Lightspeed Restoration of Alexandria & Fairfax

After entering the attic and discovering a musty smell, this homeowner in the Edgewater neighborhood of Fairfax Station called Lightspeed Restoration for an inspection. Upon inspection, mold growth was suspected and the homeowner requested mold testing to be sure. The mold test confirmed mold growth on the sheathing and rafters in one attic area of the roof, though fortunately not in the whole space. We provided a clear and detailed proposal for the remediation we suggested, and the project was scheduled quickly. Once the mold remediation was completed, the odor was gone.

A bathroom sink leaking isn’t usually a major water damage situation, but in the case of this customer, the leak was strong enough to push back through the wall behind it and saturate the hardwood floor in the room beyond. When hardwood floors soak up water, the end result could be buckling and warping which is expensive to repair. Luckily, this customer called Lightspeed Restoration’s emergency water damage response team! Responding immediately and working into the night, we were able to use our equipment and skill to thoroughly dry the walls and flooring, using a particular system on the hardwood floors designed to force air through the small spaces between boards. Fortunately, our efforts were enough to save the hardwood floors, reducing the repair cost significantly.

Location: Alexandria, VA 22302

Problem: This customer saw water damage on the wall in his office and noticed that he would get a stuffy nose when he was in that room. The wall was shared with the bathroom and it turns out the shower pan was not installed correctly.

Solution: Lightspeed Restoration set up the mold control barriers, removed the shower and shower pan, then thoroughly cleaned the bathroom and office using our antimicrobial techniques and equipment. The stuffy nose should abate after that!

Mold can occur anywhere there is moisture, and there is always moisture in the soil beneath your home. If there is excess moisture, it can rise through the soil and cause mold growth in your crawlspace. This customer in Arlington experienced that very issue, and called in Lightspeed Restoration to help!

First we installed a better drainage system to reduce puddling in the crawlspace by digging down and placing pipes beneath the soil to work with a sump pump we installed. After smothing the dirt back on top, our team installed a new vapor barrier, making the crawlspace secure from moisture accumulation!

Location: Arlington, VA 22201

Problem: This customer had problems with water in their crawlspace, leading to high levels of moisture and mold growth. They called Lightspeed Restoration to come fix both problems.

Solution: We came out and installed a sump pump and drain pipe to deal with the recurring issue of water in the crawlspace. Our crew came back out a few days later to remediate the mold, solving both the problem and the cause!

Location: Alexandria, VA 22305

Problem: This customer filled a basement bedroom with stuff as she consolidated belongings from two homes. After a year or so, she and her husband noticed that they had stuffy noses at home cleared up when they left. It took another year for them to find the moldy box sitting on top of moldy carpet in the basement bedroom in the far corner.

Solution: Lightspeed Restoration tested the area to identify the type of mold and to determine the mold levels. Based on the test results, this was an urgent matter. Lightspeed Restoration helped with antimicrobial cleaning of the items stored in the bedroom and then performed full mold remediation for the carpet and walls. We identified the likely source of the water, vapor penetration through the foundation caused by a leaking down spout extension, outside and just above the far corner of the bedroom.

Location: Stafford, VA 22554

Problem: It is important when installing a sump pump in a damp area of your crawlspace to make sure a quality pump and basin are installed correctly. This customer had one installed previously but it didn’t work well enough to keep mold from growing.

Solution: Lightspeed Restoration came out and checked into the sump pump situation. The old one was a good pump but the basin was just a Rubbermaid tub with holes poked into it. We took it out and installed a good one in its place and removed the mold growth.

Location: Alexandria, VA 22206

Problem: This customer didn't realize it, but her refrigerator was leaking water for a long time. She became aware of the issue when she saw water damage in the room behind the kitchen and called in Lightspeed Restoration right away.

Solution: We were able to schedule her water damage restoration right away and remediated the mold. Once the mold was taken care of, we referred a handyman to the homeowner and he came and replaced the drywall, restoring her kitchen to normal function!

Location: Arlington, VA 22201

Problem: This clinic had a drain pipe rupture from the unit above. Sewage spilled into the clinic by the utility room, laundry room and staff break room. The carpet outside these rooms was contaminated and the walls were wet.

Solution: The customer did not want to remove the carpet so we cleaned it with steam and a professional cleaning solution. We opened up the walls to sanitize them completely and to remove the wet insulation. When we started, there was a distinct odor of urine. Once our mitigation and drying efforts were completed, the odor was gone and the structure was clean and dry.

Location: Arlington, VA 22201

Problem: A customer in Arlington, VA called in to say he had visible mold growth in his kitchen, dining and living room areas. Concerned about his family's health, he asked us to come out for a free mold inspection and estimate.

Solution: Using a containment system, we sealed off the affected areas so we wouldn't contaminate the rest of the home. We remediated the mold, HEPA vacuumed the surfaces and used an antimicrobial solution to wipe down the walls and floors. When our team was finished, the customer's home was a safer and healthier environment.

Location: Arlington, VA 22206

Problem: When this church called us to do an air duct cleaning in the sanctuary, we saw at once it would be a challenge to clean the vents in the vaulted ceilings above the pews.

Solution: These photos show how we solved the technical problem. We needed to clean the distribution vents above the pews but couldn't move the pews. Working with Sunbelt, we found a solution and thoroughly cleaned the ceiling and vent covers that had been unreachable.

Moisture in a crawlspace doesn't just come from flooding or even humidity in the air. The ground beneath your home has water in the soil and with less than ideal drainage, the soil can produce enough vapor to cause mold growth, which is what happened to this home in Arlington. 

One solution is to install a vapor barrier in the crawlspace, sealing it along the edges to the walls and supports. Doing so traps the vapor beneath the plastic sheet so that it doesn't contribute to the relative humidity in the home. Lightspeed Restoration offers this as well as other moisture control solutions, and after we remediated the mold we found we also installed a vapor barrier for the customer. 

The last thing you want to run into when remodeling your home is mold growth. When the owners of this Arlington home cleared out their basement to start renovations, they encountered mold on the wood paneling. When they called Lightspeed Restoration, we had to locate the source of moisture (in this case, a leaking foundation), correct it, and begin mold remediation. We removed all the contaminated material and used the MICRO-certified mold remediation process to remove all mold growth. 

Two days of running air scrubbers to remove airborne mold spores later, the basement was safe to continue with the remodel!

Musty odors aren't usually a good sign, particularly in a part of the house where you store things. For this customer, a musty odor led to an initial discovery of mold on the back of the carpet, the tackless strips, behind the baseboards and under the steps down into the basement - a fairly routine, quick cleaning for the experienced Lightspeed Restoration team.

What we didn't know was that there had been a flood years ago and there was addition mold growth hidden behind the walls in a different area of the basement. After working in our contained area we ran a post-remediation mold test, which revealed that while the area we remediated was indeed clear, the rest of the basement was still highly contaminated. This homeowner was intent on doing the job right, and asked us to work on the rest of the walls. Once completed, the smell was gone and the home safe!

Excessive humidity can cause mold growth anywhere, particularly in a home that has dark rooms stuffed with furniture and boxes. In Falls Church we helped a woman who needed to move her belongings into storage while she moved into an assisted living facility, but wasn't able to because there was surface mold on most items, all throughout the home. Lightspeed Restoration was able to properly clean the furniture, arrange for a moving company to pack it out, and store it securely in a clean state for the day when she can use it again!

Managing a rental property can be a challenge, particularly when upkeep or repairs need to be completed. A renter in an Alexandria apartment did not report the significant mold growth in the bathroom to the property manager, and when they moved out and the mold was discovered, it had spread from an inexpensive fix to something a bit more substantial. 

Lightspeed Restoration sprang into action and scheduled the work within days of landlord approval. We removed the visible mold, found additional previously hidden mold that had spread throughout the drywall and insulation, and returned the apartment to a safe place to live!

When a dryer starts to lose efficiency, most people reach out to an appliance technician to find out why. Often it's as simple as needing the dryer vent cleaned out properly! Dryer vent cleanings should be done every 1-2 years in most households, even in cases where homeowners do clean their lint traps regularly. The trap helps, but it is the vent that runs from the interior wall to the exterior vent that commonly sees buildup. 

Fortunately, Lightspeed Restoration offers both residential and commercial dryer vent cleaning services. A couple of hours at the home and our technicians returned the system to regular efficiency!

Standing water in a crawlspace can be a real problem, creating an ideal breeding ground for mold which can affect the health and structural integrity of the house above. These homeowners needed a solution to prevent water from coming into their crawlspace, to remove it if it does enter the crawlspace, and to remove the mold already there.

Lightspeed Restoration was able to refer a landscaping company to help restructure the yard to help water flow away from the home, while we installed a proper drainage system and sump pump in the crawlspace to handle any water that still found its way in. With those preventative measures in place, our team removed the mold and returned space to a usable condition.

When people notice a musty odor in the basement, most of the time they just shrug it off as "a basement thing". Unfortunately, a musty odor usually means unwanted moisture. In the basement especially, moisture often leads to mold. 

Basements frequently have cinder block walls and over time the sealant on cinder block walls can fail, letting the moisture from the soil outside seep through and cause mold growth. In this case, it became trapped which caused the paint to bubble and also provided a breeding ground for mold. You might ask how long does mold need to grow and the answer, unfortunately is 24 hours under the right conditions:
 - Moisture
 - Warmth
 - Organic Material

Our team was able to remove the mold infested wall, remove the surface mold from the room, then removed the failed sealant on the cinder block wall and re-applied fresh sealant. Once the mold remediation was completed, the basement was restored to better environmental conditions!