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.

Last week, we discussed the danger of jumping into a home purchase – even a new one – without properly educating yourself on the building’s condition. We recommended talking to previous tenants and hiring experts like a mold inspection company to ensure you’re not buying damaged goods.

But the pitfalls of buying a home go further than that. Sometimes, even a home inspection won’t protect you from disaster. The growing problem today is that too many inspectors commit to “non-invasive” jobs.

So what would qualify as a non-invasive inspection job? Traditionally, it’s a money-saving tactic for a new or prospective home owner. That person doesn’t want his or her home to suffer the inconvenience or damage of, say, drilling into drywall or tearing up carpet to look for toxic mold, as it could be expensive. Also, with the market for homes hot, people don’t want to wait the precious extra days or weeks that could be caused by an invasive inspection.

What those people don’t realize, however, is that they’re costing themselves more money by not being thorough. You may think you’re saving money by avoiding an inspection or having a second-rate inspector quickly gloss over your new home, but the cost of fixing major mold damage later is far greater.

It’s worth spending the extra money and time in the short term to have a mold inspection company check your entire home, leaving no stone unturned. Better yet, if you hire the right type of company, a trusted group of experts, the job won’t even be as inconvenient. A good mold testing company will do the job without causing too much damage, will repair any damage caused and will offer warranties on all work.

If you’re lazy with your new home, you’ll pay for it eventually. Be diligent about your mold inspection.

MoldInspections.ca is the trusted leader for mold-free buildings, condominiums, 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 quote at (416) 575-6111.

While it’s a good thing that more and more citizens in the GTA and Canada are becoming aware of mold risks and seeking out mold inspection companies, the mold industry remains unregulated and unlicensed.

To get safe and lasting mold removal, you need to find a certified mold inspector with a distinction such as Council-Certified Microbial Inspector. If you don’t find a company with the proper qualifications, you could be a scam victim.

What are some scams to watch for? Here are 10 common mold scams in the Greater Toronto Area, in random order.

1. The door-to-door air quality test scam

If a salesman tries to sell you an expensive air filter and wants to win you over with a Petri dish test, slam your front door shut. In this scam, a salesperson will leave a Petri dish in your home for a set amount of time, and then show you how much mold has accumulated in it. What he or she doesn’t tell you is that the mold accumulates naturally in a Petri dish anywhere, inside or outside, at your house or someone else’s. It doesn’t prove anything about mold in your home or workplace.

2. The moldy home scam

Some home or business owners will sweep their dirt – or, in this case, mold – under the rug. They’ll cover it or paint over it before selling you the property. Make sure you give a place a proper mold test before committing to any purchase.

3. The house sabotage scam

In this nasty scam, a mold inspector will sabotage your building to foster mold growth, closing windows, running humidifiers, cranking hot showers and doing anything that creates moisture. Keep an eye on the inspector if he doesn’t leave everything in your building exactly the way it was!

4. The fake mold test scam

Faking a mold test is a simple but effective scam. Take the results from a positive test, forge the location, and tell the building owner that the test is theirs. For this reason, it’s important to have a mold inspection company show you the problem rather than just hand you a piece of paper detailing the results.

5. The Improper mold removal scam

Some companies will take your money and not do the job right. Without proper training, they may not use gloves or masks, HEPA filters, containment plastic or fungicide. Doing the job wrong can stir up the spores and leave your home worse off than it was before.

6. The bleach scam

Bleaching mold changes its appearance and can make it appear “gone.” However, the bleach is a temporary killer at best. If the moist conditions remain, the mold will return. Don’t trust any Toronto mold removal company championing bleach as their main tool.

7. The particle counting scam

Particle counting tools can in fact detect mold spores – but they also detect countless other airborne particles, like pet dander or pollen. Particle counting tests are thus inaccurate, as too many other variables might be included in the results.

8. The ozone generator scam

Some mold removal “experts” will release massive amounts of ozone gas into a building to eliminate mold. However, it only kills the exposed mold; it can’t penetrate drywall or tiles or any other surface under which mold hides. Ozone is also a harmful gas that damages any plastic or rubber material it contacts. It could destroy your home and your health without even fully eliminating your mold.

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.