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THE MOLD ACTION GUIDE MOLD DOCTOR? MOLD EXPERT, WHEN TO HIRE DO IT YOURSELF MOLD CLEANUP HOW TO FIND MOLD MOLD CLEANUP GUIDE HOW TO KILL MOLD FLOODS & MOLD CLEAN/PREVENT MOLD CLEARANCE INSPECTIONS ACCEPTABLE MOLD LEVEL AFTER THE MOLD CLEANUP MOLD PREVENTION GUIDE OTHER IAQ ISSUES More Information InspectAPedia TM Home & Site Map Environment Mold Inspect/Test Accuracy & Bias Pledge Contact Us |
How to Kill Mold - Do We Want to? Is Dead Mold Dangerous?
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This document explains a very common mistake in mold cleanup jobs: relying on bleach, biocides, or fungicides to "kill" toxic mold. This is a chapter of the Mold Action Guide, a document which provides an easy to understand step-by-step guide for dealing with toxic or allergenic indoor mold and other indoor contaminants: what to do about mold. The steps in this document will be sufficient for many building owners who want to do their own mold investigation, mold testing, mold cleanup, and mold prevention in their home or office. Mold Information Center. © Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.
Many readers have contacted us to ask about using bleach, fungicides, or biocides as a "mold remediation" step and many mold remediation projects we've seen have placed too much reliance on attempts to spray or gas mold to try to "kill the mold and render it harmless" that we've added this brief article on what's "right" and "wrong" about relying on any spray, gas, chemical, or "treatment" to treat problem mold in buildings.
First of all, after spraying or gassing "toxic mold" or "black mold" in a building, the bad truth is that the mold is not dead - at least not all of it. Even if you spray bleach all over your "black toxic mold" you won't kill every single spore. I've examined bleached mold samples in the lab. I can usually tease out viable spores from the supposedly "dead" mold sample. To kill every single mold spore using bleach, for example, you'd have to use such a high concentration of disinfectant and you'd have to keep it on the surface for so long that more likely you'd damage the structure - and still miss some toxic spores.
his is particularly true when people rely on spraying rather than physically cleaning or removing moldy surfaces or materials.
To be scrupulously fair, if we sprayed a surface with sufficient force as to actually physically clean it (and if we removed all of the sprayed-on liquid and debris, we'd do a credible job of cleaning the surface of problem mold. Of course in fact, you could use water or deck cleaner or a dry product like baking soda for such purposes just as well as a disinfectant. See our Report on Media Blasting for an example of using a "spray" approach to physically clean a surface.
Second - even if in theory we could "kill" every spore, the assumption that they are unimportant is highly questionable. "Dead" spores often contain allergens or toxins that are just as harmful to someone breathing them or getting such mold in one's eye or in a cut, as before.
Third - when I hear remediators or testers focused on whether mold is "alive" or "dead" I am immediately concerned that they do not understand the best practices regarding mold problem diagnosis and cure.
The object is not to "kill" mold, it is - to remove the mold reservoir in the building by physical cleaning or in cases of items that can't be cleaned, such as drywall, soft goods, carpets, furniture, or insulation, remove the moldy material - to identify the cause and make sure that's been corrected (which in your case you think has been done but I'm doubtful where a crawl space is involved - wet conditions that made part of a building wet have often affected other building areas that are less obvious).
Fourth and very important - we need to be very confident that ALL of the substantial mold reservoirs at a building have been identified and cleaned-up or removed.
My experience is that very often people focus too quickly on the mold that they see, say on wood in a crawl space, and fail to detect an as large or larger and as problematic or more harmful mold reservoir that they didn't "see". Examples of this mold killer approach error include:
SO what you need (and might already have) is great confidence that the expertise of the mold or building inspector and the scope of the investigation have been very accurate and thorough before any remediation project is begun. Otherwise the risk is that you have to repeat the process again later.
Even if you clean or remove problem mold thoroughly, if you do not correct the original cause of mold growth, you are likely to face this trouble and cost all over again.
Small Areas of mold: clean and disinfect surfaces: small areas of mold (less than 10 sq.ft. or less than 30 sq.ft. in some guidelines)can be cleaned by most property owners using common household cleaners or simple soap and water; if using bleach, extra caution is in order. While demolition/removal of building components in of small areas of mold may not be required, in some cases removal/replacement of moldy materials permits valuable additional investigation for hidden mold, and may be easier than cleanup, particularly where surfaces or materials are in poor condition or where mold is on drywall or other components such as fiberglass insulation or duct work which can't be cleaned. If further investigation, renovation or repair discloses mold or conditions which cause growth of large areas of mold, professional cleanup/removal by an expert remediator would be needed.
Large areas of mold (more than 30 sq.ft. of contiguous problem mold): professional cleanup is needed by an expert remediator and is likely to involve significant expense. "Large" is more than 10 sq.ft. according to the US EPA, or 30 sq.ft. per the NY City Guidelines. For instructions for remediation see the NY City guidelines at http://www.inspect-ny.com/sickhouse.htm#action. If your remediator is not familiar with these guidelines s/he may not be properly informed to do the job.
Mold Cleaning Procedures & Mold Remediation Standards Guidelines
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05/13/2008 - 01/12/1007 www.inspect-ny.com/sickhouse/Dead_Mold.htm - Web page design & content © Copyright 2008-1997 Daniel Friedman, all rights reserved