mold , and mildew

Spike7 · Aug 3, 2012

i have a client who is over worried about mold and mildew in the walls
i say " over " because we have opened up a third of the walls and ceilings to start our renovation and have found none , and she still wants us to spary inside these areas , to avoid future mold.
i usualy purchase a mold-kill product at home depot . you dillute it in water , and it kills immediate mold and mildew , and leaves a residue that prevents mold for a some time ( not sure this moment how long)
she told me her mold remediation guy said not to use these products ,and that bleach works best
anyone know what truly works best?

LEVELBEST · Aug 3, 2012

Bleach will kill living mold, but will not prevent future mold growth in those areas and will not do anything about mold spores, which are the main problem with mold. The best product that is easily available to the general public is a product called Concrobium. Concrobium kills mold by dehydration and it also leaves a "residue" behind that will prevent any mold spores from reproducing again and causing another issue.

It's a "green" product that isn't harmful to people or pets, and it doesn't have the harsh odor that you'd get from spraying bleach. It's available at HD and Lowe's in gallon sizes and you just put it in a spray bottle or in a yard sprayer and soak the area down. In order to work as effectively as it can, you need to spray enough to let the area stay wet for a minimum of 10 minutes. Also, with Concrobium you DO NOT dilute it at all, you use it straight from the bottle.

Spike7 · Aug 3, 2012

thats exactly what ive been told countless times
but old schoolers always tell me to use bleach
no offense " COUNTRY_HUCK"

i was told bleach kills all , but has no lasting affect

but this certified " water remediation expert" just totally blew that out, and contradicted with " its not good to put active chemicals in your attic."
the client is over sensitive to chemicals , and says she is aesthmatic

i did n`t know ther exact name of that chemical "concrobium"
i`ll look it up and find out if that has any bearings on her issues.

thanks

country_huck · Aug 3, 2012

Bleach and water works good. And the best remedy is to build properly to avoid issues altogether.

hdavis · Aug 3, 2012

Extensive use of bleach is a bad idea - it'll be putting chlorine all through the house for quite some time. As a mold preventative / barrier, Concrobium fogging is the way to go.

hdavis · Aug 3, 2012

It's sodium borate in water. If she isn't allergic to borax, it should be OK, Using bleach in this case could make the house uninhabitable for people without respiratory issues, let alone someone with some sensitivities.

Tom Struble · Aug 3, 2012

you know what always strikes me when i think of pvc,here it is basically made from chlorine and yet molds up quite readily ..

sorry off topic just a thought..

angus242 · Aug 3, 2012

There is no proof that bleach removes mold. Surely, it "bleaches" it which is why it looks removed. Even the EPA no longer recommends bleach as a mold removal product.

I second the Concrobium use.
http://www.concrobium.com/

LEVELBEST · Aug 3, 2012

This is correct. However, it does kill a good deal of the molds found in houses, although still not a means that I ever recommend. As far as actually REMOVING mold, then you would be looking at "mechanical" means for that, be it scrubbing or HEPA vacuuming or a combination of both. Once you start going that route, though, you need to also consider containment and air filtration like HEPA air scrubbers, etc, and even then, the mold should be sprayed with something like Shockwave Pro Mold Killer or Concrobium first before you start stirring it around.

hdavis · Aug 3, 2012

Bleach kills mold, but after it breaks down, it is not a mold barrier. Concrobium will not kill mold, but it is a mold barrier. The idea behind using Concrobium before doing any removal is to prevent any spores knocked loose within your HEPA area from finding another place to grow. Personally, the first thing I do on cleanable active mold is scrub with an Oxyclean solution. It contains both the barrier agent found in Concrobium and an oxidizer which will kill mold. The problem with misting with Oxyclean is you don't want it in your eyes and you don't want to breath it. Whether it's scrubbing or wire wheel, etc, mechanical removal is about the only reliable way to be sure you have removed all the mold.

Having said that, for the specific situation the OP is relating, Concrobium is the right way to go - no active mold, so a fogged barrier is the only thing worth doing.

LEVELBEST · Aug 3, 2012

One of the three means of actually killing active mold is by dehydration, which is exactly what Concrobium(which really is more of a salt solution with baking soda as the active ingredient) does, thus, killing the mold. It does contain a substance that basically allows the Concrobium to stay in place on the substrate and continue to keep the mold spores from regrowing, but even on the bottle itself it says that mass water intrusion or flooding will dilute it down enough that mold could grow again even after it's applied and dried.

One of the other ways to kill mold is chemical means. Personally, if I'm dealing with a heavy mold contamination, I actually spray Shockwave(my chemical killer of choice) first, let it dry overnight, then spray Concrobium(dehydration and prevention) and also let it dry overnight.

Spike7 · Aug 3, 2012

thanks guys
truthfully , i have seen no active mold or mildew at all.
its a house built in the 40`s or 50`s . we have openned up the ceiling to remove a full fireplace , have take out numerous walls , and at the very most , we found , a few rotted boards form an old roof leak , and old water stains on the backside of the plaster of some walls we took only one side off.
but the clients , - first time buyers-are just very worried about mold , and mildew.
i`m going to get one of the products you have suggested , and spray all internal areas i can get to.

also i`m going to print out all your responses , and let them see them

mold , and mildew

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