Mold infested cottage cleanup help

   / Mold infested cottage cleanup help #41  
There was a very nice house in my neighborhood that was relatively new (less than 10 years old. It sat empty for a time and had a water problem. They ended up tearing it down. I had the idea that it had to do with the type of mold. Surely if the problem could have been fixed that would have been the way to go. How do you figure out what you are dealing with? Living in a house that makes you sick would be bad.

Chris
 
   / Mold infested cottage cleanup help #42  
A duct cleaning will probably remove some mold, but not all, and depending on how thorough they are, probably not even most of the mold. If they have powered brushes, and are extremely thorough, and all of your ducts are round, then in theory they can get most. Then of course, the air handler and plenum need to be dealt with also.
 
   / Mold infested cottage cleanup help #43  
I have used an Ozone machine to kill mold on a small remodel project and it worked great, you should research it , it may be an easy alternative.

Here is just one site I Googled up
Mold-Kill.com - Kill Mold with Ozone Generators

I am a professional mold remediator. I own a national franchise that does Fire, Water and Mold Remediation and I teach in Canada 4 times a year.

Whatever you do. Do not listen to the post I have quoted. Ozone will not kill mold and there is no shortcut to mold remediation. You do not kill mold you remove it. Even dead mold spores can be highly allergenic.

Having said all that. Something you might do is call a local Disaster Restoration professional to come out and give you a free estimate. They will walk you through the process. From that point you can choose to do it yourself or have them do it and you will have their scope of work.

The process for mold remediation is simple. Physically remove it.

I do not know the extent or severity of your loss but since it is a grow house you are most likely as you stated looking at a full gut to the studs. After gutting to the studs you can use dishwashing liquid mixed with water and a scrub brush to wash the stud framing. This should be what is called a "damp" scrub or wipe you do not want to over wet like you are washing a car or anything. If there is still mold growth present at that time you can sand the stud framing until you no longer see mold present. This should be done with a sander attached to a HEPA vacuum or you can simply use a wire brush to abrade off the mold. You should then wash the framing again and allow to dry or place fans on it to help dry it out. After all that you can seal it using a product such as kilz or zinser (pigmented shellac) then rebuild. The use of sodium hypochlorite is generally used at a 10:1 ratio but professionals use specific products. You might be able to find one at a local hardware store or Lowes. I know that "Gloves Off" is a popular non-toxic anti-microbial product in Canada. If you are to do it yourself make sure you have appropriate skin, eye and respiratory protection. Consult your local province for laws regarding all this.

If it were done professionally there would be engineering controls in place such as negative pressure HEPA filtrated machines running with containment barriers, etc...but if DIY that is about as good as you are going to get.

There are serious health risk when trying to remediate a grow house. My professional opinion is DO NOT attempt this yourself.

Lastly regarding the air handling units. Have a pro (HVAC contractor)look at these for sure. In 99% of the the cases I see on homes like this the duct work must be replaced. It is too risky as it is the delivery system of air to your home. If it has spores still in it (even when cleaned) they can contaminate the home all over again or leave a lingering odor.

One last thought. I would recommend having it tested. You can actually go online and order swab samples that once you think you are complete with the cleaning process you can take the samples and send them to a lab for testing. It is not the best testing that can be done but it is the most cost effective. This might give you some peace of mind.

Conditions for mold growth are as follows:

Moisture (above 60% Relative Humidity or >16% Moisture content of wood >20% for destructive growth)
Time (24-72 hrs for germination)
Temperature (most prolific growth occurs above 80F but can grow in a range of temps)
Cellulosic food source (wood, dirt, etc)
Stagnant air
 
   / Mold infested cottage cleanup help
  • Thread Starter
#45  
Mitigator33 said:
I am a professional mold remediator. I own a national franchise that does Fire, Water and Mold Remediation and I teach in Canada 4 times a year.

Whatever you do. Do not listen to the post I have quoted. Ozone will not kill mold and there is no shortcut to mold remediation. You do not kill mold you remove it. Even dead mold spores can be highly allergenic.

Having said all that. Something you might do is call a local Disaster Restoration professional to come out and give you a free estimate. They will walk you through the process. From that point you can choose to do it yourself or have them do it and you will have their scope of work.

The process for mold remediation is simple. Physically remove it.

I do not know the extent or severity of your loss but since it is a grow house you are most likely as you stated looking at a full gut to the studs. After gutting to the studs you can use dishwashing liquid mixed with water and a scrub brush to wash the stud framing. This should be what is called a "damp" scrub or wipe you do not want to over wet like you are washing a car or anything. If there is still mold growth present at that time you can sand the stud framing until you no longer see mold present. This should be done with a sander attached to a HEPA vacuum or you can simply use a wire brush to abrade off the mold. You should then wash the framing again and allow to dry or place fans on it to help dry it out. After all that you can seal it using a product such as kilz or zinser (pigmented shellac) then rebuild. The use of sodium hypochlorite is generally used at a 10:1 ratio but professionals use specific products. You might be able to find one at a local hardware store or Lowes. I know that "Gloves Off" is a popular non-toxic anti-microbial product in Canada. If you are to do it yourself make sure you have appropriate skin, eye and respiratory protection. Consult your local province for laws regarding all this.

If it were done professionally there would be engineering controls in place such as negative pressure HEPA filtrated machines running with containment barriers, etc...but if DIY that is about as good as you are going to get.

There are serious health risk when trying to remediate a grow house. My professional opinion is DO NOT attempt this yourself.

Lastly regarding the air handling units. Have a pro (HVAC contractor)look at these for sure. In 99% of the the cases I see on homes like this the duct work must be replaced. It is too risky as it is the delivery system of air to your home. If it has spores still in it (even when cleaned) they can contaminate the home all over again or leave a lingering odor.

One last thought. I would recommend having it tested. You can actually go online and order swab samples that once you think you are complete with the cleaning process you can take the samples and send them to a lab for testing. It is not the best testing that can be done but it is the most cost effective. This might give you some peace of mind.

Conditions for mold growth are as follows:

Moisture (above 60% Relative Humidity or >16% Moisture content of wood >20% for destructive growth)
Time (24-72 hrs for germination)
Temperature (most prolific growth occurs above 80F but can grow in a range of temps)
Cellulosic food source (wood, dirt, etc)
Stagnant air

Thank you for the info!

If I can get a free estimate; will do but in Canada very little businesses are willing to spend the time and money to go out of their way for free estimates.

The problem is they are all dependent on insurance companies feeding them big $$ from insurance jobs and are not willing to work for the going rate! Way overpriced!

Had one of these guys come out to give me an estimate to drywall (hang/tape) a 1100sq/ft basement and they quoted me...are you ready...$4400

About 4x the going rate.

Sorry for the rant
 
   / Mold infested cottage cleanup help #46  
No problem. Glad to help. You are correct that the rates can be pricey. If they try to charge for the estimate in most cases it is $100-$150 for their time.

Take Care and good luck.
 
   / Mold infested cottage cleanup help #47  
If it takes mold Moisture (above 60% Relative Humidity or >16% Moisture content of wood >20% for destructive growth)
Time (24-72 hrs for germination)
Temperature (most prolific growth occurs above 80F but can grow in a range of temps)
Cellulosic food source (wood, dirt, etc)
Stagnant air to grow.
How do the floating camps on the bayou not become mold traps? I was just watching swamp people and they were towing a camp to a new spot. Are they mold infested or do they do something special to keep the mold out?
 
   / Mold infested cottage cleanup help #48  
If it takes mold Moisture (above 60% Relative Humidity or >16% Moisture content of wood >20% for destructive growth)
Time (24-72 hrs for germination)
Temperature (most prolific growth occurs above 80F but can grow in a range of temps)
Cellulosic food source (wood, dirt, etc)
Stagnant air to grow.
How do the floating camps on the bayou not become mold traps? I was just watching swamp people and they were towing a camp to a new spot. Are they mold infested or do they do something special to keep the mold out?

------------
They most likely have some level of mold however they probably use cedar which is moisture and mold resistant but the main thing is they alter one or more condition required for growth. The do not have stagnant air for prolonged periods of time. If you alter one or more conditions mold can't grow. The reason why a lot of newer homes get so bad with mold is because how energy efficient they are. There is no natural air exchange and if the AC is off them you have stagnant air. Back in the day people opened their windows to air out their houses and the houses were poorly insulated thus better fresh air exchange.

The other factor that helps them is the sun. Direct sunlight is a natural mold inhibitor.

I'm sure they have other tricks or clean it regular as well but think about a pop up camper. If you leave it closed it smells and grows moldy. If you periodically open it and let it air out then there are no issues.

Sorry for any spelling or grammar issues I'm on my phone.
 
   / Mold infested cottage cleanup help #49  
I don't mean to hijack this thread but I have a question.
I am about to remodel the bathroom in my house which was built in the 50s
there is almost no sheetrock, everything is plaster. The bathroom ceiling has brownish-black looking mold on it(there is no exhaust fan). My plan is spray it with a mold killing product, then seal it with a paint sealer, then cover it with green sheetrock. Do you guys think is is a good idea?

Thanks
 
   / Mold infested cottage cleanup help
  • Thread Starter
#50  
V1Rotate said:
I don't mean to hijack this thread but I have a question.
I am about to remodel the bathroom in my house which was built in the 50s
there is almost no sheetrock, everything is plaster. The bathroom ceiling has brownish-black looking mold on it(there is no exhaust fan). My plan is spray it with a mold killing product, then seal it with a paint sealer, then cover it with green sheetrock. Do you guys think is is a good idea?

Thanks

I would remove existing (may contains asbestos) wear a respirator and use a HEPA filtered shop vac.

Apply new and go

I gutted mine this way (built in '65) and no issues
 

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