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What Characterizes of a Successful Mold Cleanup Project InspectAPedia®  -     How do I know when the mold cleanup job has been completed? What are the Characteristics of a Successful Mold Cleanup Project How does a building "pass" a clearance inspection?

Here we describe the Characteristics of a Successful Mold Cleanup Project - what should the owner or mold test consultant check? This document is a chapter of the Mold Action Guide which provides an easy to understand step-by-step guide for dealing with toxic or allergenic indoor mold and other indoor contaminants: what to do about mold "mildew," moisture, in your house or office, building-related illness, involving your physician, treatment, sick building investigators, reduction of irritants, and special products to help clean buildings and air.

Extensive, in-depth articles about mold and other indoor air quality concerns are organized at our Mold Information Center © Copyright 2010 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

SUCCESSFUL MOLD TEST: How do We Define Successful Post-remediation Mold Test Laboratory Results

In the living area we should find in surface, dust, air, or other samples no more than incidental occurrence of the problem mold or allergens previously found at the property. There should be no significant presence of toxic or allergenic spores or other allergens indicating a remaining mold reservoir.

Air tests, while not a reliable overall indicator of building condition, should, if used for mold screening, show indoor mold levels at or below typical outdoor levels or at levels associated with various studies of "clean" buildings.

Warning: some investigators risk making erroneous conclusions if they attempt to compare directly levels or counts of indoor Penicillium/Aspergillus spore levels with outdoor Penicillium/Aspergillus spore levels in air samples.

With some exceptions, it is almost impossible to determine the species of these genera in an air sample. A previous report on a property I was asked to investigate showed that the indoor Penicillium/Aspergillus spore level was equal to the outdoor level and that both were at 8000 spores/M³ of air.

But a detailed investigation of the samples disclosed that the outdoor spore level was in fact a species of Penicillium while the indoor species was Aspergillus niger which, at this level I considered an indicator of incomplete cleaning traced, ultimately to incomplete demolition. In this case the original "count comparison" of indoor to outdoor Penicillium/Aspergillus spores was like comparing apples and oranges. It was nonsense.

U.S. EPA Guidance for Mold Clearance Inspection After a Mold Cleanup

As we introduced at CLEARANCE PROCEDURES, and quoting from the US EPA mold guidelines, we include this more general advice on the criteria for a mold cleanup job: [Our comments are in brackets]

How Do I Know When the Remediation or Cleanup is Finished?

• You must have completely fixed the water or moisture problem before the cleanup or remediation can be considered finished. [See MOLD PREVENTION GUIDE]
• You should have completed mold removal.  Visible mold and moldy odors should not be present.  Please note that mold may cause staining and cosmetic damage.  [See VISUAL CHARACTERISTICS and see ACCEPTABLE MOLD LEVEL. Remember that no building is mold-free except perhaps inside of a manufacturing "clean room" - mold exists in air everywhere and small amounts of molds will be found in settled dust just about everywhere - don't set a target of "zero mold".]
• You should have revisited the site(s) shortly after cleanup and it should show no signs of water damage or mold growth.  
• People should have been able to occupy or re-occupy the area without health complaints or physical symptoms.  [See MOLD RELATED ILLNESS GUIDE.]
• Ultimately, this is a judgment call [and must include an understanding of the original location, extent, type, and cause of mold contamination that was to be removed as well as the chances of other mold contamination in the building that was not addressed]; there is no easy answer. If you have concerns or questions consult our Frequently Asked Questions database and ask a question [or Contact Us directly at InspectAPedia.com] if you don't find what you need.

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

THE MOLD ACTION GUIDE
MOLD DOCTOR NEEDED?
MOLD EXPERT, WHEN TO HIRE
DO IT YOURSELF MOLD CLEANUP
HOW TO FIND MOLD
MOLD CLEANUP GUIDE
MOLD KILLING GUIDE
FLOODS & MOLD CLEAN/PREVENT
MOLD REMEDIATION CLEARANCE INSPECTION
  CLEARANCE PROCEDURES
  ACCEPTABLE MOLD LEVEL
  VISUAL CHARACTERISTICS
  SUCCESSFUL MOLD TEST
AFTER THE MOLD CLEANUP
MOLD PREVENTION GUIDE
OTHER IAQ ISSUES

• Mold Investigation and Mold Test Lab Reports: What A Valid, Useful Mold Investigation Report Should Include
  Mold Classes, Levels - Mold Hazard levels, Mold Spore Count Validity, Interpreting Mold Counts, and Classes of Mold
• "A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA - includes basic advice for building owners, occupants, and mold cleanup operations. See http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.html
• See our laboratory report for definitions of dominant/significant particles, present particles, and incidental particles.

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Books, Complete List of Environmental Inspection, Diagnosis, Cleanup, Air Quality & Design, Inspection, Repair Books at the InspectAPedia Bookstore
• Environmental Health & Investigation Bibliography - our own technical library on indoor air quality inspection, testing, laboratory procedures, forensic microscopy, etc.
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The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in Buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems

Use this simple, economical mold test kit by following our instructions on how to collect and mail mold samples to our lab

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