Since the average homeowner is not familiar with mold or believes common "mold myths" like the misconception that bleach is the best way to deal with mold or that black molds are always toxic, dishonest businesses can prey on adjusters and homeowners when mold appears.  Owning a PuroClean franchise and being in the business of property damage remediation, I have seen people be duped by scam artists.

Take consideration the follwing behaviors to avoid getting scammed by remediation professionals:

• The use of scare tactics, and pushing for a quick decision. 
• Failure to provide complete information to property owners
• Failure to provide service options
• Biased information and responses
• Rejection of requests for proper testing
• Absence of professional uniform and other identification

It's unfortunate that certain 'mold experts' will take advantage of home owners for their own profit. They should be priding themselvs on providing homeowners with all of the information they need to make an educated decision about mold treatment and removal. By following these tips, and following your own instincts, property owners can avoid getting scammed when they call a company to evaluate mold appearance.

Mold can form anywhere there is a food source and moisture and, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), there is always a little mold everywhere -- so how do property owners know when mold becomes dangerous? Here are some tips to help area property owners identify how mold should be evaluated:

•  Before the mold is evaluated, the remediation professional should identify the water source, which is always the underlying cause of mold
• The property owner should be offered the opportunity to consult with a qualified Indoor Environmental Professional (IEP) who can help evaluate the situation and write a protocol for the remediation.
• It is impossible to determine the type of mold by simply looking at it. If someone wants to know the specific molds present then samples must be sent to a qualified laboratory for evaluation.
• The above standards allow the professional remediation company to deal with small areas of visible mold without the necessity of requiring an IEP. When the area of visible mold is large, then they do require an IEP to be involved in the process.
• At the end of every mold remediation, regardless of the size of the restoration, an air sample should be taken by a qualified mold testing company and sent to a laboratory for analysis to confirm the remediation was successful.

Good luck to all!  If you have any questions you can visit my website www.PuroCleanProServices.com