Respirators for Mold Remediation Jobs

Finding mold in your home is rarely a pleasant experience and what is even less pleasant is having to check your pocketbook to see if you can really afford to have the problem dealt with by a professional. Not everyone has this luxury, but if you know what kind of equipment that you need to take care of the problem on your own and follow a few basic rules, you should be able to take care of most infections on your own. Perhaps the most important piece of equipment that you can buy is a respirator and depending on the size of the infection, you may need one of at least three different kinds.

The first and lowest level of protection from mold spores getting into your respiratory system is an N-95 respirator. Aside from not using a respirator at all, this is the lowest level of protection and it is by far the most affordable. This will cover your nose and mouth and will effectively remove about 95 percent of mold spores and other air particles from the air that you breathe through it. Unfortunately, this type of respirator will not protect your eyes and mold spores can enter the body through the eyes, as well as the respiratory system. Eye infections are not uncommon.

The next step in protection that you might want to look at if you are dealing with a larger infection in your home is an air purifying respirator. These respirators come equipped with HEPA filters and will filter out about 99 percent of the particles in the air that you breathe through it. These kinds of respirators will also not effectively protect your eyes, but they do come in both half-face and full-face types. Fortunately, this type of APR does not require any training in order to use it, however, the next level of protection does require some training. You also need to be certain that both this kind of APR and the next kind are approved by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health before purchasing them.

The best kind of protection (but the most expensive) is a powered APR. These come with HEPA filters, as well, but they also require a power source and training in order to use them properly. There are also guidelines written by OSHA that must be followed. These cannot be used in a commercial business or setting unless OSHA regulations are followed.



Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
Dallas Residential Water Damage Restoration Contractors. (1)