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. |
