Excess Moisture and Mold Damage Go Hand in Hand in Tallahassee Colleges and Universities

9/25/2023 (Permalink)

SERVPRO uses boxes to protect items during mold remediation process.

Excess Moisture and Mold Damage Go Hand in Hand in Tallahassee Colleges and Universities 

Tallahassee is a post-secondary education center, with thousands of students spread out among several campuses. A percentage of students choose to live in dormitories, sharing some facilities like laundry rooms, bathrooms. Even those students who live in apartments or other residential settings still enjoy campus amenities like rec and health centers, pools, and gyms. A common theme in all of these communal spaces is water. 

Delayed Cleanup and Maintenance Facilitates Mold Growth 

Undergrads are busy with studies and social lives, many savoring their first time living away from home in Tallahassee. Mold damage can get out of hand when housekeeping tasks are far down the to-do list. Dorm rooms can incubate molds in piles of damp laundry, kitchenettes can harbor mold when leaks are ignored, and study and party rooms offer moisture “hot spots” when beverages are knocked over and left unattended. 

Conventional Cleaning Methods Can Fail for Mold Remediation 

When your housekeeping staff finds mold damage in buildings on campus, they may unwittingly contribute to its spread. Mold spores are incredibly tiny and opportunistic, needing only oxygen and a small bit of moisture to swell and grow. The organism sends out hyphae as it grows, branching filaments that can delve deep into porous materials like drywall, ceiling tiles, wood, and even cracked and poorly sealed grout lines. Often the answer to visible mold is to use a diluted bleach solution sprayed on the surface. This treatment might fade a mold or mildew stain, but it cannot follow the wide-ranging hyphae that move far from the surface. As the water-heavy solution soaks structural components, it provides an additional source of moisture for mold, creating a rebound in the outbreak. SERVPRO manages the situation differently. 

Call in the Mold Remediation Experts     

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocols for mold remediation are SERVPRO’s blueprint. They include: 

• Containment of the mold-infested area--traditional cleaning methods skip this step, permitting spores to travel 
• Removal by scraping, brushing, and abrasive methods like soda blasting to rid the area of colonies and incapacitate the hyphae thoroughly
• Cleaning of disturbed and settled spores and other debris with vacuums and wipe-downs with EPA-registered products
• Drying of the space and elimination of the moisture source to limit future outbreaks 

SERVPRO of Central Tallahassee has a reliable protocol and experience in mold remediation applicable in commercial settings. Call us at (850) 765-5706 to schedule a walkthrough and evaluation of mold damage in student living and recreating quarters today.