When having a mold situation properly mitigated at your home, the company performing the work should be following EPA guidelines for proper mold remediation. If you hire a mold firm that doesn’t follow EPA guidelines, then most likely, you are hiring someone who is not going to properly take care of your mold problem. But, who is the EPA and what do they have to do with anything?
The EPA, or the Environmental Protection Agency, is an independent agency of the United States federal government for environmental protection. The establishment was proposed by President Nixon in July of 1970, then began operation in December 1970, after Nixon signed an executive order. The mission of the EPA is to protect human health and the environment.
The guidelines that the EPA sets forth regarding mold remediation are important. When those guidelines aren’t followed, then mold growth will reoccur and you and your families health will remain at risk. These guidelines are meant to protect you, your family, and our environment.
So, what are the guidelines? Following is a brief breakdown of the EPA’s guidelines regarding proper mold remediation. (Note: if more than 10 square feet of mold is found in your home, the EPA recommends a mold professional perform the cleanup. Anything less than 10 square feet, which is roughly a 3×3 area or less is deemed small enough for homeowner/handyman cleanup.)
- Contain the contaminated area from the main structure, to prevent possible cross-contamination.
- Position HEPA filtered negative air scrubbing units within and/or just outside of the controlled area(s).
- Vacuum the infected areas with a HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner.
- Mist all surfaces in the controlled areas with a commercial mold cleaner, to reduce and control airborne mold spores. (Dog Gone Mold uses all-natural, non-toxic products.)
- Remove all infected construction materials as necessary AND any/all newly discovered affected materials, per on-site inspection by a mitigation technician deemed to be unacceptable by the EPA guidelines.
- Vacuum all substrates, studs, etc, with a HEPA filtered vacuum cleaner.
- Wipe down and scrub all substrates with a commercial mold cleaner.
- Encapsulate all substrates with a commercial mold encapsulate.
- Fog the entire controlled area with a commercial mold cleaner.
- Remove from the premises any contaminated materials and dispose of them properly.
There are additional steps taken in specific situations, but the above guidelines should be completed during all mold mitigations. If the above guidelines are not going to be followed, then you run the risk of the present mold situation not being remedied, and/or mold growth to reoccur.