Complete guide to black mold control program

As soon as you sense the presence of molds within your premises, be careful. Common symptoms of mold growth are black or white specks on wet walls, ceilings, carpet, drywall etc. A musty odor also alerts you about a possible mold growth. Sometimes, you may observe allergic symptoms among family members or co-workers before noticing the spots and odor. Molds should always be removed before they take a bigger shape.

Mold control program begins with inspection and sampling, and then comes the remediation. Let’s discuss about the process in brief.

Mold Inspection:

Inspection is done to assess the extent of mold growth inside the premises. It’s equally important to know the place of contamination and the mold type to suggest the right solution. If black mold has developed to such a level that they are visible around and the premise is full with the typical moldy odor, the inspection process is not needed. However, if you can smell the odor but the dots are not visible anywhere, a thorough inspection is what you need.

The inspector generally checks the places prone to water leakage like the bathroom walls, tiles on roof, ceiling, the wall adjacent to rainwater pipe etc. Mold growth often occurs behind furniture, on the wallpaper glue, below the carpet; hence, these places should be examined carefully.

Mold Sampling:

Mold sampling or testing is done to find out the level of contamination, spore count in air, genera of molds and more facts about the molds so that optimum remediation can be suggested. Testing methods can be broadly classified under three heads: air sampling, surface sampling and bulk sampling. Mold culturing is also practiced to examine the genera of molds.

Air Sampling: Airborne particles are collected in a standardized container. Sometimes, tapes, swabs are placed in open air and particles are allowed to precipitate on it. Air sample is collected both from inside and outside of the premises to identify the degree of contamination. Apart from mold spore count, air sampling helps to identify presence of non-visible molds. Sometimes vacuum sampling is done to collect airborne particles.

Surface Sampling: Mold spores deposited on surfaces are taken for testing. Adhesive tapes, swabs, slides are used to collect sample. Surface testing helps to identify hidden molds if any. Surface vacuuming is frequently done to accumulate deposited particles inside the container.

Bulk Sampling: Dust from the contaminated premises are collected and tested. This test often helps to infer if there is any hidden mold in the place, hence, without bulk sampling mold assessment test remains incomplete.

Samples are checked under microscope to be sure about the level and type of contamination. Mold culturing is done to verify the mold genus.

Remediation:

The objective of mold control program is to remove toxic molds from contaminated surfaces or elements and prevent further mold growth. The infected surface can be cleaned with mold cleaners. Unlike chemicals, natural cleaning products often work well to kill molds and do not do any harm to the environment.

To stop future mold growth, water leakage must be rectified. Black molds cannot grow without water and humidity. Any water leakage or plumbing problem should be repaired as soon as possible.