Mold Removal – Soda Blasting
There are several ways to address mold in a crawl space. We feel mold removal is necessary in a crawl space and the best way to remove mold is soda blasting. Soda blasting mold is the most effective and safe way to physically remove mold from the subfloor and floor joists of a crawl space.
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Why Invest in Mold Removal?
The keyword is removal. Why should you invest in crawl space mold removal and not just spray it with a disinfectant? Imagine you had a roof leak and the water left a stain on your ceiling. You were able to repair the roof quickly so no mold grew on the ceiling.
Mold Testing
You even paid a mold inspector and confirmed there was no mold with a mold test. The mold inspector performed a surface mold sample and sent it to a lab for analysis. Lab result…no mold. You keep telling yourself you will paint the stain.
Your Home is For Sale
Three years later and you have your home for sale. You are so used to the stain on your ceiling by now that it never occurs to you to address it before putting your home on the market. Big mistake!
Kids Have Asthma
A family enters your home during a showing and they love the house. Momma rolls up to the master bedroom where the ceiling stain is and she starts asking questions. She read an article about mold on the internet. You assure her that you had it tested and there is no mold, only a stain. She’s feeling uncomfortable because her children have asthma and she doesn’t want to risk purchasing a home with mold.
Visible Dead Mold Can Be a Problem
So why is the crawl space mold any different. Crawl space companies will tell you to spray the mold on the joists and leave the insulation in place. There is no need to remove the mold they say. When a home inspector enters a crawl space and sees mold, alive or dead, it is a red flag. Do all that you can to remove the mold and prevent it from returning.
Mold Health Hazards
Health concerns related to the growth of mold in the home have been featured heavily in the news. Common problems like itchy eyes, coughing and sneezing are linked to mold exposure. More serious allergic reactions like asthma attacks, and even the possibility of permanent lung damage can also occur. According to WebMD the body can resist allergen exposure but the more you ingest the tougher it can be on your immune system. Even dead mold should be properly cleaned when found in your crawl space or other areas of the home.
Black Mold Mycotoxins
All that is needed for mold to grow is moisture, oxygen, a food source, and a surface to grow on. Mold spores are commonly found naturally in the air. If spores land on a wet or damp spot indoors and begin growing, they can lead to problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, molds produce allergens, irritants and, in some cases, potentially toxic substances called mycotoxins.
Mold Exposure
Inhaling or touching mold or mold spores may cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. Allergic responses include hay fever-type symptoms, such as sneezing, runny nose, red eyes, and skin rash (dermatitis). Allergic reactions to mold are common. They can be immediate or delayed. Molds can also trigger asthma attacks in people with asthma who are allergic to mold. In addition, mold exposure can irritate the eyes, skin, nose, throat and lungs of both mold-allergic and nonallergic people.
Mold Assessment in Our Environment
As more is understood about the health issues related to mold growth in interior environments, new methods for mold assessment and remediation are being put into practice. Mold assessment is used in occupational health and is the process of identifying the location and extent of the mold hazard in a structure.
Removal or Mold Remediation
Mold remediation is the process of cleanup and/or removal of mold from an indoor environment. Remediation or mold mitigation is usually conducted by a company with experience in construction, demolition, cleaning and airborne-particle containment-control. The use of special equipment like HEPA air scrubbers to protect workers and building occupants is also needed. Exposure from secondary contamination or irritating dust and organic debris can be minimized with proper containment and protocols. A new method that is gaining traction in this area of mold remediation is abrasive soda blasting.
Soda Blasting Mold in a Crawl Space
Here is a picture of mold removal in a home that had severe mold damage on the joists. In fact, we had to install seven pillars and repair fifteen floor joists that were damaged beyond repair. The image at the top right of the page is from the same crawl space before we soda blasted. If we had tried to perform mold removal by hand scrubbing or wiping down the moldy floor joists the result would not have been the same.
What is Sodium Bicarbonate
Soda blasting uses sodium bicarbonate, which is safe around food, and applies it to wood surfaces of the crawl space at a high rate of speed. The soda is abrasive and therefore removes the mold from the wood surface. Soda blasting is extremely effective at removing mold but it is not the only step that should be taken. Controlling moisture and humidity with a dehumidifier still remains high on the list. There is a lot of misinformation out there so I recommend you take a look at The 5 Don’ts of Crawl Space Repair if you are considering any work in your crawl space.
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What Next?
Do you need help with mold removal, crawl space encapsulation, crawl space insulation, vapor barrier, waterproofing, foundation repair, or controlling humidity in your crawl space and you live in Georgia, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio, or Kentucky? If so, please contact us to schedule your assessment. Also, let us know in the comments below if you have an idea for a new blog topic.
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