MSI Blog

Best of Philadelphia

We are proud to announce that we’ve won the Best of Philadelphia Award for Mold Remediation.  Our dedication to our customers over the years has made us the first company ever to receive this award for this category.

Click Here to see our award.

Mold In Infancy Raises Asthma Risks

Infants raised in a home with moldy areas may be more likely to develop childhood asthma. A new study shows that infants who lived in moldy homes were nearly three times more likely to have childhood asthma by age 7.  “Early life exposure to mold seems to play a critical role in childhood asthma development,” researcher Tina Reponen, PhD, professor of environmental health at the University of Cincinnati, says in a news release. “This study should motivate expectant parents — especially if they have a family history of allergy or asthma — to correct water damage and reduce the mold burden in their homes to protect the respiratory health of their children,” Reponen says. (more…)

Checking A Contractors Insurance

Home owners looking for a contractor make a major mistake when checking a contractor’s insurance.  I see between 400 to 500 projects per year and meet many potential clients and home owners.  And although most home owners understand the risk of allowing a contractor to perform work on your property without having insurance, many never ask.  Some do ask from time to time, but most will do that, just ask.  (more…)

Understanding Dehumidification

A dehumidifiers purpose is to lower and control the humidity in the air, thus eliminating odors, providing a more comfortable environment and decreasing the chance of mold growth.  When humidity levels reach 60% and above in a home, mold growth is almost certain as well as other potentially harmful and costly issues.  The ideal range of humidity within a home is between 35 to 45 percent.  This will also limit populations of most pests including clothes moths, fleas, cockroaches, woodlice and dust mites.  By their operation, dehumidifiers produce an excess of water which has been removed from the conditioned air. This water, usually called condensate in its liquid form, must be collected and disposed of. Some designs, such as the ionic membrane dehumidifier, dispose of excess water in a vapor rather than liquid form. (more…)

Being Misguided by Home Inspectors

Over the last fifteen plus years that we’ve been in business, there is one particular item we hear from new home owners quite often. Why didn’t the home inspector notice the problem? Many new home buyers purchase a home and also walk into thousands of dollars in repairs they never anticipated. From water damage, to hidden mold issues to even homes that flood during rains, this is a very common occurrence. So why didn’t the home inspector notice the issues before the sale of the property? (more…)