It could start as simple as just a few dots on the ceiling or it could be a full-fledged mold colony behind the walls. No matter what you see, the moment you find any kind of mold growth or even suspected mold growth take care of it immediately. As Public Adjusters our job is to make sure that if you do have mold we find the source of the problem in order for it to be remediated correctly. We can help you to understand where the issue is coming from and guide you along the steps to actually remove the mold.

How do I know if I have a mold problem?

The easy answer? Most of the time it’s visible so you would be able to see it and the colors can range anywhere from black, grey, or greenish, to brown, purple, orange, pink, yellow, red, white, or even a combination of colors

Other times you are able to smell it or even feel the moisture and humidity in the air. Most are pretty familiar with the smell of mold.

Can I kill mold or make it disappear?

If you see a little bit of mold, you need to take care of it immediately. Unfortunately, it doesn’t just magically disappear. In fact, it could grow rapidly one day you’ll see a little spot the next morning you’ll wake up and half the wall is covered.

Commonly you hear about people using bleach to kill mold but that actually doesn’t work. The only way to take care of mold is by removing it. There are companies that are experts that know how to take care of this specific problem. There’s a protocol that they have to run through to make sure it’s properly taken care of that typically looks like this:

• Testing– To find affected areas and confirm it’s mold
• Remove– Take out the infected areas
• Clearance– Make sure there is no mold left so you won’t have a repeat problem.

What can I do to prevent mold?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. While it’s very difficult to remove mold there are ways to prevent it from the very beginning in a home.

• Keep your home cooler- Somewhere in the range of 72-74 or cooler. Heat brings humidity and moisture to your property which is where mold thrives.
• Keep areas dry- If you see any moisture pooling in your home or humid areas make sure that you dry those areas and keep them dry.
• Ventilation- Make sure you have free-flowing air throughout your home. This will prevent air from becoming stagnant and humid.

I have mold in my house will insurance cover it?

One of the questions that we get all the time is will my insurance company cover it if I have mold in my home? There are coverages in your policy for mold, but that will only get triggered as a result of something that was covered. For example, if you have a roof leak and it has been acknowledged by the insurance carrier and mold growth is a result of that covered loss then that is typically something that the insurance company would be responsible to pay for.

Of course, this depends on the insurance company that you have. Some insurance companies don’t have language about mold in their policies unless you select it as additional coverage on your policy. So if you want this type of coverage while purchasing an insurance policy talk to your agent about including that type of coverage. This is especially vital in states like Florida where you’ll experience high humidity levels and moisture tends to gather more easily.

Can I just kill mold with bleach?

We have mentioned before that you can’t wipe away mold even when you include bleach which seems to kill everything. Because you are unable to kill mold, the only way to properly get rid of mold is to remove it. So for example, if the mold is on drywall, you would cut out the area and there are additional requirements to make sure enough drywall is removed to make sure the mold is fully removed.

There are lots of preventive sprays that are out there that claim to make sure mold doesn’t grow or won’t grow. Honestly, if mold wants to grow it’s going to grow. There isn’t much that you can do about it but make sure it doesn’t come in the first place. Following some of our guidelines above will help to make sure it doesn’t come in the first place.

Conclusion

At the first sign of mold in your home give us a call to start the process of getting that mold removed. We will be able to help identify if you have a home insurance claim and if you don’t have a claim we still have a long list of specialists that we work with who can help restore your home and get it back to the way you want. When disaster strikes let Florida Public Adjusters be the ones you call.