What Should You Consider Before Removing Mold
Before you embark on removing mold from your crawl space, you need to understand that its a difficult physical job that will take lots of scrubbing in far to reach spaces. You need to practice appropriate safety features before you begin the process if you plan to do it on your own. Have safety gloves and ensure theyve got a textured grip material at the fingertips and the palms if you have to handle slippery equipment.
This way, you dont have to get tears or blisters when working your way through rough areas. Perhaps youre qualified enough to use special cleaning tools and home cleaners. If the products youll be using contain bleach or even ammonia, use a face mask to protect your eyes and mouth. One thing you should beware of is that chemical build up in the small crawl space can be overwhelming.
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.
Can Mold Make You Sick
Many people ask us if mold in the crawl space can cause health problems. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to answer this since every person and there immune system is different so we leave that question for the medical professionals to answer.
We do know this, mold in the crawl space will eat and destroy your wood joists and subfloor. Mold never stops breaking down organic materials.
Crawl space mold removal is needed in order to make sure the mold is cleaned properly and prevented from returning. Mold needs moisture to grow and this moisture can come from high humidity or a leak but the more moisture mold in the crawl space receives the faster it will grow.
Make sure you take steps to remove the mold as well as prevent it from returning or you will have to perform crawl space mold removal again and again.
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What Damage Can Mold Do To Floor Joists In A Crawl Space
If you dont address your mold issue promptly, it can cause severe damage to your floor joists and the overall support structure of your home. When wood holds onto moisture, it becomes weaker over time. Then, add mold into the mix, and the wood becomes even more damaged.
Your floorboards and other joists will begin to crack as the mold works its way through the beams. The scary part is, this is all happening underneath your house. So, you might not even notice how bad the problem is until its too late and someone gets injured.
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How Does Mold Grow
Molds grow from microscopic spores that are universal. You can find molds on every continent, and in almost every type of environment. Mold needs 4 things to grow: oxygen, moisture, a food source, and warmth. Molds grow inside of their food sources. They can penetrate deeply into drywall, carpets, underneath kitchen and bathroom sinks, and more. Mold can even grow inside wood floor joists.
Best Diy Crawl Space Mold Removal Products
Think of removing mold like removing dirt. You wouldnt just spray dirt with a cleaner and call it clean! You have to remove the dirt from the surface. When removing mold, be sure to wet the area with your preferred cleanser thoroughly. Dry mold spores will explode all over the room if you try to dry wipe it away! Be sure to wear the proper safety equipment , and ventilate the room to the outdoors when cleaning.
The best mold removal products are those that are non-toxic and safe to use around children and pets. There are 3 simple ingredients you can safely use to clean away mold in your home: white vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. Remember NOT to mix these ingredients! Keep reading for maximum cleaning power and safety!
Hard Surface Cleaning
To clean a hard surface , simply add hydrogen peroxide OR white vinegar to a clean, empty spray bottle undiluted. Never mix these chemicals! Choose one or the other.
Hydrogen Peroxide
When using hydrogen peroxide, spray the area to clean thoroughly, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Then, scrub the area, and rinse it clean with water. Repeat if needed.
White Vinegar
For white vinegar, spray the area to clean thoroughly, and let it sit for at least 15 minutes or up to one hour. Then, scrub the area, and rinse it clean with water.
Baking Soda
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Most Crawl Spaces Are Inadequately Ventilated
Although most crawl spaces are vented, they are still passive systems, meaning that ventilation only occurs due to pressure changes and wind that happens to blow through the vents. Few crawl spaces have powered ventilation systems, which can create their own problems. Limited ventilation results in an accumulation of stagnant air. In this environment, mold, radon, and moisture can build to dangerous levels.
Warm air inside a home rises and escapes through the attic, drawing in cooler air from lower levels, including outdoor air and air from the crawl space. Running exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathrooms creates a negative pressure inside the home. This negative pressure also draws in air from outside the home and from the crawl space.
Put On Your Safety Gear
Before you start tackling the mold problem, gear up. Put on safety goggles, gloves, a mask, and wear long sleeves and pants. Its important to keep yourself as protected as possible as you work.
Its also a good idea to set up a fan in the crawlspace area and have it blow away from you to create some ventilation in the area. This will help keep you breathing easier and allow moisture to dry more quickly.
As an extra precaution, cover any windows, exterior doors, and air vents in your house to prevent any mold spores from entering. You can use plastic sheeting as a barrier.
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Cost To Replace Crawl Space Plastic
Replacing a crawl space vapor barrier or plastic costs$2 to $4 per square foot or between $1,200 and $4,000 on average. The vapor barrier plastic alone costs $0.15 to $0.50 per square foot without installation.
Any water damage, mold, excess moisture, or wet insulation needs fixing before replacing the plastic, which may increase the overall cost. A vapor barrier reduces humidity levels and should be replaced when the plastic has tears, the seals are failing, or when the insulation has gotten wet.
Best Mold Killer For Crawl Spaces
Bleach, tea tree oil, vinegar, or sodium bicarbonate all act as removal tools that can be easily purchased at a department store. If you are seeking a specialized product, the Allertech Remediation Kit has everything you needan removal agent, goggles, gloves, and a respirator. This kit can be found for the cost of $85 on Amazon.
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Types Of Crawl Space Mold And Mildew
There are three common types of mold that are most likely to appear in your crawl space. You can determine which type of mold you have based on color and general appearance.
Black mold is by far the most common and deadliest type of mold you could have in your crawl space. If you see black mold, youre going to want to act as soon as possible.
Black mold is fuzzy or powdery and may be dark gray or greenish, rather than black. It is dark, however, so it can look black. It often appears as little spots that can look a lot like dirt.
White mold in crawl space areas often grows on exposed wooden joists and on dirt. Though it does not cause health problems as serious as black mold, this is still a health risk that you dont want hanging around your home.
Yellow mold is known as house-eating mold because it literally feeds on wood and organic materials, which causes deterioration. You definitely dont want this stuff hanging around.
How To Prevent Mold Growth In A Crawl Space
Preventing mold growth in your crawl space is the best course of action. It is much easier to take steps for prevention than mold remediation. If your house has a crawl space, make sure to keep it ventilated and dry. Any moisture or water on the ground of your crawl space can contribute to mold growth, so make sure to keep it dry. Insulate your pipes and keep them sealed to prevent water from seeping into the dirt, where it will contribute to humidity levels. Also, make sure that the dirt doesnt pile up too much there since this can clog all your vents, allowing water inside your crawl space.
Crawl space insulation is one of the best tools to use for prevention. Insulation can easily be purchased at your local hardware store. Be sure to use mechanical fasteners to attach the insulation snugly to the subfloor. Seal all the seams with weatherstripping so that air cannot get inside easily.
If the current ventilation system doesnt work that well, consider installing a new one. Make sure to check with your HVAC contractor about setting it up because you will want the fresh air to be pulled out and not pushed in.
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How To Prevent Mold And Fungus:
We have now identified Mold and Fungus, and how they appear and function within a crawl space. A few tips to prevent and treat fungus in your crawl space include:
- Check the Humidity-Measuring the humidity allows you to know if the percentage is high enough to feed fungal growth within your crawl space.
- Remove the Moisture– Have a professional inspect your home before beginning any treatments. They will have the appropriate tools and tips necessary to address what measures should be taken to solve the issues seen.
- Borate Treatments- Borate soaks into the affected wood and prevents any mold or fungus from returning to the affected area.
- Wood Treatment/ Repair- If the wood is not significantly damaged, wood treatments are an option to strengthen and repair the existing wood. If the damage is significant, repair and replacement of the affected wood would be needed.
- Crawlspace Enclosure/Encapsulation– While crawl space enclosures may be more costly than most home repairs, the benefits are far greater. Enclosures help eliminate moisture, increase energy efficiency in your home, help control pests, and help improve overall health of the home.
It Smells Good Its Cleanright
WRONG. Smelling good does not indicate that something is clean! In fact, fragrance can be anything in a product that gives it a smell from essential oils from plants to industrial petrochemicals. Cleaning and personal care product manufacturers are required to list their ingredients on the label of the products. However, because of a loophole in government regulations , they are not required to list any fragrance ingredients. This means that they can use any chemical they choose to add scent to a product, including dangerous, allergenic, and even toxic chemicals. To learn more about hidden fragrance chemicals in personal care products go to: Not So Sexy Hidden Chemicals in Perfume and Cologne.
Our government does not regulate cleaning products or personal care products in a way that allows consumers to have all the facts about a product before they use it. Because of this, we urge you to learn all you can before using a product in your home or on your skin.
Cleaning products affect air quality, especially if ventilation is not used during cleaning. Remember whether sanitizing or disinfecting, use good ventilation when using cleaning products.
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Still Believe Crawl Space Vents Work
Ask yourself these questions:
Mold Growth Due To Water Leaks From Above
Where does water go when a pipe leaks or a toilet seal fails? If it occurs on the first floor of a home directly into the crawlspace. Of course, most people dont want to enter a crawl space, so the moisture buildup often goes undetected. Bathroom issues are the most common culprit. Catastrophic incidents such as burst pipes wreak such havoc that the entire home is investigated. Leaks from a toilet seal or shower pan are typically slow and can remain undetected for months. Once the first sign of an issue is observed, extensive damage has often already occurred.
The photo below is a shower with the tile, pan and subfloor removed. Much of the framing had completely lost its structural integrity.
Heavy rot and mold in crawl space.
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Introduction Crawl Space Cleaning
Mold in crawl spaces is very common and can often be corrected with a little patience and hard work. We have been saying for years that there is no such thing as a crawl space with no mold growth in it. While this is probably an exaggeration, it certainly isnt far from the truth. It is a very common problem that, while oftentimes not a health issue, is a growing resale issue that requires attention prior to listing a home for sale.
The cost of cleaning up crawl spaces can be very expensive. Indiana Mold Remediation has always sought to find the best solution to mold problems that meet both remediation needs as well as account for the available resources of the homeowner. While we have worked hard to provide a high value for our cleaning services in crawl spaces, this guide is designed as an instruction manual for the do-it-yourselfers trying to address this hidden problem themselves and save the cost of hiring a professional. Keep in mind, cleaning up mold in a crawlspace can be very labor-intensive and quite messy, it isnt for the faint-hearted! Understanding your own abilities is an important first step before taking on a project of this size and scope.
Some items that you will need for your cleaning include:
Possible Cleaners:
Oxiclean
Bleach
Soap
Borax
Botanical/Natural Cleaners
Personal Protection Equipment
Pump Sprayer or other Spray Equipment
Soft Bristle Brush
High-Pressure Fan or several low-pressure fans
Extension Cord
Hiring A Mold Remediation Professional
Knowing when to draw the line and call a remediation professional is key. A strong, musty smell or the appearance of allergy symptoms in you or your family are sure signs that a professional is needed. The failure of over an counter treatment is another sign that the problem is out of your hand, as well as an inability to curb the humidity coming into the area.
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Crawl Space Mold Removal
You don’t necessarily have to buy any special products or chemical mixtures in order to kill mold. There are many common household cleaners that effectively treat mold, including hydrogen peroxide, distilled white vinegar, and standard rubbing alcohol.
Any of these common household chemicals can be mixed with water and sprayed directly on mold to kill it, along with any number of chemical mixtures you can purchase from home improvement stores.
However, the best and most effective way to kill mold is to use bleach. You need to wear gloves and eye protection while working with bleach and when you are also working around mold, wear a mask, so you don’t breathe in the spores.
Mix about one cup of bleach in one gallon of water to make a mold and mildew killer that can be sprayed right on the fungus. Put this solution in a spray bottle and spray it directly on every bit of mold you can possibly find, so long as you’re sure you’re spraying it on mold and you will not do any damage to whatever is under the mold.
Remember that bleach can take the color out of clothing, wood, and just about whatever it touches, so be cautious when using bleach and put on clothing that can be ruined before you treat mold.
Also, you dont want to breathe in bleach fumes for too long. In fact, dont breathe in any fumes for too long.
While treating mold, take frequent breaks to get some fresh air and, if possible, open up windows or put a fan in the crawl space to provide some kind of ventilation.
