Pest control companies were actually the first mold remediation companies in the United States, way back before it was a stand-alone industry. Black Diamond has kept on the cutting edge of this industry, utilizing state of the art equipment and employing the most modern containment and cleaning methods. We’re here to ensure your mold problem is effectively contained and resolved in accordance with industry standard guidelines, and our mold remediation team is made up of a select group of estimators, management, and technicians that are solely dedicated to this specialty within our company.

Black Diamond is certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification ( IICRC ) as a certified firm for mold remediation, water damage restoration, and structural drying. The IICRC is one of the most widely recognized international certification organizations in the industry. We have certified personnel, with years of experience in mold remediation, who are able to assist you in getting your home or business back to normal. Certified technicians are required to meet continuing education requirements to maintain their certifications; and certified firms are required to provide ongoing training for personnel. Using a certified firm ensures you that you are receiving quality workmanship conforming with the most up to date industry accepted standard guidelines.

Testing is likely unnecessary in most situations as the health effect in humans most commonly associated with mold is allergies. This is according to the EPA publication, A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home, as well as published recommendations from the American Industrial Hygiene Association ( AIHA.org ) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. The better, and more practical course of action, is to have a thorough visual inspection of the structure for visible suspected mold/fungi growth and moisture issues.

Many so-called quick mold removal methods, such as fogging, ozone shock treatment, etc. are not effective because they do not take steps to remove the mold. According to industry accepted guidelines the mold should be removed, not simply killed. Black Diamond’s remediation process is based on the guidelines found in the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification publication S520 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation, so you can rest assured it will always include measures to effectively remove the mold from the structure.

While Sodium Hypochlorite (the active ingredient in household bleach) has been shown to be an effective broad spectrum anti-microbial, it has virtually no cleaning properties. Therefore, it may kill the mold (although it is unlikely to completely eradicate it), but the mold is still there. Killing the mold this way may cause it to release much larger amounts of microbial volatile organic compounds (mVOCs) in a shorter time (due to cell damage and the dying process) than it would have released had it been left alone. Dead mold will also become desiccated (dried out) making it become more easily airborne and therefore more likely to be inhaled by occupants. So, killing the mold and leaving it in place is not an acceptable remediation practice.

Industry guidelines recommend that if you suspect the mold is behind a wall or in multiple layers of construction materials, it is not advised that you remove these materials for investigation without proper containment in place. Removal and inspection in such a case would be best handled by a certified mold inspector or remediation professional.

Removal of affected materials without containment in place may inadvertently disperse microscopic contaminants across a wide area of the structure. This could increase the cost of remediation exponentially.