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(If the cause and full extent of the mold infestation is unknown, then inspection steps and mold tests must be taken prior to remediation in order to gain this knowledge. In any case where mold spores have contaminated the air, it will be necessary to contain the infected areas as close to the source as possible.)
(No matter what kind of mold problem it is, you must have the proper Personal Protective Equipment: Gloves, Goggles, P-100 Respirator, Coveralls (Tyvek or something similar))
Step 1: Begin drying the infected area completely.
Wet/dry vacuuming (all standing water must be removed)
Dehumidification (get the humidity level below 50%)
Use fans to keep air moving (keep in mind how easily mold spores can be spread around. Plastic barr iers may have to be erected to keep spores from infecting clean areas.)
Houses in flood areas or any place where the soil remains damp year around will require having new and proper draining installed or the mold problem will never be stopped.
It may be necessary to section off contaminated areas and use HEPA air moving devises to create negative air flow in order to purify the indoor air again.
It's always a good idea to use a HEPA vacuum on the moldy areas before removing anything in order to keep the spread of spores down.
Step 2: Physical Removal of the Mold and Contaminated Material
All extremely porous material with visible mold growth on them must be carefully (keeping the spread of mold spores to a minimum) bagged and removed from the site: clothes, drywall, insulation, carpet, ceiling tile, upholstery.
Salvable materials (nonporous or semi porous items wit hout visible mold growth on them) should be removed from the contaminated area and cleaned separately: clothes contaminated with spores should be washed thoroughly in either Oxy-Mold, or a borax detergent, according to manufacturer instructions; non porous items should be damp wiped with Oxy Mold, Impact, or BenzaRid outside, or somewhere safe from contamination.
The buildings structural wood isn't salvable if you must cut more than a fifth of and inch into it to remove mold growth. Insulation is far too porous to save if mold spores have infiltrated it.
Insulated ventilation ducts with actual mold growth inside of them may be beyond salvaging, as there's no way to physically take out the growth without dismantling the ductwork, and even then it's messy and will only serve to spread live mold spores to other areas. The mold inside can be fogged with a biocide, and the ducts can be HEPA filtered; a fungicidal sealant can even be applied, but the odds that all of this is going to actually improve the air quality is unlikely. Ventilation ducts are salvable only if growth has not begun inside of them.
All physical mold growth (alive or dead) must be removed. The stains that mold can leave behind are somewhat harder to remove due to the strong pigment of certain fungi. The stains may or may not need to be removed (this depends on the cosmetic desires of the property owner).
Step 3: Killing Remaining Mold and Mold Spores with a Biocide
A hand or pump sprayer will be sufficient to apply the biocide on any small, non-extensive areas that haven't been infected long.
Fogging is necessary if you've got mold spores in the air (the area is musty and moldy smelling, or if the mold has been growing for any significant length of time.)
Once a fungicide is applied, the area must dry naturally. No matter which chemical you use to kill the mold, it must be applied a minimum of two times over the entire infected area, allowing time to dry in between.
Step 4: Cleaning
Soda blasting, sanding, or even scrubbing with a wire brush may be necessary to clean mold stains.
Deodorize and remove stains with an enzyme based product (Oxy Mold) that won't harm the building structure. (DO NOT USE BLEACH!)
Remove dead mold spores with HEPA grade air purifiers or a HEPA vacuum. Even dead mold spores can be a serious health risk.
Step 5: Post testing
Take air samples and surface samples to be sure that mold spores have been reduced to a natural and healthy level.
Have a lab analyze the samples so that there's no chance of mistake. The worst thing you can do is reinstall drywall, carpet and repaint over an unresolve d mold issue.
Step 6: Reconstruction
Once the job's done you can opt to protect your home with a fungicidal sealant.
The best protection against mold growth is low humidity, proper ventilation, and immediate rectification of any water or moisture issues that can start new mold problems.
Only at this point, when post testing has come out clear and there are no signs that excess mold spores remain in the air and all problematic sources of moisture have been fixed, is it okay to rebuild, replace drywall, repaint, etc.
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