If you are looking for this article to specify what type of mold you have, stop reading and go to the bottom for my recommendation of a great company I worked with in San Diego. They're the experts, this is just a blog. This is going to cover a recent situation of ours and how our “mold fears'' were quickly subdued and why. Whenever mold is brought up we tend to think of poor air quality, hazardous living conditions, underlying issues and at the end, expensive repairs. After speaking with multiple mold specialists in the area they all echoed each other; this year, there is a large uptick in humidity mold and more than they’ve ever dealt with.
You never know the type of text or call you’ll receive from a tenant. Usually it is just, what I call, a quiet complaint, minor issues; another tenant didn’t take out their trash, funny smell from bathroom (happened to be the roommate lol), etc. But sometimes it can be something that needs to be remediated quickly. This week we received the latter of the texts, mold in the unit. We sent our handyman over right away to see if this was an underlying issue. None.
Mold Inspection San Diego
This sent me to Yelp, as we’re the first of our group of investors and property owners to have this, to look for recommendations. I called 5 mold inspection companies and no one answered right away. I was starting to think of testing my own mold remediation skills (currently at zero) that I gained from Google. White vinegar, spritz bottles, and a dehumidifier (which is actually recommended).
When I started to get calls back that afternoon I was a bit suspicious by inspections that cost $350-$400 to classify the mold (even though they all expected it to be a humidity mold, which is quite mild) and then they’d recommend a company to come and treat it. Then I finally got in touch with Moe at Mold Safe Solutions. He was one of my last call backs but after the conversation I didn’t hold it against him that it took most of the day to call back. He’s busy, which is a good thing, but was still able to book an appointment the next afternoon.
Moe tests for free and recommends from there. It’s a safe practice seeing as I have to get rid of the mold and everyone else has a 2 step process. The solution is easy, clean the affected areas and spray (mist?) food grade fog to kill the spores. Since the issue wasn’t extreme he gave recommendations for a dehumidifier and air purifier instead of piling on potentially unneeded fees and services. The unit is in the shade most of the time, has concrete walls next to the area that grades water for the complex, and has wood ceilings. A recipe for mold, he stated, in San Diego this winter even for tenants as clean as ours. He even went beyond and commented on the aspects of the apartment he inspected and his opinion of their current state which was appreciated.
All said, don’t be afraid of a text from a tenant this winter with a mold issue. It is hopefully just from the extra humidity, daily heat, and a shaded unit. I highly recommend Moe and SD Mold Solutions for making this a quick and painless process. You can go directly to their Yelp page HERE.