How can you tell if you have a mold problem?
Mold can be present without the appearance of visible mold. It requires moisture to survive, so it is often found in areas with water damage or excessive humidity. Musty odors are an indication of a mold problem. If you think that you might have a hidden mold problem, you can hire a professional for testing and sampling.

How do I get rid of mold?
When removing mold some mold spores will still be found floating through the air and in house dust. The mold spores will not grow if moisture is not present. Indoor mold growth can and should be prevented or controlled by controlling moisture indoors. If there is mold growth in your home, you must cleanup the mold and fix the water problem. If you remediate the mold infestation but don't fix the water problem, the mold problem may return.

Is mold in my crawl space affecting my home?
Mold growth in the crawl space is less likely to affect the interior of the home than mold growing inside the living area of your home. However, pressurization caused by airflow into and out of the vents, or through the introduction of air via the HVAC system could cause the transfer of mold into the home. The important thing in the crawl space is to correct the issues causing mold to grow.

Should I have testing done in my home?
According to the EPA ("Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings") mold sampling is not normally required. This is very different than what you hear from most mold remediation companies. The face of the matter is that if you can see it, you likely do not need to test it. There are times when testing is a reasonably good option. For example, if there is an odor present with no visible mold, it may be a good idea to have testing done.

Checklist when you're leaving your house vacant
-Thoroughly clean the home. This included scrubbing and drying constantly wet areas such as your sunk, toilet, and shower, to avoid mold growth.
-Stand up mattresses on end, to reduce amount of surface area that is touching the ground, thus reducing mold potential.
-Leave all appliances open at least a crack to further eliminate mold potential.
-Set thermostat for about 40 degrees in cold climates, keeping to home warm enough to avoid most related damages, while generally maintaining a low monthly heating bill.
-Turn off water at the street level, and turn on all faucets until the water is competely run off.

Steps to take immediately following a fire or flood
-Get your family some place safe and secure
-Turn off electricity. If you can't turn off electricity, make sure to never enter a room with stand water or wet surfaces.
-Do not re-enter the building until declared safe by by a qualified official
-When able to re-enter premises, secure and removal valuables such as jewelry, important documents (birth certificates, social security cards, insurance papers, etc.), and medications. However, LEAVE all food and cosmetics
-Secure building to prevent further damage/vandalism (board windows, etc.)

What not to do after a fire
-Take smoke or soot ridden articles of clothing to a regular dry cleaner. Many articles of clothing will be adversely affected by regular dry cleaning. Stains and odors can be set permanently if this is done. Instead, Cold Clean can apply our Ozone Room Treatment to your clothes and draperies to avoid this hassle.
-Attempt to clean your upholstery immediately. Trying to scrub out soot and ash can in imbed the stain further into the fabric. Instead, have Cold Clean properly clean these items.
-Don't assume that smoke damage hasn't affected other parts of your home besides the immediate area. Smoke can travel through vents throughout the house, and into your attic and crawlspaces, harming insulation. A trained Cold Clean technician can properly check all the spaces in your home, determining what has and hasn't been harmed.

Preventing water damage
Besides mold and mildew, water damage can cause some other damage throughout the house. There are some things you can do to minimize or even eliminate water damage from your home. Some places to check occasionally are:
-Under sinks
-Corners of bathtubs
-Hoses to ice makers in your refrigerator
-Water spots under the water heater
It's also important to remember that certain toilet products containing chlorine can lead to certain rubber parts to corrode, causing leaks. You should also maintain your roof and gutters, keeping them clear of twigs and leaves. Attention should be paid to that path of water once it exits the gutters. Notice where the water runs off once it exits the gutter, as even water that is dispersed away from the house may run back towards the foundation.
One other thing you can do to check for leaks is to completely stop water usage in your home for an hour. Check your meter before you stop using all water, wait and hour, and recheck your meter. You'll be able to tell if there's a leak simply be seeing if your water usage meter has increased in the past hour.

Preventing fire damage
Reducing fire threats can be done simply by taking care to carefully watch misuse of electrical outlets. A few things to watch for:
-Electric blankets, pillows, and heaters should be unplugged before going to sleep.
-Unplug appliances such as coffee pots, toasters, blenders, laptop chargers, phone chargers, and other electrical components not in use
-Keep fireplaces and chimneys clean and well ventilated
-Pay attention to electrical items in bathrooms, making sure they're as far from water as possible
-Maintain and clean your stove and oven tops