How To Stay Out Of

Trouble When You See

Or Suspect Mold

Steve Ransom - Certified Microbial Remediation Supervisor

Places to Look for Mold

• Inside Cabinet

• Beneath Drywall

• Behind Floor Baseboards

• Basements/Crawl Spaces

• Above Ceiling

• Beneath Bathroom/Kitchen Sinks

• Behind Wallpaper

• Moist Window Frames

• Inside Wall Cavities

• Particle Board Material

• Fiberglass Insulation/Backing

• Flooring

• Ductwork/HVAC Systems

• Refrigerators

• Cracked/Peeling Paint

• Sweating Pipes

• Shower Curtains

How you know if what you’ve found is Mold.

Visible Characteristics

Black, grey-brown, grey-green, white & orange spots,

or even pink or purple splotches if growing behind

vinyl wallpaper. Stachybotrys is commonly a dark,

slimy, greenish-black mold.

Smell

Mildewy/Musty

Water-related Microorganisms

• Microorganisms introduced during water damage • Microorganisms that live or grow in an environment with a high humidity level • Microorganisms that are active in the presence of moisture

What Mold Needs To Grow

• Moisture

• Food Source

• Temperature

• Light

Mold – An Age Old Problem • Even the Bible lays out the procedure for getting mold out of a

dwelling (Leviticus14:33-53) …

43- If the mildew reappears in the house after the stones have been torn out and the house scraped and plastered, 44 - the priest is to go and examine it and, if the mildew has spread in the house, it is a destructive mildew; the house is unclean. 45- It must be torn down—its stones, timbers and all the plaster—and taken out of the town to an unclean place.

(Leviticus 14:43-45 NIV)

Fortunately, we don’t have to go to such lengths anymore!

Common Mold – Home Window Sill / Bathroom Tub

Other places to find mold

Air Ducts

Carpet

Personal Protective Equipment - PPE

When working with mold you will want to use:

• Respirator / Mask

• Gloves

• Hard hat or covering

• Goggles / Face Shield

• Coveralls / Containment suit

Contain Mold Area

• Each room or area should be cleaned separately and sealed off as best you can. This will prevent the mold from disseminating to other areas while it is being cleaned. • Proper containment of a room consists of using plastic sheeting sealed with duct tape to cover doorways, vents and other openings to occupied areas of the home or building.

Removal of Mold from Contained Area

• Set up air HEPA scrubbers to clean mold spores from the air

• Vacuum affected areas using a HEPA Vacuum.

• Hard surface areas can be cleaned

• Drywall needs to be replaced

• Cloth materials probably need to be replaced.

Establishing A Standard of Care – Industry Standards and Guidelines

• Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and

Restoration Certification (IICRC) Standard S500 – Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration

• Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC) Standard S520 – Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Mold Remediation

New Florida State Law

• Requires separate companies for testing and cleaning

• First company tests and sets the protocol for cleaning.

• Second company provides cleaning and repairs of affected areas.

• First company returns to test area for clearance.

Common Myths

• Toxic Black Mold is worse than other mold. There are thousands of different types of mold. They are many different colors. None of

them are really named"black mold". Some types are more dangerous than others. Some people are more sensitive than others.

• Bleach is best thing to use to get rid of mold. Bleach is not the best product to use. It does bleach the spores but does not really get rid of them. It also is hard on the person using the product and many things ir comes I n contact with.

• Ozone machines kill mold. Ozone is great for removing odors. But does not get rid of mold.

• If you wipe mold off it is gone. Mold spores are so small you cannot see them . What you see are very large colonies.

When you wipe them, it will removes some, but not necessarily all. Mold spores have tiny arms that attach to whatever it is growing on. These can regenerate if left behind.

At Daystar, we always recommend mold testing after we clean a home. It’s the only way to know for sure how much mold is left behind and how harmful it is.

For more information:

please contact us at

(850)-769-0606 or

(toll free)1-800-882-6021

daystarcleaning.com

Steve Ransom - Certified Microbial Remediation Supervisor