InspectAPedia ^®

Big Mold Testing, Inspecting, & Cleanup Mistakes to Avoid: Relying on Ozone to Kill Mold:| Failing to Prevent More Mold Growth InspectAPedia®  -     Mold cleanup mistakes: relying on ozone to kill mold without cleaning Mold cleanup mistakes: failing to take steps to prevent future mold growth How do we avoid mold reappearance after a mold cleanup?

Here we explain how relying just on "ozone mold killing machines" and failure to take the necessary steps to prevent new mold growth after a mold cleanup project can end up costing a lot of extra money. This section of our "How to Clean Mold" article describes common mistakes people make when attempting to clean up mold. Avoiding these mold cleanup errors can save you money and may also avoid dangerous side effects of bleach, mold chemicals, or ozone when improperly applied.

We also discuss common errors made when cleaning wood surfaces, such as relying on bleach or performing expensive and unnecessary cleaning on cosmetic black mold on wood surfaces. © Copyright 2010 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use the links at page left to navigate this document or to go to Other Resources.

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.

4. MOLD CLEANING MISTAKES people make when cleaning-up moldy building materials and moldy surfaces, continued.

USING OZONE - to "Kill" mold to "remove" or prevent mold in buildings

Ozone Generators are another futile attempt to "kill" mold instead of cleaning it up. This "magic bullet" approach does not work and can destroy some building materials as well as the health of building occupants. Because of the trouble and cost of performing an effective mold cleanup in buildings, some vendors offer what sounds like an attractive alternative, offering to "kill all building mold" using ozone. One Midwest company offers to tent the building and follow a mold extermination procedure.

It would be silly to leave Aspergillus sp., a problematic and easily-airborne mold, in place on this subfloor, trying to "kill it" with a sterilizing gas or spray.

Killing mold is not the same as "removing" problem mold: As with the "bleach" and other "kill the mold" approaches we described above, this process fails to remove the problem reservoir from the building, leaving toxic or allergenic particles, even if they are no longer viable.

Trying to kill mold with ozone risks oxidizing other building materials: One of our clients, in an effort to remove odor and mold problems from their building, rented a commercial ozone generator ran it aggressively in closed rooms in their home.

The ensuing odors, which we tested and traced to oxidized carpet padding, were so severe that the building was no longer habitable. Carpeting had to be removed as well as other oxidized rubber and foam products which had been "ozone treated."

Worse, the underlying cause of the original complaint, which we traced to a history of flooding basement and wet building materials there, had gone unrecognized and still needed to be addressed.

There are valid applications of ozone as a disinfectant but it is not a valid treatment for mold in buildings.

See The Use of Ozone Generators Indoors for Control of Odors and Mold Removal in Buildings: A Summary of Hazards and False Claims

PREVENT FUTURE MOLD - Failure to Prevent future mold growth wastes mold cleanup dollars

Find and fix the cause of mold: A really troubling mistake that we find on occasion is that someone has spent a lot on mold cleanup but no one bothered to identify the reason why mold grew in the building in the first place.

It is not possible to successfully complete a mold remediation project if the causes of mold growth have not been found and corrected. Otherwise, in as little as 24-48 hours mold may appear all over again.

The downspout spilling roof runoff right by the crawl space behind the wood framed plywood crawlspace skirt in this photo is likely to create new wet conditions in the crawl space that had just been cleaned and sealed - shown in our photos at INCOMPLETE CLEANUP where we illustrated a good job of moldy crawl space cleanup.

Key Steps in Preventing a Return of Mold Problems After a Mold Cleanup Project

Prevention of water leaks or excess humidity in building interiors, including wall and floor cavities, is critical if you want to avoid a mold growth problem in a building. Even following the most thorough mold remediation, future roof, plumbing, or cooling condensate leaks or any other source of water entry all risk future mold growth and related cosmetic, structural, health problems and economic costs.

Crawl Space Dryout Procedures - how to get a wet crawl space dry and how to keep it dry
What indoor humidity should we maintain in order to avoid a mold problem?
MOLD PREVENTION GUIDE: Correct the Causes of Mold and Prevent Indoor Mold or other indoor environment problems
Mold Prevention: Avoiding Mold Problems in Buildings by Using Mold-resistant Construction Products & Practices
Priorities for Preventing Indoor Mold Contamination in Buildings - responding to leaks and floods

COSMETIC MOLDS - Avoid unnecessary & expensive "black mold" cleanup projects for cosmetic molds and stains

It's important to distinguish cosmetic Ceratocystis, blue stain mold, blue rot, from other problem molds which in fact might be "toxic black mold" such as Stachybotrys chartarum or harder to spot but often more problematic molds in buildings such as the Penicillium sp. and Aspergillus sp. families of molds. One of our clients had begun a $600,000. "mold remediation" project on their home.

A careful investigation of the property found that all of the "black mold" which had frightened the owners and which had resulted in this expensive cleaning contract, was cosmetic "blue stain" mold which had been present on the lumber since the day of construction of the building. The mold was of no concern other than a cosmetic one. Other clients occasionally send "not mold" samples to our laboratory.

To be sure you're not incurring a big and unnecessary expense, be sure that the "mold" to be addressed is really mold, and further, that it's not just a cosmetic mold, read the articles below before undertaking a costly mold remediation project.

Share this Article      

...

Technical Reviewers & References

• InspectAPedia.com^® - Daniel Friedman
• InspectAPedia Bookstore lists recommended books, organized by topic & available for purchase. Most of our articles also include a list of recommended books for the specific article topic as well as other references, and information sources.
• Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.
• Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.

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.

MOLD CLEANERS - WHAT TO USE
MOLD CLEANUP COMPANIES
MOLD CLEANUP GUIDE- HOW TO GET RID OF MOLD
CLEAN MOLDY SURFACES
  CLEANING SMOOTH WOOD
  CLEANING IRREGULAR SURFACES - MEDIA BLASTING
  CLEANING MOLDY WOOD TRUSSES
  SANDING WOOD TO REMOVE MOLD
DRY THE MOLD-CLEANED SURFACE
FUNGICIDAL SPRAY & SEALANT USE GUIDE
  ADVANTAGES
  WARNINGS
  SOURCES & TYPES
MOLD CLEANING MISTAKES
  UNNECESSARY COSTS
  INADEQUATE REMEDIATION PLAN
  INCOMPLETE CLEANUP, RELYING ON SPRAYS
  CROSS CONTAMINATION
  USING BLEACH on MOLD
  USING OZONE to KILL MOLD
  HOW TO PREVENT FUTURE MOLD
  COSMETIC MOLDS
MOLD CLEANUP LIMITATIONS

Stuff that is Not Mold,
Molds that are Harmless - Cosmetic
Mold Levels: allergenic or toxic mold: how much means a problem

• Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. (727) 595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com 11/06 and 04/2008

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.
• ...

More Information on Building Diagnostic Inspections and Repairs

• Action Guide for Mold: what do I do about mold in our home? Step by step instructions.
• Humidity: What indoor humidity should we maintain in order to avoid a mold problem?
• Mold Levels: allergenic or toxic mold: how much means a problem
• Not Mold, Stuff that is harmless or cosmetic-only
• Ozone Generators Indoors, The Use of for Control of Odors and Mold Removal in Buildings: A Summary of Hazards and False Claims
• Prevention: Avoiding Mold Problems in Buildings by Using Mold-resistant Construction Products & Practices
• Prevention of Mold list of articles on how to Correct the Causes of Mold and Prevent Indoor Mold or other indoor environment problems
• Standards: Mold Cleaning, Remediation, & Clearance Testing Standards list of documents

InspectAPedia® Home & Site Map - Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, Repair, & Problem Prevention Advice: In-depth research & advice on diagnosing, testing, correcting, & preventing building defects & indoor environmental hazards. Unbiased information, no conflicts of interest.

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

Environmental Inspection, Testing, & Diagnosis On-Site IAQ, Gas, Air Testing, Mold Investigation, Sick Building Diagnosis, Lab Services, & Remediation Plan Preparation - indoor air quality testing, problem source determination, supporting lab work, written remediation plan addressing removal of environmental and other hazards and prevention of their recurrence.

Building Inspection, Problem Diagnosis, Forensic Investigation & Testing, Repair Consulting

Contact Daniel Friedman for website content suggestions or for fee-paid consulting