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For do-it-yourself detection of moisture and dry rot
HIDDEN INSIDE walls, ceilings, and floors,
use a combination of these three highly-effective,
do-it-yourself inspection tools: (a)
DampProtect Sensors; b)
WallProtect Sensors; and (c)
Dry Rot Sensors. If there are either moisture problems or dry rot
inside such surfaces, there is likely to be extensive mold infestation
therein. These innovative, patented sensors can be delivered to you
anywhere in the world by
Mold Mart and its United Kingdom manufacturer source via the UK
Royal Mail in cooperation with your local post office.
25
Steps To Get Rid of Mold
Mold and Mildew Remediation, Mold Control,
and
Mold and Mildew Removal Protocol, using non-toxic, natural products and
procedures: 25 Recommended Steps for
Effective Mold Cleaning and Treatment, Mold Maintenance, Mold Killing of
All Types of Mold and High Counts of Indoor Mold, Mold Removal, Mold
Remediation of Mold Damage, Mold Mitigation, and Mold Abatement to Get Rid
of Toxic Mold, Black Mold, Slime Mold [Stachybotrys], and All Other Mold
Contamination and Infestation Caused by Roof Leaks, Siding Leaks, Plumbing
Leaks, High Indoor Humidity, Flooding, Hurricanes, Typhoons, Tropical
Cyclones, Tornados, Storms, Fire, and other Water Damage Problems, and
Removing Mold in Basements, Attics, and Inside Walls, Ceilings, and
Heating/Cooling Equipment and Ducts
Just four words neatly summarize what has to be done in effective and safe
mold removal, mold remediation, mold mitigation, and mold abatement:
CONTAIN, KILL, REMOVE, and PROTECT.
(1) CONTAIN
the mold from spreading into uncontaminated areas;
(2) KILL
the mold;
(3) REMOVE
the dead mold; and
(4) PROTECT
the cleaned out area against future mold infestations.
Whether
you plan on doing your own
mold removal
and remediation, or hiring a
Certified Mold Contractor or
Certified Mold Remediator, follow these twenty-five steps
to completely and safely remove mold problems, contamination, and
infestation from your home, condominium, rental apartments, office,
warehouse, retail store or other real estate building. Where
relevant, mold testing and mold remediation suggestions from the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency are included below.
The mold removal and remediation techniques explained below are useful for
removing and remediating mold from wood and other cellulose-based building
materials such as OSB board, drywall, plaster, plywood, and ceiling tile,
as well as mold growing on concrete and masonry surfaces such as bricks,
blocks, and poured concrete walls and floors. To remove mold from
furniture, appliances, clothing, and other personal property, please
follow the detailed mold decontamination instructions and procedures for
each different type of personal property, as explained in the mold
self-help book
Do-It-BEST-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation.
1.
Learn the
techniques and procedures recommended for safe and successful toxic mold
inspection, testing, and remediation---whether
your prefer
do-it-yourself or to hire a
Certified Mold Remediator (CMR).
How? Read
mold remediation self-help books and internet mold advice websites, plus
get professional guidance. Visit the
website
Bleach Mold Myth. Read the
up-to-date, in depth ebook
Do-It-BEST-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation
[delivered within 24 hours by email attachments to you], plus
learn how to make your own, low-cost, easy-to-make homemade fungicides
and antimicrobial coatings [from readily available, non-bleach household
products and other items readily available in your community] in
our special report
Home Mold Remedy Recipes, both of which are
available from
Mold Mart.
If you are concerned about mold health problems, plus want to
learn of all available mold medical diagnostic and treatment procedures,
please read our new
Mold Health Guide [ebook]. If you need information about
prosecuting or defending a mold legal claim, read
Mold Legal Guide [ebook]. Each ebook is only $15.00
each, or buy all five for only $49.total in the mold library combination
explained at hte top of this page.
2.
Locate and fix all sources of mold-causing water intrusion such as
recurring flooding, plumbing leaks, leaky roofs or siding, blocked
air-conditioning condensation drain lines, and
high indoor humidity [e.g., above 50 to 60%].
Follow the dozens of water-intrusion
prevention and remediation suggestions contained in the indepth ebook
Do-It-BEST-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation.
3.
Inspect and mold test inside, above, and below each water-penetrated
ceiling,
wall, and floor with a fiber
optics inspection device, a
hidden moisture
meter, do-it-yourself mold test kits [available at large home
improvement and hardware stores] or a
mold inspection by a
Certified Mold Inspector [CMI], and by cutting small core dry wall
samples. Remove and look in the middle and back of each core for visible
mold growth. You can also cut off thin veneer
moldy slices from each core sampling, and then insert each veneer slice
into a do it yourself mold test kit to watch for mold growth over a 7 day
time period. More valuable to you in mold insights, would be to put each
sample into a separate ziplock bag properly labeled with property address,
precise testing location at that address, date of testing, name of tester
[you probably], and your full contact info, and then to mail your
collected samples to the mold lab you desire to use. For
low-cost mold testing, use inexpensive Scotch®Tape to do
lift tape mold sampling and/or do
bulk physical sampling [collect physical pieces of moldy building
materials or other items], and then send the tape samples or bulk samples
to a mold lab of your choice for mold species identification.
HOT NEW
INSPECTION PROCEDURE:
For do-it-yourself detection of moisture and dry rot
HIDDEN INSIDE walls, ceilings, and floors,
use a combination of these three highly-effective,
do-it-yourself inspection tools: (a)
DampProtect Sensors; (b)
WallProtect Sensors; and (c)
Dry Rot Sensors. If there are either moisture problems or dry rot
inside such surfaces, there is likely to be extensive mold infestation
therein. These innovative, patented sensors can be delivered to you
anywhere in the world by
Mold Mart and its United Kingdom manufacturer source via the UK
Royal Mail in cooperation with your local post office.
4.
Find and locate all toxic mold infestations (visible and hidden) in the
entire home or building by thorough, all-around
mold inspection and mold testing (with mold laboratory analysis and
mold species identification of collected mold samples).
"You may
suspect hidden mold if a building smells moldy, but you cannot see the
source, or if you know there has been water damage and residents are
reporting health problems. Mold may be hidden in places such as the back
side of dry wall, wallpaper, or paneling, the top side of ceiling tiles,
the underside of carpets and pads, etc. Other possible locations of hidden
mold include areas inside walls around pipes (with leaking or condensing
pipes), the surface of walls behind furniture (where condensation forms),
inside ductwork, and in roof materials above ceiling tiles (due to roof
leaks or insufficient insulation)," warns the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
° For all building
locations wherein you see visible mold, use the clear Scotch tape
lift sampling method, or scrape visible mold particles into a mold
test kit [available at large home improvement and hardware stores].
° Conduct a
mold control test using a do-it-yourself mold test kit outside your
home or building with the test kit being at least five feet out from any
roof or porch overhang. You need this outdoor control test for comparison
of results from your indoor mold testing.
° Use a fiber optics
inspection device, a hidden moisture meter, and internal wall and ceiling
cavity mold testing to search for hidden mold growth.
5.
Test the outward airflow from each heating/cooling duct register for
elevated levels of airborne mold spores. If there is a serious toxic
mold infestation anywhere in a building, airborne mold spores from such
mold locations will usually enter and contaminate the heating/cooling
equipment and ducts, as well as the rest of the building. Use do it
yourself mold test kits to collect possible mold spores in the outward air
flow from each register with the system running on fan ventilation.
6. Replace mold-infested heating/cooling equipment and ducts if the owner
can afford to do so.
Otherwise, do repeated mold spraying with a
mold fogging
machine and a
mold home remedy recipe into the return air duct while the system is
running on fan ventilation to deliver the fungicide to internal surfaces.
Do mold fogging for at least one half hour to hour into the return air
duct of the central heating/cooling system.
Air
conditioning-heating equipment and duct mold problems.
When humid air passes over chilled cooling coils, water
condenses and drips through the coils into a collection pan, from which it
continuously drains. Problems with these systems may occur when this water
collects and becomes stagnant either on the coils or in the drip pan. When
standing water is present, a biofilm will develop. This biofilm is
composed of bacteria and fungi that are embedded in a slimy matrix. Other
organisms such as amoebae and algae may also occupy this comfortable
growth site, feeding off the accumulated organic material. Learn how to
deal with this important problem at
Cooling Coil. In addition, it is common for the condensation line from
the cooling equipment to become clogged, backing up water into the air
conditioning unit and then, from there, into the house or building.
If there
is a serious mold problem anywhere in a home or other building, airborne
mold spores from those points of mold contamination will enter into the
heating/cooling ducts and/or equipment to mold contaminate both, and thus
the entire building. Of course, the opposite is also true: if there is
mold infestation growing inside the heating/cooling ducts and/or
equipment, the heating/cooling system will efficiently spread airborne
mold spores through out the entire home or building through air
distribution of the running system. In any home or building with mold
infestation, you need to mold test the outward air flow from each
heating/cooling duct register for the possible presence of elevated levels
of airborne mold spores in comparison with your outdoor mold control test.
Use a
Certified Mold Inspector or do-it-yourself mold test kits from a large
hardware or home improvement store. Follow mold inspection tips at
Mold Inspection..
When
doing mold remediation of a house or building, the heating/cooling mold
problems should be fixed first, and then you can seal tightly with plastic
sheeting all inward and outward duct registers. Don't run the system until
the rest of the home has been effectively mold remediated and the building
has passed mold clearance tests done by an independent
Certified Mold Inspector not involved in the mold remediation work, or
by your use of do-it-yourself mold test kits available at a large
hardware, home improvement, or safety store..
If you
fog a mold home remedy
recipe into the return air duct while the system is running on fan
ventilation, you can get substantial amounts of mold remedy delivered
throughout the system. While spraying or fogging a mold fungicide
[spraying step 1] and subsequently a
Mold Home Remedy Recipe [spraying/fogging step 2] inside the
heating/cooling ducts and equipment, no one [except the protected
applicator] should be in the home or building during the spraying or
fogging application. The person doing the spraying or
fogging application needs to wear proper personal protective gear, as
explained at point 13 below.
7.
If any residents or workers are experiencing any possible toxic
mold health
symptoms, or if there is a strong smell of mold, or if there
are visible signs of major
mold growth
anywhere in the building, or if the building tests positive for elevated
levels of airborne mold spores, the occupants should move temporarily to a
mold-safe place until after successful mold remediation and clearance
testing.
Hot Tips:
Do you want or need quick and immediate mold relief? The first
immediate action you can take is to remove almost all of the airborne mold
spores 24 hours per day from the air you breathe in your moldy home,
apartment, or workplace by running one or more of electronic air cleaners
in different areas of your house, rented house/apartment, or place of
employment. Your second immediate action is to use a hand-pumped garden
type of sprayer to spray two coatings of a low-cost home-remedy
fungicide in all rooms, attic, basement, crawl space, garage, and the
heating/cooling equipment and ducts [through the return air duct while you
are spraying directly into the return air duct] of your home, condominium,
apartment, office, or other building. You can also place small to large
fans in key areas of rooms/areas being mold-sprayed to help the mold fog
to reach all areas of a room or area. Let each fungicidal spraying dry for
about one to two hours while the fungicide is killing the mold. Then fan
dry the area quickly to remove excess moisture from the spraying
procedures. Then fog with two layers of homemade
antimicrobial coating to help protect the areas against future mold
growth. After each spraying, let the fog set for about one to two hours,
then dry the area quickly with fans. The person doing the fungicidal
spraying or fogging application needs to wear proper personal protective
gear, as explained at point 13 below.
8.
Occupants moving out should not take any clothing, personal possessions,
furnishings, furniture, or equipment until after such items have been
effectively mold decontaminated outdoors [or in a clean room built from
plastic sheeting] to avoid mold cross contamination of the temporary
living or working quarters.
9. Do
not paint over mold problems. Mold loves to eat paint as a snack food.
Don’t expect to kill mold successfully by using paint containing a
mildicide [too mild to kill existing toxic mold infestation] or with a
paint
primer sold to hide water damage stains. Do not rely on
Kilz to kill mold or anything---it does not kill mold, and the
product is NOT an EPA-registered fungicide. Kilz is a good product to hide
or camouflage defects like water damage stains prior to painting over
problem areas.
10.
Before beginning to work in the mold-afflicted areas, contain the moldy
work area (and thus contain the toxic mold spores that will be released
into the air by opening up mold-contaminated areas) by using wall-to-wall,
floor-to-ceiling plastic sheeting as containment walls. How to make
effective mold containment walls, including a mold-secure entry way into
the mold containment area, is explained in detail in the ebook
Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation.
Use 6 mill thick, clear plastic sheeting that you can buy at a hardware
store or home improvement center. A photograph of a mold containment wall
in use is provided at the bottom of this page.
11.
After the installation of air tight mold containment walls, dry the work
area [especially if still wet from flooding or a now fixed water leak or
roof leak] with one or more large dehumidifiers or an industrial size
dehumidifier. Improper fan drying can spread mold spores to cross
contaminate an entire building and its heating/cooling system.
12.
Inside the mold containment area, use a large fan in the window to exhaust
air directly outside on a continuous basis to expel airborne mold spores
and remediation-caused dust---or better yet, use an industrial hepa
filter to filter out mold, with a flexible hose directly venting the
exhaust air flow to the outdoors. You need to exhaust more air to the
outside than is entering the containment area to create negative air
pressure. (You know you have negative air pressure when the plastic
containment sheets are being sucked inward toward the work area rather
than bulging outward away from the work area.). A photograph of a mold
containment wall in use with negative air pressure is provided at the
bottom of this page.
13.
While working inside the mold containment area, always wear effective
protective gear such as protective biohazard suit. [$10 at safety
stores] or painter's coveralls and booties or a long sleeve shirt and
pants; gloves; and a one piece, full face breathing respirator mask
using an organic vapor cartridge filtration, available from local safety,
hardware, and home improvement stores. You also need such personal
protective gear when you spray
Mold Home Remedy Recipes], followed up with the EPA-registered
fungicidal coating or with a low-cost, homemade
antimicrobial coating Here are more details on
advisable personal protective gear---
° Tyvek protective biohazard suit.
[available at safety stores] or painter's coveralls and booties, or long
sleeve shirt and pants.
° Gloves: either disposable latex or
good work gloves. "Long gloves that extend to the middle of the forearm
are recommended. When working with water and a mild detergent,
ordinary household rubber gloves may be used. If you are using a
disinfectant, a biocide such as chlorine bleach, or a strong cleaning
solution, you should select gloves made from natural rubber, neoprene,
nitrile, polyurethane, or PVC. Avoid touching mold or moldy items with
your bare hands," recommends the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
° Avoid breathing in
mold or mold spores. Wear a 3M brand
one piece, full face breathing respirator mask using an organic
vapor cartridge filtration, available from your local safety store, Home
Depot, Lowe’s and other home centers and hardware stores. Alternatively
(but less comfortable in your ease of breathing) you can use hole-free
Chem-Splash eye goggles ($4) along with a separate breathing mask with
cartridge filters ($30) from the same stores. Alternatively, "In order to
limit your exposure to airborne mold, you may want to wear an N-95
respirator, available at many hardware stores and from companies that
advertise on the Internet. (They cost about $12 to $25.) Some N-95
respirators resemble a paper dust mask with a nozzle on the front, others
are made primarily of plastic or rubber and have removable cartridges that
trap most of the mold spores from entering. In order to be
effective, the respirator or mask must fit properly, so carefully follow
the instructions supplied with the respirator. Please note that the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that
respirators fit properly (fit testing) when used in an occupational
setting; consult OSHA for more information (800-321-OSHA or
osha.gov," advises the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
° Wear goggles.
Wear eye goggles with no holes [such as Chem-Splish] if you are not
wearing the 3M brand one piece, full face breathing respirator.
"Goggles that do not have ventilation holes are recommended. Avoid
getting mold or mold spores in your eyes," advises the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
HOT TIP:
You can order a custom-fitted full face breathing mask by contacting your
local 3M branch. Custom-fitted full face masks do a better job of keeping
mold spores from entering inside the mask [and therefore into your body].
HOT TIP:
If you have a beard, shave it off prior to wearing a full face mask
breathing respirator to obtain a tighter fit to your face to help keep
mold stores from entering inside the mask and your body.
14. Kill surface mold
growth by with one or two wet sprayings or foggings of an effective
mold home remedy mold cleaner---read
Mold Home Remedy Recipes. While spraying a fungicide, no one
else should be inside until the spray or fog has dried. Use a hand-pumped
garden sprayer or a small electric sprayer. If doing mold fogging, fog
the Mold Home Remedy Recipe for at least one half hour in each room, and
one half hour to hour into the return air duct of the central
heating/cooling system while the heating/cooling system is running on fan
ventilation. If possible, remove all furniture from each room to be fogged
to fog the empty room [without furniture blocking access of the fungicide
to wall and floor areas]. Then repeat the process but on the second effort
with the furniture put back in the room to do mold killing on the
furniture itself.
IMPORTANT OZONE WARNING:
Do not use an Ozone Air Purifier/Ozone Generator to kill mold.
Ozone is ineffective in killing mold. Ozone
can only kill what it comes into contact with. Ozone cannot get at, and
thus cannot kill, mold growing INSIDE drywall, wall, carpeting,
upholstered furniture, wall cavities, ceiling cavities, and floor
cavities. Besides being ineffective at killing hidden mold [the worst
type], a high ozone treatment can easily damage all rubber and plastic
parts it comes into contact with such as rubber and plastic components of
appliances, electronics of all types, exposed electric lines and extension
courts, and hvac controls. Ozone is also unhealthy to humans according to
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which specifically
discourages the use of ozone for mold remediation. For more
information on the ineffectiveness of
Ozone and the Ozone Air Purifier to kill mold and other indoor
air contaminant, read the highly-informative U.S. Federal Appeals court
decision:
Federal Trade Commission and the Court of Appeals.
15.
Do not use chlorine bleach [sodium hypochlorite] to kill mold or disinfect
moldy areas. Bleach is
not an effective or lasting killer of toxic mold growth and
mold spores on and inside porous, cellulose building materials such as
wood timbers, drywall, plasterboard,
particleboard, plywood, plywood
substitutes,
ceiling
tiles, and carpeting/padding. Learn
more about why bleach doesn't work at
bleach and mold.
16.
After the killing of all visible surface mold, the next step is to remove
and to clean off as much surface mold growth, mold stains, and mold odors
as possible. "Dead
mold may still cause allergic reactions in some people, so it is not
enough to simply kill the mold, it must also be removed," recommends the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Persons cleaning mold should be free of mold symptoms and allergies.
Gloves should be worn during cleaning. A good first step is to use a hepa
vacuum cleaner to remove loose [invisible to the eye] airborne mold spores
and mold growths deposited on all surfaces such as ceilings, walls,
floors, and upholstered furniture. Vacuum at least twice, going in a
different movement direction each time you do the vacuuming---e.g.,
horizontally the first time and vertically the second time. Scrub and
clean thoroughly and completely all moldy or mold-exposed surfaces
[including furniture and appliances] with a
mold home remedy recipe as a mold remover and mold cleaner. The
cleaned area should then be thoroughly dried. Dispose of any sponges or
rags used to clean mold.
If
you cannot clean off the mold growth and mold stains with a
mold home remedy recipe,
then you probably need to replace the building materials themselves with
new ones---preventively-treated with the EPA-registered fungicidal coating
or a
mold home remedy
mold protectant. "If you are unsure
about how to clean an item, or if the item is expensive or of sentimental
value, you may wish to consult a specialist. Specialists in
furniture repair, restoration, painting, art restoration and conservation,
carpet and rug cleaning, water damage, and fire or water restoration are
commonly listed in phone books. Be sure to ask for and check
references. Look for specialists who are affiliated with
professional organizations," recommends the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
17.
Except for wood support timbers and building materials to be saved, remove
and safely discard all other mold-contaminated building materials
(such as particle board, drywall, plaster, plasterboard, ceiling tiles,
paper-backed insulation, mold-laden insulation, plywood, plywood
substitutes, and carpeting/padding) in doubled up construction trash bags
(double bagging) with a 6 mil thickness. "Absorbent or porous materials,
such as ceiling tiles and carpet, may have to be thrown away if they
become moldy. Mold can grow on or fill in the empty spaces and
crevices of porous materials, so the mold may be difficult or impossible
to remove completely," advises the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
18.
Remove all
mold growth from the mold-infested wood surfaces. All wood beams, wall
timbers, roof trusses, floor joists, plywood surfaces, and other lumber to
be saved need to be totally cleaned of mold growth by using power tools
such as a planer, grinder with wire brush attachment, and sander---or
replace the moldy timbers. You can also clean and remove mold by using
mold home remedy recipe
as a mold remover and mold cleaner. Mold cannot eat polystyrene
insulating board such as Pinkboard or Blueboard, but mold can grow on
organic dust which lands on the insulating board. "The only sure
way to [kill mold] requires the physical elimination of mold and
moldy materials by thorough cleaning or removal of the affected
materials."---American Industrial Hygiene Association.
19.
Re-spray twice the cleaned out area with another wet spraying of an
effective
mold home
remedy to kill any remaining, living toxic mold spores or mold
growths.
20.
Spray a protective fungicidal coating on all remediated-surfaces prior
to rebuilding and closing in the mold-remediated area. The fungicidal
coating helps to protect the wood and other cellulose-based building
materials against future mold growth. After the second spraying of a
mold home remedy recipe
has dried, spray one or two wet coatings of a mold home remedy
fungicidal coating designed to protect wood against future wood
infestation problems..
21.
After the final drying of the fungicidal coat spraying, it would be
helpful to spray all cleaned timbers and other wood surfaces with a clear,
liquid, plastic coating [available from a well-stocked local paint
dealer, hardware store, or home improvement center] to make a
hard, impenetrable water barrier [upon drying] to protect the wood from
future high humidity and water leaks.
22.
After the toxic mold remediation is completed, mold test (clearance
testing) all of the mold-remediated surfaces plus the air of each room,
attic, basement, crawl space, garage, and the outward air flow from each
heating/cooling duct register to find out if those areas are now mold
safe prior to rebuilding the cleaned out areas with new building
materials. "Surface sampling may be useful to determine if an area has
been adequately cleaned or remediated," advices the U.S.
Environmental Protection
Agency. There should be NO residual mold smell and no
mold or water stains anywhere.
23.
Remove
mold growth, mold stains, and mold odors
from all personal property, furnishings, furniture, and equipment
that have been exposed to mold infestation by washing and scrubbing
the items thoroughly and completely outdoors [or in a plastic-sheet-built
clean room] with mold
home remedy recipe
as a mold remover and mold cleaner.
Learn the recommended mold decontamination procedures for each type of
clothing, furniture, electronics equipment, and other personal property in
the ebook
Do-It-Best-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation.
24. Close in
the mold-remediated area with mold-free, new building materials that been
have carefully inspected to be mold-growth-free,
and which have been pre-treated by spraying with one to two wet coatings
of both a
mold home remedy recipe and an EPA-registered fungicidal coating.
25.
On-going cleaning, building maintenance, mold maintenance, and all-around
building inspection on a regular basis (including air conditioning/heating
equipment and ducts, plumbing, roof, siding, windows, and water
supply/sewer lines) are required to help prevent the re-occurrence of
toxic mold infestation problems. A mold-safe building is not a
one-time effort.
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