Harris County Texas
Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Remediating mold is a task that most home owners can successfully and affordably complete by themselves. It’s a big task, so ask family and friends or volunteer groups for help. Inspect your home closely to identify all areas where mold is growing, and you will need to clean.
Before beginning to clear mold out make sure your house is safe to work in. Walk around the outside and look for utility or environmental hazards. Inspect for any structural damage.
Once you’ve insured your safety, gut and remove all water damage materials from your home. You’re now in the initial dry-out phase.Use a moister meter to test moisture levels of the wood framing. When moisture reads below 20%, you can begin treating for mold.
- First, gear up in personal protective equipment, wear coveralls, goggles, a respirator, and gloves.
- Next, inspect the exterior of the home for any cracks or penetrations that may be allowing water in. Fix these first.
- Isolate your work area by sealing off doorways and vents with plastic sheeting and duct tape.This prevents the spread of mold spores and debris to other areas of your home.
- Remove nails and staples from all exposed wood framing, floor, walls, and ceiling and drive any protruding nails into the wood subfloor.
- Now it’s time to treat the mold. Use a wire brush to scrub all surfaces in multiple directions. This helps remove mold spores and opens up wood fibers for the fungicide to better penetrate. Mark all scrub surfaces with an X. Spray fungicide on the scrubbed areas. Wipe down framing with a shop towel to push the fungicide deeper into the wood and remove the excess. After an area is wiped down, circle the X to indicate its been cleaned.
- Once all areas have been scrubbed, wiped, and marked; vacuum all exposed surfaces three times with a vacuum that has a HEPA filter. This removes dust, debris, and dead mold spores.
- Dispose of all contaminated materials in tightly sealed trash bags.
- Allow at least 48 hours to dry. Do this by opening up windows and if available use fans, dehumidifiers, and air blowers. Before turning on your H-Vac, have your system inspected to make sure its mold free.
For mold remediation to be complete, wood framing must be completely dry. Requirements vary but below 15% moisture level is recommended. You should also have no visible signs of mold or any mold odors. At this stage inspection by a qualified professional is recommended. This will certify that your mold remediation was successful. Your estate and or your insurer may require this certification. You must get any required inspections before you begin rebuilding.