What Mold Removal Services in Toronto Does Your Home Need?

Mold is a common problem affecting thousands of homes across Canada. It’s a good thing that there are many companies offering different types of mold removal services in Toronto to help property owners treat and remove this pesky and potentially destructive problem.

While small areas of mold growth can be cleaned and removed using ordinary household cleaning products and some protective gear, larger areas of infestation often require the help of a professional. Consumers often rely on mold removal services in order to detect, assess and treat mold problems in their homes and businesses.

How do you choose the best company to do the job right? How do you know if the services you wish to avail are charged at a fair rate?

There are some things to know as a consumer before hiring a mold removal service.

Mold removal services will vary from company to company. There are some who focus on providing just one type of service, while others provide a full-range of services that include restoration work. According to the Office of Consumer Affairs, the agency tasked by the Canadian government  for consumer protection and promotion, mold remediation companies in general provide the following services:

Consultation

Professional technicians will come to your home to do an assessment of the mold damage and provide you with a written proposal of their recommendations of the best procedures to address the mold problem. They will also identify sources of excessive moisture that led to the growth of mold and provide recommendations for repairing the moisture problems. Also included in the report are suggestions on possible steps you can take on how to prevent mold in the future.

Mold testing

Some companies only offer home mold testing and are often hired by mold remediation companies that do not offer this service to provide third party assessments for customers who may require it. Mold testing services include obtaining air samples and swab samples of various surfaces to confirm if the substance found is mold or some other matter and to determine how much and what types of mold are present in the area. Laboratory results of the samples are explained in a written report to the homeowners. Mold testing can also be performed after the actual mold removal process has been completed to check that all mold has been removed from surface areas and that air quality is at normal levels.

Mold removal and restoration

Depending on the extent of mold damage, the scope of service may include mold removal procedures and repair works. The actual process of mold removal will involve the cleaning and removal of mold from various surfaces, cleaning and disposing of moldy materials, repairing any aesthetic and structural mold damage, and fixing any sources of moisture problems that led to the growth of mold in the home. The work is always done by certified specialists who have obtained the proper training and experience to perform complex technical procedures using specialized equipment. For example, if there is mold in your home’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, an HVAC specialist is called in to be part of the remediation process. Every service should be guaranteed for a specified number of days and include post-remediation testing where technicians return and check if any mold has started growing again in areas that were cleaned.

With so many companies offering mold removal services in Toronto, it’s hard to know who to trust to give dependable and effective work. If you as a consumer know what type of service you need or want done to your home then you’ll always be assured that you paid for the right service and have not been scammed into paying a lot of money to have mold tested, cleaned and removed from your home environment.

Emergency Water Damage Services

You may never realize the importance of an emergency water damage services
until you happen to have an urgent need for this type of specialized service for
the home. But this kind of service is not only for the sole purpose of residential
clients because they can even cater their help even to commercial establishments,
too.

Millions of homeowners today and their valuable indoor spaces are constantly
faced with one, constant danger and that is water damage. Water damage in a
home can come from a variety of causes such as washing machine overflow,
broken dishwasher hose, dishwasher leakage, clogged toilets, leaking or broken
pipes, to name a few. If you are a homeowner, you’d want to secure your abode
from this watery problem that seems to have plagued many households.  It is
also important that you know exactly how to spot the outset of water damage
because this will help you minimize the impact from further advancing.

Water and Its Destructive Power

As far as I know, water is the single natural-occurring substance known to have
a long-term destructive power and unfortunately, the valuable indoor space of our
homes are also vulnerable to this threat. As homeowners, we should always be
on guard about water damage and see to it that we attend to the first signs of a
water-induced problem the moment we identified it inside our homes. It is because
too much water or moisture often causes a personal property or structure to
deteriorate fast. If we have our eyes keen on identifying the signs of water damage,
we will be able to put a stop to it and keep it from getting worse. There are
instances that the situation can only worsen because the water is unsanitary or the
services intended for clean-up drive is delayed or not coming at all.

If you want to put a delay or totally end the damaging effects of water or too much
moisture, there needs to be a prompt and effective intervention. And when we say
prompt, action to remedy it should happen within less than 24 hours. The exterior
of the affected or water damaged area may look serious, but a clearing, clean-up,
and restoration efforts may actually yield amazing results.

Places Where Water Damage Usually Occurs

There are many areas of our home that is susceptible to water damage. Here are
some of the most commonly affected areas of a Canadian home:

• Partition walls

       - It can be made from wood or plaster

• Balcony or terrace

• Planted floor slabs
• Gravel finished
• Ground slab/foundation
• Vapor bitumen/barrier
• Topping/concrete
• Damp-proof course

• Foundation Walls

• Insulation and concrete
• Damp-proof membranes

• Internal Walls

     -     Timber framed/plasterboard

     - Concrete/Brick/plaster

     -     Damp-proof membranes or insulation

• Floor

• Textile covering
• Carpet
• Parquet
• Boards
• Concrete
• Floating screen

• Masonry

• Cavity walls
• Solid walls, cob, stone, concrete
• Brick insulation made of sand and lime
• External rendering
• Internal plaster

Clean up and Repair of Water Damage

When it comes to enlisting the help of a restoration company for your water-damaged
items, see to it that they have a pool of certified professionals. It is also important
that they are equipped with enough knowledge and have experience in this field, so
as to ensure that they can handle the job really well and restore your items in question
to the best of your expectations.

You might also want to check if these professionals do have the needed equipment
for them to do the job well, one of which is a device that allows them to gauge the
moisture level of an organic object.  In addition to this, it is prime importance also
that they have a thermal camera to use. This will enable them to determine the exact
location or extent of wet areas. Some restoration firms are taking advantage of
laser-equipped moisture detection equipment instead, and this should also work.

After carefully assessing the extent and the gravity of the water damage in your home,  
your hired restoration team should be able to map out a restoration strategy and
implement the same in a systematic manner. Normally, they will advise the homeowner
if on their estimation and assessment,  the inflicted water damage on their kitchen
cabinet, bathroom door, or balcony can still be rectified by them or if it is beyond repair
already and maybe needing a replacement or total renovation of the area would be more
practical instead.

If there is no way for you to put a stop or prevent water from seeping through parts of
your home, it is inevitable for them not to cause damage of some sort. For this reason,
you need to have an easy access to a restoration company offering emergency water
damage services.

Tips in Finding Mold Removal Services in Toronto

Molds, toxic or not are everybody’s problem and must be immediately addressed, thus mold removal services in Toronto must be tapped the soonest possible time. Here’s why.

Although mold formation is normal, it poses health risk to family members as well as pets. The initial and most common are allergic reactions and irritations. Worse is when toxic molds are inhaled because it can lead to neurological complications. Even business owners and building administrators must immediately address the issue as mold may also thrive on damp areas on the building spaces just like in bathroom, kitchen, door jumps, and basements. Also, mold damages the material it lives on as they grow, and therefore compromising the structural integrity. Thus, it is necessary that molds must be removed as soon as it is discovered. You can use soap water and sponge to the not so harmful molds.

However, the dreadful toxic ones that already invaded your homes must be handled by experts and experts alone. We are talking about the restoration companies. The services they can provide you are invaluable if you chose the best ones. So we listed some tips on how to find the right companies. We recommend three options, and they are as follows:

Check Online

Many of us either have internet at home or data on our phones and gadgets, so make use of that as almost all the important information are now found online. Use your search engines; they’ll give you the top searched restoration companies which might be the best service provider in their specific fields. The advantage if you check online is as follows:

• You will have first hand information on how they do their job.
• You can verify their license, certifications accreditations and so on
• You can check also if their previous clients are satisfied with their services through reviews and testimonials.

However, beware of the scammers or fixers online.

Scan the Yellow Pages

The advantage of yellow pages are for one, the easiest way to search and two, most likely the hot line and toll free numbers of your local Toronto restoration companies are there. They will be the most accessible and will be at your doorsteps in less than an hour. However, information here is limited. You can only read what the restoration companies wants you to know, and not the nitty-gritty part which is what is important.

Ask Referral from Your Insurance Provider

They will surely give you the list of their top of the line, trustworthy, accredited restoration companies in Toronto, because if they are not, they will certainly not accredit them. The advantage with this method is if you hired your insurance providers’ accredited company, then you will be assured that their documentation is in line with the processing of claims and restoration process is in accordance to the industry standard. However, these restoration companies might be a little pricey. They can also take advantage of the insurance, and in the long run, will make insurance fees more expensive.

There may be some other ways too, like asking your friends and colleagues, but bear in mind this also has pros and cons. What is vital is you get an efficient mold removal services in Toronto.

Understanding Emergency Water Damage in Toronto

Unforeseen water intruding into our homes from different sources, damaging it or some of our belongings and putting our health at risk is what emergency water damage in Toronto is all about.

It is actually one of the common health and property hazard given the water-related weather conditions coming in all year round like heavy rain, storms and snow. Heavy rain plus high tide or quickly melting snow increases the chances of flooding and thus increases the risk of water damages. These damages may cost us hundreds of dollars or in extreme cases, our health. Thus, it is important for us to better understand emergency water damage.

Causes

When excess or too much water pool in an area there is what causes water damage. Examples of which are as follows:

• Overflowing gutter. Gutters main purpose is to direct water flowing from the roof edges down to pipes then to public waterbeds. Now, when the gutter can no longer hold the volume of water to the pipes or when debris such as leaves and branches clog or block the water way and stops the regular flowing of water. Chances are the water runoff on the edges of the gutter, or creates a leak down side of our homes, wet and eventually deteriorate our walls or worse flood our basements.

• Leaking or bursting pipes. Pipes leak or burst for various reasons. Pipes may be already old and rusty, thus it is prone to leaking. Plants on our yards may have grown roots on sewer lines and eventually squeezed to burst the pipes. Probably, it’s freezing cold out there that pipes burst. The problem with pipes is that they are usually beneath our floors or grounds or walls that it is unnoticeable, so when it leaks or bursts, the chances of us detecting it is low, and little by little it will damp the surface, deteriorates it and worse, molds may thrive on that area giving us much more problem.

• Natural weather phenomenon. Heavy rains, flash floods, and storms can all elicit water build up and enter our homes and establishments. Problem with this is that we have no control over it.

Categories

The severity of damage usually depends on the following water category that cause the damage

• Category 1 or Clear Water. This is clean water that leaves it source usually through leaking or bursting pipes. This does not pose harm to human health if immediately addressed but may degrade if not, and may leave water marks or stains to affected belongings, thus it is necessary that we have the affected area assessed.

• Category 2 or Gray Water. This water contains microorganisms usually from broken toilets or sump pumps or appliances or seepage from in-house waterbeds like aquariums. When consumed, this may cause serious digestive problem. While to properties, this may cause immediate rotting of woods or rusting of steel. Thus it is essential that we have the affected part assessed and cleaned up.

• Category 3 or Black Water. This water is abhorrently contaminated as it may contain fecal, animal discharges and other harmful bacteria and fungi from sewage and seawater, which may cause severe ailments and even casualty. Therefore it is indispensable that we have the affected area assessed and thoroughly cleaned up, and have the damaged materials restored or replaced.

Now we understand this predicament, it is necessary that we get the services of skilled and licensed restoration companies to attend to our emergency water damage in Toronto since this is a health and property issue.

In good condition or not, handling asbestos must be done with due diligence, due to its toxicity and known classification as carcinogen, that is why it is a must that you hire an asbestos removal company in Toronto. Before doing so, check on the following criteria immediately.

They can inspect and assess.

You don’t need to wait for disasters to damage your properties before you will know if your home and establishment has asbestos. Licensed abatement companies can test your home and workplace, especially if those were built in mid-eighties, because at that time asbestos were still lauded as fireproof substance very suitable in building homes and buildings.

If you are planning to renovate or improve your homes, have your areas inspected as well, so as not to endanger the workers from the risk of exposure. So before you do any move, have your properties inspected first so you can properly deal with whatever the results give you.

They should be prompt.

Asbestos Removal Company may arrive in less than an hour. While they are on their way yet, it is important to note that during emergency situations, always protect yourselves and family from inhalation by putting on a mask that covers your nose and mouth first, then let everyone leave at once. To prevent for further exposure, wet your suspected damaged asbestos range and its surroundings because when they are wet, they will less likely become airborne, then leave or go somewhere safer.

They must be health and safety licensed.

In Northern America there is Institute of Inspection, Restoration and Cleaning Certifications (IICRC) who sets standards in inspection restoration and cleaning industries. An abatement company licensed by IICRC adheres to the world class standards set by the said non-profit organization. Surely their technicians successfully completed the clean trust programs of IICRC and passed the exam, thus licensed to do the job. To maintain their certifications and licenses, they are required to earn continuing education credits to ensure that they are up to date on the latest trends in cleaning, inspection and restoration industry. Thus, always ask if they are IICRC licensed and certified, so you will be assured that that company will put stakeholders’ safety first more than anything else.

They offer other restoration and cleaning services.

Most likely, after a thorough inspection and assessment, an expert technician will identify or discover other property problems that may harm your health or must be addressed to prevent further damage on your homes like, mold infestation, water leaks, and dirty carpets and so on. It is important then that your asbestos removal company also offers other services so that you can have all your problems addressed all at once, especially if you need to temporarily leave your home because they have to contain every part of it and if you have an insurance to claim, documentations and data gathering will be performed at the same time. Everything will come easy for you.

So before you contract an asbestos removal company in Toronto, check if they inspect and assess, if they are prompt, if they are licensed and their technicians are certified and that they offer other restoration and cleaning services.

Things You Must Know about Emergency Water Damage in Toronto

Water is an essential part of life, however it can also cause loss, so water issues must be immediately addressed, and here are the things you must know about emergency water damage in Toronto.

Water damages comes in 3 different classifications and they are as follows:

Clear Water

The first category is the water that comes into our homes, at least until it leaves its source. It is also called sanitary water because it does not pose any major health issues to us. We usually use it to wash our clothes, our dishes, ourselves, water our plants and in fact we can safely drink most of it.

But, as soon as clear water leaves its source like the pipes, it can leak and can be easily contaminated and depreciate to category two or three. You will easily notice it when it is no longer clear due to pollutants and soil mixed to it and it has foul odor.

Gray Water

The second category, is called gray water as its color suggests, it is polluted clean water and most probably already foul smelling. It is usually waste water generated in households like waste water from baths, sinks, washing machines overflow water from a waterbed like aquariums except without fecal contamination, and thus, no longer safe for consumption but worth reusing. However, reusing greywater must be properly done.

Still, like clear water, gray water will deteriorate into toxic water if left unattended and become harmful to our family and can damage our belongings.

Black Water

The third category is called black water as its color suggests is extremely toxic and can be fatal. Most probably it contains unsanitary agents, bacteria and fungi from fecal, heavy metals, pesticides, raw sewage, or deadly organic substances. Unlike the first and second category, black water may come from rising sewage, seawater, rivers, or ground surface. Toilet backflows from toilet traps and stagnant grey water are classified as black water too.

Effects of Water Damage

If left unattended, water is dreadful. It may seep on your carpet, damage structural walls, floorings and furniture, appliances and so on. It also promotes mold growth, which further damages your property and adds to the risk of ingesting toxic water, is the health hazards brought by molds.

Best Thing to Do

If you find yourself in an emergency water case, contact a company offering water damage restoration services in Toronto. They are equipped in handling any water problem from sewage leaks management to water extraction and clean-up process. They have well-trained technicians and proper tools and equipment to remove sewer water, mud and sewer from inside and under your home or office. Plus they take all precautionary measures for everyone’s safety including treating infected areas to prevent spread of biohazards such as mold, fungi, parasites, viruses and bacteria.

All water damage must be attended immediately. Fortunately, there are companies offering restoration, repairs and clean-up of emergency water damage in Toronto with trained technicians and advanced equipment, and protective gear to reinstate your property and especially, your safety from the fatal effects of water damages.

Hassle-free Mold Removal Services in Toronto

The current generation of home and business owners is really blessed because of the availability of mold removal services in Toronto now.

Mold invasion is one tough problem since time immemorial. Before, people had to put themselves at risk of inhaling mold spores just to get rid of visible molds. Little do they know that mold related problems are best handled by equipped technicians due to their characteristics? For example, they are air-borne, so they can’t be seen by our naked eyes and thus only proper testing apparatus can detect their presence in the air.

Another is that molds thrive when there is moisture, which is most probably on those parts of our homes and establishments which we barely see. Even if we have tools ready, those are not the right tools to use to remove those, worst is, if we insist on using those riggings, we might further damage the invaded area or put the integrity of the structure questionable and contaminate the gears as well.

Another characteristic that must be pointed out is that molds continue to grow on surfaces we cannot always see and multiply rapidly over hours, thus it should be removed fast but with accuracy to prevent it from spreading, and only a well-trained person can do such.

That is how difficult addressing mold problem, but we don’t have to worry because mold removal companies are to the rescue with their hassle-free services as follows.

Air Sampling and Mold Testing

These services will determine if we really have mold problem or unhealthy mold spore level at home or at our store. Remember that 100% mold spores free is impossible simply because they float in the air with other dust particles which we cannot see. With this professional mold test, we will be able to know as well if we have hidden areas of mold, what species of molds live with us, and all other information we need to know to develop the right remediation or removal plan for us and for the technicians to implement.

Mold Removal

This service includes sanitization and decontamination. If it is discovered that a portion of your home or other belongings has molds and can no longer be restored to its original shape, this service is offered. The well-trained people with right personal protection gears usually starts in detecting moisture sanitize it with antimicrobial agents to prevent it from recurring then affected unsalvageable parts are removed or detached and properly discarded. The area around it is decontaminated by either drying or treating or both or replaced, and if necessary textured and covered.

Mold Remediation

This service is offered when invasion is widely spread on home or building support structures such as the trusses in attics, stud framing and joists in crawl spaces, where removal will pose greater risk. Still moisture is first addressed before remediation is done with the proper protocol for safety of the workers and residents when work is being performed, then the surrounding area is again decontaminated.

Dehumidification

This service uses a dehumidifier, an appliance that reduces the level of humidity in the air and eliminates musty odors.

Mold is really tough to handle but you need not to personally take charge. check out mold removal services in Toronto for a hassle-free mold removal service.