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Can anyone recommend a good company for some mold remediation in a crawl space? It is not a lot of mold, just some spots of color, no slime or fuzz. But there has been moisture there and we will be replacing the insulation and the vapor barrier. But we also want everything scrubbed and sanitized for remediation of the mold.
Cary Painting and Home Improvements are certified in mold inspection and removal.
Make sure you get someone that is certified.
They have a web page at carypainting.com
Dont waste your money for such a minor amount of mold. Fix the cause of the moisture, and the mold goes dormant. Probably 75% of the crawlspaces I am in, and thats a large number, have flecks of mold on some wood members. Unless the insulation is heavily moisture damaged dont worry about it either. In fact, sub-floor insulation has next to zero energy gain for you anyway. You can scrub the joists yourself with some bleach/water mix in a spray bottle if you really have to get rid of it though. Just wear a respiratory mask and gloves.
I cannot emphasize enough though, cure the moisture intrusion. If you want to PM me and tell me the symptoms I will be glad to give you greater detail.
ps - Mold is not near the issue it is made out to be. The lawyers and remediation companies prop that industry up. If you have a real mold problem, you talk to an industrial hygeneist, not a remeditation company that has a vested interest in solving your "problem". For the record, anyone can take a weekend course in mold remediation and be a certified expert. Just my .02 from many seminars, reading and conversations with industrial hygeneists as a Home Inspector.
Dont waste your money for such a minor amount of mold. Fix the cause of the moisture, and the mold goes dormant. Probably 75% of the crawlspaces I am in, and thats a large number, have flecks of mold on some wood members. Unless the insulation is heavily moisture damaged dont worry about it either. In fact, sub-floor insulation has next to zero energy gain for you anyway. You can scrub the joists yourself with some bleach/water mix in a spray bottle if you really have to get rid of it though. Just wear a respiratory mask and gloves.
I cannot emphasize enough though, cure the moisture intrusion. If you want to PM me and tell me the symptoms I will be glad to give you greater detail.
ps - Mold is not near the issue it is made out to be. The lawyers and remediation companies prop that industry up. If you have a real mold problem, you talk to an industrial hygeneist, not a remeditation company that has a vested interest in solving your "problem". For the record, anyone can take a weekend course in mold remediation and be a certified expert. Just my .02 from many seminars, reading and conversations with industrial hygeneists as a Home Inspector.
Good post.
I was at the home of a feller with a PHD in mold. Pretty much a mold geek.
He laughed at the trend to hysteria about mold as we fixed the leak in his roof.
He said mold is everywhere we go. Everywhere.
I agree to a certain extent, especially the part about fixing the source of the moisture! Doesn't matter what you do to the mold, it will be back if you don't fix the root cause. Don't dismiss the problem no matter how minor it seems, I've got a long story I'll spare you about how a two inch spot of mold on drywall in my finished garage landed me in court. I learned more about contracts, real estate, and mold/mold remediation than I ever wanted. While it was nice to prevail and be vindicated by specialists, Ph D's, and small claims court, it would have been much nicer to not deal with it at all.
I can recommend Cary Reconstruction, Carolina Environmental, or Disaster One. I unfortunately have experience with all three. I'd start with Cary Reconstruction. I paid them $70 for a mold inspection and they were very honest. The contractor said he'd be happy to take my money but that I had more mold in the tree in my front yard than the garage. He recommended I instead, disinfect the area myself with bleach, completely dry it, and patch the drywall. Being in the middle of a real estate transaction he could have easily recommended an $800 remediation that I would have taken. My point, is that it was nice to have professional opinion in writing to back me up. Mold is a touchy subject and this gets exacerbated if buyers, sellers, agents, and inspectors don't have the knowledge they should about it! Good luck!
I agree to a certain extent, especially the part about fixing the source of the moisture! Doesn't matter what you do to the mold, it will be back if you don't fix the root cause. Don't dismiss the problem no matter how minor it seems, I've got a long story I'll spare you about how a two inch spot of mold on drywall in my finished garage landed me in court. I learned more about contracts, real estate, and mold/mold remediation than I ever wanted. While it was nice to prevail and be vindicated by specialists, Ph D's, and small claims court, it would have been much nicer to not deal with it at all.
I can recommend Cary Reconstruction, Carolina Environmental, or Disaster One. I unfortunately have experience with all three. I'd start with Cary Reconstruction. I paid them $70 for a mold inspection and they were very honest. The contractor said he'd be happy to take my money but that I had more mold in the tree in my front yard than the garage. He recommended I instead, disinfect the area myself with bleach, completely dry it, and patch the drywall. Being in the middle of a real estate transaction he could have easily recommended an $800 remediation that I would have taken. My point, is that it was nice to have professional opinion in writing to back me up. Mold is a touchy subject and this gets exacerbated if buyers, sellers, agents, and inspectors don't have the knowledge they should about it! Good luck!
Wow, thank you all for your input! I'm definitely one of those that is swayed by hype. I know mold is everywhere, but I don't want it in excess if I can avoid it.
I do realize you would not want a mold remediation company to come in and do an evaluation (conflict of interest). And most importantly I know we have to tackle the cause of the moisture first, which is in the plan.
But I'm happy to hear your suggestions about how to take care of it ourselves. It is exactly what was recommended by our home inspector and contractor. While I don't think we will do it ourselves, (just don't want to mess with it) at least I won't let anyone talk us into unneeded things. We may actually have the contractor do it, as he has experience with it. What do you think would be reasonable charge for the cleaning and sanitizing, putting down a new vapor barrier and replacing the insulation?
As an environmental inspector who has seen first-hand how fungal spores can affect the health of certain individuals, I am bothered by some of the comments in this thread.
True, mold is nearly everywhere in the outdoor environment and plays a vital role in the health of our Earth. Mold inside a building envelope, even a crawl space, however, is usually not acceptable, especially if there is ductwork in the crawl where fungal growth is noted.
I have seen dozens of homes where a relatively minor amount of growth in a crawl space sent off enough spores that were pulled into leaking ductwork and spread throughout the house, making some people ill.
Bleach is no longer considered effective against mold and will usually make it sporulate and potentially cause more growth in a few weeks. An anti-microbial is best;; if that is not avaialable, use a mild detergent mix and dry the area thoroughly after wiping with clean rags.
I agree with the post that removing the moisture source is key, but that is for after the mold has been removed. Dormant mold produces more toxins than live mold, so it is in fact a greater risk to health.
DIY-ers beware: cover up with a disposable suit, wear a respirator/gloves/eye covering and be sure to always replace the insulation and vapor barrier as these materials store spores that will re-invigorate growth.
So much controversy....I want to put wood floors in a house we may buy. The floor people tell me I must ventilate the crawlspace, get air flowing. Keep it flowing. The inspectors tell me I must seal it up to prevent moisture from coming in.....there is mold that I must remediate first...then...what should I do? To close or to ventilate?
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mold
..there is mold that I must remediate first...then...what should I do? To close or to ventilate?
