Microbial Agents: How To Prevent Mold Growth After Water Intrusion

Mold that exists within a building is extremely unhealthy and can cause serious illnesses after prolonged exposure to it. After a water intrusion occurs, mold growth will occur within 72 hours in the wet and humid climate. A mold remediation protocol has to be implemented and followed in order to insure proper removal and to prevent cross contamination of un-affected areas. Proper structural drying is the first step in eradication of mold, all wet cellulose material must be removed. Unlike most people think mold has to be physically removed, spraying with an anti-microbial will only retard its growth. All affected materials must be removed, bagged and sealed prior to disposal. Encapsulating the wood framing with and microbial inhibitor sealant is a cost effective way to prevent future growth of structural components.

Mold Remediation

Once the structure has reached a dry standard; which is measured by relative humidity, and the affected materials are removed then the remediation begins. By setting up critical barriers and containment chambers using air scrubber to create negative pressure will prevent cross-contamination. Porous materials that have gotten wet and now are dried have to be vacuumed with a hepa filtered vacuum. The next step is to physically scrub every affected surface, wipe it down with an anti-microbial agent and the vacuumed again, this a time consuming and very tedious work that must be performed. Typically after the cleaning is done these surfaces must be sealed with a mold inhibiting agent. This includes hidden surfaces such as the inner sides of wallboards and wooden structures.

Mold prevention: Microbial agents

After the cleaning process is complete, porous materials need to be treated so that mold growth will not return. An encapsulating anti- microbial will accomplish this. This type of treatment is very successful. Microbial agents are used to coat porous materials that have somehow previously gotten wet. They should be permeable, water based, have very little odor and applied with a volume fogger. All vapor barriers must be removed to prevent future mold growth. It‘s very important to hire a IIRC certified company in order to insure that the proper protocol is put in place and followed. Air quality testing is also recommended to insure that the mold situation has been eradicated.