Mold Remediation
Remediation (killing and denaturing mold and its toxins) is the most important aspect of any job we do. No other company has our protocols and tech, which is we are confident nobody can get rid of the negative health effects of mold like we can.
Mold Remediation:
What is Mold Remediation?
Like many terms defined in dictionaries, there is more than one definition for “mold remediation.”
- All services required to restore a property to its original state; which includes: inspection, eliminating the source of moisture, testing, killing, demolition, removal, , air-scrubbing, and reconstruction. This “whole A to Z definition” is often used interchangeably with “mold removal,” “mold restoration” and “mold abatement,” however these other terms are parts of the remediation process, and not accurate synonyms.
- The Oxford Dictionary defines remediation as: “the action of remedying something, in particular of reversing or stopping environmental damage.” This includes everything from the first definition but mold inspection and mold testing and, in some cases, mold removal.
- All remediation work done after inspection/testing , and before reconstruction.
We like definition three the best. It is the least confusing.
We often recommend that our customers use a standalone mold inspection service. Testing mold or air samples is always done by a third-party lab. And almost invariably a plumber, roofer, or hvac company needs to get involved to eliminate any source of fresh water or moisture-rich air feeding the mold. Then once we have finished our work of eliminating mold, the customer will often have a DIY project on their hands or choose to hire a remodeling or construction company to rebuild what had to be removed.
As you can see, mold remediation is almost never handled by just one company or professional. From a division of labor standpoint, the third definition is the best.
What is the best way to kill and denature mold?
How mold is killed and destroyed (denatured) is one of the primary differentiators to look at when choosing a mold remediation company. The primary measures that determine which method is the most effective are: 1) volume of air and surface area treated, 2) whether the disinfectants work on all molds and their required dwell-time for each type of mold is met, and 3) whether the chosen method denatures (changes the nature) of the mold and its toxins, so they no longer have their health damaging properties.
UV Light
UV light is a very effective disinfectant where it shines. However it is entirely impractical for reaching all angles of affected surfaces. Because of this aspect, it isn’t worth the time to go into the list of pros and cons of this approach.
Ozone
Do your research on ozone and it looks like it would be the best. An ozone molecule is .0001272 micro-meters, which allows it to both kill and destroy mold, literally everywhere. Ozone machines are even inexpensive. The problem:
“Available scientific evidence shows that at concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone has little potential to remove indoor air contaminants.” – EPA.gov
Liquid Disinfectants
Spray or Mist
The droplets of sprays and mists are too big to reach many types of mold spores caught in the nooks and crannies of your home. You can never reach as much surface area as other methods, unless you soak your entire space, and liquid disinfectants can never reach their required dwell-time in the air. The internet is full of articles imploring readers to not use bleach solutions, for example, because they are mostly water and can sometimes make things worse. Regardless of the chemical disinfectant used, spraying or misting is going to be a lesser effective method.
Wet Fog
There are fogging machines that wet objects that are exposed to it. The droplets are far smaller than those used in spraying or misting. This is a method, like the rest, when properly used, will have an impact, but it is not the best selection, simply because there is a better alternative.
Dry Fog
Dry fog generates a droplet size small enough to remain suspended and respond to back pressure, pushing it into every nook and cranny of a property without wetting the surfaces. Pure Maintenance uses the proper disinfectant where both the vapor and fumes create an environment for mold that is inescapable. Dwell-time is not only achieved on all visible and even many non-visible surfaces, but it also achieves dwell time in the air. What’s more, like ozone, this dry fog method effectively destroys the mold and any present mycotoxins (organic VOCs), so that they no longer have th e health detrimental effects they would normally have.
Very small mold projects can be taken care of without implementing any of the methods listed above. Call us, and for a small fee will come out to your place to coach you through what you can do to safely and effectively take care of your mold issue.
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