Mold Removal in PA

There are many ways to prevent mold from growing in your home or business, but once it’s there and beyond the scope that an untrained professional can handle, it’s time to call in the experts at Eco Tech LLC. The steps and processes associated with a correct mold removal plan are very important and each step has its own value and must be performed properly in order to ensure subsequent actions are successful. There is always the assumption that the affected areas have already been dried out prior to the remediation taking place.

Personal Protection Equipment (PPE)

Whenever we have a case where there significant contamination of a home or business it is very important that the technicians be properly protected using PPE. Depending upon the level of contamination, PPE can range from just a respirator and gloves up to 100% enclosure using Tyveck body suites, complete face shield and having all gloves and boots taped shut at the openings. Every mold removal project is different, however we will always err on the side of caution.

Containment:

Complete isolation of the work area from other occupied and uncontaminated spaces. This involves the use of a heavy mil poly sheeting sealing off doorways, hallways and HVAC vents. Duct tape is the common method of affixing the sheeting, but some companies use prefab containment walls and structures. Once these structures are in place a negative air machine must be utilized to ensure that contaminated air does not escape into other parts of the home or business. Containment is the first step of any remediation in which there is substantial contamination and risk of cross contamination of adjoining spaces.

Mechanical ventilation and filtration:

For the safety of the workers and to reduce the risk of cross contamination of adjoining spaces, air scrubbers should be utilized during the remediation process. An air scrubber will pull air through the unit at a high rate of speed and filter that air using HEPA filter technology. We utilize 500 CFM (cubic feet minute) air scrubbers on our projects which filters the air up to 20x per day while we are performing a remediation.

HEPA vacuuming:

HEPA vacuums are specialized units that have filters that can remove extremely tiny particles from surfaces. All surfaces inside of the affected areas should be vacuumed to remove any loose surface mold, mold parts and mold spores. While some of this material may be dead, it can still act as an allergen and cause some of the same symptoms seen with viable mold.

Directional fogging:

Directional fogging is a very good tool in the mold removal process. Often times mold may be found in areas where operating a sander or angle grinder to physically remove mold is impossible. The use of directional fogging with an approved fungicide is a good way to apply a mold killing agent to these particular spaces. It is VERY important to seal off the area being fogged from adjoining spaces as some of these chemicals can be irritants to humans and pets. Eco Tech uses a product called Dizolv which is a concentrated form of hydrogen peroxide. This reagent quickly breaks down after use and has no lasting
effects. It is also very environmentally friendly and is part of our green chemistry product selection.

Physical mold removal:

Whenever it is possible to physically remove the mold from wood framing, roof sheathing or other permanent building materials inside the home, we recommend it be performed. Physical mold removal can be performed with sand paper, electric sander, grinder, hard wire brush, sand blasting, dry ice blasting and more. This ensures that all parts of the mold (spores, roots, hyphae, stems) have been removed which greatly reduces the chance for a reoccurrence.

Encapsulation:

Once the mold has been killed and removed from all surfaces it is time for the final step in the process. Encapsulation involves the application of a paint-like substance which has an anti-fungal agent built into the material. This is then applied to all surfaces that were treated or are adjacent to treated surfaces. This material comes in clear, opaque or white and is applied with a high-velocity paint sprayer with specialized modifications. This is a crucial step in the mold removal process because without it the treated surfaces could once again be infected and the process would have to be repeated. Many shotty mold removal companies with forgo this step because of the relative high cost of the encapsulant material as well as the tedious nature of it’s application. Always be sure to request encapsulation when agreeing to a mold remediation protocol.

Breakdown:

Once all of the above steps have been completed it is time to break down the containment area and properly discard the material. All poly sheeting must be HEPA vacuumed and then treated with an antifungal agent (we use the fogger) prior to breakdown. This will ensure that no contamination is allowed to escape during the breakdown process. All plastics are then taken to a recycling facility for recycling.