Mold Remediation Guide
A mold and mildew infestation can be a very serious and even life threatening problem, especially toxic molds containing high concentrations of mycotoxins. The problem should be treated quickly and thoroughly.
We recommend a 3-prong approach to cleaning up your mold and mildew problems, much of which you can do yourself. If at all possible we recommend first purifying the air with our equipment to reduce your exposure to breathing in mold or other contaminants, but if you do not yet have our equipment and need to get out the water immediately then do what you must do, but spend as little time as possible in the affected areas.
1. Disinfect
Before even starting a clean up, you will want to clear the air of mold with an appropriate sized PrO Activ Ox™ machine- we have machines with varying outputs that range from a small basement of 400 sq' through an Industrial Warehouse of 100,000 sq'. By treating the air before either your family or hired help starts the clean up you are greatly reducing the concentration of bacteria in the air. Simply take the PrO Activ Ox™ machine and plug it into a dry outlet if one is available in the area or plug it into an extension cord from a dry outlet.
2. Dry Out
After 24 hours running the PrO Activ Ox™ machine you can start to Dry out the area using a hose, Wet Vac and possibly a steam cleaner. Get all surfaces as clean as possible without using chlorine bleach as you will just be adding toxicity to your problem. Since you are using a PrO Activ Ox™ machine there is no need to sanitize the area with any chemical disinfectant. You may want to sponge surfaces down with a non-toxic cleanser since the PrO Activ Ox™ will not take away mud or stains, but it will kill the bacteria and any mold/mildew that formed as well as removing any odors. If you have carpeting in the area, you will want to wash it very well, Wet Vac it, pull it up and dry it outside the house in the sun if possible.
3. Remove
Once the area is clean and dry you can close the door to the area and get a good concentration of the PrO Activ Ox™ Active Oxygen working in the room or basement. Remember that Active Oxygen will kill any mold or bacteria that the air can reach. If your house has been flooded you will most likely have mold forming behind the walls. The easiest way to insure that the Active Oxygen can get behind the wall is the cut 2"-3" diameter holes in the dry wall or plaster every three feet or so both vertically and horizontally. This way you can make sure that the Mold and Mildew on inside walls is being killed and instead of tearing down dry wall or plaster and putting it up new, you just patch the existing walls. Now if the dry wall is very bad, then you probably will have to take it down, let the inside walls get sanitized and then re-install. If there is insulation behind the walls and it has gotten wet, then you will need to replace any wet insulation.
* Many Mold Remediation Companies will tell you that you need to use Chlorine Bleach and tear down all the walls in the affected area. An average basement or lower floor that has been flooded will be quoted anywhere from $4,000 to $25,000 for clean up and mold remediation . If your insurance company will give you a settlement anywhere near this range, you may want to settle with your insurance company and do this work yourself. In most cases PrO Activ Ox™. Stainless grade units will do the job for you and will cost from $710 to $1,000 and you will have them purifying your air for many years (they come with a 4 year unconditional parts and labor warranty-which can be upgraded to a 25 year warranty). Renting a Wet Vac and/or steam cleaner for 2 days may be about $100 and cutting holes in your wall and patching after the mold has been killed may run $200; so for between $840 and $1,300 for the average basement including the machine you can do this yourself or hire a handyman, not have to breathe in toxic chemicals, own the best air purifier on the market and still net between $2,700 and $4,700 on your insurance settlement
Before even starting a clean up, you will want to clear the air of mold with an appropriate sized PrO Activ Ox™ machine- we have machines with varying outputs that range from a small basement of 400 sq' through an Industrial Warehouse of 100,000 sq'. By treating the air before either your family or hired help starts the clean up you are greatly reducing the concentration of bacteria in the air. Simply take the PrO Activ Ox™ machine and plug it into a dry outlet if one is available in the area or plug it into an extension cord from a dry outlet.
2. Dry Out
After 24 hours running the PrO Activ Ox™ machine you can start to Dry out the area using a hose, Wet Vac and possibly a steam cleaner. Get all surfaces as clean as possible without using chlorine bleach as you will just be adding toxicity to your problem. Since you are using a PrO Activ Ox™ machine there is no need to sanitize the area with any chemical disinfectant. You may want to sponge surfaces down with a non-toxic cleanser since the PrO Activ Ox™ will not take away mud or stains, but it will kill the bacteria and any mold/mildew that formed as well as removing any odors. If you have carpeting in the area, you will want to wash it very well, Wet Vac it, pull it up and dry it outside the house in the sun if possible.
3. Remove
Once the area is clean and dry you can close the door to the area and get a good concentration of the PrO Activ Ox™ Active Oxygen working in the room or basement. Remember that Active Oxygen will kill any mold or bacteria that the air can reach. If your house has been flooded you will most likely have mold forming behind the walls. The easiest way to insure that the Active Oxygen can get behind the wall is the cut 2"-3" diameter holes in the dry wall or plaster every three feet or so both vertically and horizontally. This way you can make sure that the Mold and Mildew on inside walls is being killed and instead of tearing down dry wall or plaster and putting it up new, you just patch the existing walls. Now if the dry wall is very bad, then you probably will have to take it down, let the inside walls get sanitized and then re-install. If there is insulation behind the walls and it has gotten wet, then you will need to replace any wet insulation.
* Many Mold Remediation Companies will tell you that you need to use Chlorine Bleach and tear down all the walls in the affected area. An average basement or lower floor that has been flooded will be quoted anywhere from $4,000 to $25,000 for clean up and mold remediation . If your insurance company will give you a settlement anywhere near this range, you may want to settle with your insurance company and do this work yourself. In most cases PrO Activ Ox™. Stainless grade units will do the job for you and will cost from $710 to $1,000 and you will have them purifying your air for many years (they come with a 4 year unconditional parts and labor warranty-which can be upgraded to a 25 year warranty). Renting a Wet Vac and/or steam cleaner for 2 days may be about $100 and cutting holes in your wall and patching after the mold has been killed may run $200; so for between $840 and $1,300 for the average basement including the machine you can do this yourself or hire a handyman, not have to breathe in toxic chemicals, own the best air purifier on the market and still net between $2,700 and $4,700 on your insurance settlement