Trask Research, Inc. - Mold Problem Solving

Mold Remediation of Basements

By: Jim Stewart, Sr. Mold Remediation Specialist

CONTAIN - the mold from spreading into uncontaminated areas;

KILL - the mold;

REMOVE - the dead mold and materials used for remediation; and

PROTECT - the cleaned out area against future mold infestations.

Basements are one of the top 3 areas that have mol d c ontamination. This is generally due to the lack of a dehumidifier or from flooding, water damage, or a leak. Allowed to go undetected or ignored, mold can cause thousands of dollars in damage or even a total loss of a home or office, and create a health hazard for families or employees.

Before entering any area infested with mold, it’s essential to have the proper personal protective equipment: P100 respirator, gloves, goggles and protective clothing (Tyvek suit, or long sleeves and long pants with a hood). It’s important to keep one’s exposure to mold to a minimum.

1.) Locate and fix all sources of mold-causing water intrusion such as water damage/flooding, recurring flooding, plumbing leaks, poor drainage, blocked air-conditioning condensation drain lines, high humidity in your basement, and high indoor humidity [e.g., above 50%].

2.) Inspect and test for mold indoors. Outside testing should be done as a baseline. 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).

° 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 as a baseline to your indoor tests.

° Use a fiber optics inspection device, a hidden moisture meter, and internal wall an d c eiling cavity mold testing to search for hidden mold growth.

3.) 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 an d c ontaminate the heating/cooling equipment and ducts, as well as the rest of the building. Use our EZ Mold Test Kits to collect possible mold spores in the outward air flow from each register with the system running on fan ventilation.

4.) Replace mold-infested heating/cooling equipment and ducts if the owner can afford to do so. Otherwise, a professional mold remediation company or an HVAC Cleaning Company should be brought in to treat the ductwork.

When doing mold remediation of a house or building, the heating/cooling (HVAC) mold problems should be fixed first, and then you can seal tightly with plastic sheeting all inward and outward duct registers. Do not run the system until the rest of the home has been effectively remediated of mold and the building has passed mol d c learance tests done by an independent Mold Professional not involved in the mold remediation work, or by your use of our EZ Mold Test Kits.

5.) 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 basement, or if the basement tests positive for elevated levels of airborne mold spores, the occupants should move temporarily to a mold-safe place until after successful mold remediation an d c learance testing.

6.) Occupants moving out should not take any clothing, personal possessions, furnishings, furniture, or equipment until after such items have been effectively decontaminated outdoors [or in a clean room built from plastic sheeting] to avoid cross contamination of the temporary living or working quarters.

7.) Do not paint over mold problems. Mold uses paint as food. Don’t expect to kill mold successfully by using paint containing a mildewcide [it is too weak 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; it’s not a fungicide, it does not kill mold, and the product is NOT EPA-registered. However, Kilz is an excellent product to hide or camouflage defects like water damage stains prior to painting over problem areas.

8.) 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. Use 6 mill thick, clear plastic sheeting that you can buy at a hardware store or home improvement center.

9.) After the installation of air tight mol d c ontainment walls, dry the work area especially if still wet from flooding or a now fixed water 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. Inside the mol d c ontainment 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 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.

10.) While working inside the mol d c ontainment area, always wear effective protective gear. All of the following items are available on our web site:

· Tyvek protective coveralls, or long sleeve shirt and pants.

· Gloves: either disposable latex, Nitrile or good work gloves. 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 P100 respirator mask using organic vapor cartridge filtration.

· Wear goggles. Wear eye goggles with no holes if you are not wearing the P100 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.

· Pump spray or fog the areas that have visible mold growth with Oxy Mold MX-501™ two times letting it naturally dry in-between sprayings.

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.

11.) 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, an d c arpeting/padding. Read the Forest Products Research Study on Why Bleach Does Not Kill Mold. Bleach also destroys the wood that holds your home together.

12.) 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 growth deposited on all surfaces such as ceilings, walls, floors, and upholstered furniture. Vacuum at least twice; go in a different movement direction each time you do the vacuuming; horizontally the first time and vertically the second time.

13.) Except for wood support timbers (studs, rafters, floor joists) 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, an d c arpeting/padding) in doubled up construction trash bags (double bagging) with a 6 mil thickness.

14.) Remove all mold growth from the mold-infested wood surfaces and insulation. All wood beams, wall timbers, 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. Mol d c annot eat polystyrene insulating board such as green board but mol d c an grow on organic dust which lands on the insulating board and insulation.

15.) Re-spray the cleaned out area twice with an EPA registered mold killing fungicide like Oxy Mold MX-501™. If moisture problems of any type are not completely controlled, it will be necessary to retreat with the MX-501 on a regular basis, every 1-3 months in the future.

17.) After the mold remediation is completed, mold test (clearance testing) all of the remediated surfaces plus the air of each room in the basement, 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.