REMEDIAL MOLD REMEDIATION

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REMEDIAL MOLD REMEDIATION

Saturday, December 10, 2005

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Peck

We've visited, and revisited, mold remediation techniques for the

thousands of local residents faced with acres of Sheetrock splashed

with orange fumeria or black stachybotrus. But with " new " mold

treatments cropping up and old ones being questioned, we thought it

time for a little remedial class on mold remediation. We turned for

advice to Wolf, who writes the mold remediation standards

guide for the Institute for Inspection Cleaning and Restoration

Certification, a nonprofit certifying body for the disaster

restoration industry (www.iicrc.org).

Don't hit the gas

Like most of the professional mold remediators we've talked to, Wolf

does not recommend the newly popular practice of tenting a house to

spray it with chlorine dioxide gas, which also is used to kill

highly infectious anthrax.

" Everyone is trying to find a chemical that's a magic bullet for

mold, " Wolf said. " In a laboratory environment, chlorine dioxide is

very effective in killing mold. But killing mold is only half the

story. "

Dead mold spores, Wolf explained, can be an even greater health risk

than live ones. Dead spores can cause severe reactions in people

sensitive to them.

" And the dead spores are still there. This gas is a derivative of

bleach, and like bleach, it takes the color out of the spores. But

it doesn't make them disappear. "

Ozone a no zone

Wolf also advises against using an " ozone treatment " to combat mold.

" Ozone treatment is meant for deodorizing, " he said. " It removes

oxygen from the air and transforms it into ozone. It does a great

job of removing smoke odor, but it has not been proven to kill mold.

In fact, some states actually don't allow the use of 'air purifiers'

that put out ozone. "

The old-fashioned way

When it comes to mold, nothing beats good old-fashioned cleaning

methods, Wolf said. " And we've forgotten how to do that. "

Use a general detergent to clean mold from plaster walls, furniture

or studs, then properly rinse and allow to dry. You may have to

repeat the procedure a couple of times. Bleach should be used only

after general cleaning.

" When we clean our laundry, we don't clean it with bleach -- we use

detergent. It's a simple concept, " Wolf said. " After all surfaces

have been washed, you can treat hard-to-reach cracks and crevices

with a biocide " such as bleach.

Vacuum first and last

Any mold cleaning, he added, should begin and end with HEPA

vacuuming.

" Dry soil removal is the first step of any cleaning. Professional

carpet cleaners vacuum first, and we scrape our plates before

washing them. "

Once mold-infested Sheetrock has been removed, vacuum the exposed

studs and wall crevices. Professional remediators use commercial

vacuums with HEPA filtration systems, meaning mold spores are caught

in the filter and retained in a sealed system. Residential vacuums

with HEPA filters may filter out the spores but can return them to

the environment through the exhaust.

" If you vacuum yourself, get an extra length of hose, attach it to

the exhaust and run it outside, " he advised.

Other tips from Wolf:

-- Rebuild with mold-resistant materials. Paperless drywall or

concrete board don't provide food for mold, and the cost of such

materials is stable. " It's almost as cheap to plaster a wall as

Sheetrock it these days, " Wolf said.

-- Don't wait to remediate. " The longer you go without addressing

problems, the less chance there will be of structural components

being salvageable. It's a mistake to wait on an adjuster or

contractor. "

-- Consider investing in a certified mold remediator, licensed in

Louisiana. " We don't place value on things that prevent us from

getting sick, yet once we are sick we spend thousands of dollars, "

said Wolf, who fears a rise in mold-related illnesses such as

headaches or cold-like symptoms if remediation is done improperly.

" Hurricane put everything in perspective, " said the expert,

who lived in Florida when that storm hit 13 years ago. " People were

getting sick a year or two years later. "

-- RENEE PECK