How To Clean Mold Effectively And Safely

How to clean mold? The following recommendations are to be used as a general guideline, as to every job is unique. Again I do recommend hiring a Certified Mold Remediation Company.

The first step in mold remediation will be to zero in on the exact location of the mold growth. Seek out the area where there could be a possibility of a water intrusion, musty odor and/or any evidence of water staining.

Once the area is identified, it is recommended to establish a containment under negative air pressure. By creating negative air pressure, a vacuum is created within the containment, and exhausted through a HEPA filter/lay flat ducting to the exterior of the home or business. By doing so, you will be preventing cross contamination of mold spores into the rest of the interior.

How To Clean Mold - It's Time To Suit Up!

Don’t forget to don your PPE (Personal Protective Equipment). Your PPE should include, but not limited to a Tyvek suit, N95 respirator, alcohol wipes to clean your respirator, gloves, safety glasses, steel toe shoes, and earplugs.

Always remember to don your PPE prior to entering the containment. Every time you exit the containment, you must remove your PPE in the containment or decontamination room to prevent cross contamination. Each time you enter and exit the containment, the used Tyvek suit and N95 cartridges must be thrown away and prior to entry, new ones must be used.

How To Clean Mold - It's Demolition Time!

Affected porous materials, such as cellulose products (gypsum board, carpet/padding, wall paper, insulation, paper based product, etc.) shall be removed and discarded. All gypsum boards shall be removed at least 18-24 inches beyond any visible mold growth and/or wet/water-damaged areas.

There is a specialty saw, called a Kett saw that mold remediation companies use. It has pre-set depths, in regards to gypsum board thickness (1/2”, 5/8”, etc.) and has an attachment to connect a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) vacuum. Remember, we must keep the dust levels to a minimum.

Re-Surfacing

Once the demolition is finished, it is recommended that any porous and semi-porous materials, such as wood framing, sub-flooring, concrete, etc., be re-surfaced by using a wire brush or electrical sander. There are other methods for re-surfacing such as Dry Ice or Soda Blasting.

Simultaneously, you must use a HEPA vacuum to collect the dust while sanding. This keeps the spore levels to a minimum. If the material is beyond re-surfacing, it’s recommended to be removed.

Removing Of Affected Materials

Prior to removing affected material that is load bearing, you must consult with a structural engineer. If carpet, linoleum, wood flooring, and/or kitchen/bathroom cabinets are affected, they must be removed and thrown away. You can sometimes salvage the cabinet doors, drawers, and faces. The rest of the affected cabinet will be deemed as trash.

If you have granite or marble counter tops, it must be shored up with 2x4’s, while the affected cabinets are being removed. It’s not a 100% guarantee that the counter top will break or not. But if you’re successful at saving your counter tops, cabinet doors, drawers, and/or faces, you’ll be sure that a lot of money will be saved during re-construction.

How To Clean Mold - Final Cleanup

Once all the affected materials are removed and sanded, the final cleanup is next. This is accomplished by HEPA vacuuming and a damp wiping with a recommended mold remediation cleaning solution for a total of 3x’s. Vacuum, wipe, vacuum, wipe, vacuum, and wipe!

Once the rags are used they must be trashed. Triple check to see if all mold is removed, any dust is lingering, and to ensure that the containment is sealed correctly. Now you can change the filters on the negative air machine and turn the machine from negative air to the air scrubber position.

During the air-scrubbing mode, the machine is now filtering and circulating the air only within the containment, hence scrubbing the air. Now it’s time to seal the containment and wait for 24 hours to pass, for the clearance inspection.

How To Clean Mold - Final Test

Usually the Industrial Hygienist or Certified Mold Inspector will require you to cover the intake and exhaust of the air scrubber, 12 hours prior to the air samples. They want to test in a “normal” environment, without the air scrubber on. After the inspection/air samples are complete, it can take up to a few days to get the results by an Industrial Hygienist or Certified Mold Inspector.

What happens if it fails the test? The inspector will notify the responsible parties of the results and give any recommendations to the remediation company. The remediation company should not charge additional fees for a reassessment and cleaning. If additional mold is identified, the mold remediation contractor may require you to authorize and sign a “Change Order”.

Don’t forget to use 6-mil bags for trash. Double bagged that is. Prior to removing the trash bags, it must be taped with duct tape and wiped before exiting the containment to prevent cross contamination.

How To Clean Mold - Basic Tools

All tools that are used shall be wiped with the cleaning solution and bagged and taped. 6-mil fire retardant polyethylene sheeting shall be used for your containment. Masking tape, duct tape, painter’s tape, Zip Wall zippers, carpet mask, staples, spray glue, wire, and Zip wall poles may be used to erect a containment. Depending on the size of the job.

The basic tools you need will be a cordless tool set (drill, circulating saw, reciprocating saw, etc.), chalk line, hammer, small/medium/large pry bars, basic tool set (Philips screwdriver, flat head screwdriver, pliers, socket set, etc.), HEPA vacuum, Kett saw, wire brushes (toothbrush size), spray bottles, clean rags, and a 5 gallon bucket.

Non-porous materials (metals, glass, hard plastics, etc) can always be cleaned by HEPA vacuuming and a damp wipe down with either an anti-microbial or soapy solution. If valuables (books, pictures, jewelry, electronics, etc.) have been damaged, a professional content cleaner must be hired to restore these valuables back to its previous non-damaged state.

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