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It’s springtime, and you’re enjoying the beautiful flowers and the wonderful weather. You’re probably not even thinking about mold. However, this is the best time for mold to grow, especially in your attic! It is more active and grows more rapidly, especially in dark and humid places. Therefore, mold in your attic is worse typically then other places around the home especially when temperatures start rising.  So how can we stop this spread? Well, we are about to find out! How Serious Can Attic Mold Actually Be? A lot of people assume because the attic is away from them, they aren’t susceptible to the dangers of the mold. That is actually NOT true! While the mold grows it’s releasing mold spores into the air. This is dangerous because it will flow into the whole entire house, even to include your crawlspace! This can be extremely dangerous as mold can cause respiratory and other dangerous health issues.  The scary thing is, not just humans can be affected by mold, your animals are susceptible too. If the problem isn’t taken care of quickly, you can develop bronchitis or asthma because of the mold.  So, What Can I Do to Prevent Attic Mold? Luckily, there are simple ways to prevent attic mold from becoming a problem in your home. The first and easiest solution, is to perform a visual inspection every few months. It’s especially important to do this after heavy rainfall or snow. While doing this make sure you’re wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) such as, a mask and then proper clothing and shoes.  While performing your inspection, you want to be looking for any signs of leakage, whether it be from the roof, looking for any kind of dark spots. Another place mold likes to grow is on top of the insulation and inside insulated materials. If there is any mold, you’ll notice signs of discoloration.  In addition, you want to make sure you’re checking every vent in your attic to make sure there isn’t any airflow obstructions. Lastly, if your home doesn’t have one, we highly suggest installing a high-powered vent in the roof that could potentially take care of any mold problems.  It’s very important to take care of moisture and humidity levels, especially in bathrooms. As soon as we spot any type of leakage anywhere in the home, it’s crucial to handle this immediately. Once mold has taken over, there is no other option but to contact a professional to help. If you find that you do suspect a mold problem in your attic, or anywhere else in your home. There’s no need to worry. The professionals here at Everest Pro are here to help. Click here for your free estimate request today!

The new respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus was first detected in China and now has spread internationally. This has now caused a pandemic, which is a global outbreak of the disease. You can always find the most current and up to date information on the CDC website. Symptoms  The symptoms caused by the coronavirus are anywhere from mild to severe. According to the CDC the virus can survive on surfaces for up to 17 days and symptoms may appear to days to two weeks after exposure which may include: Fever Cough Shortness of breath  If you have any of these symptoms, please contact your medical provider right away. How Can One Minimize the Risk? This is a great question! Your risk is very easily minimized by practicing social distancing and keeping good hygiene practices.  Follow proper hand washing techniques and/or sanitize your hands frequently Avoid touching your face and cover your mouth when coughing and/or sneezing Disinfect frequently used areas; doorknobs, handrails, light switches, etc. In public avoid close contact such as handshaking and hugs. If you’re feeling sick or someone in the home is feeling sick, stay home. How Can Everest Pro Help? Everest Pro are professionals who are trained and prepared for this unique situation. We can help clean and disinfect your home according to the protocols set forth by the CDC. The CDC encourages cleaning of high-touch surfaces such as counters, tabletops, doorknobs, light switches, toilets, electronics and so forth.  The Corona virus can survive on surfaces for up to 17 days, and people don’t always show symptoms right away; this can at times take up to two weeks after being exposed to the virus, making it difficult to track and contain. Therefore, having a trained professional disease and biohazard remediation company come out and help is very important! Sources: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/summary.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fsummary.html https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/symptoms.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fcoronavirus%2F2019-ncov%2Fabout%2Fsymptoms.html  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/disinfecting-building-facility.html

What is asbestos? The word “asbestos” derives from the Greek language and means “indestructible or impervious”. Asbestos material is resistant to heat, which is why it was the preferred building material in many industries, from commercial buildings to automotive. This was before we learned of all the negative and nasty health effects. Asbestos is made up of a set of very strong, durable fibers that are not just resistant to heat, but also resistant to outside toxins and other chemicals. When mixed with other materials, asbestos can be strengthened. Due to this, the substance was widely used before 1980. For example, the material was used in residential buildings, ships and other water vehicles, automotive, and more.  Scientists after many decades began to understand the negative health risks that came along with the use of asbestos and with that it’s use was discontinued. Unfortunately, that was not before asbestos has the chance to affect many industries. One industry that was heavily affected by asbestos overuse was the mining industry. There were many diseases and aliments becoming known to be associated with asbestos use, including mesothelioma. After years of being exposed, many workers were developing the debilitating health issues and diseases.  Due to asbestos being the favored building material of many industries for decades, there is still traces of asbestos that remain in many older structures today. As a result, the asbestos removal industry has continued to boom even after the substance was banned in the 1980’s.  Some of the common places asbestos was used include, Insultation materials: HVAC insulation (sprayed-in and blown-in insulation)  Wearable and Textile products: Cotton blankets, protective cloth coverings, asbestos gloves, etc. Building materials: Ceramic tiles, drywall, roofing and siding materials, vinyl flooring, and more.  Asbestos has also been used in a wide variety of home appliances. This includes our beloved coffee pots and toasters. There are a lot of other appliances that you might be surprised to learn have traces of asbestos. For example, portable heaters, dishwashers, irons and even wood burning stoves! Also, believe it or not, but up until about 1980 traces of asbestos could be found in most handheld hair dryers. So, as you can see, even though asbestos was discontinued in the 1980’s, you can still find the material in a number of products that you have in your home. It’s not always old buildings that contain the largest amounts of asbestos either. It is not uncommon to find asbestos in the outdated appliances. In these appliances typically the material is most founded in the electrical cords. If you have older appliances that you believe may contain asbestos it is best to replace them. Trying to repair the suspected areas may result in disturbing the asbestos, which causes the toxins to be released into the air and resulting in an increased risk of contracting negative health effects.  It is best just to safe yourself the risk and just replace the product. If you suspect you have asbestos in your Northern Virginia home, you can contact us here at Everest Pro for a free estimate.

Lead exposure has been proven over the last few decades to be dangerous and can also have long term and irreversible side effects on developing children both mentally and physically. This is something that has been well known within the public, but now a new study has come to light that is shocking and now puts even more blame on the toxic metal. After many years of research, there is now a connection between lead exposure and Alzheimer’s Disease. This one study, has founded a direct connection between childhood lead exposure and Alzheimer’s disease. In the study, scientists gave monkeys a lead-rich formula as infants. Years later, it was discovered that these monkeys developed tangles of a key brain protein (tau), which is directly linked to Alzheimer’s disease. After the monkey’s that consumed the lead-filled formula were analyzed, researchers found they had three times more irregular tau protein in their frontal cortex than a normal monkey. This research suggests that early lead exposure reprogrammed the monkey’s DNA.  This is only one study showing the correlation, and there is no denying the relationship between lead exposure and dementia. Replicating this study, however, would be taxing as it took 23 years to reach these answers. Analyzing the relationship between human lead exposure and Alzheimer’s disease is also difficult, as the dementia effects could take up to a person is 70 years old to show. As research continues lead paint, and progresses, it becomes very clear that lead exposure is a greater issue then anyone could’ve imagined. Protecting our children and preventing this exposure is crucial, and could be one way of protecting their health in the future.  If you suspect you may have lead in your Northern Virginia home, contact Everest Pro now for a free estimate. 

Ick! Nobody wants to find out they have mold in their home. Learning as much as you can about it can help you prevent it from reaching your home. Here we will talk about some facts about mold to try and keep it from popping up in your Northern Virginia home! Mold Is everywhere! Yep! You read that correctly! Mold exists everywhere. It has an important role of helping organic matter decompose. There are also tiny mold spores everywhere, including right there inside your home. Many molds can be found to be harmless, but you find issues when the spores start growing in the moist areas of your home.  There are over a hundred thousand different types of mold This is only the known species; however, most often you find they exist outside of the home. The cool thing is, not all mold can make you sick. Some are actually good and can be found in medicine! However, the mold species that are typically found inside of your home can be harmful. The common ones founded inside a home can be, Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Stachybotrys, and Alternaria.  Mold can grow on many surfaces Mold loves moisture! Think about places in your home that are moisture prone areas… Bathroom or basement? Mold also loves dark places, behind walls, etc. Mold grows typically on a porous surface, and typically won’t be found on concrete. It also generally grows FAST, within 24-48 hours after a water damage. This is why it’s very important to handle those situations fast, but also properly.  Painting over mold doesn’t remove it Sorry! Unfortunately, the mold will eat right through your paint and you will see it again. Before you decide to paint, the mold must be completely removed, and then you can choose a mold-resistant type of paint.  Homeowners insurance and mold Most homeowner’s insurance policies only cover mold damage under certain circumstances. Say you have a sudden water damage, well, your mold remediation would be covered. However, you may find that your homeowners’ insurance won’t cover if they find out the mold was caused by neglected maintenance of the home.  Have mold or unsure if you have mold? Everest Pro is located in Northern Virginia. We are licensed and specially trained to help. Contact us today for a free estimate, or for any questions! We will guide you in the right direction! We are always happy to help!