Protective Gear for Mold Mitigation

8/25/2022 (Permalink)

Before they can take care of your house, mold specialists have to take care of themselves.

Protective Gear for Mold Mitigation

Mold spores are everywhere. They are in the air you breathe every time you go outside, and they are even inside your home. They travel indoors daily on hair, clothes, shoes, and pets. If spores multiply and grow in your home in College Station, TX, though, the technicians who handle the cleanup and anyone else who enters the affected area need more than just face masks to ensure their protection.

Body Protection

Mold remediation often releases a concentrated number of spores into the air. Certified mitigation specialists won't start the mold cleanup process until they are fully outfitted in personal protective equipment:

• Ventilated masks
• Rubber gloves
• Goggles
• Boots
• Coveralls

These protective measures may seem like overkill to the casual observer, but they serve an important purpose. They keep mold spores from getting into the technicians' eyes, nasal passages, and lungs. The full-body protection also prevents the mitigation team members from spreading mold everywhere they go after they leave the site.

Structure Protection

Mold damage in one part of your home can easily spread to other areas unless technicians take specific measures to stop it. Just like their face masks provide a shield between them and the mold spores in the air, the polyethylene sheeting over doorways and vents protects the rest of the house from the excess fungus concentrations that are released during cleanup. The affected area must be isolated before mold growth is addressed. If technicians leave the area during the cleanup process, they remove their protective clothing so that they don't spread the mold that may have attached to it anywhere else. Thorough mitigation requires containment so that the job is completed and the mold doesn't come back.

Before they can take care of your house, mold specialists have to take care of themselves. Face masks, gloves, and other protective gear are necessary safety precautions throughout the remediation process.