Are you already planning for hurricane season? If so, you should probably plan for mold growth. We know all too well that time of year. The sickly, hot summer skies turn dark grey, and cool ocean winds whip through the air at deathly speeds. Water from above (and sometimes a palm tree) rains down on homes across the Florida coast.

Our job may be to remediate mold and banish its toxic presence from your home or place of business. But that doesn’t mean we’re total sticks in the mud when it comes to the fun side of toxic mold! We are big believers in the silver lining, the rainbow after the storm, the glass-half-full perspective, all of that positive mumbo-jumbo. So who’s to say that the same cheery philosophy cannot apply to the mold we seek so fervently to eradicate?

Let us start by saying this – it’s okay. We’ve all been there. We get comfortable with things we shouldn’t be comfortable with. We allow toxicity to run rampant because, well, it would just take so much effort to actually work on it. Let’s face it – we accept the home we think we deserve. We at TCB EnviroCorp are here to tell you, definitively, that YOU DESERVE BETTER!

The symptoms of toxic mold exposure can range from a slight annoyance, to dangerous and potentially life-threatening. Some of these symptoms – like damage to the respiratory system – are extremely difficult to reverse, even after mold is removed from the immediate surroundings.

Mold is a topic many people feel they know a lot about, even if they haven’t studied it extensively. They think of mold and picture green fuzzy stuff on cheese that’s been in the fridge for too long. Or the grey blotches that appear on bread that’s been sitting on the top of the shelf. Maybe they feel that, because they can’t see any mold in their home, there’s no way it can be there, or that it only becomes a problem when you can physically see mold growing up and down your walls.

The legal boundaries of a tenant-landlord relationship are regulated on a state level, which means if you are living in Wisconsin, The Virgin Island, or on the International Space Station (can mold grow in space?) this article is, unfortunately, not for you. But for those of you living in the Sunshine State, you know as well as I do that the nickname does not account for the amount of moisture in the air, and the level of rainfall Florida can experience year-round. Hurricane season is always an up-and-coming affair, and for those living in a rented space, it can be tricky to navigate repairs with your landlord – things like water damage, leaks, and possible mold.

There are many obvious places you might expect to find mold in your home: the walls near outdoor sliding glass doors, where water damage often occurs; ceilings, where leaks seep into the materials and fester; or near windows, where moisture levels are high as can be. Anywhere there is moisture – especially in places that don’t see the light – mold has an increased chance of growing and thriving.

If there is one thing we all can relate to, it is our significant other telling us not to call (insert specialist here), because they can fix if for cheaper. However as experience has shown, this is often not the case. A simple plumbing issue can turn into a busted pipe – or in the case of mold, the spores can go from contained to spread so far throughout the home that you have to throw away everything you own.

WHY FLORIDIAN HOMES SHOULD BE TESTED FOR MOLD TODAY The holiday season is one of our favorites, but with all the Falala’ing to be done, and Christmas carols to be sung, it is easy to push important things to the back of our minds. One of these things is the safety of our homes.

AN INTERVIEW WITH MARK MONGON, VICE-PRESIDENT OF TCB ENVIROCORP SENIOR FIELD OPERATOR AND SENIOR SCIENTIST WHEN DID YOU START TCB ENVIRO CORP, AND WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INTO THE BUSINESS OF MOLD REMEDIATION? My wife and I started TCB Envirocorp in 2009. I had been involved in remediation in Boston on “The Big Dig” and in New York. When the state of Florida enacted licensing and regulations for mold remediation and removal, we felt called to make the move to the Sunshine State.