Search the forums

Loading
Home › Forums › Breaktime › General Discussion

Treating Mold

ShaneG's picture

Treating Mold (post #185516)

ShaneG on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 20:09
in

A client's home has mold around a double gable window that has been leaking.  Once the leak is stopped and all the mold damaged insulation and dry wall are removed,  what should the mold area be treated with?   Seems like I heard that bleach was not the best product.

‹ One day drywall patch; anyone use this method? Cabin Crawlspace and plumbing... ›
-A +A

Check out the EPA web (post #185516, reply #1 of 9)

by rjw in reply to ShaneG [original] on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 21:31

Check out the EPA web site

AND with your insurance agent.

Mold cleanup for $$ is/can be a high liability endeavor

======================================== "Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary." Reinhold Niebuhr: 'The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness' http://rjw-progressive.blogspot.com/ ========================================

Timbor, Timbor, Timbor, That (post #185516, reply #5 of 9)

by DaBonds in reply to rjw [original] on Tue, 03/09/2010 - 20:04
Timbor, Timbor, Timbor, That is all anyone needs to know about mold remediation. Comes in crystaline form and is meant to be dissolved in water and then sprayed onto whatever material you want to protect. Stopps mold including dryrot. Lasts FOREVER and also prevent many wood invasive insects such as: termites, carpenter ants and palmetto bugs. Extremely low toxicity for pets and humans. Continually permeates into the wood until it has equilibrated and then last FOREVER. Also happes to be a class one flame inhibiter. I live in NEW ORLEANS. Whatever problems you have are childs play for us. Use it trust it. put it on EVERTHING and forget it.

Either do nothing (which is a (post #185516, reply #2 of 9)

by DanH in reply to ShaneG [original] on Tue, 03/02/2010 - 06:21

Either do nothing (which is a perfectly acceptable option) or hire a mold remediation company to treat it.


This country will not be a permanently good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in.  --Theodore Roosevelt

Your local building store (post #185516, reply #3 of 9)

by BarneyD in reply to ShaneG [original] on Tue, 03/02/2010 - 08:44

Your local building store should have products in the paint dept. I have used them but I am not sure how effective they are

These guys are some of the (post #185516, reply #4 of 9)

by Jeff_Clarke in reply to ShaneG [original] on Tue, 03/02/2010 - 17:48

These guys are some of the best - http://traskresearch.com/

I have used their products (well-protected!) with great success.

10 % solution of bleach, (post #185516, reply #6 of 9)

by wane in reply to ShaneG [original] on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 06:18

10 % solution of bleach, nothing more, nothing less, if you have prevented what caused the issue (water) then the bleach will kill it.

Most authorities don't (post #185516, reply #7 of 9)

by DanH in reply to wane [original] on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 19:44

Most authorities don't recommend bleach, both because it doesn't do a very good job, and because it's fairly toxic for what good it does do.


This country will not be a permanently good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in.  --Theodore Roosevelt

I and almost everyone else in (post #185516, reply #8 of 9)

by wane in reply to DanH [original] on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 06:19

I and almost everyone else in N america where clothes washed in a much stronger solution of bleach than 10 %, most "authorities" would much rather sell a specialty product, that has less market time than bleech.  Bleach works perfectly, just as the more expensive soltns do if the moisture source is resolved.

Wane, as a home inspector, I (post #185516, reply #9 of 9)

by rjw in reply to wane [original] on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 10:47

Wane, as a home inspector, I have followed the "mold issue" very closely since it first surfaced in the 90's

Most exports stopped recommending the use of bleach over a decade ago.

First: the bleach might kill the actively growing mold, but does not kill the mold spores, which are in a massively higher concentration than that occurring 'naturally.

Unless you get rid of the spores, the chances of recurrence are significantly higher, even with the original water source "fixed," where there are high spore counts, localized high humidity can lead to a resurgence of mold growth

Second, although the EPA is somewhat cryptic on the issue, it does warn against aerosolized cleaners, which I believe means chlorine bleach in a sprayer or spray bottle.  

When aerosolized, bleach can be extremely dangerous.  The comparison to laundry use is misplaced.

>>most "authorities" would much rather sell a specialty product, that has less market time than bleech. 

Actually, it was the government agencies, EPA, NYC Dept of housing(?) and some of the leading state sites which led the way on dropping the bleach recommendation/advice.  They don't sell products

 

>>Bleach works perfectly,

All of the information I have studied over the years is to the contrary.

If you have a source which supports that sweeping assertion, I would be very interested in knowing what it is so that I can best advise my clients.

I would love it if it could be shown that "Bleach works perfectly," because that would make my job explaining this stuff vastly easier. 

(Personally, for clean up using the manual scrubbing techniques the exsperts recommend, I advice using powder form automatic dishwashing detergent - it is inexpensive, has TSP in safe amounts, and surface emulsificants (sp?) and rinse agents).

Effective mold cleanup also requires elbow grease, which is probably pretty much skipped by the "just use bleach" crowd. 

======================================== "Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary." Reinhold Niebuhr: 'The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness' http://rjw-progressive.blogspot.com/ ========================================