WHat Are the Ways to Remove Mold?

Removing Mold the Right Way

The right way to remove mold is any way you choose, but only after the mold has been killed and denatured.  Once mold has been effectively denatured you can safely commence mold removal, whether that is through demolition, scrubbing, wiping, blasting, painting or covering the mold so you no longer have to look at the ugly remains.

The question now is what is the best way to do mold removal? The best way comes down to answer one simple question — Which which way will be the least costly.

The Lowest Cost Way to do Removal After Mold Has Been Killed & Denatured

demolition

wipe & scrub

blasting

painting / cover-up

Removal is not necessary for dead / denatured mold that is hidden. The only purpose for removal is because mold looks ugly.  And in some rare cases, if mold has been around long enough, it can even compromise the integrity of a structure, and removal is your only option.

Demolition

Demolition is the physical tearing out and throwing away of affected building materials, furnishings and other belongings. Some application methods reduce how much demolition is required.  When droplets are atomized to a sufficiently small size, then it will penetrate deep enough to kill and denature not just the visible “mold branches” but the correlating hidden roots that are embedded in the substrate. However, if mold is so deeply integrated, there is a point at which nothing will penetrate deep enough, and physical tearing out and throwing away is your only option. 

Wipe & Scrub

Almost without exception every mold remediation job will include wiping and scrubbing.  It can be used before or after the mold is dead or denatured.  One way is unsafe and very ineffective and the other is completely safe, and designed solely to remove the physical ugly appearance of black mold and other molds that leave stains.

Once the mold is dead and denatured it is safe to scrub or wipe off any unwanted visual remains, using whatever device necessary for scrubbing. Whether that is a rag, a brush, or anything else.  Search for mold stain removers, and you may be able to completely remove the stain with, or at least lighten the stain.

Using solid materials like baking soda pellets, or dry ice pellets, you scrape off teh unsightly mold.  This can be done in places like the sheathing of roofing on the underside in your attic.

Soda Blasting

Blasting baking soda out of a gun-like device will successfully eliminate any unsightly remains of dead mold.  It will work but due to being mildly abrasive it will damage sensitive surfaces unlike dry ice blasting. The soda also  needs to be cleaned up afterwards. 

It has some antimicrobial properties, and in an outdoor situation, it could be a decent one-step choice. The additional labor required to clean up still needs to be accounted for indoors, and possibly outdoors, if the soda creates a negative environmental impact concern.

Dry Ice Blasting

If you decide to use blasting for removal method indoors — then dry ice blasting is the best choice. 

ADVANTAGES

  • It is non-abrasive and can be used on expensive items or sensitive equipment like electrical components without damaging them
  • It is a non-toxic.  It is a registered food-grade material per the FDA and USDA. 
  • Environmentally friendly per the EPA
  • Dry ice does not create any secondary waste because it simply “evaporates” into thin air
  • Dry ice is an environmentally sustainable solution; particularly when recycled carbon dioxide is used. 

Not an inexpensive process, but if you think it is a better option to save materials and clean the outside of them rather than cover them up with paint or remove them through demolition, then there are likely many providers in Upstate South Carolina who can help. 

Painting / Cover-Up

Paint could be your best friend when it comes to cost savings.  You won’t physicially remove the mold, but if you wipe off the excess, then paint over it, you are removing the unsightly mold from view.  Paint isn’t the only option, you have wallpaper, floor coverings, and other wall coverings, and other means to cover up dead and denatured mold. 

The only tip is if a future homeowner may run into the mold in the future; they won’t know it is safe, so wiping it down or bleaching it is a good idea. 

Want the most effective solution, by a landslide, for killing mold?

CALL  864-301-4600 OR CHAT WITH US BELOW TO SCHEDULE A VIRTUAL OR IN-PERSON INSPECTION

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