25 Recommended Steps for Effective Mold Cleaning, Mold Maintenance, Mold
Killing, Mold Removal, Mold Remediation, Mold Mitigation, and Mold Abatement of
Mold Contamination and Infestation
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.
If you would prefer to kill
and remove mold infestation without using any chemicals, use
superheated dry vapor steam technology to both kill and remove mold growths
and mold spores from your moldy walls, floors, ceilings, heating/cooling ducts
and coils, furniture, and other personal possessions.
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.
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. 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].
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 in-depth ebook
Do-It-BEST-Yourself Mold Prevention, Inspection, Testing, and Remediation,
available at our
online mold products catalog.
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 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 our USA, Germany or Philippine
mold analysis lab after pre-payment of the lab fees at the
online mold products catalog. 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 the
$20 per sample Philippine
mold analysis laboratory.
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 that is explained in the
mold test kit
instructions section, or scrape visible mold particles into a
mold test kit.
° 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
our 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.
If you would prefer to kill and remove mold infestation
without using any chemicals, use
superheated dry vapor steam technology to both kill and remove mold growths
and mold spores from your heating/cooling ducts and coils.
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 either a
Certified Mold Inspector or our do-it-yourself
mold test kits.
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 our do-it-yourself
mold test kits.
If you fog a fungicide into the return air duct
while the system is running on fan ventilation, you can get substantial amounts
of fungicide 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 the
best air cleaners in different areas of your house, rented house/apartment,
or place of employment. Your second immediate action is to use our
mold hand or electric sprayers 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. If you would prefer to kill and
remove mold infestation without using any chemicals, use
superheated dry vapor steam technology to both kill and remove mold growths
and mold spores from your moldy walls, floors, ceilings, heating/cooling ducts
and coils, furniture, and other personal possessions.
Hot Tip:
To get rid quickly of mold stains and mold odors, you can also use the very
effective
MoldZyme™ Mold and Mildew Stain Cleaner.
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 Tim-bor 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. Hand spray visible mold with one or two wet
sprayings of an effective mold home remedy if the mold remediation funds are
low---read
Mold Home Remedy Recipes. While spraying a fungicide, no one else should be
inside until the spray or fog has dried. If you would
prefer to kill and remove mold infestation without using any chemicals,
use
superheated dry vapor steam technology to both kill and remove mold growths
and mold spores from your moldy walls, floors, ceilings, heating/cooling ducts
and coils, furniture, and other personal possessions.
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
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 surfaces [including furniture and appliances] with
highly-effective, enzyme-based MoldZyme™
Mold and Mildew Stain Cleaner to remove mold colony growths, mold stains,
and mold odors. Product usage directions and photo's are provided at
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
MoldZyme and hard scrubbing, then you probably need to replace the building
materials themselves with new ones---preventively-treated with the
EPA-registered
fungicidal coating Tim-bor. "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. If you would prefer to
kill and remove mold infestation without using any chemicals, use
superheated dry vapor steam technology to both kill and remove mold growths
and mold spores from your moldy walls, floors, ceilings, heating/cooling ducts
and coils, furniture, and other personal possessions.
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.
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.
If you would prefer to kill and remove mold infestation
without using any chemicals, use
superheated dry vapor steam technology to both kill and remove mold growths
and mold spores from your moldy walls, floors, ceilings, heating/cooling ducts
and coils, furniture, and other personal possessions.
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 the
fungicidal coating Tim-bor, which is an
EPA-registered 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 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.
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 highly-effective, enzyme-based MoldZyme™
Mold and Mildew Stain 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,
available at the
online mold products catalog.
If you would prefer to kill and remove mold infestation
without using any chemicals, use
superheated dry vapor steam technology to both kill and remove mold growths
and mold spores from your moldy walls, floors, ceilings, heating/cooling ducts
and coils, furniture, and other personal possessions.
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 such as Tim-bor.
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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