What Is the IICRC MRS Certification and Why Does It Matter?

When you hire a company to remediate mold in your home, you may not realize it at first, but you are placing a great deal of trust in the people completing the work.

Mold remediation can involve opening walls, removing contaminated materials, creating containment areas, and addressing moisture problems that may not be obvious from the surface. And if any of those steps aren’t handled correctly, mold spores can potentially spread beyond the original affected area into other areas of your home.

When choosing a mold remediation contractor, experience and professional training are non-negotiable. But how do you know if a contractor actually has the expertise required for the job?  

That’s where IICRC MRS certification comes into play, and in this article, we’ll go over everything homeowners need to know about what it is and why it matters.

What Is the IICRC?

IICRC stands for the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. It’s a nonprofit organization that was founded in 1972 to serve the inspection, cleaning, and restoration industries. Today, it has more than 49,000 active Certified Technicians and more than 6,500 Certified Firms around the world.

The IICRC develops and issues a range of professional certifications, covering areas such as water damage restoration, mold remediation, fire and smoke damage restoration, carpet cleaning, and other specialty restoration services.

What Is the Mold Remediation Specialist Certification?

The Mold Remediation Specialist certification (MRS) is an IICRC credential specifically focused on mold remediation.

According to the IICRC, the certification is designed to validate competency in areas such as:

• Performing mold remediation on structures and their contents
• Designing and maintaining containments
• Controlling pressure differentials
• Working safely in contaminated environments
• Following remediation protocols
• Using personal protective equipment
• Documenting the remediation process
  

These are all critical parts of professional mold remediation. However, what makes the MRS especially noteworthy is what a restoration professional must do in order to become certified.

The MRS Requires Real Mold Remediation Experience

In many cases, obtaining a professional certification just requires taking a course and passing an examination. But the MRS works a little differently.

There is no prerequisite MRS training course. Instead, applicants must demonstrate a minimum of one year of verifiable field experience performing mold remediation before they are eligible for the certificate. Applicants must submit their experience to the IICRC as part of the application process to have it reviewed by the organization before the candidate is allowed to move forward.

After an application is approved, the candidate must pass the MRS examination. The current exam consists of 100 scored multiple-choice questions administered over two hours. The IICRC describes the credential as an experience-based certification requiring prior knowledge and real-world experience.

For homeowners seeking help with a mold problem, MRS certification is a meaningful proof of expertise. It demonstrates that a contractor has proven experience with mold remediation and is fully familiar with all the mold remediation standards dictated by the IICRC.

What Does ANAB Accreditation Mean?

The MRS is also ANAB accredited. ANAB stands for the ANSI National Accreditation Board, an organization that provides independent oversight of certification programs and evaluates whether they meet applicable requirements for competence, consistency, and reliability.

The IICRC explains that the current Mold Remediation Specialist program is ANAB accredited. It also distinguishes the MRS from its Applied Microbial Remediation Technician (AMRT) certification, which involves a four-day course and does not have a field-experience prerequisite. The MRS, meanwhile, requires at least 12 months of mold remediation field experience and does not have a prerequisite course.

Both credentials can have value in the restoration industry, but they represent different levels and types of qualification. If you want to work with a contractor who has proven mold remediation experience and has completed an ANAB-accredited certification, the MRS certification is the one to look for.

Why Proper Mold Containment Matters

The trickiest part of mold remediation is controlling what happens when contaminated materials are disturbed and ensuring that the remediation process doesn’t end up spreading mold into other areas of the home.

Imagine you have mold growing on the drywall inside a single room. Removing that drywall can disturb mold spores and contaminated dust. Without the right controls, those spores can move into adjacent areas during demolition and cleanup.

Professional containment procedures are designed to reduce that risk. Depending on what the situation calls for, these procedures can include things like creating physical barriers between contaminated and unaffected areas, controlling airflow, using air filtration devices, establishing pressure differentials, and following specific procedures for how contaminated materials are handled.

Containment is one of the competencies covered by the MRS certification. For homeowners, this is one of the clearest reasons why the certification matters. If the mold remediation contractor you work with isn’t experienced at preventing mold from spreading, they may end up doing more harm than good when working inside your home.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Mold Remediation Company

Certifications aren’t the only important factor to consider when choosing a mold contractor. Before hiring someone, consider asking questions such as:

• What mold remediation certifications do you hold?
• How much hands-on mold remediation experience do you have?
• What containment methods will you use?
• How will you prevent contaminated material from spreading through the home?
• What type of air filtration will be used?
• How will contaminated materials be removed and disposed of?
• How will you document the remediation process?
• Will you follow an established remediation protocol when one is provided?
• What happens before the containment is removed?
• How will you address the moisture source that contributed to the problem?
  

You should feel comfortable asking why a particular procedure is being recommended and what purpose it serves, and any contractor worth hiring should be able to explain the process in understandable terms.

Why Experience Matters Alongside Certification

A credential by itself cannot tell you everything about a contractor. Communication, professionalism, documentation, equipment, business practices, and the quality of the crew performing the work all matter just as much, if not more.

With that said, one thing that sets the MRS certification apart is the fact that experience is built directly into its eligibility requirements. The IICRC does not allow someone to take a short MRS class and immediately become certified. Before they can take the exam and earn their certification, applicants must first demonstrate the required field experience.

This makes MRS certification a particularly useful piece of information when you are deciding who you should trust to work inside your home.

An IICRC MRS-Certified Professional in Southwest Missouri

Clean Green Restoration Co-Owner Miles McNeill holds the IICRC Mold Remediation Specialist certification. In fact, Miles is currently the only MRS-certified restoration professional serving the 417 area.

Miles' experience also extends beyond mold remediation. Before founding Clean Green Restoration, he worked as an insurance claims adjuster for American Family Insurance. That combination of restoration knowledge, hands-on field experience, and familiarity with property claims allows our team to approach mold and water damage projects from multiple angles.

For our customers, the MRS credential represents a commitment to developing real expertise in a highly specialized part of the restoration industry.

Need Mold Remediation in Southwest Missouri?

Finding mold in your home is an unpleasant surprise that can leave you with a lot of questions about where it came from, how far it’s spread, and the best way to get rid of it. If you’re dealing with a mold problem, you deserve to have those questions answered by an expert who understands the work inside and out.

At Clean Green Restoration, we’re proud to be Southwest Missouri’s most experienced mold remediation professionals. Our team can evaluate the situation, explain the remediation process, and help you determine the appropriate next steps for your property.

If you’d like to work with a team that has all the experience and certifications necessary to ensure the job is done correctly, call Clean Green Restoration today at (417) 300-5062.

Written by Miles McNeill, Co-Owner & IICRC MRS-Certified Restoration Expert, Clean Green Restoration

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