Mold Cleanup
1. Eliminate Water Intrusions - Most importantly, the
source of the water accumulation must be identified and fixed or fungal
growth will continue to occur. If you have a high relative humidity in
a room or area (55% or higher), then you should strongly consider a dehumidifier.
To determine the relative humidity, you will need a relative humidity
sensor, also known as a moisture meter or hygrometer. If you experienced
severe flooding or a water leak, then you want to remove or pump out the
standing water, followed by drying the area. If the area is really wet,
you will want to use fans and dehumidifiers. You may also want to move
wet items away from walls and off floors. The quicker you address the
problem, the less extensive the damage will be since it may only take
24-48 hours for toxic black mold to germinate and grow. Prompt remediation
of contaminated areas and materials should be the primary response to
water intrusion and indoor fungal growth.
2. Minimize Dust and Seal Off Area (Negative Pressure)
- Before you begin cleaning and removing the black mold, it is critical
to make sure that you take measures to prevent the mold spores from spreading
to other areas of the house or building. Since toxic black mold spores
will likely be stirred, becoming airborne during the cleaning process,
you need to properly contain each area being cleaned, while also minimizing
dust (a primary means of transportation for mold spores).
Toxic Mold Containment: - Each room or area
should be cleaned separately, one at a time. Before cleaning each room
or area, you should seal it off as best as you can. This will prevent
the mold from disseminating to other areas of the home or building while
it is being cleaned, since cleaning can disturb and stir up the mold,
causing mold spores to become airborne.
Once they become airborne, they can spread to other areas to germinate
and colonize, unless the area being cleaned is properly sealed. Properly
sealing (or containment) of a room or area consists of using plastic sheeting
sealed with duct tape to cover doorways, vents, and other openings to
occupied areas of the home or building. If possible, you should place
an exhaust fan next to an open (or partially open) door or window that
is open to the outdoors. This will create negative air pressure, which
will direct air flow outside, and therefore mold spores that have been
stirred during cleaning will also be channeled outside. Just make sure
the door or window is not near an air exchange that brings outdoor air
into the home. You should also turn off the HVAC system before cleaning
Mold. Don't Spread it around your Home or Business.
Minimizing Dust - Maintain dust levels as low
as possible during cleaning to prevent spores from becoming airborne and
spread to other areas. This will reduce the risk of exposure for those
who are cleaning while reducing the potential for the mold spores landing
and germinating in other parts of the home or building. You may want to
use an air purifier to minimize the airborne particulate, which allows
mold spores to disperse to other areas of the home or building. Ionizers
are typically better than air filters, since they can remove smaller particles
from the air, and do not rely on particulate passing through them in order
to remove them from the air.
3. Cleaning the Toxic Black Mold - If the surface(s) you
are cleaning are dry, or mostly dry, you should lightly mist them with water
before cleaning the mold. If the mold is too dry, then the mold spores will
have a much better chance of becoming airborne while being disturbed during
the cleaning process. Once the surface is lightly misted (if necessary),
then clean the affected area(s) with soap to remove as much of the mold
as possible, and then apply a disinfectant to kill mold spores that are
left behind. Thoroughly clean all surfaces in the area that contain visible
mold, and even surfaces that do not have visible mold, since mold spores
are microscopic very durable, and can remain dormant for months or even
years. Once a surface has been cleaned and disinfected, it should be completely
dried. In which case, if mold spores are left behind, and are introduced
to moisture again in the future, then you will have another significant
mold growth problem on your hands. Non-porous material such as metals, glass,
hard plastics, and semi-porous materials include wood, concrete, etc, that
are structurally sound with some visible mold growth may be cleaned and
reused. If the contamination is not too severe, porous material may be cleaned
and reused. If the damage is extensive and the mold growth has visibly destroyed
porous items beyond repair, they may need to be removed and replaced. Examples
of porous materials are ceiling tiles, insulation, wallboards, carpet, soft
furnishings, clothes, papers/books, etc. All material that has been cleaned
should be completely dry and visibly free of mold before it is reused and
before sensitive individuals are exposed to it.
4. Removing
the Toxic Black Mold - Carefully remove and discard mold and mold-infested
materials into heavy-duty plastic bags. Double Bag. Do not transport the
bags throughout the house, especially other clean areas. Doing so will risk
further spreading and re-germinating of the mold. Instead, it is a good
idea to get the bags outside through a window or other opening accessible
to the room/area being cleaned, if possible. These bags with the mold contaminated
materials can be taken to any landfill.
5. Verifying the
Mold Clean-Up Job was Successful
- First and most importantly, you must have completely fixed the moisture
problem to rid the home of excess water.
- Mold removal should be complete.
If this step is completed properly, there should not be any visible
mold and musty/mildewy odors present (toxic black mold may cause staining
and cosmetic damage).
- There should not be any more signs of additional
moisture/water damage or any recurring mold growth in the home/area.
If either of these problems resurface, there may be an underlying or
hidden problem and a more extensive investigation of the home is necessary.
- Physical symptoms of the occupants should be greatly reduced and
even ceased.
A Special Thanks to Toxic-Black-Mold-Info.com for their help in building
this section.
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