convenient and generally saves $.

Can a Mold Remediator eliminate mold and related irritation from the AC & ducting? If you are irritated in a home and not outside the home, the cause of the irritation is almost always AC, ducting, and/or AC closet related. Mold Remediators are not allowed by Florida law to remediate the AC and ducting. Air duct cleaning in Florida is a non-licensed activity. Duct cleaners charge by the grill. Why? Because that is what they clean (dirt/mold on grills or around grills). They do not remove the hidden contaminants from within ducting that are the source of irritation and often use toxic chemicals.

Certified Mold Free (a General/Building contractor) in conjunction with our AC contractor specializes in restoring AC, ducting, and AC closet to permanently eliminate microbial growth and irritation in homes and we are green, chemical free. See more on AC/duct cleaning here.

Certified Mold Free is a licensed Building Contractor as well as Licensed Mold Assessor and Mold Remediator. At CMF all work is supervised by Dr. Gary Rosen.

Do I need an initial mold assessment before I get a quote for repairs? If you have a specific problem that is limited in scope, there is often no need to pay for an Initial Mold Assessment. For example, if you had a roof leak or AC leak and you have an identified water damaged ceiling and/or wall, you need only a quote for the mold remediation and rebuild. No need to hire a Mold Assessor to characterize the type of mold. When the mold is gone/removed, it does not matter what kind of mold was there before. All mold is removed in the same manor.

On the other hand, per Industry Standard, either a mold assessor or (legally in Florida) the mold remediator should always perform Quality Assurance Post Remediation Verification (PRV) air testing to confirm that the mold is gone and the home, contents, and/or AC ducting were not left cross- contaminated, because, faulty or incomplete mold remediation work. This should per performed after drywall rebuild, to properly test the home’s indoor air.

For Insurance Claims. Except for a few insurance companies, most insurance carriers require an initial inspection with testing to confirm that there is mold for the purpose of paying for mold coverage. Contact us with questions about Direct Insurance Billing or if you need a referral for a quality attorney to guide you through the Insurance Claim Maze.

For Real Estate Transactions. Sellers often cover up mold problems. For real estate transactions, a buyer should always have a mold assessment along with the home inspection to uncover hidden mold problems. Many licensed Home Inspectors are also licensed Mold Assessors. Using one inspector for both services is recommended. Click here for more detailed information about Real Estate transactions. Ask us for a referral.

Hire a Mold Assessor when you are concerned about potentially having multiple problems throughout your home. Possibly from storm damage. Possibly from multiple leaks over the years. Best practice is to have a licensed Mold Assessor do a thorough visual inspection along with testing throughout the home. Ask us for a referral.

When can I do the mold removal/remediation myself? By Florida Law, you can always do the work yourself. If you’d like to consider doing the mold remediation work yourself or with a handyman, please download our free Self-Help guide. The reason to use a professional mold remediator and not a handyman is that the mold remediator is trained to safely remove the mold damaged materials without cross- contaminating the home, contents, and/or AC ducting. The more you know, the better we look.

Is a mold assessment the same thing as mold testing? Mold testing is only one part of a mold assessment. A mold assessment should include, along with testing:

• Looking for current or past water damage using visual methods aided by either a moisture meter or infrared camera, or both. There can be mold from an old leak that is currently dry; but it is important to know whether there is an active water/moisture source that needs to be fixed.
• A mold assessment includes not only a visual inspection for mold growth but also the inspector’s hypothesis as to the cause of the
• A short-written report with quality photos and a summary of areas of concern.

Is it necessary to determine what type of mold before remediation? When there is visible mold and a limited scope of work, the EPA guidelines say that there is not usually a reason to perform initial testing. Best to spend resources ($) on fixing the source/ origin of the problem (water or humidity) and removing the mold rather than characterizing the mold. There are exceptions: a) If there is a lawsuit or possible lawsuit, you may need to document the type of mold with testing; b) When people are very sick in their homes, often the doctor will want to know what type of mold; c) For insurance claims. If not a, b, or c, then it doesn’t matter what type of mold it is because all indoor mold growth or elevated airborne mold spores must be removed, and the work is done the same way regardless of the type of mold. While initial mold testing can be optional, there should always be Post Remediation Verification (PRV) air testing for Quality Assurance purposes.

What about airborne mold levels? What amount of mold is a concern? There are no industry or government standards for what level of airborne mold is a problem. Occupant sensitivity is a key factor. Some labs will provide you with Conclusions (Elevated or Not) but other labs not. And your Mold Assessor can also give you his/her opinion as to Elevated or Not based on their training and experience. At Certified Mold Free, our preference is to always have an independent 3rd party lab make the determination as to Elevated or Not.

What is a mold remediation protocol? Does a remediator need to follow it? There is nothing in Florida Mold Law about protocols. Nor should there be. The focus of the Mold Assessor is to identify problems. The Mold Remediator should remediate with whatever method (protocol) they choose (there are several standards) — to the extent needed to restore to as new without cross-contaminating the indoor environment, using green, chemical-free procedures.

Certified Mold Free is strictly green, chemical-free.

Mold contamination should be physically removed from the structure, systems and contents. Do not leave hidden mold. Attempts to only kill mold in place and/or encapsulate (paint over/ cover up) mold instead of proper source removal is not mold remediation and is not adequate. Leaving hidden or dead mold does not restore to “as new”.

Is there always mold after a water leak? Mold starts to grow quickly in Florida — within a few days. If you have had a water leak, there is probably mold even if dried out immediately. Appropriate precautions should be taken (use a mold remediator) to remove/remediate the resultant water damaged materials (drywall, baseboards, carpet etc.). When in doubt if there is mold after a leak, get a professional mold assessment.

Why is mold remediation removal and not only killing mold? Dead mold is still an irritant. If you only kill mold and don’t remove mold, mold toxins/allergens remain. Mold toxins/allergens are not killed, deactivated or removed if mold is only killed and left in place as is (unfortunately) a common practice.

What are acceptable procedures for mold removal? One or more of the following:

• Surface mold cleaning: Mold removal by surface cleaning is acceptable if the surface is cleanable, and there is no mold growth underneath. Otherwise remove and replace materials.
• Substrate or material removal: If material cannot be restored to as new by cleaning (for example as with mold growth on porous or semi-porous materials) remove and replace materials with new.
• Air cleaning: Airborne mold spores are removed / cleaned from the air by air scrubbing. Proof that the air has been left clean and mold free is by Post Remediation Verification (PRV) air testing. PRV air testing, per Industry Standard, should always be performed to confirm work quality. And should always be performed after drywall rebuild.

Mold remediation is mold removal. Unacceptable, ineffective procedures that are often advertised include:

• ULV particles
• Spraying with mold
• Electrostatic disinfections.
• CO2
• Cold fusion. (Whatever that is)
• Painting over mold with
• Gassing with hydroxyls/ozone.
• Concrobium surface-only treatment.

How do I make sure that the mold is removed and not just killed /covered up / painted over? Make sure that you let the contractor know — before you hire them — that you will require before and after pictures of walls/ceilings opened and/or ducting cleaned/ refurbished/ remediated… restored to “as new”.

How is the scope of remediation work defined so that you can be sure the work will be completed satisfactorily? Does the remediation quote include Post Remediation Verification air testing, after the drywall is replaced, proving that the home’s indoor air was not left cross-contaminated from the mold remediation work? Note: Post Remediation Verification air testing must be performed in the living space, and after drywall rebuild, and not inside the work containment.

Will the air test samples be sent to a third-party independent lab to make the determination as to Elevated or Not Elevated? Note that there are no Industry Standard or Federal Guidelines for interpreting air test results. Ask how they will make the determination as to: Elevated or Not Elevated if the lab they use does not do so.

If multiple contractors are involved, who is responsible if there are problems? That is an excellent question. There is often a lot of finger pointing. In our opinion, best to hire a Mold Remediator that also does drywall repairs and is responsible for not only the removal but also the build back. With a Mold Remediator that performs multiple services, the work should cost less with shorter job completion times and a single point for responsibility. No finger pointing. Always get multiple quotes.

And speaking about finger pointing, also ask about the warranty/guarantee. What is the warranty/guarantee for the work? Who will determine if the work was completed satisfactorily? Very few mold remediators provide any kind of guarantees. Buyer beware.

Payment Schedule. Typically, 50% up front and 50% upon satisfactory completion. What is satisfactory completion? The mold gone. The drywall rebuilt and textured. And Post Remediation Verification (PRV) air test results that come back from a third-party lab: Not Elevated.

Why is there usually mold after drying?

• Dry-out contractors are not concerned about leaving mold after drying.
• Insurance Carriers are not concerned about leaving mold after drying.
• The training courses and training material for dry-out contractors are not concerned with mold after drying.

To learn more, view the  these Advanced Topics PowerPoints developed by Dr. Gary Rosen for his mold remediation license training.