The nightmare of MOLD

[Wasabisaurus]

Has anyone had the experience of searching for and hiring trained, qualified, certified professionals to remove and treat it? Professionals who are licensed?

I am dealing with this. The levels have been tested. They are not dangerous, but no mold is good mold, and it's got to go.

F10 kills it?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mizzely]

Yes F10 kills mold. Vinegar only kills about 85%.

However, like most liquids, I believe it will only kill surface mold. It won't kill mold that is buried in wood, for example.

 

[Wasabisaurus]

Yeah, and that's what has to be treated and everything made of paper or is pourous-in the trash.
It's a good chance to purge the basement, so I am not upset about having to chuck most of it.
The birds will go to the vet.

 

[Hankmacaw]

You can't be too careful with mold and the sooner you get it the better. I'll never forget Piercesdesign who moved into a new house that had mold. She got Aspergillosis and it took 2 years to diagnose and another couple of years for her to be cured.

Yes, F10 will kill all molds and fungus, but like @Mizzely says any wood, plaster or other porous materials will have to be removed and replaced. You can use F10 in a garden sprayer to keep down any spores in the air in your house. Like this one Amazon.com : Chapin 16100 1-Gallon Home and Garden Sprayer For Multi-purpose Use : Lawn And Garden Sprayers : Patio, Lawn & Garden

My brother had mold/fungus inside the wall behind his hanging toilet and it cost him $5,000 before it was completely gone.

 

[Familyof12]

I had mold in an old house that we didn't even know about until we bought new furniture! It had come through a corner of the home. We hired a general contractor. That corner had to be torn out (a whole room) all the wood, concrete, everything and re-done. It had spread so much it had taken over the inside of the 4 x 4 in-between the outside and insulation. It was pricy but it solved why I had gotten so sick for a while and couldn't eat, breathe correctly without an inhaler, or gain weight for a long time.

The general contractor informed me that once the spores go throughout the home, they just sit and wait for the perfect opportunity to grow as it was probable the spores were throughout the HVAC and throughout the house. We moved.

 

[Wasabisaurus]

TY, Mary Lynn. We are bracing ourselves for a huge bill, but it has to be done. I have talked to a lot of companies to remove it, but I just recently learned of the qualifications to look for professionals to remove and remediate the mold. I wish I had known this before I started searching.

IMO, unless a company has the following qualifications, keep looking for one that does.

IICRC-is a certification and Standards Developing Organization (SDO) non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. If a business has earned this designation, the employees have been formally trained in cleanup and restoration.

This website lists places that have the NORMI trained professionals
NORMI Pro Professional, Certified Mold Inspector and Mold Removal Directory

And here is the main site

Certified Mold Inspectors and Mold Remediators Training - NORMI - National Organization of Remediators and Mold Inspectors

 

[Wasabisaurus]

These sites are invaluable to someone who does not know where to go for help.

Also, I am avoiding businesses that identify themselves as a waterproofing company that also treats mold.

Treating mold is a very specialized process. A business can be certified in mold removal, but IMO, better to go with a business with at least IICRC and preferably also has the NORMI designations - to give yourself the best chance of successfully getting rid of the mold without being ripped off. No house can be 100% mold free.

Few states require companies to be LICENSED to remove mold and several companies have lied to my face that their company has it. I know Delaware does NOT. I think Texas, Florida and Maryland do require businesses to have licenses to remove mold. There is a place on the NORMI Pro website to see if a business really does have the NORMI designation.

I called NORMI and talked to someone very knowledgeable. He was very, very helpful.

Finally, all companies won't write a protocol for the project, which basically means they don't want to bear responsibity if something goes wrong. Every company I have talked to wanted me to hire an Industrial Hygenist to assess the problem and write the protocol.

We hired an air quality inspector instead. He has been very helpful and very straight forward. He has offered to review the protocol from the company I hire. He also said do NOT pay upfront in full for any work. One company required this. I said thank you, goodbye. He's known people who have made that mistake, too.

I hope this information will help somebody. I wish I had known it. Please feel free to share it.

We're going to hire the last company I interviewed that has both IICRC and NORMI designations. The owner herself came out. I sure hope it's affordible.

This is not all there is to know about mold removal and how to find someone qualified to do it, but if I can send someone in the right direction, I'll be happy.

People don't know what they don't know about mold, its treatment and removal. Crazy bird people might, but not the average homeowner. It pains me to know that the people affected by hurricane flooding are be lied to and ripped off.

 

[Familyof12]

Mold Removal and Mold Remediation | Servpro Industries, Inc.

We used this company to remove our mold. They were general contractors who removed all the lumber, checked our heating ducts, etc. They came back a few times and check on the home. Even though we removed all of the mold, we still moved. I got too sick to be in that house. We sold it and moved.

 

[Wasabisaurus]

Thank you for that information. I've probably talked to them, too. I have a lot of notes.