Assessing Damage From The Mold Growth
The dangers of mold to your home go far beyond health concerns. If mold is left unaddressed, you run the risk of serious damage to the floor joists, floorboards, and other support structures of your house. Wood that retains moisture is weakened, and an invasion of mold takes the damage even further. The boards and beams can crack and separate as the fungus eats through the materials. You may not know that your flooring is unsafe until its too late.
After you have thoroughly cleaned up the mold, you need to assess the area for damage. Look at the joists or boards and determine if there are soft spots or areas of deterioration. You want to have any structural concerns evaluated by a professional contractor, as you may need some parts of board, beams, or flooring replaced for safety.
Will Bleach Kill Mold In Crawl Space
Yes, bleach will kill mold in a crawl space, and it will also kill almost everything else that is causing a problem. Bleach is almost pure chlorine with only a few other things mixed in, and organic life cannot survive in this mixture of chemicals, which is why people often use bleach to disinfect items.
You can use bleach to kill almost all types of mold on any surface throughout your home, with many people using bleach to control the mold in their bathrooms. We recommend doing this as well as it will keep your shower and toilets as clean as they can be without resorting to more dangerous chemicals.
It is vital to understand that bleach is one of the strongest chemicals you can use, but it is not the strongest. When going to hardware stores or specialist chemical providers, you can often find dangerous chemicals to handle without gloves but completely eradicate all mold within seconds.
What To Wear To Remove Mold Safely
Before even choosing a cleaning product, you should know what kind of safety equipment to wear to clean a moldy surface.
The basic equipment consists of an N-95 respirator, goggles or eye protection, & protective gloves with long cuffs. Long pants, a long sleeved shirt and waterproof boots are important to wear as well. Closed toed shoes are a good substitute for boots, especially if you are working on a small area of mold.
Mold is a respiratory irritant and allergen, so a mask with a N-95 respirator is important. A simple dust mask will NOT protect you from the mold spores. To learn more about face masks see our post: In-depth Guide to Face Masks: Allergies, Grass Cutting, and COVID-19.
For more information about safety, visit: What to Wear before entering a Home or Building with Mold Damage by the CDC.
Don’t Miss: Black Mold In Grout
Brushes Scrubbers And Abrasive Material
Once everything has been sealed, and you have read the instructions on the chemicals, it is time to start cleaning everything. Scrub the foundation walls with plastic brushes, flat metals with sponges and cloths, plastics with soft brushes, and every other hard surface with the hardest brushes.
Choosing which brushes work the best for your crawl space will require a judgment call from you as everyone has different types of crawl spaces. People often prefer to use one plastic brush throughout the crawl space to get everything clean.
How To Prevent Crawl Space Mold
Crawl spaces are prone to mold growth due to the high levels of moisture and humidity in these areas. Some of the most common causes of increased levels of humidity in the crawl space include water leaks, damaged insulation, and inadequate ventilation. To get rid of a mold problem in the crawl space, you have to control the moisture and humidity levels. Here are some tips to help you do so:
Follow the above tips and the relative humidity in your crawl space should reach the desired level of 30 to 50 percent. Mold will easily grow if the humidity is above 70 percent. Learn more tips to control the humidity in your home here and how to ventilate your house properly in this article. For mold cleaning service and water damage repair, contact your local PuroClean office.
Also Check: Airborne Mold In House
How To Replace A Rotten Floor Joist In A Crawl Space
If left unrepaired, a single damaged floor joist can wreak havoc on your homes structural integrity. However, the damaged joist can be reinforced by placing another sister beam alongside it. This is called sistering a joist. Also, completely removing and replacing the damaged wood member may be necessary.
We do not recommend trying to remove and replace the rotten floor joist yourself. Once you identify the problem, or if you want to call professionals to find the problem, you can be sure that highly-trained contractors will do the best job possible.
What Is A Crawl Space
Crawl spaces are a type of foundation where the ground floor of a home is raised 1-3 feet off of the ground. This foundation type is used in areas where the freeze-thaw cycle poses risks to other foundation types such as slab-on-grade or basements, or where significant moisture may affect your foundation over time. Crawl spaces may also be used in locations with sandy soil, which is common in the coastal areas of the United States.
You May Like: How To Get Rid Of Mold In Shower Ceiling
How To Get Rid Of Mold On Floor Joists In Crawl Space
Mold can grow anywhere where the conditions are right, and it is common to find them on floor joists in crawl spaces. Mold remediation costs for such spaces are less expensive than basements and are sometimes used as an alternative to allow access to the bottom of a home, especially in places where the weather tends to stay dry. However, a crawl space can all too easily collect moisture and become a breeding ground for mold.
Dont Let Mold In Your Crawl Space Get You Down
If you think you might have mold in your crawl space, theres no reason to panic! Our experts know exactly what to look for and how to get rid of the problems we find. Contact us today or complete our online request form to schedule your crawl space cleaning consultation.
Contact Crawl Pros today for a crawl space mold removal estimate.
Our professional estimators can see you in as little as a day.
Give us a call today at 866-673-9626
Contact Crawl Pros today for a crawl space mold removal estimate.
Our professional estimators can see you in as little as a day.
Give us a call today at 866-673-9626
Also Check: Cleaning Mold Off Leather Jackets
Can Black Mold In Crawl Space Make You Sick
Yes, stachyboytrys can make you sick. Minor symptoms mirror allergies and include nosebleeds, a stuffy nose, itchy eyes, and coughing. Longer exposure yields headaches, repetitive chest colds, sinusitis, fatigue, and a seemingly unending cough. Prolonged exposure can cause memory loss, nerve issues, muscle cramping, weight gain, anxiety, and trouble concentrating.
Best Commercially Available Crawl Space Mold Removal Products
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, 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.
No matter what product you choose, be sure to wear proper safety equipment, ventilate the room to the outdoors, and follow all product directions.
Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Mold On Bathroom Ceiling
Can Bleach And Vinegar Kill Mold In Crawl Space
You can use both vinegar and bleach to remove mold from your crawl space. However, studies suggest that these liquids are not the ideal choice for cleaning a mold infested home. Remember, mold has already lowered the air quality in your home and you dont want to make the situation worse by introducing more irritants in the environment.
On the other hand, an acid based cleaner such as vinegar can eliminate any remaining mold forever. All you need to do is drench the vinegar on a dirty floor using a pump sprayer. First, the vinegar will remove approximately 90% of the mold in your crawl space after which itll evaporate.
If youre using the services of a professional cleaner, then the task becomes easier as they know how to kill dangerous mold in your Crawl space fast regardless of where it is. If you have to do the mold cleaning yourself, then read the provided instructions in each product carefully before proceeding to apply the same product on wooden structures, cement walls, and dirty floors.
Donât Miss: What Is The Average Cost Of Mold Removal
Costs Of Hiring A Professional To Get Rid Of Mold On Floor Joists In A Crawl Space
Hiring a professional to remove mold in your crawl space can cost you thousands of dollars. If not, tens of thousands of dollars, depending on your situation.
Since the fungus is in your floor joists, an expert cannot remove it without a contractor. Your floor joists provide structure to your home.
Therefore, any mold issues in the formation of your home would need to be assessed by a contractor. This is a liability precaution that professional mold removers take.
If its a small job, it may cost around $500. Maybe thats ideal for you. If so, go ahead! Its always better to be safe than sorry.
Also, keep in mind, even if you opt to do the job yourself, youll face some expenses. You will need to buy mold removal products, cleaning equipment, safety gear, and other supplies. So, if you were to do the job yourself, it would cost anywhere from $80 to $500 depending on your materials cost.
However, there have been cases where professional mold remediation has cost up to $30,000. Of course, this number represents a more extreme case, but it still takes a big bite out of the budget.
Recommended Reading: Best Way To Kill Mold In Basement
What Problems Do Mold Cause
A mold problem can be detrimental to your health and your home. Mold can cause throat and eye irritation, nose stuffiness, trouble breathing, and even more severe reactions for those with mold allergies. For your home, mold and mildew are often caused by water damage. A mold infestation is a sign that there is too much moisture in your home which can lead to deteriorating structures, expensive repairs, and decreased home value.
Why Does Mold Form In Crawl Spaces
Before we outline how to get rid of mold in crawl space, its helpful to understand why mold forms in this area in the first place.
The most important thing to understand is that mold cant form without water. If mold is present, that means water is also present. For mold to form on common building materials takes time, which means that any mold in your crawl space is preceded by a time where the wood or insulation in that area is saturated and kept wet. This can occur from a consistently high humidity level where moisture buildup is frequent in the air.
Mold is specifically a problem in vented crawl spaces. In a vented crawl space, small vents are placed along the perimeter of the crawl space to facilitate passive air circulation with the outside. During cooler months this works adequately, but during warmer months it creates a moisture problem.
In warmer months, the ground and air in a crawl space are a few degrees cooler than the outside air. As that warmer outside air enters the crawl space it begins to cool. Once that warm air hits the dew point it will form condensation. In most vented crawl spaces this condensation will form on the underside of the subfloor, on the floor joists and insulation placed there. As the moisture along the floor joists and insulation persists, it will begin to form mold.
Also Check: Remove Mold From Ceiling In Bathroom
How Much Mold In My Crawl Space Is Acceptable
Mold is a natural part of our environment, but it doesnt belong in your crawl space. Even a small patch rapidly spreads as it feeds on the structural components directly under your home.
Airborne mold spores can also migrate into the house and impact the health of everyone upstairs. There are no acceptable levels of mold in a crawl space.
Crawl Space Mold Treatment
Treating the mold in the crawl space always starts with a great mold spray. We use YCS Cleaner to remove any and all mold present. YCS Cleaner is an Earth-friendly cleaner that leaves no toxic residues, it removes any present mold, dirt, mildew, algae, and any other present organic matter, while also revitalizing the surface beneath. YCS Cleaner reacts with organic matter, encapsulating stains into a foam.
Once the best mold treatment solution is in use, the important part is spraying and cleaning effectively. Crawl Space Brothers process is to thoroughly soak each joist in the crawl space a painstaking yet necessary process. The spray will soak into the porous wood and kill the mold spores harboring inside while encapsulating any particles into the foam produced. Then we use a HEPA vacuum on all sections of the wood, picking up all the foam and leaving it looking like new!
Read Also: Skin Rash From Mold
Eliminating Mold Caused By Basement Condensation Issues Attention Diy
This type of mold is most often surface mold growth along painted concrete walls. Since theres usually no demo of drywall required, this mold elimination can usually be done by a handy homeowner.
We recommend buying two types of cleaning agents from the local hardware store:
These can be powerful chemicals, so wear a mask and gloves and keep the area ventilated. If youre not comfortable doing this, then please hire a mold professional. Not sure if you can do it yourself, read more about when you need to hire someone.
Can Mold In Crawl Space Get Into Space
If youve gotten mold in your crawl space, theres a good chance that its also unfold to different areas of your house. If it spreads into your HVAC machine, it might probably trip in the course of the air ducts right through the rest of your home. Mold in your HVAC is extraordinarily tricky to mitigate and calls for the help of a educated professional.
Recommended Reading: How To Clean Mold Off Of Bathroom Ceiling
Read Also: How To Clean Mold Spots Off Bathroom Ceiling
How To Get Rid Of Mold
There are many types of mold that can be found in homes and some are very dangerous to your health. This is why its important to hire professionals for mold remediation. Our experts have years of experience in mold cleanup that includes finding and identifying the types of mold in your home and using the most effective ways to remove it. In addition to visible mold, there is often mold hiding in air ducts, hvac systems, crawl spaces, and many other areas of your home. We use topnotch equipment to kill the mold and test and improve your air quality.
Crawl Space Mold Remediation Cost
If your crawl space does need remediation, the cost can range from $500 for a small space up to around $5k for a larger space. If the mold has infiltrated the walls and sub-floor, it can be as much as $50k. Since most crawl space mold growth situations can be fixed by spraying and scrubbing all the colonies, instead of doing a full remediation, the cost is usually on the lower side of the spectrum. When it comes to getting the exact price and scope of work required to address your crawl space mold issue, having a professional assessment is always a good idea!
Also Check: How To Get Rid Of Mildew On Bathroom Ceiling
Do Small Tight Crawl Spaces Cost More To Fix
If you have mold in your small tight crawl space, the first step is to dry the wood and lower humidity. If a dehumidifier will not fit inside the door of the crawl space or the ceiling is too low. Access to the crawl space will need to be created.
This can be done by removing the sub-floor or making larger openings in the foundation wall. But, this can be expensive and a larger foundation wall opening can still hinder dehumidifiers in low crawl spaces with sweating duct-work. Imagine the time and materials it takes to make this happen and that is just to dry the crawl space.
Should I Remove Dirt From My Small Tight Crawl Space
Many have asked us questions over the years about removing dirt from the crawl space. Most are interested in leveling the dirt floor of the crawl space. Not lowering it for access. Either way, removing dirt from the crawl space could create a flooding problem. When compacted soils are loosened, there is less resistance for water to make its way into your crawl space. This is part of the reasons homes flood in the first place.
Video – Should I Level Crawl Space Floors?
Builders remove compacted soils to pour footers and install foundation walls. The act of excavating the soils can create a bowl effect around the home. The bowl effect makes it easy for rainwater to intrude the basement or crawl space. This is why Crawl Space Ninja installs so many sump pumps and waterproofing systems. Once the water finds a way in, it usually will not stop.
Also Check: Cleaning Mildew Off Bathroom Ceiling
