As a professional mold inspection company, we know first-hand that all too often a disaster can affect you, your employees and your business when you least expect it.

Water damage caused by a burst pipe, fire or severe storm can lead to building environment-related concerns like mold, which can spread swiftly throughout your commercial or industrial property when the conditions are right.

The reality is that if the original moisture source is left unattended or unaddressed, even a minor water infiltration problem can snowball into a massive mold remediation project!

When it comes to commercial mold remediation, you’re always better off hiring professionals you can trust and count on to properly remediate all mold-related damage following a disaster or emergency situation. Taking quick action is critical and this will certainly help minimize current and future damage to your commercial or industrial building to the extent possible.

Our commercial mold remediation strategy is customized to each property or client, but it generally includes many or all of the following steps:

1. We act quickly to evaluate your industrial or commercial site and systematically inspect the property (including the entire building envelop).

2. We assess all current and potential damage, including identifying and prioritizing all minor and major sources of moisture infiltration, as well as assessing exposure to any HVAC, mechanical and other costly building systems.

3. We develop a comprehensive mold remediation plan to address all of your commercial or industrial mold concerns.

4. Using our expertise, skilled training and professional equipment, we execute the commercial or industrial mold remediation services set out in your custom mold remediation plan. Our services can include mold cleaning, mold treatment or mold containment, as well as building materials demolition, removal and restoration.

5. We perform final inspections of all affected areas, and we may recommend applicable indoor air quality (IAQ) or third-party testing once all mold remediation services have been completed to confirm your commercial or industrial building is once again safe for all.

If your industrial or commercial property has experienced a disaster, contact us to find out how our professional mold remediation services can help your business get back on its feet before it suffers further losses in productivity and revenue.

Call us for your free phone consult in the Toronto and Greater Toronto Area (GTA) at 416-575-6111.

Like bathrooms, kitchens can be a tremendously good breeding ground for mold. They offer three things that mold just loves: warmth, various sources of food (including dirt and dust), and humidity.

If you’re looking for a quick and helpful checklist you can print off to help identify potential sources of mold in your kitchen, consider this it!

#1 Look under the sink

Leaky pipe? Spilled cleaning products? Kitchen garbage? The space under your kitchen sink is the first place in your kitchen you should check for mold. If you spot a leaky pipe, first fix the problem and then consider laying vinyl tile on the bottom of the cabinet to protect it from any potential water damage in the future.

#2 Look around the sink

Check your taps and all around your sink for mold growing on or underneath. All seams and corners around the sink should be properly caulked to prevent water damage to your countertops and of course mold growth.

#3 Check your exterior walls

In your kitchen, check all of the walls that face the outdoors to identify potential areas of mold.

#4 Check your windows

We recently mentioned that window condensation in the home can be a warning sign of possible mold growth, and mold can be especially active in kitchens due to high humidity levels. Mold can grow on all types of windows, including wood-framed, metal-framed and even vinyl, so it’s important to check yours for mold or any evidence that mold may be present.

#5 Check your garbage and/or garbage disposal

As handy as they are, garbage disposals can offer mold a lot of potential sources of food. Rinse your garbage containers and/or garbage disposal with undiluted vinegar or another favourite antibacterial cleaner. Run the garbage disposal a minimum of once a day to help keep mold growth at bay.

#6 Check your compost

Like the garbage and garbage disposal, our compost bin can be easy prey for mold. Don’t allow it to sit out, especially in hot, humid summer weather, and dump it as often as you possibly can throughout the day.

#7 Check pantry items

If you’ve ever smelt a rotting potato, it’s likely a smell you won’t soon forget. Regularly check onions, potatoes and other stored food for mold and immediately toss any foods that look like their best days are behind them.

#8 Check your dishwasher

We recommend checking both inside the dishwasher as well as around the entire casing of the dishwasher. This is especially important if you have wood cabinets (as many of us do) because mold can grow productively on all of these surfaces. From professional experience, I can tell you that a small leak may go unnoticed for a long time!

#9 Check your fridge and freezer

The same advice for dishwashers also applies to your refrigerator and freezer: check inside the appliance for food sources of mold, as well as around the appliance. In addition, be sure to check the drip tray. It’s usually located at the front of the fridge and underneath. Check it several times a year or you may find something growing in there that would put monsters under the bed to shame!

#10 Check your ice maker

Bonus tip: if you have an ice maker built into your refrigerator, check in and around it for mold too.

Have you inspected your kitchen from top to bottom for potential sources of mold and still can’t find the culprit behind that musty or mildewy smell that’s driving you crazy? Contact us and we’ll be glad to make a visit to your home or office to track down and identify the source and type of your kitchen mold.

Late last year, a Southern Ontario health clinic was closed after mold was found in the building. When a carpet was lifted for routine maintenance and repairs at a Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health Clinic, mold was discovered flourishing under it in some sections.

Naturally, officials at the health clinic were immediately concerned and decided to go beyond stipulated guidelines in an effort to protect health care workers and patients alike. They ordered the building closed for a period of about ten days until mold abatement and removal procedures could be completed. In addition air quality tests were performed to evaluate the level of risk.

Mold in the Carpet?
The incident illustrates the seriousness with which health officials consider the issue of mold infestation in the home.  Mold can develop when moisture seeps in through walls or flooring, particularly more porous materials like concrete, or where there may have been plumbing leaks between floors, for example. Under the rug, in corners or other out of the way spots, it can grow undetected, affecting indoor air quality and exposing you and your family to potentially harmful effects.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to remove mold from permeable materials such as carpets, drywall or ceiling tiles, and in most cases the affected material will have to be completely removed and thrown away. Officials at the clinic took the next step in ordering professional testing and abatement services, just as concerned as you would be about the indoor air quality in your own home.

Mold can grow virtually anywhere, in any home. Where there is moisture, there is the potential for mold, and you may not know that it’s there spreading in your floors and walls until you notice a persistent musty odour, or experience the common symptoms of mold infestation, including headaches, eye irritation and more.

If you suspect the presence of mold in your home, get help from the experts at MoldInspections.ca. Please call us for a hassle-free quote today.

MoldInspections.ca is the trusted leader for mold-free homes and breathable indoor air spaces in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and beyond. Providing certified mold inspection, detection and testing since 2005, we service home owners, real-estate agents, landlords, property managers, insurance companies and businesses. Featured on CTV and Global TV, and recommended by contractors, we regularly serve as expert witnesses in court proceeding relating to Mold and Indoor Air Quality issues. Do you have mold? Call us today for a free quote at (416) 575-6111.

Toxic mold is becoming a Canada-wide epidemic, particularly in schools, and Prince Edward Island is the latest province to be hit hard.

Recent mold inspections found mold and moisture at 15 different P.E.I. schools. Three of the schools have major problems. Overall, the provincial government will commit $17.4 million in repairs to eliminate the mold.

Education Minister Doug Currie first ordered the province-wide mold inspection after toxic mold was discovered at Elm Street Elementary School. After the mold detection process, it appears no school is more afflicted than Spring Park Elementary School. The moisture and mold growth are so bad that the school has to be totally replaced at the cost of $11.5 million.

“In the case of Spring Park, the building is simply beyond repair,” Currie explained. “A mere renovation would represent nothing more than a Band-Aid solution.”

The case of P.E.I.’s schools is an important reminder to other Canadian regions such as the Greater Toronto Area. If left undetected, mold can take over important buildings like schools. It’s a major cause of youth respiratory problems such as asthma.

Whether you’re a school employee or not, consider talking to your local principal about the possibility of mold testing. The cost of repairs will greatly decrease if it’s detected soon enough. Even if mold hasn’t grown yet, a mold testing company may find moist conditions (say, in a basement) that will foster mold growth if not treated soon enough.

Think of Canadian youth. Follow the example set by P.E.I and get toxic mold out of our schools!

MoldInspections.ca is the trusted leader for mold-free homes and breathable indoor air spaces in Toronto, the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and beyond. Providing certified mold inspection, detection and testing since 2005, we service home owners, real-estate agents, landlords, property managers, insurance companies and businesses. Featured on CTV and recommended by contractors, we regularly serve as expert witnesses in court proceeding relating to Mold and Indoor Air Quality issues. Do you have mold? Call us today for a free quote at (416) 575-6111.

 As with many service industries, the mold inspection and remediation field is unfortunately plagued by fly-by-night companies. These companies use various tactics to take home and building owners’ money without actually solving their problems. 

One such popular tactic is offering free inspections with the hope that you’ll hire them to do the mold removal. The old adage “you get what you pay for” is applicable to any service, including mold inspection and mold removal services.

The scam works likes this: During your free mold inspection, the company will tell you that you’ve got an extreme mold problem when in fact you have none, charging you thousands of dollars for a fake mold removal when no action is necessary. 

Choosing a professional mold removal company

Something as serious as mold should not be taken lightly, which is why home and building owners should carefully weigh their options when choosing a mold inspection company:  A trustworthy company will always show proof of insurance and industry-recognized certifications, and will be more than happy to explain the measures they have in place to protect their customers.  

Mold cannot be identified based on colour or texture, and a mold removal company should never make determinations on these variables. To determine if the mold is dangerous or harmless, it must be looked at under a microscope and properly tested in a third-part laboratory to prevent any conflict of interest.   A professional mold inspection company will never tell you that you have toxic black mold without testing it.

Differing species of mold comes in various colors and back mold could be merely allergy-aggravating Alternaria mold, somewhat harmless Ulocladium mold or deadly Stachybotrys, sometimes referred to as “grow-op” mold.  

A fly-by-night company will also likely have a fly-by-night website. Their website content, including their company information and even their guarantees may be stolen from other companies’ websites instead of taking the time to develop original content based on their own expertise. To find if this is the case, simply copy and paste a portion of their website into the text box at www.plagiarismchecker.com and see what pops up.  

Never hesitate to ask for and follow up on references from the company.   A good mold removal company will also be the first to tell you that mold is all around us in the environment, in the air and sometimes in the home, making it easy to show positive testing results for the presence of mold.  A professional mold inspsection company should always explain this fact to their customers as well as explaining what they’re doing during an inspection to ensure the customer is informed. 

Know what you’re getting into. For professional Mold Inspsections in Toronto and Ontario, Contact us today.  We can help.

Mold Inspections in Ajax, Barrie, Beaverton, Bowmanville, Bracebridge, Brantford, Burlington, Caledon, Cambridge, Cobourg, Collingwood, Georgetown Guelph, Hamilton, Keswick, Kitchener, Lindsay, London , Markham, Milton, Mississauga, Muskoka, Newmarket, Niagara Falls, Oakville, Orangeville, Oshawa, Owen Sound, Peterborough, Pickering, Port Carling, Port Hope, Richmond Hill, Severn Bridge, Sarnia , Simcoe, Southwest Ontario , St Catharines, Thornhill, Toronto, Waterdown, Waterloo, Whitby, Windsor Ontario.