Hot Environmental Topics

Mosquito remediation service treats your property for mosquitoes, but really is the definition of remediation? 

• Fix an underlying condition causing a problem.
• Removing something that is unwanted.

If you don't want to get bit by mosquitoes, you want your yard remediated, meaning the "removal" of mosquitoes.  Mosquitoes are a problem that Curren's will remediate.

We precisely treat mosquito breeding areas in your yard.  We target the mosquito life cycle including both adults as well as eggs.  The following photo highlights where you will find mosquitoes in the heat of the day, that is where we apply our treatment.

 

Our trained technicians will inspect your property for mosquito habitats (yes you have them too) and will take the appropriate treatment measures.    If we find issues on your property our software program will email a photo of that specific problem area on the day of treatment.

Our treatment has an immediate (24 hour) knockdown on the mosquito population in your yard.  A residual barrier portion of the mosquito treatment provides continued protection for 3 weeks.

This video shows a yard being treated, which includes landscaping and fences.  We don't treat where you sit and eat, since mosquitoes don't breed there during the heat of the day.

 

If you have a yard you want to enjoy then you should call and speak to one of our professionals.

 

                              Disinfect for Business Reopening

As the economy reopens, businesses are asking employees to return to work.  Safety of its employees are on every business's mind.   Many work spaces are undergoing a deep office disinfecting prior to employees returning to their place of work.  This professional disinfecting reboots the space.

 

Office Disinfecting

Curren can apply an EPA N listed disinfectant to treat areas where your employees work.  Utilizing precision application equipment, including cold mist foggers, which have power-mist capable of 56 micron droplets to ULV 20-35 micron droplets to surfaces throughout the space. These powered devices can yield single digit micron droplets: or deliver a soaking mist dependent on the surface treated. As indicated by the name, ULV (Ultra-Low Volume) misters and foggers transform low amounts of fogging liquid to substantial yet very fine droplet mists ensuring thorough application to surfaces.  This ensures that surfaces  are thoroughly treated

   

Disinfectant Efficiency

Curren has been using disinfectants for years in our mold remediation projects.  Our disinfectants are commonly used in hospitals, hence the appeal of using them on our project sites. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) produced and maintains a list of EPA-registered disinfectant products that have qualified for use against SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Fiberlock Shockwave Concentrate with EPA registration 61178-73884 is on the list and will be utilized for this project. (List N).  Shockwave is Curren's choice for mold projects and for disinfecting business office spaces. 

While surface disinfectant products on List N have not been tested specifically against SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, EPA expects them to kill the virus because they:

• Demonstrate efficacy (e.g. effectiveness) against a harder-to-kill virus; or
• Demonstrate efficacy against another type of human coronavirus similar to SARS-CoV-2.

Curren's technicians are trained in PPE (personal protective equipment) procedures such as how to put on and remove PPE equipment and utilize proper PPE during the duration of all work activities.

Professional office disinfecting allows businesses and landlords to help ensure the safety of their employees and provide the space a safe environment for business operations.

The CDC has many guidelines that businesses should follow once operations restart.  Once you reboot a space you have to follow your own plan such as:

1. Limit entry of the work space to employees only. You must then trust your coworkers to be safe. FedEx, UPS,  food delivery everything gets stopped at door.
2. Disinfecting common areas, such as copiers, during the day.
3. Provide hand sanitizers in office for employees use.
4. Offering masks and gloves for employees to use.
5. Installing plexiglass at offices on desks in common areas.
6. Keeping doors open so door knobs (common touch area) don't get touched.

CDC Guidance can be found here: CDC Guidance Documents.

 

 

 

                                          Mosquitoes and Mosquito Control
Mosquitoes are both a nuisance and a health threat. If you do not want to be bitten by mosquitoes in your backyard, you must reduce the mosquito population.

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  All mosquitoes need water to breed and survive. DIY Mosquito Control can be performed by eliminating breeding sources such as the following:
  • stagnant water
  • water trapped on tarps
  • old tires
  • tree pots
  • puddles
  • clogged gutters
  • buckets and flower pots
  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mosquito Remediation can help eliminate the nuisance of mosquitoes and protect your family. Our professional applicators will walk around your home and throughout your backyard to address your specific problem. We are trained to identify the unique areas of risk around your property. Adult mosquitoes are found resting in vegetation or other cool shaded places (under decks, sheds) during the day time. To get rid of adult mosquitoes we spray the lower portion of foliage, bushes, tall ornamental grasses and shrubs with a microencapsulated ultra low volume , insecticide that will prove an immediate knockdown of mosquitoes and with micro encapsulated technology provide a 21 day residual. Our barrier application as we call it (this shields you from mosquitoes) is safe and effective as we only treat areas mosquitoes are likely to feed and reproduce as well as hide from the heat of the day. We often call under decks and sheds mosquito condos.

Enjoy your yard without mosquitoes.
We recommend a treatment every 21 days to ensure effectiveness. Our dedicated software will remind you in advance of your next application, provide electronic notification the moment it is completed and if we find problem areas in your yard you will receive photos via email or text of the concern. Once you sign up you can literally sit back and enjoy your yard. Our schedule is automatic, no one needs to be home. We only ask to allow 30 minutes post treatment for the barrier to fully dry before returning to the yard.

 

Learn More call Tiffany at 856-858-7172

 

 

Mold likes to grow where people don't like to be.  Attics are a common place where we find mold during inspections.  Home sellers are often surprised to find out that they have mold in their attic.   Attics are not heated nor air conditioned, which means both humidity levels and temperature fluctuations are very varied and due to these conditions mold will find a home to grow.

All photos you will see on this page are from the same attic, each area of mold grew because of different environmental variables.

The mold you see in this photo was caused by the bathroom vent leaking moist air onto the wood sheeting.

 

The mold in this photo was from natural humidity over the years.

How do you correct attic mold.  First you need to identify the moisture source and correct the issue.  Attic mold may be caused by insufficient ventilation or air leaks from finished spaces.  Some bathrooms will vent moist air into the space creating an environment for mold growth.

 

Remediating mold rarely ever requires replacement of the wood surface but rather thorough cleaning of the wood, application of a fungicide and lastly a preventive coating that warranties that the wood will not allow mold growth.

 

This photo shows an attic that has been remediated.  The white coating you see is fungistatic, meaning it inhibits mold growth.  These coating provide the owner a warranty that mold will not grow on the treated surface.

 

Curren environmental has over 20 years experience with mold, we have remediated thousands of properties over the years.

If you have a mold question or requested mold remediation Curren can help with an appropriate solution.

 

 

 

 

Mold remediation is the process where you remove the mold as well as the source of the mold growth. The most important part of any mold remediation is knowing what caused the mold, since mold can come back if the driver of the mold is not stopped.

 

You can complete mold inspections with infra red cameras (photo above), that are calibrated for moisture.  This inspection tools can help you pinpoint problem areas behind walls and other materials. 

Since "mold = water", the source of the mold should be determined and repaired (water issue). It is possible that the cause of the mold was repaired, but if it was not, then the necessary corrective action is needed. A qualified mold remediation company should be able to ascertain the cause. If they cannot, you are dealing with the wrong mold company. Remember only 11 states have mold regulations, so you are likely dealing with an unlicensed company.
 Tough to see in this photo, but if you look through the plastic you see mold.  where as you do not see mold on the white ceiling or the concrete block wall above the plastic.  This mold growth was driven by improper vapor barrier installation.  100% preventable.

For successful mold remediation, you must remove the mold from impacted surfaces. (Mold remediation can entail deconstruction of walls to get access to the mold). Mold removal is typically accomplished via HEPA vacuuming surfaces. If items can not be cleaned than  demolition of items such as sheetrock and/or wood framing that is water damaged or mold impacted on both sides is necessary.

Application of a broad spectrum fungicide is another step. Fungicide application sterilizes the space, disinfecting the surfaces to address any mold spores that can’t be seen. It also allows porous surfaces to absorb the fungicide, grabbing spores that may have implanted themselves deeper into the surface of the material. This is common of wood surfaces as wood is porous, ensuring that you are rebooting the space.

The final and most important step is applying a fungistatic coating to cleaned organic surfaces in the area of remediation. This coating essentially provides mold proofing in the treated area. The best coatings have 10 year warranties. The coating is not a paint you buy at a home improvement center, but a coating that is designed for a specific purpose which is mold prevention. Coatings with fungistatic agents are commonly applied to new construction to mold proof the space. The application of fungistatic coatings as part of the remediation is also a corrective action that is designed to help the space resist mold in the future.

Mold is a four letter work and most companies say they know mold and in reality they  don't. Mold experts for over 20 years, billions of spores remediated.

Learn More:Mold Remediation

 

 

You can smell mold?

Spending more time at home than usual? Many people are in the safety of their homes and our office is getting called regarding musty smells, that people think relates to mold in their home. These calls coincide with rain events and we find a simple equation. People have mold in their homes they didn’t know existed. Many people find mold during a real estate transaction, since that is when a home under goes scrutiny, meaning multiple inspections occur and the wear and tear items that we often ignore are brought to light. I mean do you ever go into your attic or basement and look for mold?

The musty smell you have is most likely mold and it is active mold growth because when mold is consuming organic matter it off gases, hence the smell. Growth can correlate to rain events (not necessarily flooding), temperature changes, and humidity levels. In short moisture above 55% humidity as most molds in the northeastern United states will grow above that range.  Add in the fact that the northeast has an older housing stock and you have a higher probability of mold. Why older homes have mold, simple put the older a home the greater the time frame for mold to grow somewhere in the home. This gives mold the toe hold it needs as mold won’t die when it is dry it just goes dormant. This mold will then grow sporadically (no spore joke intended) over time until the owner complains of a smell, has a health concern or buyer’s inspector finds mold

 

Our calls lately have been from people who are working from home or simple spending more time at home and they either smell musty odors or are having health concerns. These people never had a mold inspection performed so the idea of a mold inspection makes sense.  Our mold inspections typically find mold, which makes sense.  The key to finding mold is understanding why it is there and how the mold can be addressed (mold remediation) and future prevention.  A typical mold survey might find a half dozen reasons why it’s there (yes there is typically more than  one cause for mold growth. We provide the homeowner a DIY  list for everything they are doing wrong and a corrective action plan (mold remediation) outline and costs. All mold remediation has a 10 year warranty against future mold growth, best in the industry.

We also teach several classes on mold so you know you are getting expert advice.

 

All our inspector use N-95 masks and have at least five years experience with both mold inspections and remediation.  We inspect and remediate mold so we get to see mold from both sides which gives Curren a full perspective.  Different building materials from pour concrete walls, to cider block walls to wood studs to plaster wall all affect how mold can and will grow.To schedule an inspection call 856-858-9509.

 

Green Lawn Tips

During this trying time, you may be at your home more than you have been in the past.  As we try to find things to do where we are not around many people, it may be a good time to fine tune your lawn.

Americans spend over $6.4 Billion a year on lawn care, according to the Professional Lawn Care Association of America. While we are at home now, it may be a good time  now to ensure a beautiful green and healthy lawn.

Start out by checking the soil pH levels. Winter can alter the soil pH and create conditions that are friendly to weeds and disease. The soils pH should read between 6.5 and 7.0 which are slightly acidic. You can test your soils pH by purchasing a pH tester.    Lime can be added to adjust pH.

After the soil has been checked, invest in a rental aerator (you can group rent with a neighbor). In high traffic grass areas becomes compacted. The aerator will draw wine cork-sized plugs out of the lawn surface giving roots the room to spread and allow for air, nutrients and moisture to penetrate the soil.  Leave the cores where they lie a they will ad nutrients to the soil.

 

Pro Tip

The soil cores should not be raked, as they contain bacteria and nutrients that will return to the soil.

In the early spring, apply a pre-emergent weed control to prevent crabgrass in early spring. https://amzn.to/3b6dzXz (Right now would be a good time)

Pro Tip

½ the dosage of preemergent (now) and reapply in 3 weeks to increase the treatment duration. Try to get your immediate neighbors to do the same so you encompass a larger spread of weed control. If your neighbor does not apply preemergent, weeds can grow and move to your yard.

During late spring fix any patchy places and apply your seed. When seeding in the spring it is pertinent that you provide consistent watering to allow the seed to germinate

Pro Tip

When you plant seed, the seeds must reman wet to germinate. Water twice a day for 7 to 10 days to allow the seed to germinate.

When watering, make sure one inch of water to 12 inches of soil is preferred ratio for watering actively growing grass. You most likely will have to seed again in the fall months.

Pro Tip on conserving water

Twice a year in season (Spring and again in July) apply a wetting agent, this makes water wetter.  Wetting agents apply a non ionic surfactant (soap) which allows water to more evenly penetrate soil (think less run off).  Golf course follow this process. Lawn Wetting Agent

With the spring upon us, it is very important to prepare your lawn for the warmer, sunnier months ahead. Having a nice, thick green lawn helps with excess rain, capturing the moisture so it does not end up in your house to produce mold.

Questions about Mold growth?

 

Crazy times, first full day of Spring and we all want to be sprung, but realty is more likely we will be staying at our homes for awhile.

If you like to be in your yard AND you have had issues with mosquitoes in the past, maybe this is the year to seek professional help by having mosquito control & remediation performed in your yard. Our service will remediate (remove) mosquitoes from your yard.

Book a seasonal service, 8 applications and get $25.00 off. We start treating mid to late April.

Why start controlling mosquitoes in early Spring?

You start early whack the buggers, then you keep them suppressed for the rest of the season with reapplications every 3 weeks. It more effective the earlier you start because:

1. We treat foliage as mosquitoes need the nectar from the leaves for food (blood is just for laying eggs and only the female bites).

 

2. With minimal foliage in the Spring, statistically speaking the mosquitoes are likely to encounter our barrier spray SOONER rather than later.

 

 

 

3. Treat early BEFORE you have a problem. An ounce of Prevention is worth a POUND of cure.

Call Tiffany at 

 

 

 

 

Many planned developments used heating oil.  In developments where the condominiums are housing, the homeowner does not own the land where the oil tank is located. In condominium housing developments most heating oil tanks are usually placed on common ground.    So you have a situation where you must remove the tank from property. The condominium owner does not own the heating oil tank. Homeowner associations, as anyone who has dealt with one, have many restrictions on what you can and can't do, they also make you jump through hoops to remove oil tanks.  These restrictions, while meant to maintain order and assure that work is performed professionally, also add to the oil tank removal cost.  We call these project "White Glove Tank Removals", as they require the white glove treatment.

Curren recently completed a project and  from the photos below, it is hard to differentiate the before and after photos. Hence the white glove treatment. 

The tank is in the planting bed between the dwelling and the sidewalk.  Planning ahead, allowed the parking spots in front of the tank to be clear to allow access.

The blue line is an old landscape sprinkler line.

Next you hand excavate to clear PRIVATE utilities.  Most all homeowner's associations have no clear idea regarding what utilities are where, so you hand dig to clear the excavation.

You dig until the top of the tank is exposed.

This tank was previously filled in place with sand. 

To remove the previously installed sand, you have to cut the top of the tank off so the soil can be scooped out.

Soils were removed and placed into a dump truck that removed the soils from the site.  This tank was in New Jersey and New Jersey doesn't allow you to back fill with soils removed from an oil tank.

This is the after removal photo.

Tank removed and back filled, almost like we were never there.

Over 20 years of experience and thousands and thousands of tanks removed, when you engage Curren Environmental you get our experience and expertise.  This may be your first and only tank removal, for us it's just what we do.  If you want your project completed professionally, call Curren.

Oil tanks can be located in many different places. Oil tanks were out of sight and out of mind.  Many oil tanks can be found buried under the lawn or driveway.  Some oil tanks were buried to never been seen again, oil tanks can be buried under garage floors, decks and under the home itself such as under a sun room.  (Photo below is a tank under the floor of a room).

Oil tanks are only a problem when they leak, since leaky tanks may require remediation.  The only way to know if an oil tank is not leaking is by testing the soil under the tank.  Oil tank removal is typically your best option, since once the tank is removed, you can access soils under the tank to sample.     With tanks that are under a building, you options open up from either removal (typically possible, just expensive) to closure in place, which is the more affordable and practical option.

(Photo below shows how a tank sweep found where under the floor the tank was located)

 

Oil tank closure in place can address concerns with the oil tank, by cutting holes in the bottom of the tank (after the tank is thoroughly cleaned) and taking soil samples.

By going through the bottom of the tank you can access the soils where samples are supposed to be acquired to assess for leaks.

It's not easy work, but its cheaper than removing the tank.

The photo below shows the holes (coupons) cut in the bottom of the tank to access the soils.

Our clients hire Curren to find professional affordable solutions and with close to thirty years experience we have solved a lot of problems with oil tanks.  The photo above shows a tank under a room that we excavated, cleaned and obtained site assessment soil samples.  

This small hole was all that was required for closure in place of this tank.  Removal of the tank would have required that half the floor in the room be removed, and may have undermined the walls requiring structural support.  Curren's tank closure in place was the appropriate and lowest cost solution.

 

Certified in New Jersey, Pennsylvania & Delaware for tank closure.

Thousands of completed projects.

Professionals solutions is a phone call away.