Mold is fungus that forms in warm, moist and humid environments. It grows by consuming decaying organic materials. This lets mold survive without sunlight, enabling it to thrive in dark indoor areas, such as basements. Moisture plays a big role in causing mold, especially following leaks, flooding or heavy indoor humidity. Exposure to mold can cause many problems, including skin irritation and respiratory difficulties. Because of these health risks, it’s important to get mold removed from your home or building as soon as possible.
It’s important to get mold remediation work done by a certified environmental contractor. You could technically carry-out the task yourself if the mols affects less than 10 square-feet of the surface area. But that area may have underlying issues too, such as mold affecting your drywall. Doing it yourself could put you at risk of another mold infestation or possibly structural damage. You could reduce your total costs by relying on professional help right from the start.
The mold remediation process begins by confirming the presence of mold in your property. This should be done by a professional, especially in potentially severe cases where it’s necessary to test for air quality and the extent of mold spread. Normally, your environmental contractor would be able to recommend a certified expert to provide that testing, which will give you an idea of how much it’ll cost to undertake mold removal work, including commercial mold remediation.
Cost Calculation: How Expensive is Mold Removal Work?
The cost of mold remediation depends on many factors, all of which determine the scope of the work necessary. For example, if a job only requires surface cleaning, i.e. the removal of mold by hand in a small area using antimicrobial solutions and minor touch-up/repair work after the job, the price could start at less than $1,000. But extensive mold remediation work – such as entire basements or rooms – involves specialized equipment, waste management and extensive repair work (to minimize the risk of future mold outbreaks). Such large projects can cost $20,000.
When calculating the cost of your job, the environmental contractor will evaluate these areas:
1. Surface Area
Your contractor will examine the extent of mold infestation and determine the necessary work area. You can expect a ‘small’ work area of 10 square-feet (Level 1) to generally cost less, especially if it does not involve much in terms of specialized equipment and preparation. But ‘medium’ (Level 2/10-100 square-feet) and ‘large’ (Level 3/100+ square-feet) work areas will require extensive preparation of the worksite and the use of High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) vacuums with Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and construction work for removing infected areas (such as drywall).
Note: Removing mold from Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems require special cleaning services, again by appropriately trained and equipped experts.
2. Equipment
Level 2 and Level 3 mold remediation work involve expensive equipment, such as HEPA vacuums for cleaning the work area and removing mold and mold spore. Workers operating HEPA vacuums must be specially trained for using them and must also wear PPE, including protective respiratory masks, gloves and goggles. The work area will also require equipment for preparation, such as drop sheets and disposal bags, to name a few. Your contractor will also use antibacterial solutions for the cleaning process as well.
If your mold removal work also requires physically removing mold-infested surfaces, be it tiles in bathrooms, flooring and/or drywall, then construction costs – be it for removal and/or repairing the damage caused by mold – will also be added to the total cost of your mold removal project. Likewise, mold in pipes will require plumbing services to remove and/or replace the infected areas.
3. Labour
You will require skilled specialists in various areas – from mold removal to construction or plumbing – to properly complete the mold remediation task. Given the hazardous nature of the work, the mold removal experts must have undergone medical pre-screening, be equipped in appropriate PPE and tools (such as HEPA vacuums).
The total cost of the project will depend on how much work is required, especially in terms of preparing the worksite, removing the mold and repairing the area.
Preparation could involve sealing the contaminated area to prevent mold spores from entering into other areas (which can involve work on your HVAC system), removing furniture or other items and then sanitizing them of mold spores, and preparing the site for tearing or other construction work. Removing the mold infected areas could require removing your bathroom tiles, tearing down drywall and/or removing your plumbing. Cleaning requires applying antibacterial solutions to the surface while also using HEPA vacuums to remove remaining mold spores from the surface and air.
Certified contractors will ensure that your mold abatement project meets all federal and provincial regulations while also guaranteeing that you have a full of understanding of the risks, work and costs required to permanently remove mold from your property. Your next step is to contact an environmental contractor to get started on removing mold from your property.