Take Back Your HomeIf your home has been damaged by hurricanes, flooding or even leaky plumbing, there's a good chance that it's harboring mold growth.
Mold and mildew are naturally occurring plant-like organisms, called fungi, which thrive under a combination of warmth, moisture, darkness and food sources like wood, carpet or drywall. In a water-damaged property, mold and its seeds, called spores, can spread dramatically in as little as 24 to 48 hours.
Stained, discolored walls and other surfaces and a musty odor are signs of possible mold contamination. Left unchecked, mold can adversely affect a home's indoor air quality and permanently damage selected materials that it contacts.
A Systematic Approach
Homeowners can take back their property -- and prevent mold from coming back -- by taking a systematic approach, according to Kim E. Anderson, Ph.D., a toxicologist with more than 30 years of experience in managing mold removal.
Anderson, a principal and director of toxicology, environmental health and safety at GZA GeoEnvironmental Inc., recommends following these four mold cleanup steps:
1. Eliminate the water. Look for water in wall cavities, ceilings or other hidden locations and drain it immediately. Also, remove any porous material that may have absorbed water such as carpet, bedding and furniture. Once the water has been removed, eliminate the moisture source, whether it's patching the roof or stopping a leak.
2. Dry out. Materials remaining in place should be thoroughly dried by exposing them to circulated dry air. If necessary, remove water-damaged wallboard to expose and dry out the home's framing studs and wall cavities.
3. Treat. Treat the dried surfaces with a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered premixed disinfectant. While chorine bleach and water are often used in mold cleanup, improperly mixed bleach/water solutions can discolor treated surfaces and may irritate the nose, mouth and lungs. What's worse, the wrong bleach mixture can actually fail to kill mold and mildew.
4. Coat. Have a professional apply an antimicrobial or mold resistant coating to the treated surfaces. These coatings eradicate the remaining mold spores and help provide long-term protection against the re-growth of mold and mildew on the coating surface. The use of coatings also helps reduce rebuilding costs by enabling the reuse of existing building materials.
A reputable professional should match the products with the applications and follow specific guidelines for proper use. The water-based coatings can be applied with an airless sprayer, brush or roller.
Specifying Proven Products
When following the four mold cleanup steps, specify the use of products that are designed to treat and prevent mold in specific applications, says Anderson. The Foster product line includes several coatings that have been developed for special uses.
For example, Foster 40-20 is the leading antimicrobial coating. EPA-registered, it is engineered for use on walls, ceilings, pipes and HVAC ducts.
Other coatings from Foster include Foster 40-50 and Foster 40-51. Both are mold-resistant coatings that provide long-term protection for areas such as wall cavities, attics and crawl spaces.
Among treatment products, Foster 40-80 is an EPA-registered disinfectant that is more effective than bleach in killing mold and mold spores. Because it is pre-measured, 40-80 can be safer and easier to use than bleach and water mixtures.
It is also advisable to specify coatings that have been thoroughly tested. Included in the Foster product line are coatings that have been scientifically proved to prevent mold growth under the most rigorous test conditions.
Learn More
Foster has launched a special Web site to support hurricane and flood cleanup and provide quick access to information about mold treatment and prevention. There are also links to relief agencies, mold remediation associations/contractors and distributors of the company's products.
To learn more, visit www.fosterproducts.com and click on Hurricane Recovery Support.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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