Our Blog
Water Damage Restoration
Water damage restoration is the process of cleaning, drying, repairing, and restoring a property that has been affected by water damage. Water damage can result from a variety of sources, such as flooding, broken pipes, leaks, and sewage backups, and it can lead to...
Mold Remediation
Mold remediation is the process of removing mold growth and preventing its return to ensure a safe, healthy living or working environment. Mold thrives in damp or humid conditions, and if left unchecked, it can lead to health problems such as allergies, respiratory...
7 Things You Must Check Before Hiring a Mold Inspection Company in Westchester
When hiring a mold inspection company in Westchester, New York, it's important to conduct thorough research and ensure that the company you choose is qualified and reputable. Here are seven things you must check before hiring a mold inspection company in Westchester:...
The Science of Spores: Understanding Mold Growth and Health Implications
Spores are microscopic reproductive structures produced by certain fungi, including molds. They are small, lightweight, and easily dispersed in the air, making them capable of widespread distribution. Understanding the science of spores is important when it comes to...
How to Test for Mold in Your House or Building in 5 Steps – Certified Inspections
When somebody suspects that they may have a mold problem in their home or building, they call in a mold specialist, which is a mold assessor or mold inspector. But very few people actually know just how the mold specialist tests for mold. There is no magic gadget for...
Trusted Mold Testing Service in Westchester County
Westchester County is an affluent, primarily residential area that is located just north of New York City and borders on the Bronx. It is the southernmost part of the lower Hudson Valley. A large portion of the population of Westchester commutes to New York City...
Westchester Mold Testing Report
How to Fix a Mold Problem We at Certified Inspections are often asked what actions are needed if dangerous mold is found after we perform mold testing, also known as a mold assessment. The action is not a “one size fits all” one, but rather a custom made one that is...
How to Clean Mold ?
People often ask me how to get rid of mold or how to clean it. The most common question I get is “can’t I just spray bleach on it?” Sure, if you want to have a continuing problem that will end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars more. Bleach only kills surface...
Does Climate Change Cause Mold?
Climate Change For many years it has been a verifiable truth that our climate is changing and the primary cause is manmade via greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The impact has been articulated in droughts and wildfires in the west, excessive rain in the east,...
10 Electrical Safety Tips Homeowners should know
1. Examine your electrical panel and look for a date when it was last inspected. If it’s been more than ten years, it is recommended that you get a new inspection. 2. Unplug all heat-producing appliances like toasters, irons, hair dryers and heaters when you...
How to Get Rid of Black Mold
What is Black Mold? First of all, most people are not aware that the term “black mold” is actually a misnomer. Mold can come in a large array of colors including black, white, gray, green, blue, yellow, rust, brown and even clear! The most dangerous mold is the...
Is Mold Testing and Remediation Covered by Homeowners’ Insurance?
One of the most frequently asked questions I receive as a mold assessor is whether my fees for the mold inspection and potential fees charged by a remediation contractor are covered by homeowner’s insurance. Let’s face it, mold remediation is usually very expensive...
How Do The Seasons Affect Mold Problems in New York?
Concerned clients often ask me how different times of the year have an effect on mold. I would like to briefly address this question in this article. Mold is a living fungus that grows. It originates outside in nature and its role in nature is to break down organic...
Mold Issues in Rental Properties: Landlords & Tenants – Who is Responsible?
One of the most frequent calls I receive as a licensed mold assessor in the New York Metro Area, is from either a landlord or a tenant in an apartment. My first inclination is to be polite but spend as little time with them as possible on the phone, because rarely...
How to Remove Mold Safely – Mold Remediation
It is a well known fact that mold can make you sick – very sick. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, headaches, flulike symptoms, rashes, coughing, disorientation, asthma, emphysema, memory loss and cancer. You may see spots on your basement wall or your attic...
COVID-19 affects different people in different ways. Infected people have had a wide range of symptoms reported – from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19: Fever or...
Wet Basements and Crawlspaces: A Primer
It is not uncommon to hear from homeowners that they have a musty smell, dampness and evidence of water damage that are all signs of a wet basement or crawlspace. About 65% of all houses suffer from some form of basement or crawlspace wetness. Block foundations are...
Although Covid-19 Coronavirus and mold are completely unrelated things structurally, they bear a significant similarity in their effect and prevention in humans. What is The Difference Between Covid-19 and Mold? Covid-19 is a virus, which is different than a bacteria,...
Is My Water Safe to Drink?
As a home inspector in New York, I often get asked about the safety of drinking water in homes and office buildings. The answer can be a little bit tricky. First of all, there are two scenarios for water: municipal water and well water. A third, far rarer category...
New York City’s Mold Problems
New York City, comprising the boroughs of Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island is in many ways unique, in that it the most densely populated city in the country, and contains an inordinately large number of apartment buildings, condominiums and...
Mold in Attics – Why Should I Care and What to Do About It?
One of the most common calls I receive as a licensed mold assessor is concerning an individual who believes they have mold in their attic. This discovery can occur in several different ways. Sometimes it is found by a homeowner who happens to be getting a suitcase or...
Buried Oil Tank Testing
Any house that has a buried oil tank serving an existing or previously existing heating system can pose a major risk for the current homeowner or the prospective homeowner. The reason is that buried tanks can leak causing fuel oil to seep into the soil and groundwater...
Choosing the Right Home Inspector
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been called to test a person’s home for mold and found evidence of water infiltration in the basement, or mold in the attic, not to mention a number of other problems in the house ranging from a missing handrail on the stairs to...
Choosing the Right Mold Assessor (Mold Tester)
Choosing the right mold assessor can be confusing since the average consumer knows little about the fine points of mold, such as what causes it, how to detect it, how to get rid of it and how to keep it from coming back. There is a wide range of fees that different...
Home Inspector Credentials
What Certifications & Credentials Should Your Home Inspector Have? For the past decade or so, the state of New York has implemented a licensing requirement to perform residential or commercial building inspections. In order to obtain a license, one must not only...
Myths About Lead Paint
Lead paint poses a health risk in and around houses and the workplace. Lead was determined to cause a number of health problems such neurological, reproductive, digestive muscular, and was banned from gasoline and paint in the late 1970’s. It is especially dangerous...
How to Prevent Mold
Yesterday, I received a call from my niece who was concerned that she may have mold in her condo in California. Since I am in New York and was obviously not in a position to go over there, although a few days in the sunshine wouldn’t be such a bad thing, I asked her a...
Mold Problem in New York?
People often inquire as to whether there is a high risk of finding mold in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut. This is a valid concern given the fact that mold is a known health hazard. Although it affects many different people in different ways due to their...
Some Common Myths About Mold
Myth: You can identify mold by looking at it.Truth: The only way mold can be identified is by having a sample of it analyzed under a microscope in a lab. In an NBC Today Show exposé, undercover reporters in New Jersey rubbed mascara on a hallway wall and called in a...
