How To Clean Attic Mold, Kill It, Or Maybe Forget About Attic Mold Removal – It Could Be Cheaper
Home attic mold is one of the most “popular” items on my property inspection reports. And now it’s time for an explanation of how to kill mold and/or how to clean mold in the attic. But before you do that, let me give you a little advice, something to consider before signing a contract agreement for a few (if you’re lucky) thousands of dollars with a mold remediation company.
Attic Mold Remediation TIP: An Alternative (To Consider):
Let’s say you’re in the middle of a real estate transaction, and the home inspector has just revealed to you that the entire attic of your house is contaminated with mold.
If you have a new roof, you can only blame yourself or try to blame the roofing contractor for not checking the attic before you replace the roof (they’ll laugh at you unless you actually asked the guy to check the attic before you did). ceiling). replacing). If you have an old roof, the importance of this advice is even greater.
Call at least 2-3 mold remediation companies for a quote – specify to the reps that you want them to not only remove the mold, but also have the attic ventilation system fixed/installed if necessary/ask if it is Need to replace attic insulation.
Using the numbers for mold remediation contractors, call 2-3 roofing contractors and ask them for a quote on the cost of replacing the roof, including deck boards/plywood (ask roofer to check attic area) , improving attic ventilation and insulation if necessary. necessary.
Be careful if they only suggest installing humidistat-controlled electric vents; without properly working soffit vents or any type of vents along the bottom of the roof, this may not be an adequate solution.
If attic insulation replacement is not required (in most cases you won’t be able to tell without lab testing), make sure it is sealed with plastic sheeting before you replace the roof and deck. Fold the aluminum foil that seals its contents after removing the contaminated pallet and dispose of it as normal waste (EPA recommendation).
If you only have a small area of your attic that is contaminated with mold, the roof replacement option would be more expensive. But with an entire attic in need of mold remediation, it might be cheaper (or even much cheaper) to remove all the contaminated coverings, install a completely new roof, and fix the ventilation problems.
I have seen bills of $3,000.00 – $10,000.00 for attic mold remediation process on approximately 1000 square feet of attic area.
Roof/deck replacement benefits over mold remediation:
- Roof and deck replacement can be cheaper than cleaning out an entire mold-contaminated attic.
- the mold that kills real estate transactions is gone
- improving attic ventilation is much easier during roof replacement and often handled without significant/additional cost
- buyer gets a new roof
Even if the roof replacement price is a little higher than the mold remediation process, it’s still worth considering because you’re getting a valuable home upgrade (new roof), which will be disclosed on a real estate listing.
In some cases, the roof deck and frame are contaminated, and deck replacement alone would not completely resolve the problem. In such a case, you would have to clean contaminated joists or trusses.
How to kill mold and how to clean mold in the attic.
This is not a mold remediation or cleanup case study, it is just an explanation based on my observations and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) recommendations.
Even if it’s a small contaminated area of the attic – 10′ x 10′ is the EPA’s maximum recommended area for laymen to treat, forget killing mold by spraying it with bleach or other disinfectants. It has been confirmed through laboratory tests that it does not kill all spores and in most cases you will just be making a mess.
The best way to kill attic mold (just like any other mold) is to remove it from the surface it’s growing on or remove the contaminated surface.
The EPA recommends four mold cleanup methods, all of which can be applied to the attic, assuming it’s a small area (up to 10 square feet).
- You can clean the surface with a wet vacuum, the kind that can partially fill the tank with water to contain mold residue from the contaminated surface.
- Clean the surface with a damp sponge or cloth; use clean water or a wood cleaner
- Use a high-efficiency HEPA vacuum on completely dry surfaces and dispose of collected contents in well-sealed plastic bags.
- Remove all contaminated material, seal in plastic, and dispose of as regular waste. They recommend using a HEPA vacuum after this, but in the attic you’ll most likely have to remove the insulation from the floor (if it’s contaminated). You can also cover the insulation with a plastic sheet and fold the sheet over, sealing its contents after the cleaning process.
You may or may not have allergic reactions to mold. However, always wear protective gear, especially in the attic area where you are exposed to insulation fibers and dust.
As minimum protection during the mold remediation procedure, the EPA recommends: Gloves, N-95 respirator, and eye protection (preferably fully enclosed goggles). For additional protection, you can add a half-facepiece respirator or a HEPA-filtered full-face respirator, disposable full-body clothing, headgear, and foot coverings.
How to clean up mold if a large part or an entire attic is contaminated
Personally, I wouldn’t even try to do it myself, so my suggestion is:
Use a professional mold remediation company:
- check your history and manually verify it by calling your customers
- ask about customers who had attic mold remedied about 1 year ago; it usually takes a winter for mold to start growing again if the job was not fully completed
- Insist on removing the mold entirely rather than encapsulating it (media blast methods give the best results).
- encapsulation it is simply a process of covering the mold-contaminated surface with paint (a paint-like product) that contains (or at least some of them contain) chemicals that kill mold
If attic mold is removed correctly and all the problems responsible for its growth are corrected, which is even more important than mold removal, it will not grow back or need to be encapsulated.
- Hire a different contractor for mold testing and mold remediation to eliminate conflict of interest.
- Be sure to run an independent clearance test after completing the mold remediation process.
- settlement proof is to determine if mold spores remain in the previously contaminated area
extremely important – Examine the attic (or have someone do it for you) after the mold cleanup procedure is complete.
All wood surfaces (framing and decking) must be spotlessly clean (as new), unless there is some decay as a result of roof leaks or extremely humid attic conditions; those wooden sections need to be replaced or reinforced from below. You don’t want anyone falling through your roof while you’re repairing or just inspecting it.