Mold Clean-Up Resources

Mold Clean-Up Resources At Your Fingertips

Small jobs are easy to do yourself as long as the work will not make you sick. For bigger jobs check out the contractors at the bottom of the page.

Do It Yourself Ideas

 

I am going to give you two filters to consider that are on the less expensive side. If you simply want to clean up a room and have easy to clean machines these both are  good air filters to consider.

I originally purchased the aireox below and have found it to be helpful for wildfire smoke as well as chemicals. However, it has become much more expensive over time and a friend of mine found a replacement for it called Levoit which is a similar filter system, but much less expensive.  I have not yet tried it, but she is a reliable source, a person who is chemically sensitive and mold sensitive, and she says in her opinion it works as well as the aireox did, but at a better price.

Air Filtration in your House: Aireox Air Filters - a link to the company

I have used an aireox for years. I have 3 of them and love this air filter. I sold my farm and moved into an apartment that was still off-gassing from being built. I bought two of these and they were a life saver. If I turned them off for a few hours the difference in air quality was quite noticeable. So, they are great for VOCs in new houses. People using them for moldy houses like them as they are cleanable which most air filtration units are not. Some people have purchased other units that are hard to clean and ended up throwing very expensive units away when the unit became moldy. I would be more inclined to use an ozone machine (when you are out of the house) than an air filter for mold. However, the feedback is that this machine can be useful.

I have purchased a few similar ozone machines that have all been good. The last one I purchased was Ozone POwer 5000 and it works fine, but I see that it is currently unavailable on Amazon where I bought it. All these ozone machines seem to have problems some times. Every once in awhile people get a bad one. I did at one point. Although ozone can clean up the smell of toxic volatile compounds in the moldy space, it does not last if there is not proper remediation. It can be a temporary help though.

 

Levoit Air Purifier
This is the filter my friend is now using that she says is great. I will be purchasing it the next time I need another air filter.
 

Air conditioner set up for folks that is easier to clean & cheap

This air conditioner is a simple set up and may seem silly to some folks, but when your place is moldy and you don't want to ruin an expensive air conditioner, this is the way to go.

 

Dehumidify the air if you have high humidity in your house. (Check with a hygrometer.)

Dehumidifiers by EdgeStar

Many dehumidifiers will work as they are fairly basic. Just get a size correct for the room.

 

Hygrometer: Relative Humidity Gauge

This gadget ells you how much moisture is in your house.  This is one I have used and had good luck with. I like to keep the humidity in my house under 45%. A good range for humidity in a house is considered to be 30-50%. Too low and it will affect your mucus membranes. In the winter in a home that is fairly tight it is normal to see 25-40%. In the summer you can get spikes up to 60% sometimes. However, if it goes above 50% on a constant basis and especially in the winter, start looking for causes of moisture that are due to  you creating moisture in your home from cooking, bathing or other activities or start looking for water leaks from the wall cavities (think pipes) or from water entering the house from outside.

If you are creating excess moisture by your activities, look to see if your fan in the bathrooms and above your kitchen stove are working correctly. If they are not, that is a possible source of excess moisture building up.

 

Articles on  Cleaning Up Mold

Masks - An Article on Masks

Cleaning Mold Up In Your Home

Cleaning Your Car

Cleaning up your home: This is not detailed but still very helpful.

Cleaning up your home 2: This site has good data but they charge for a lot of it.

Guidlines From the World Health Organization can be downloaded here.

Healthy Home Expert - Australia - building biology

Mold Testing Technician Course  at Australian College of Environmental Studies

https://aces.edu.au/images/ACES-Brochure-2019.pdf

Upon successfully completion, learners will understand the adverse health effects arising from exposure to biotoxins in a WDB, how to take an exposure history, conduct a site inspection for sources and signs of moisture ingress, conduct moisture mapping, undertake air, dust and surface sampling, and establish a risk management procedure. Numerous case studies will be presented with a focus on how to analyse laboratory results and compare them to relevant exposure standards. A field trip will consolidate the information in the course. Whilst the course will discuss what is required to remediate contents and water damage in the built structure, the focus will be on mould testing and the prevention of dampness, not mould remediation.

Contractors to Identify Mold in a Building &/or Clean Up - alphabetical

Aerobiological: investigation and remediation and consultation

Air & Water Sciences - Environmental Consultants in Petaluma, CA

Angstrom Inspection Serives: New York

Certified Mold Inspectorss - East Coast areas

Douglas International LLC: Located in Eugene, Oregon

Environix: located in Seattle Washington

Leak detection: This company is an Oregon based company that finds leaky water pipes with non-invasive techniques. American Leak Detection.

Moisture Consultants located in Santa Rosa, CA

Mycometrics - Gold standard of mold testing - serves all of United States

PuroClean - In Oregon

RestCon Environmental in Sacramento, CA

Safestart Environmental

Wonder Makers - Located in MI state - They claim to cover all of the U.S.