What To Do About The Existing Mold
This is kind of debated.
In my personal/professional opinion, once you stop the moisture you will stop the mold and it will go away naturally.
However, if you have a large issue that is getting into your home you might want to have remediation done.
Some companies will try to up-sell mold remediation in your attic, but in most cases I do not see a reason for it since you are not spending your time in the attic.
I would always recommend having an inspection done by a third-party licensed home inspector before paying a remediation company to do large amounts of mold remediation and air sealing.
Thank You For This Very Informative Article I Agree Total Remediation Of The Cause And Conditions Causing The Mold Needs To Be Addressed I Had A Roof Leak And Chimney Leak Where Water Was Filtering Into The Attic And Had Black/white Mold Only In That One Section Of Roof I Had Roofers Come Out To Replace The Damaged Wood From The Leak And Reseal And Restore Chimney Flashing I Will Now Wait A Couple Of Weeks To See What Happens With Mold Which Will Tell Me If We Corrected The Problem
Happy to help. In the photo it appears the soffit vents are blocked by the insulation. If so, its important to pull these back to allow the movement air up through the soffits. I always recommend rechecking the attic again during the fall/winter months as the condensation issues are most prevalent during cold weather.
Getting Rid Of Mold In The Attic Tip :
- Lets assume that you are in the middle of a real-estate transaction, and the home inspector just revealed to you, that your entire house attic is contaminated with black mold. If you have a brand new roof, you can only blame yourself or try to blame the roofing contractor for not checking the attic before replacing the roof . If you have an older roof, the importance of this getting rid of mold advice is even greater.
Be cautious if they only suggest humidistat controlled power vent installation without properly functioning soffit vents, any type of vents along the lower portion of the roof, or gable vents, this might not be an adequate solution.
- If the attic insulation replacement is not required , make sure its sealed with plastic foil before the roof and its decking replacement. Fold the foil sealing its contents after the contaminated decking has been removed, and dispose of as a regular waste
- If you only have a small area of attic contaminated with black mold, the roof replacement option would be more expensive. But instead of getting rid of mold from an entire attic by performing black mold remediation procedures, it might be cheaper to remove all contaminated decking, install completely new roof and correct ventilation issues. Ive seen $3,000.00 $10,000.00 invoices for the attic black mold remediation process in approximately 1000 1200 square feet of attic area.
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Option #: Do It Yourself
Attics are probably the most dangerous area of your home. They are extremely dangerous even for experienced mold technicians who have done countless attic mold removal jobs. One wrong step and you could fall through the floor joists and cause yourself serious injury.
Besides falling through the ceiling, you can also step on a protruding nail, hit your head on a rafter or nail, run into nesting animals or electrocute yourself, among many other dangers if you are not careful.
Furthermore, respiration and breathing can be very difficult in attics due to their usually being small and hot confined spaces and even doubly so when the small confined attic space is filled with mold spores.
Lastly, even if you avoided all the dangers mentioned above, attic jobs can be complicated and require things like negative air setup, containment, creating temporary flooring, and other variables that take time and experience that can only be accrued from many attic jobs to learn and do properly.
Techniques For Cleaning Surface Mold
Surface molds grow in just about any damp location, such as the grout lines of a ceramic tiled shower. They’re easy to scrub away with a mold cleaner mixture of 1/2 cup bleach, one quart of water and a little detergent. In mold remediation, the bleach in the cleaning mixture kills the mold. The detergent helps lift it off the surface so you can rinse it away and it won’t return as fast.
- Even for simple cleaning, protect yourself from contact with mold and the bleach solution by wearing a long-sleeve shirt and long pants as well as plastic or rubber gloves and goggles.
- If the mold doesn’t disappear after light scrubbing, reapply the cleaning mix and let it sit for a minute or two. Then lightly scrub again for mold remediation.
- Seal the clean surfaces when they’re thoroughly dry to slow future moisture penetration. Apply a grout sealer to tile joints to help your how to remove mold project
Note: Do not mix ammonia or any detergent containing ammonia with bleach. The combination forms a poisonous gas.
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Some Of The Symptoms Associated With Mold And Mycotoxins Can Include:
- Chronic burning in the throat and nasal passages
- Coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath
- Eye irritation red eyes, blurred vision
- Headache
- Increased urinary frequency, increased sweating , or increased thirst
- Abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloating
- Metallic taste in mouth
As you can see, the list is quite long! It is also not a list of symptoms that would immediately point a doctor to a specific illness. Some symptoms manifest immediately, but others such as poor color distinction, dizziness, fatigue, poor memory, and difficulty word finding may take months or years to develop.
How To Get Rid Of Attic Mold By Dry Ice Blasting
These are effective methods and the equipment costs far less than dry ice blasting though the technique can sometimes be harsh to the existing surface.
Here is a short video of some mold in attic removal techniques using dry ice pellets to blast away the mold on the interior of the attic space.
Dry Ice Blasting the attic effective but costly
Attic Mold Remediation Cost can be expensive, ranging anywhere from as little as $500 to as much as $4,000 but if the mold damage is extensive and runs throughout the entire home, it could easily end up costing up to $20,000 to $30,000.
Having a sound mold prevention and maintenance program in place will go far in keeping mildew and mold growth out of your attic.
Also, by reducing mold in attic spaces, you will breathe healthier air on that next trip upstairs to dig through those old boxes!
Recourses:
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Find The Source Of Moisture
Mold requires two things to survive and thrive: moisture and fiber-rich organic material. As long as your home is dry and properly ventilated, mold will not grow anywhere.
However, leaks and excess moisture occur over time especially in the attic. Aside from a leaking roof, the attic becomes moist when it collects enough water vapor from every part of the house.
Once you suspect or identify mold growth, the first thing you should do to remove it is to dry the area. It would be best to find any leaks in the roof and dehumidify the attic.
Turning on a dehumidifier can quickly dry out the mold spores present in your attic plywood. However, this only renders the mold inactive and does not kill it. During the dehumidifying process, it would be best to seal off any windows, vents, and openings to prevent the spores from moving into other areas of your home.
Is Attic Mold Dangerous How Attic Mold Effects Your Health
Mold is an insidious, invisible predator in your home. It hides in places no one ever thinks to look like under cabinets, in crawl spaces, attics, and behind furniture. People may spend weeks, months, and even years fighting illness, and never know what they are really fightingmold. Many of our customers find us after a recommendation from their doctor, that they may in fact have a mold problem, and not just an illness.
Mold is most often associated with allergies, but mold is much more menacing than people know. While all molds have the potential to cause irritation and allergy symptoms, molds can also cause much more dangerous health problems including: fungal poisoning and mental health problems. You can learn more about mycotoxin poisoning in our article: When Mold Is Worse Than Allergies.
To learn more about one of our customers real homes, and how we helped solve their attic moisture problem check out our post: How Does Mold Affect Your Health?
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So What Is A Mycotoxin
Mycotoxins, literally fungus poison in Latin, are secondary metabolites that can be produced by molds, and are not living organisms. Mycotoxins are a byproduct of mold. Not all mold spores produce mycotoxins, but some do. So the molds that produce mycotoxins are the ones that could be categorized as toxic or poisonous.
So, where is the line between an allergic mold and a toxic mold? That line is defined by the presence of mycotoxins, and is NOT defined by color. Mycotoxins are invisible and cannot be detected just by looking at the mold growth.
Mold In Attic Health Problems
There are many health problems caused by mold in attic especially if one of the family members is allergic to it. Some of the most common problems are:
- Asthma attack
- Headache
- Allergy symptoms such as itching and rashes
Some of the problems may appear long after molds are developed in the attic. Remember that molds grow rapidly. In a few days, it will reproduce more spores.
These spores cannot be seen by bare eyes. It could be anywhere in the air you breathe. Once it gets in your body, you can get mold infection.
If you find any unusual spots in the attic of your house, you need to examine it immediately. As soon as you find out any proof of mold, it needs to be eradicated right away to avoid any further problems.
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Diy Attic Mold Removal Vs Professional Attic Mold Removal
If youre familiar with our blog, you know that the first thing to do when cleaning mold is to fix the moisture problem that led to the mold growth. Until you fix the moisture problem, mold will continue to grow and spread.
Customers often ask, Can I clean the mold myself or do I need a professional? Our answer depends several factors including:
- how extensive the mold problem is
- what building materials, furnishings, and belongings are affected
- where the mold is located
- whether or not you mind being in confined spaces such as your crawlspace, basement, or attic
Mold is great at hiding in hard to detect locations such as in drywall and insultation. If the area of mold covers more than about 10 square feet, there is a good chance the mold problem is more than an isolated issue. If you smell a musty odor in your home you cant identify, or have health problems associated with mold, its time to call in the professionals.
To get all the details check out our post: Cleaning Mold: DIY vs. Professional.
Especially if you dont live in our service area, you should check out our post: How to Choose a Mold Removal Company. We answer every question you should ask a mold removal company, and give you the details you need to know.
How To Get Rid Of Mold On Wood In Attic
Getting rid of mold in the attic can be a dangerous undertaking and is not advised. Professionals who have access to proper safety gear such as gloves, respirator masks, and other essential items to guarantee their safety should be hired instead. If you do feel confident in your ability to rid the wood of mold growth, then there are a few ways how to go about it. The first thing to understand is that the attic should function as a space where the heat is trapped and released through a series of vents. In normal circumstances, the heat generated from the furnace as well as other systems in the house like bathroom vents should escape with relative ease through the several vents placed on the roof. The air that is supposed to escape is called outtake air.
Fresh air is supposed to enter from the soffit through a series of vents called intake air from underneath the soffit. The goal of the vents is to provide a continuous circulation of air that exists from the vents on the roof or installed directly in the attics. Gables are an older system that appears like a shutter blind. Modern ventilation systems that are installed on the roofs of most modern homes are called box vents. These are commonly known as box vents because of their shape.
Usually, mold develops on plywood and on the rafters. As the moisture enters these wooden structures, it can also start to rot the wood. Home inspectors can flag the attic for mold which makes selling the home difficult.
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Best Commercially Available Products For Diy Attic Mold Removal
The best mold removal products are those that are non-toxic and safe to use around children and pets.
There are 2 commercially available mold removal products that we recommend. Both are cleaners that are safe to use in your home and near children or pets. Remember that you should always wear personal protective equipment when cleaning mold of any color, no matter how safe your cleaner may be.
To purchase
The other product we recommend has not been reviewed by EWG, however, it is an excellent and safe product that we can highly recommend. Bioesque Botanical Disinfectant Solution kills fungi and mold within 3 minutes. It also kills bacteria and viruses including COVID-19.
To learn more about this product and its safety check out the companys website at: Bioesques Botanical Disinfectant Solution.
To purchase
I Found My Dream Home And It Has Attic Mold Now What Dont Panic
Whether youre buying or selling a home in the Pacific Northwest, mold is a fact of life. Mold spores are floating in the air all around us. They dont grow until they can attach themselves to a moist surface. Attic mold tends to go undetected because the attics not a place a homeowner spends much time hanging around in so when attic mold turns up on a home inspection, its often a surprise to both buyer and seller.
If you find mold in the attic, first, take a breath. Mold in these areas isnt a significant factor in indoor air quality, and truthfully, most molds are relatively harmless to humans. Visible mold is ready to be remedied and doesnt require costly testing. What you dont want to do is leave mold untreated, because the materials the mold has attached to can cause issues with timber and framing integrity. In the attic, mold can degrade drywall, spread to the ceiling below, and even cause problems with your roofs life expectancy.
Causes of attic mold
Mold can also grow in the attic when a home has been built during Oregons wet months. If interior wood framing and plywood had not been sufficiently dried before adding drywall and roofing material, moisture could be trapped inside.
Other factors that can contribute to attic mold are improperly vented combustion appliances like the stove or dryer improperly venting kitchen or bathroom fans improperly installed rain gutters or a leaking roof.
Eradicating mold for good is a two-part process
First, clean it up
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How To Get Rid Of Mold In Your Attic
There is a straightforward fix to getting rid of mold in your attic. That is, seal your ceiling.
You can use spray foam to seal all the tiny cracks in your ceilings. Just be sure you are purchasing the right spray foam, it should be fire-rated and for insulating.
These cracks, as mentioned above, could be from light fixtures, drywall junctions, attic ventilation, plumbing stacks, anything that goes into your attic and penetrates your ceiling.
Pro Tip: An easy way to find the areas of concern is to go where the mold is. So, if the mold is on the roof decking, the air is probably leaking right below that area.
Another Pro Tip: If you have a thermal camera you can see where air is leaking by scanning the ceiling for hot spots. These are areas where there is poor insulation.
A word of caution: Only do this if you are handy and understand how to walk in an attic. You could fall through the ceiling!
Use This Video Below For Tips on Air Sealing Your Attic To Get Rid of Mold
How Did It Get There
If you determined that mold is indeed present in your attic, you are probably wondering how it got there. A mold problem is always the result of a water problem. If you do not fix the root cause of the mold problem, all of your mold removal efforts will be for nothing because the mold will continue to come back again and again.
The most common way that mold begins growing is by warm, moist air in your home not being properly ventilated. Warm air rises and if it is not vented outside correctly, it will stick to your attic sheathing.
Once there is moisture present on your plywood in your attic, mold spores have all they need to begin to colonize and grow.
Your attic can also come into contact with moisture if you have a leaky roof or poor insulation. The key to mold grow is moisture so it is important to understand that any mold infestation is the result of a water problem.
Luckily, mold in your attic does not typically affect the air quality in your home as much as a mold infestation in your living area might. The real threat with mold is the potential for structural damage. Mold eats away at the organic materials, like those supplied by the plywood, and eventually it will deteriorate the building materials.
Mold rots and wears away roofing surfaces allowing the roof to sag, leak and eventually cave in. Mold is a very real threat to the integrity of your home. If you discover an infestation, it is vital that you address it immediately to avoid hazardous damages.
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