It doesn't matter how water or flooding enters any building, the real question is what to do after a flood.  Homeowners in Joliet have flooding from rain storms, plugged drains, failed footer drains, broken pipes, and failed sump pump.  The first task is always to stop the water and get rid of the water as fast as possible.  Rent equipment if necessary, but don't let the water stay for more than a day.

All mold produces mold spores.  Many of the most common mold types produce harmful mold spores and something called mycotoxins.  While some people are able to tolerate the presence of mold, others are not. Mold is always a health concern.  If it isn't a problem yet, given enough time it can impact nearly everyone.  Mold does aggravate asthma, allergies, and respiratory problems; but it is gradually affecting the health family members as well.

Attic mold in the Joliet are is pretty common.  Depending on the time of the year, this area has a heavy mold spore count, and the attic needs the outside air for normal ventilation.  While ventilation of the attic is critical, attic mold can happen in nearly any attic.  

Here's the critical question.  Do you feel worse at home or work that anywhere else?  This is the classic indicator that your home or workplace is toxic.  

We use a variety of test meters to test the indoor air quality, so I decided to test the air in my own house.  To preface this information, we are not the first owners, and we are diligent about the products we use and the care of the home.  Nonetheless, after getting some of the more advanced test equipment, I tested my house.  The results were not good.

We test nundreds of home and offices throughout the year for potential mold problems.  As an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) specialist, there are a few basics that we test to find out why there is a health concern in a building.  First is humidity.  The normal range is humidity is 40% to 60%.  If the humidity is above 70%, the opportunity for mold, mildew, bacteria, and odors will increase.

Cleaning mold is not as simple as scrubbing with bleach.  Bleach does not penetrate most surfaces, so while the top of the mold is gone, the roots remain.  You will need a product that is EPA registered to kill mold and destroy the roots as well.  But, there are more considerations...

Isn't it crazy to think that a trained professional will travel 30-45 minute to your house, spend 30 minutes testing with professional equipment, and then travel to his next appointment ...for free?  In fact, a free mold inspection is never free.  Consider this guy makes 3-4 trips each day for a week.

Our mold inspection service uses a variety to tests to find and assess a mold problem.  We are finding that about 25% of inspection reveal higher-than-normal toxic air levels.  This is often related to family concerns for headache, breathing issues, illness, nausea, and general family health issues that are hard to define.

Have you tried one of the mold test kits from Home Depot?  It is a plastic petri dish with a nutrient-rich gel that will allow any floating mold spores to land and take root.  Well, EVERY HOME will always test positive with that test.  And that is because mold spores are everywhere.  So, that homes mold test kit is pretty much worthless.