Mold Remediation in South Bay, Los Angeles

Small patches, under about ten square feet on a hard surface, can usually be cleaned by a homeowner with detergent and water once the moisture is fixed. Wear gloves, goggles and an N95 respirator, and skip the bleach: it does not reach growth inside porous material. Drywall, ceiling tile or insulation with growth comes out, however small the patch. Call a company when the mold came from sewage or flooding, covers more than about ten square feet, is inside walls or ducts, or when anyone in the home has asthma or a weakened immune system. If the ducts may be contaminated, do not run the system.

You rarely need a lab test to decide whether to act. California's Department of Public Health says visible mold or persistent dampness indoors is a health concern and should be corrected, whatever kind of mold it is. The state has no official exposure limits for mold, so a test result does not change the answer.

The industry standard, IICRC S520, sets out how the work is done. The affected area is sealed off with plastic sheeting, and a fan pulls air out of it so spores do not drift into the rest of the home. Workers wear respirators and protective clothing. Porous materials with growth, such as drywall, insulation and carpet, are removed and bagged inside the sealed area. Hard surfaces are cleaned with HEPA vacuums and damp wiping. Spraying a mold-killing product and leaving it is not remediation. Air scrubbers with HEPA filters run throughout. The area is dried and the moisture source is repaired. Only then does the sheeting come down.

In a home built before about 1980, drywall compound, plaster, textured ceilings and floor tiles can contain asbestos. The South Coast air district requires an asbestos survey before most renovation work, and asbestos removal is a separately certified trade, so those materials are tested before anyone disturbs them.

Insist on a clearance check at the end. Before the area is rebuilt, someone should confirm the work is complete: a visual inspection at minimum, and often air or surface sampling compared with the rest of the home. Where you can, have it done by an inspector who does not work for the remediation company, or at least ask for a written clearance report you can keep.

California has no mold-specific contractor license. A company doing work worth $1,000 or more, or any work that needs a building permit, needs a state contractor license from the Contractors State License Board that covers the work. The record at cslb.ca.gov shows whether it is active, bonded and carries workers' compensation. Ask which IICRC certifications the technicians hold.