In areas devastated by natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes, dealing with mold is compounded by the fact that there are just not enough mold professionals available to satisfy the volume of customers who need help. Time and its efficient use becomes a scarce resource.
We have heard story after story of homeowners unable to get restoration companies to come to their homes, even to give timely estimates. All are simply too stretched. As a manufacturer of products used in protocols for mold removal, we are receiving many calls about where our products can be purchased by desperate property owners who are forced to take matters into their own hands. As they do their own research online into how to remove mold, sites such as FEMA’s provide instructions on how to dilute simple bleach. But now the mold is re-appearing. As our products are only sold through Aramsco / Interlink Supply to the professional market, we can offer no real direct help, but instead encourage them to rely on professional mold remediators to do the job for them.
Choosing Professional-Grade Mold Remediation Products
The products and approaches selected by the restoration professional can directly impact time on a job site. As a professional, you know the protocols for mold removal (HEPA vac, disinfect, stain removal if desired, protect surfaces at risk where required, and so on). As a professional, you also get comfortable with products you have used for years to deal with mold. However, the products and approach you select can either increase or reduce your time spent on the job site. If you can improve your efficiency, and reduce your time, you can help more people. Simple math.
Products have become specialized in terms of their focused usage and value. If you have the task of removing the mold and the stain caused by mold, you have choices. You can choose products that provide you virtually instant stain removing results, or ones that you must come back the next day to evaluate results. You can boost products which adds cost, or use products that do the job they have been built to perform. You can select your favorite disinfectant, and then products whose sole purpose is stain removal in seconds or at most minutes. What if every job of dealing with mold and stain removal could be accomplished in one day? It can. By taking jobs that used to require two days to perform, and making them one day, you can help more people.
Removing mold is the key part of the job. The IICRC states that the “cardinal rule for preventing mold growth is to keep surfaces dry.” At times of disaster, this is easier said than done due to equipment shortages, and even lack of power.
A viable strategy to help customers post-disaster is one where surface modification is undertaken to make remediated materials less attractive to mold growth. Mold and mildew resistant coatings and paints have also been around for years. Virtually all mold and mildew resistant coatings require clean and dry surfaces prior to application. This requires a second day on the job site in typical applications, which may not even be possible post-disaster.
Newer products have been engineered to be applied within minutes of disinfection and stain removal. The restoration professional that is aware of them and how to use them can clean and protect a home in one day. In times of post-disaster clean up, newer products can help the professional help more people, and save them money along the way.
Restoration professionals are in business to restore lives and properties; product manufacturers are here to help! Do your due diligence and research the best products for your company, and every situation. After all, in a disaster, time is of the essence.
