How to Test Remediation

Remediation describes the removal process of toxic contaminants that adversely affect human health and/or the environment. Remediation is a clean-up process that encompasses disinfecting contaminated areas. Mold is a common toxic contaminant that requires remediation. Mold spores are both organic and biohazard which means exposure causes a wide variety of health problems for humans and animals. Remediation of mold spores is required to eliminate health risks. There are other types of remediation such as removal of iron from garden soil and sewage from drinking water. Remediation is simply the removal of toxins from the environment.

Things You'll Need

• Goggles
• Respirator
• Old clothes and shoes
• Box fan
• Tape
• Cardboard
• Trash bags
• Rubber gloves
• Hand-held scrub brush
• Garden sprayer
• Plastic
• Wet/dry vacuum
• Bleach
• Warm water
• Dehumidifier
• New fans
• Old fan
• BIN
• KILZ
• Latex paint with mildewcide

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Check to see if you need remediation by looking behind the sheetrock of your walls.You need to punch a hole in the wall. If there are specks of black then the mold is minor. If black is covering the studs and outside walls then a complete remediation procedure is required. There is no easy way to look behind the sheet rock. Whether the hole you poke is small or large the sheetrock still needs repair. Minor remediation requires spraying a bleach solution on the area infected. Complete remediation requires removing the walls, floor and ceiling down to the studs and rafters and scrubbing the wood with a bleach solution.

• 2

  Dress in safety clothing; goggles, rubber gloves, respirators and old clothes and shoes that you don't mind throwing out after the cleanup for a complete remediation project. Special respirators are required for cleaning mold. Use N-95 or P-100 respirators for remediation.

• 3

  Set a box fan in an open window for ventilation. You need to remove the mold spores from the air as you cleanup. Stop the mold spores from blowing back into the room by taping cardboard around the outside window openings.

• 4

  Pick up all old carpet and flooring materials putting them in a 6ml plastic bag. Double bag all materials from inside the room even if they don't appear moldy. Mold spores are difficult to see; you can't be too cautious.

• 5

  Spray a mist of cool water with a garden sprayer on moldy areas. The wet prevents the mold spores from getting into the air while you remove them.

• 6

  Turn off any device that blows air into the room. Shut off the furnace and air conditioner. Put a piece of plastic over air ducts and tape plastic around doorways and windows not used for ventilation purposes. The mold spores need containing during remediation.

• 7

  Collect small debris by using a wet/dry vacuum. Keep the vacuum in an area outside the room you are working in. You don't want the mold spores to collect on the outside of the vacuum providing a means of spreading them to other rooms in the house. Wash the tank, hose and attachments of the wet/dry vacuum with bleach and water after use. Do not try and clean the filter. Throw the filter away in a double bagged trash bag.

• 8

  Take a hand-held scrub brush and scrub all the surfaces in the room. Mix a ½ cup of bleach with 1 quart of warm water and use this solution to remove the mold. If there is sheet rock on the walls, remove it. In order to have complete remediation the room needs to be taken down to the studs and scrubbed with the bleach and water solution.

• 9

  Select specific locations in the room to place a dehumidifier and new fans. The air needs to circulate in the room to dry completely for at least 3 days. If, while drying, more mold is detected use the same bleach and water solution to clean the infested area.

• 10

  Test random areas in the room for dryness. If the room is completely dry you need to seal wood surfaces. BIN and KILZ are brands of shellac and oil-based primer that work well. All surfaces need repainting with a latex paint containing mildewcide. Mildewcide helps stop mold from growing as long as the room remains dry. If the room begins retaining moisture mold will grow again even after remediation.

• 11

  Look for signs of mold spores growing back periodically. Create a removable panel in the sheetrock during repair in the area where the mold was the worst. When checking for the regeneration of mold simply remove the panel, use a flashlight and investigate the area. If you see black specs then the mold has returned.