Trask Research, Inc. - Mold Problem Solving

Mold Remediation on Wood

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.

The first step in any mold remediation project is to acquire the proper personal protective equipment: P100 respirator, gloves, goggles, and protective clothing. You’ll want long sleeves and long pants that protect all your skin if you don’t have a Tyvek suit or another form of disposable coveralls. You’ll need to wash the clothing every day after working so as not to spread mold spores around. The Oxy Mold product is an enzyme based mold cleaner that is safe for use in the washing machine, and is excellent at getting mold and mold spores out of clothing.

Wood surfaces are one of the more common in mold remediation, so the Oxy Mold MX-501™ mold killer has been designed with this in mind. At this point you’ll want to make sure the wood surfaces are dried out completely. The drier they are the easier they it will be for the fungicide to penetrate to the deepest roots of the mold. In many cases applying the MX-501 with a common garden pump sprayer will be sufficient, but if you notice a strong smell in the area from the mold, you’ll want to look into using a cold, air based Fogger. The fogger will atomize the MX-501, turning it to micron sized particles that will kill the mold spores in the air as well as that on the ground. Visit the remediation instructions for basements, attics or crawlspaces for info on applying the MX-501 with a fogger.

Apply the MX-501 at least twice, allowing at least 24 hours to dry in between applications. Once the MX-501 has dried it’s always a good idea to do post testing, or Clearance Testing, to be sure that all mold and mold spores are dead. The last thing you would want would be to rebuild or repaint over a continuing mold infestation. Mold literally feeds on cellulose material, i.e. drywall, wood, cardboard, paint, so covering living mold with these things will only give it food for future growth.

As a last, precautionary measure, if the wood is part of an outdoor surface you’ll need to spray a coat of Protex 63 onto the wood. It is a fungicidal sealant that provided several years of good, strong protection against mold growth. Give all the wood one good strong coat of the sealant. It may be necessary to reapply the Protex 63 every few years to keep a strong fungicidal seal on the wood.