Envirotex Blog

When Asbestos Testing for Homes in Ashburn, VA is Necessary

Asbestos, if disturbed, lets off microscopic fibers into the air, which can enter the mouth, esophagus, and lungs and presents dangerous and fatal outcomes. This is why asbestos testing may be necessary for homes in Ashburn, VA.

Asbestos is present in most older homes in Ashburn, VA, and can even be found in some newer construction of houses. The only sure way to know if your Ashburn, VA home has any asbestos–containing materials is through proper asbestos testing by professionals such as the Envirotex Environmental Services team. Asbestos testing is a necessary process to protect you and your family members.

Some of these materials may include:

Drywall
Vinyl floor tiles
Pipeline wraps
Plaster
Popcorn ceilings and textured paints
Roof coatings
Siding
Shingles

Even though home test kits are available at your local Ashburn, VA Home Depot or Lowes, If you suspect any asbestos–related materials in your home, you should call a specialist. The EPA does not recommend using these home kits because asbestos testing done by homeowners may expose them and their families to toxic airborne particles.

Asbestos testing by a professional environmental company will involve inspecting high–risk areas, sampling, sending samplings to an outside lab, and reporting back to the homeowner the results from those samples collected.

If asbestos is determined, a remediation plan will be mapped out for you. Sometimes you may have asbestos–related materials that are in great shape and, if left alone, will not cause anyone any harm. However, if you have asbestos–containing products in your home that are damaged, frayed, or broken, or if you plan on renovating and these products need to be torn out, this poses a health risk for your family members living inside your Ashburn, VA home.

When buying an older home, you may consider having asbestos testing before signing on the dotted line. Then you can negotiate who will pay to remove the asbestos and make the necessary repairs to put the house back in its original state with safer products. If a seller is aware of any asbestos–containing materials in the home in Ashburn, VA, they must inform the buyer. Still, if they aren’t aware of any asbestos, they are not responsible for asbestos testing; that would be up to the buyer.

If you have any questions about your home in Ashburn, VA, or are in the process of buying an older home, contact Envirotex, and they will be happy to answer any questions you may have about asbestos testing.

Why Asbestos Removal in Arlington, VA Homes Should be Left to Professionals

Asbestos is labeled as potent carcinogens by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), National Toxicology Program (NTP), and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR). Therefore asbestos removal from homes in Arlington, VA should be taken very seriously and only done by professionals such as Envirotex Environmental Services.

Although encapsulation, where asbestos–containing materials are left in place and encapsulated to reduce the chances of asbestos fibers leaking into the air, it is not a long–term solution. Asbestos removal is the only long–term solution and should be undertaken by experienced professionals. Any attempt by someone other than a professional could result in dangerous contamination to the area where asbestos removal is undergoing inside your home in Arlington, VA. Asbestos exposure could pose serious health risks for those attempting asbestos removal who are not licensed or experienced.

During any asbestos removal in Arlington, VA, you and your family members will be asked to leave until the removal is complete.

Asbestos removal professionals follow proper safety protocols and have the necessary tools and materials to safely remove and properly dispose of any asbestos found in your Arlington, VA home. They wear proper clothing, including respirators, non–breathable coveralls, rubber gloves, and boots. These professionals are up to date on the rules of proper asbestos removal to minimize the release of asbestos fibers in the air. They take all the necessary precautions to keep you and your family safe once you return to your home in Arlington, VA.

Asbestos removal should never be taken on by anyone other than those licensed and experienced in their field. Trying to save money by doing it yourself can cause dangerous health issues for you and your family. It may not be an overnight health issue; it may not hit until years later. Still, any asbestos fibers left inside your home where your family is breathing these fibers into their lungs can cause asbestos–related health conditions, some of which can be fatal.

Always hire a professional for any asbestos–related issues your home in Arlington, VA may be experiencing. It is much better to be safe than left with regrets later because you didn’t hire a professional environmental company such as Envirotex. Call them with any questions about your environmental issues in Arlington, VA. They will be glad to help you.

How Dangerous is Asbestos When Found in Homes in Arlington, VA?

Asbestos–containing materials are still present in homes in Arlington, VA. Many of these homes were built before the 1980s. Ceiling, flooring, and roofing tiles were commonly made with asbestos; even the adhesive used to lay the tiles can be a source of exposure. Anytime these materials are disturbed through tearing up to replace old flooring tiles, or if these tiles are damaged through wear and tear, they release toxic dust into the air and can cause havoc to one’s health over prolonged periods.

Homeowners with older homes in Arlington, VA need to be aware of the products used in the construction of their homes. If unsure, you should call an environmental specialist such as the team at Envirotex Environmental Services. Specialists know what to look for, whereas homeowners have no way of knowing what products inside their homes contain asbestos.

If your Arlington, VA home was built before 1980, be on the lookout for these products which may contain asbestos.

Tiles—Ceiling, flooring, and roofing tiles were commonly made with asbestos. The adhesive used in applying flooring tiles is another source of exposure.
Cement—Cement containing asbestos was used in building materials because the fibers provided strength without adding much to its weight. The fire–resistant and insulating properties made it ideal for adding to cement. When cement made with asbestos weathers, it can cause exposure to toxic fibers.
Textiles—Asbestos was used to produce clothes to resist heat and corrosive elements, which included blankets, firefighter clothes, and ropes.

Some older consumer products at your home in Arlington, VA may contain asbestos, including appliances, potholders, ashtray coasters, hair dryers, fake snow, makeup, talcum powder, and zonolite insulation.

Asbestos exposure over a period of time can be extremely dangerous. Asbestos–related diseases include—

Mesothelioma
Asbestosis
Pleural plaques
Pleural effusions
Pleuritis
Diffuse pleural thichening
COPD

If you have any concerns about being exposed to asbestos, especially if you have health issues, see your doctor as soon as possible.

If you have any questions about asbestos–related products that you are questionable about at your home in Arlington, VA, please call Envirotex Environmental Services, and they will be glad to steer you in the right direction to ease your mind.

Mold Inspections for Homeowners and Homebuyers in Haymarket, VA

Mold can be extremely harmful to one’s health when left undetected or untreated. To avoid the health issues that mold can cause, mold inspections and testings will help inform homeowners and buyers in Haymarket, VA, so that they can make the best decisions for their family’s safety.

If you are buying a home, usually, there will be a home inspection. The home inspector may notice moisture buildup or other indicators of mold. At that point, a thorough mold inspection should be done to locate all mold growth at the home in Haymarket, VA.

If you currently own your own home and have any signs of mold growth, mold inspections will locate any further mold you may have that is not visible. Anytime you have water damage, such as a leaky roof or a broken pipe, you could experience mold. Regularly inspecting your roof and plumbing can help prevent mold growth within your Haymarket, VA, home.

Are Mold Inspections Significant?

Certain types of mold can harm your family’s health. For this reason, yes, mold inspections are significant. Frequently you may smell a musty odor but see nothing. Professionals who do mold inspections, such as the team at Envirotex Environmental Services, have the proper equipment to determine mold that you may not be able to see because it could be hidden behind walls and underneath flooring.

Mold inspections may consist of air testing to determine whether you might have hidden mold in your Haymarket, VA, home. Mold spores can float around in the air within your home until they find an area prone to growth. Mold growth usually develops in dark, moist places and will spread throughout homes in Haymarket, VA. A damp surface is all it takes for mold spores to grab and grow. Attics and basements are prone to mold growth, so checking for moisture often is necessary to deter mold growth.

Mold should be removed professionally from your Haymarket, VA home. The moisture source causing the mold needs to be fixed as well, or you will never be able to permanently get rid of any mold growth you have in your home.

Gainesville, VA Homeowners Want to Know, ‘Who Does Black Mold Removal?’

Black mold is toxic and can be harmful to Gainesville, VA homeowners and their families. Many health issues can develop from living in a Gainesville, VA home with mold growth. Black mold can gradually destroy whatever it is growing on, such as furniture, carpet, drywall, grout, and wood. An out–of–control mold problem can be extremely nasty to get rid of. Black mold removal is a must when you first see any signs of mold inside your house in Gainesville, VA.

So you might ask yourself, “Who should do the black mold removal from your Gainesville, VA home?” It all depends. There are some factors you need to consider before making up your mind; rather you want to do black mold removal or bring in the professionals who do this daily for a living.

Consider the size of the mold infestation area. If the moldy area is less than ten square feet which is roughly a three feet by three feet area, you should be able to handle the job of black mold removal yourself as long as you follow specific guidelines, including—

Respirators. To avoid breathing in mold spores and limit your exposure to airborne mold during the black mold removal process, please wear an N–95 respirators available at your local Gainesville, VA hardware store, or you can order them online. For it to be effective, the respirator must fit properly, so follow the instructions carefully.
Gloves. Wear long gloves which extend to the middle of your forearm during the black mold removal. When using a disinfectant, select a biocide such as chlorine bleach or a strong cleaning solution, and select gloves made of natural rubber, nitrile, neoprene, polyurethane, or PVC. If you are using a mild detergent, household rubber gloves can be used. Avoid touching the mold items with your hands.
Goggles. To avoid getting mold in your eyes during the black mold removal process at your home in Gainesville, VA, please wear goggles that do not have ventilation holes.

Black mold removal isn’t for everyone. More often than not, black mold may not be where you can see it, so to ensure your and your family’s safety, you might want to consider hiring professionals such as the team at Envirotex Environmental Services.

Should Woodbridge, VA Homeowners Be Worried About Asbestos Shingles?

One of the biggest threats to homeowners back in the day was for their house to go up in flames from a tiny spark. Roofing asbestos shingles made of hydraulic cement and asbestos were the standard for many years, giving homeowners the promise of a near fireproof roof with a 30–year lifespan. Because of its sturdy and fireproof capability, asbestos shingles soared in popularity in the early 1900s until health risks associated with asbestos materials became widely popularized and led to the nationwide banning in 1989.

Asbestos shingles aren’t easily detected by a visual marker, although there are a couple of ways to gauge whether you may have asbestos shingles on your home in Woodbridge, VA. The age of your home might be the best way to figure out if you have asbestos shingles. If your Woodbridge, VA home was built between the 1920s and 1986, there is a possibility that you may have asbestos shingles because they were a popular building material at the time.

The kind of shingles you have on your Woodbridge, VA home could also indicate if asbestos is present. Asbestos was commonly used with asphalt shingles and also mixed in cement shingles. Asbestos–cement shingles were more widely used on barns, older sheds, and low–income housing.

To know for sure whether your older home in Woodbridge, VA contains asbestos shingles, call the team at Envirotex for an asbestos inspection. Asbestos–containing materials are dangerous to the health of you and your family members. Only a trained professional will be able to tell whether your Woodbridge, VA home has asbestos shingles, siding, or other related asbestos–containing products in or outside your home.

Homeowners in Woodbridge, VA who live in older homes often times will want to make upgrades. Any renovations may present harmful situations to your family members if you do not know exactly what the materials you may be tearing out, sawing, drilling, or nailing into consist of. Before beginning any DIY or remodeling work at your older home in Woodbridge, VA, please consult environmental specialists such as the team at Envirotex Environmental Services.

Is Asbestos Siding Hanging on the Side of your Gainesville, VA Home?

Asbestos was used in home building materials and discontinued in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Are you wondering if asbestos siding is hanging on the side of your home in Gainesville, VA?

That would all depend on the age of your Gainesville, VA home. If your home is up to 100 years old or was built before the 1970s or 1980s, it could be covered in asbestos siding. The odds are extremely high if you still have the original siding on your Gainesville, VA home, and the siding seems to be made of cement.

Not all manufacturers added this material to siding, so even if your Gainesville, VA house was built before the 1970s or early 1980s, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have this harmful asbestos siding hanging on the side of your home. The only sure way to tell is to have an asbestos inspection.

However, if you do have asbestos siding and it is still in good condition with no signs of wear or tear, you should be safe. Just remember, as your house ages, the possibility of the asbestos siding degrading with time should be a concern so much that you may want to go ahead and take action now to correct it before it starts to chip or break off. Once this starts happening, the asbestos particles circulate into the air and may be inhaled by family members, which can cause dangerous health issues.

Although asbestos siding in good condition may not pose a threat, it may still have a negative impact on your home in Gainesville, VA. Most people consider asbestos siding very unattractive.

If you ever decide to sell your home, it could drastically reduce the resale value of your property in Gainesville, VA. Also, if some of the asbestos siding begins to wear down, it would be challenging to find siding to match beings asbestos siding is no longer manufactured.

Asbestos siding is something Gainesville, VA homeowners should be concerned about if they live in an older home. If you have any concerns about the siding on your home, call the experts at Envirotex and have them come out and inspect your home for any asbestos-containing materials to be on the safe side. More than likely, if you have asbestos siding on the outside, there may be asbestos-containing materials on the inside that should be inspected as well.

The Dangers of Asbestos Flooring in Arlington, VA

It would all depend on the year your home was built as to whether you may have asbestos flooring inside your home in Arlington, VA. Asbestos fibers released into the air are extremely dangerous to anyone who breaths in these fibers.

Manufacturers used asbestos in vinyl products, including vinyl asbestos floor tiles, vinyl sheet flooring, and vinyl wallpaper. These products were used in homes prior to 1980.

Some of the companies which produced asbestos flooring and wallpaper include Congoleum, National Gypsum Company, Sears and Roebuck, Kentile Floors, Armstrong World Industries, The Flintkote Company, Goodyear, American Biltrite, and GAF Corporation. Many of these products are most likely still in many homes in Arlington, VA.

Although vinyl materials are no longer produced with asbestos in the United States, some homeowners in Arlington, VA are still at risk of exposure if their vinyl products have some age on them.

What does this mean for the homeowner? If you have asbestos flooring and it is not damaged, you should be fine. But if you ever decide to tear the asbestos flooring up, you need to call in professionals such as Envirotex Environmental Services.

This is not a do–it–yourself project for the Arlington, VA homeowner. You put yourself at risk and that of other family members. Removing asbestos flooring or other asbestos–containing materials from your home in Arlington, VA should be left up to an asbestos removal technician.

Arlington, VA homeowners with asbestos flooring who cut, sand, or disturb the flooring make them friable and releases asbestos fibers. Inhaling or swallowing these fibers regularly over a long period can cause several illnesses, including Mesothelioma, lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, Asbestosis, and ovarian cancer.

Vinyl sheet asbestos flooring causes a significantly greater risk of asbestos exposure than floor tiles or wallpaper because it comes in larger pieces and most likely will be cut to the size of the room to be laid in one piece. The fibers are more easily released into the air with their friable asbestos backing when the vinyl sheet asbestos flooring is disturbed or damaged.

If you have any questions about asbestos–containing materials at your home in Arlington, VA, please give Envirotex a call, and they will be happy to help.

All About an Asbestos Inspection in Warrenton, VA

Many building products and insulation materials used in homes contained asbestos until the 1970s. If you have an older home in Warrenton, VA, you should have an asbestos inspection by a professional such as Envirotex Environmental Services before remodeling.

Products that could contain asbestos are:

Boilers and furnace ducts insulated with asbestos paper tape or an asbestos blanket. If damaged, repaired, or improperly removed, these materials may release asbestos fibers;
Floor tiles and the adhesive used in the installation, and the backing on vinyl sheet flooring. Scraping or sanding during removal can release asbestos fibers;
Joint compounds and patching for walls and ceilings and textured paints. Scraping, sanding, or drilling any of these surfaces may release asbestos fibers;
Door gaskets in furnaces, wood, or coal stoves. Seals that are worn can release asbestos fibers during use;
Roofing and siding shingles.

A professional who does an asbestos inspection will know what to look for and where to look in your Warrenton, VA home. During an asbestos inspection, the inspector will take samples of any suspected materials, assess the condition of the materials, and advise the Warrenton, VA homeowner on how to correct any asbestos found in the home properly.

Once the asbestos inspection is complete and a plan is mapped out for any removal of asbestos materials, you will need to move your family to other living quarters until the asbestos removal is complete at your home in Warrenton, VA.

Asbestos fibers are harmful to your health when released into the air. It is imperative that you have an asbestos inspection if you have any suspensions of asbestos materials at your Warrenton, VA home. Asbestos-containing materials which are not damaged in any way and are in good shape are not harmful.

However, suppose down the road, you decide you want to remodel areas of your Warrenton, VA home which may possibly contain asbestos. In that case, it is best to go ahead and have an asbestos inspection by a professional such as Envirotex so you know ahead of time what you will need to do before you do any remodeling.

Call the team at Envirotex for all your environmental questions.

What Homeowners Can Expect During Mold Inspection Fairfax, VA

Mold is a fungus that thrives in moist places and reproduces airborne spores. In addition to causing major health issues, mold can also damage your home. Until you understand what mold is and how dangerous it is to one’s health, you won’t know why a mold inspection is essential for Fairfax, VA homeowners.

Homeowners in Fairfax, VA should be aware of any visual mold growth. What you see may not be all that is growing inside your home. That is where a mold inspection for homes in Fairfax, VA comes into play. Without a professional mold inspection, your home is not guaranteed . . . MOLD FREE.

When the mold inspector comes to your Fairfax, VA home, the inspector would first question you about where you see mold or suspect mold. You might not see any mold, but you’re suspicious because you have noticed a moldy smell. If that is the case, this will be the first place that your mold inspection will start. With today’s technology, mold inspections now consist of the technician using infrared imaging to find areas that contain moisture beneath the surface that allows mold growth.

If you want to determine if the mold growing in your Fairfax, VA house is toxic and dangerous to your health, other testing can be done to identify the mold. Some of these procedures are as follows—

Surface–Sampling Testing

After the visual inspection, one of these methods or all may be performed.

Bulk sampling takes part of a sampled area and is sent to a special third–party laboratory for analysis.
Swab sampling uses a swab, like cotton wool, rubbed across certain surfaces for testing.
Tape may be used to remove mold from a surface and then sent off for testing.

Another method used during your mold inspection in Fairfax, VA might be air–sampling.

Air Sampling Testing

A certain amount of air is pulled through a plastic container. This material sticks to a glass slide enclosed inside the container. The samples are sent for testing at an independent lab.

The inspector should explain the results of the tests to you. The source of the mold should also be presented to you so that you can remedy the situation so that the mold won’t come back in the future. Any mold removal will only be a temporary fix without fixing the moisture source.

For all of your mold concerns, don’t hesitate to contact the team at Envirotex. They will be glad to answer any of your questions and handle your mold inspection for your Fairfax, VA home.