# Help! Mold infestation in wood tool shed after flood. Best ways to remove? *PICS*



## Kevin993 (Jul 24, 2010)

About 6 months ago we had a flood in our area. The bottom of my 12x12 wood shed was submerged in 6 inches of water for a week. Afterwards I dried it out the best I could with fans and such but for various reasons I was not able to do anything else for 6 months or so. Checking on the current state of the shed there is white mold EVERYWHERE! Walls, ceiling, floor, shelves. Even weird fungus things growing. 

In your experience, can this be fixed without replacing the wood? I was told that the best solution is to mix 1 part bleach and 10 parts water and use a garden sprayer to spray the mixture everywhere and then scrub it down. The wood is still discolored from where the water is. Also the walls and ceiling have 2 layers of plywood with framing in between there where the insulation is, the shed is setup this way to work with AC. (broken unfortunately). Who knows what things look like inside the walls. Should I take down the wall boards and clean inside there too or is this overkill? You can see in one of my pictures I have a leak coming in from my roof in a corner that shows damaged wood and mold. I will likely have to replace the roof and I am thinking the floor as well.

Anyway, any tips on how to best remove the mold would be greatly appreciated!

Kevin


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## Arlo (Jan 17, 2008)

I have a house in the Outer Banks and have had to deal with flooding in my laundry room and garage. 

Your first mistake was in not tackling the job immediately after the water receded. There is lots of info out there by FEMA about dealing with flooded property. They say wood wall framing and wood subfloor are salvageable if you act quickly. You should get ahold of a power washer and spray it down til the visible mold is gone. You probably should think about wearing a respirator. I put bleach/water mix in a garden sprayer and wet my wall studs down and then powerwashed. I then sprayed with "Cocroban;" it's a mold killing spray. You can get a 16oz bottle for about $8.00 in the paint department at Home Depot. Run a cheap $16.00 box fan 24 hours a day with the doors open and a light bulb on until it drys out. You may find you need to paint the floor and the lower part of the the shed framing with oil based Kilz to totally seal it up.

You have my sympathy. Floods are not fun!


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## Arlo (Jan 17, 2008)

Just reread that you have insulation behind the plywood. If it's fiberglass you need to rip it out. Mold seems to grow there first and once it gets wet it's useless anyway. I replaced mine with 2" sheet foam for the first 33". That way I got 3 33" x 48" cuts from a 4x8 sheet. It's easy to cut and you can hose it off next time there's a flood.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

What you can see is likely minor compared to whats been in contact with the wet insulation for all this time. The best you can hope for is to scrub it down with a detergent solution and a stiff brush. Soak it with a fungicide (10% bleach or some other solution). Let it dry and then seal it with a stain blocker. Ideally, you should tear it apart and get the insulation out of there. For a 12'x12' shed, I'm not sure it is worth it. Might be easier to just demo the whole thing and start over.


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## forcedreno2012 (Nov 9, 2012)

The insulation has definitely got to come out. You cannot ignore it. If you leave that in there it doesn't matter what you do the mold with never be gone. As suggested gut the insulation, sanitize it and then seal it and seal it good. You are not going to be able to wash that mold away you will need to encapsulate it.

Also when you are working or cleaning or heck even being in that shed PLEASE wear a suitable mask (not the paper ones, the good ones with the proper filters) and change your clothes before going back into the house. That is not a minor mold problem that is a major one. You do not want to be inhaling or bringing any of that stuff into the house. 

Robyn


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## Nailbags (Feb 1, 2012)

I am with the others That is a major mold problem! I would just call the Fire department let them have a practice burn and rebuild! I am not joking. I would be real afraid at what is behind those walls.


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## TrailerParadise (Jan 3, 2013)

No reason to tear it down. Hire a mold remediator company, they can come to your place and get rid of it. You will definitely have to get rid of the insulation, but they can get rid of the mold spores. If you allow it to continue it could make your place condemned. With all of that wood, the best way to remove insulation would probably be to rip off the siding, replace insulation, and put on new siding. Mold is nothing to joke about.


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## Kevin993 (Jul 24, 2010)

Gentlemen, thank you for all the advice. I am going to start by killing all the mold I see that is visible with the bleach water mix and a follow up with "Cocroban" as suggested. Then I will remove the shelving and tear out the walls and the insulation and inspect the damage. I am hoping I can salvage the exterior siding and all the framing. I will definitely be replacing the subfloor and as the roof is leaking that as well. 

I think if the damage is bad enough I may just demo the whole shed and start over. They build this shed directly on top of the ground so if it ever floods again it will happen all over. I am seriously considering correcting this by replacing the shed.

Thanks again and I will keep you all updated.

Kevin


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## 747 (Feb 11, 2005)

I wouldn't worry about it seeing how its the tool shed.:laughing: Unless you spend time out there. My tool shed is just getting lawnmower out. Go up to dollar general clean the bathroom section and grab some tilex mold and mildew spray hit it walk away come back in a hour see what is still there.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

You have to keep things in perspective. This is a tool shed, not your bathroom. That said, at least wear a respirator if you are going to be ripping and tearing. You don't want to be inhaling this crap, but at least with a respirator, your exposure won't be any more than what you would get spreading bark mulch or raking grass on a dry day. Unless you have some sort of health issue, like a compromised immune system, asthma, or are undergoing cancer treatment, you don't have much to worry about. If you are confident that everything is structurally sound and has dried out, then scrub it, treat it, seal it and forget it. A remediator will charge more than the shed is worth and won't do more than you can do yourself, (other than take lots of your money). Tilex is nothing more than a bleach solution with some detergent mixed in. As a remediator, I would feel guilty taking your money for a job like this, but I'm sure somebody would be happy to.


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