Mold Control After a Basement Flood in Milwaukee, WI

Why drying is the first control

Mould needs moisture, so drying the structure to target does more than any cleaning product.

Mould grows where moisture stays. The most effective control is to bring the materials to target as quickly as possible and to remove what cannot be dried. Cleaning removes growth from the surface, but if the material behind it is still wet the growth will return.

The crew therefore sets the drying target first, takes readings on each visit and keeps the containment in place until the readings are at target.

Containment and the work zone

Containment keeps spores from moving through the house, and it is set before any growth is disturbed.

Before growth is disturbed, the crew seals the work area with plastic and sets the air so that dust does not move into the rest of the house. The containment is kept in place until the work is finished and the readings are at target.

The homeowner keeps children, pets and anyone with a breathing condition away from the contained area.

• Seal the work area with plastic before disturbing growth
• Set the air so dust does not move into the house
• Keep the containment until the readings are at target
• Keep people with breathing conditions out
• Record the containment set-up with photographs

Removing and cleaning

Porous material with growth is removed, and hard surfaces are cleaned and vacuumed with a suitable filter.

Porous material with growth is removed, because it cannot be cleaned to a safe standard. Each item is logged. Hard surfaces are cleaned with an appropriate product and vacuumed with a filter suited to the job.

The crew records each surface as cleaned or removed, with the reason.

• Remove porous material with growth
• Log each item removed and its reason
• Clean hard surfaces with an appropriate product
• Vacuum with a suitable filter
• Record each surface as cleaned or removed

Credentials and what to ask

No Wisconsin mold-assessor or remediator licence was found in an official source, so credentials must be checked on their own terms.

A 2007 bill, Assembly Bill 312, would have licensed mold assessors and remediators, but its enactment was not confirmed in the sources this site used. A secondary directory states that Wisconsin requires no mold licence, and that claim is not confirmed either.

The honest step is to ask a company which credentials it holds, who issued them and what they cover. The company's answer should be written down, and a claim without detail should be treated with caution.

• Ask which credentials the company holds
• Ask who issued each credential and when
• Ask what each credential covers
• Get the answer in writing
• Treat an unspecified claim with caution

Testing and when it is used

A test beyond visual and moisture readings is discussed on site, and its result is kept with the file.

Some homeowners ask for an air or surface test. The crew explains what a test can and cannot show, and it does not present a test as proof that the house is clear. A test is arranged separately and its result is kept with the file.

A test taken before drying can show the state of the house at the time. A test taken after cleaning shows the result of the work. Both are useful only with a clear note of when they were taken.

• Ask what the test can and cannot show
• Note when the test is taken relative to cleaning
• Keep the result with the scope
• Do not treat a test as a guarantee
• Agree the test in writing first

Ventilation and air handling during the control

Air is handled so that spores do not spread, and the air exchange is recorded.

During mould control, the air in the work area is handled so that spores do not spread. The crew uses equipment that moves air out of the contained area through a suitable filter, and it records the air set-up in the scope. Air is not blown across the rest of the house.

The record of the air set-up and the containment is kept with the file. It shows the control was done in a careful way.

• Move air out of the contained area through a filter
• Do not blow air across the rest of the house
• Record the air set-up in the scope
• Keep the containment record with the file
• Keep the homeowner out of the contained area