Trask Research, Inc. - Mold Problem Solving

Mold Remediation in Furniture and Upholstery

By Matthew Yurina, Mold Inspector/Remediator

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.

In any mold remediation project the first step is to acquire the proper personal protection equipment: P100 respirator, gloves, goggles and protective clothing. Once the cleanup is done the clothes should either be thrown away or washed very thoroughly in Oxy Mold. It’s an enzyme based mol d c leaner that’s safe for use in a washing machine, and is extremely efficient in removing, mold, mold spores, stains and odors from clothing.

The second step would be to separate all moldy furniture from the rest of the house or area. You want to take any precautions necessary to eliminate the spread of mold spores to clean, uninfected areas. At this point you’ll also want to make sure the furniture/upholstery is dry. If it’s still damp you’ll want to remove all the moisture you can with a wet vac.

At this point, once the surfaces are as dry as you can get them, you can go ahead and apply the Oxy Mold MX-501™ concentrate to kill the mold and mold spores that are present. In order to kill mold or mold spores in such porous surfaces like upholstery you’ll need a steam cleaner or upholstery cleaning machine that will shoot the mixed MX-501 deep into those types of materials. In some really deep furniture it may be necessary to use a wet vac to suck the MX-501 back out of the material after it has been given twenty minutes to react and kill the mold. If upholstery remains inside/in unventilated spaces, this step will be imperative.

Once the fungicide has been applied twice, allowing sufficient time in between to dry, HEPA vacuum the upholstery again to remove as much of the dead mold as possible. It’s very easy for mold spores to trap themselves in such porous materials, and even elevated humidity for a while could start mold growth all over again, so be sure that the moisture problem which started the growth is fixed so that mold cannot start to grow again.

Molds have very strong pigments that can be difficult or impossible to remove from fabrics. It’s possible, in situations of severe mold growth (if it’s gotten under the upholstery), that the furniture will need to be reupholstered, or treated by a mold remediation company.