California Mold Removal Protocols

Mold can aggravate allergies, asthma and other health conditions and presents a danger to children and people with weakened immune systems. It thrives in damp conditions and tends to grow in areas that suffered from prior water damage. While mold can be difficult to kill, California has mold removal protocols to eliminate the health hazard.

Small Mold Problems

• If mold has invaded less than 10 square feet of your home, the California Department of Health says that you don't need a professional contractor to decontaminate the area. To remove the mold from your home yourself, you first remove any damaged drywall. Inspect the interior of the wall and throw away any moldy insulation. Next, clean the area. This includes removing any porous items such as ceiling tiles, carpeting or wood products, using a wet/dry vacuum cleaner to remove water and hanging a plastic sheet to contain the contaminated area. While cleaning, you want to wear gloves, an N-95 respirator and eye protection. Use non-ammonia soap and hot water to salvage nonporous items such as items made out of glass, metal or plastic. Finally, disinfect the area and salvaged items. Wear gloves and eye protection while using a 10 percent solution of household beach. Disinfect items in a well-ventilated area because the fumes from disinfectants can be dangerous.

Large Mold Problems

• Large mold problems consist of an area greater than 100 square feet and should be cleaned by trained professionals. When removing mold, professional contractors must wear personal protective equipment such as a full-face air-purifying respirator with a high-efficiency particle absorbing (HEPA) cartridge. Mold removal personnel must also wear gloves and disposable protective clothing that covers both their heads and feet. When other personnel or consultants visit the mold-contaminated site, they must bring and wear their own protective equipment. This includes gloves, a half-face air-purifying respirator with a HEPA cartridge and non-reusable protective clothing that shields both their head and feet. Once the area has been cleaned, personnel must collect clearance air samples to ensure that all the mold has been removed. During this procedure, they only need to wear gloves and disposable protective clothing.

Tenants and Occupants

• During the removal of a large mold infestation, all tenants and occupants must leave the immediate premises prior to any cleaning or removal. In large apartment or office buildings, elevator access to the contaminated floor must be shut down, alarms on stairwell access door to that floor need to be armed and construction signs displayed. Tenants or occupants living or working on other floors of the building need to be alerted to the mold removal activities.