The Costs of Black Mold Removal

Cleaning up a serious black mold problem might sound like an expensive ordeal. To be sure, many homeowners or business owners might be reluctant to bring in an experienced team of mold remediation professionals, because they fear the expense may be too great. But the cost of cleaning up mold is very little compared to the potential damage it can cause.

Here's a quick rundown on how the expenses associated with an unchecked mold problem can rack up.

Wood. Mold loves porous materials, and there's little more porous than wood. It can dig its way into all the nooks and crannies of wood, expanding cracks and eating away at beams and supports from the inside. Mold eats paneling, too. Given the expense of new wood and the work-hours needed to repair and install any new beams, it makes considerably more sense to attack a mold problem before it forces you to spend a lot of money replacing the vital components of your home's skeleton.

Carpet. Any mold strong enough to eat through wood and concrete is strong enough to eat through the carpeting and padding that covers it. The fortunate thing about carpeting is that it can serve as an early warning system; if you're finding black mold on a certain spot on your carpet, it might not be too late to address the problem before it reaches the concrete beneath.

Concrete. Less porous than wood, concrete is still an excellent home for mold. The pest doesn't actually eat concrete, but as it grows, it can seriously damage your home's foundation, as well as any other concrete support structures. Replacing concrete isn't cheap; "bad" concrete must be removed -- which is no simple task -- and new concrete mixed and laid in its place. Like wood replacement, this is substantially more expensive than removing or preventing black mold before it starts.

Drywall. Because basements tend to be more vulnerable to the kinds of forces that create leaks and moisture, drywall in a finished basement is particularly susceptible to mold. And any drywall that you lose to a mold infestation can't be saved; it's got to be replaced, usually at great expense.

Health. You can't put a price on good health. And your health -- and the health of your family and pets -- is worth much more than the cost of any mold removal efforts. Mold can have serious deleterious effects on your health, ranging from severe headaches and allergic reactions to respiratory problems with symptoms such as coughing up blood. The cost of mold removal is far less oppressive, in the long run, than any costs and heartbreak associated with black mold illnesses.