# some mold in crawlspace. Advice appreciated



## Cleve99 (Jan 26, 2011)

Some of the floor joists in my crawlspace have mold on them. It almost looks like dust. Some is brown and some is black. It is not everywhere in the crawlspace, but there is enough that I don't want to ignore it. 

I have heard of the dangers (health and rot) and don't take them lightly. On the other hand, I am hoping this is something I can take care of myself. I have added a sump pump and vapor barrier (I will have some other questions that I will post separately). 

My question is basically: What would you do? I was at HD today and saw their Concrobium product. It basically says to simply spray on the areas and let dry. Maybe 2 treatments? Is this typically sufficient? Is it safe to be in a relatively tight space while working with this stuff? And finally... is there a different product you would suggest? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

First thing is to remedy the moisture situation that allowed mold to grow there. Whether it is controlling water intrusion or ventilation, you have to get humidity levels below 60% RH or .6 water content. Then you need to clean it. From what I have read about concrobium it is not really a cleaner, but some magic potion that kills mold and locks it into place. Perhaps I am a bit old school, but I have done this for quite a few years and I firmly believe that you need to clean off the mold and get rid of it. Use a good detergent to remove the mold. Wipe down everything. Dry it out thoroughly, then apply a fungicide. Concrobium might be Ok at this point. Their MSDS sheets don't list an active ingredient, so I can't say what they are using as a fungicide. Could be a phenol of some sort. Obviously not bleach or an amonia compound. After treating with a fungicide, then coat with a sealer. Kilz, Zinsser or Bin. They all make a sealer for previously moldy surfaces. Wear a respirator and run an exhaust fan while you work in there.


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## Cleve99 (Jan 26, 2011)

*Thanks*



Maintenance 6 said:


> First thing is to remedy the moisture situation that allowed mold to grow there. Whether it is controlling water intrusion or ventilation, you have to get humidity levels below 60% RH or .6 water content. Then you need to clean it. From what I have read about concrobium it is not really a cleaner, but some magic potion that kills mold and locks it into place. Perhaps I am a bit old school, but I have done this for quite a few years and I firmly believe that you need to clean off the mold and get rid of it. Use a good detergent to remove the mold. Wipe down everything. Dry it out thoroughly, then apply a fungicide. Concrobium might be Ok at this point. Their MSDS sheets don't list an active ingredient, so I can't say what they are using as a fungicide. Could be a phenol of some sort. Obviously not bleach or an amonia compound. After treating with a fungicide, then coat with a sealer. Kilz, Zinsser or Bin. They all make a sealer for previously moldy surfaces. Wear a respirator and run an exhaust fan while you work in there.


Thanks for your time. Can you suggest a specific detergent to use before applying the fungicide? Any particular fungicide you prefer? Also... to clean the surfaces, do you rub them down with a rag, some sort of brush, or simply apply the detergent with a sprayer. It is a pretty tight crawl so I will be doing most of the work from my side or back. Thanks again, I appreciate it.


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## pyper (Jul 1, 2009)

I wouldn't mess with it.

Once you take care of the moisture problems, the mold will die.

As long as you don't have any way for air to circulate from the crawlspace to the living space, the mold spores won't be able to get into your house, and they won't cause any additional problems under the house.


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

Prety much any household cleaner will do. 409, Tilex, etc. Spray it on, aggitate with a scrub brush, wipe it off, let it dry. Then apply your fungicide and let dry. Bleach is cheap and effective, but be careful breathing any fumes. Use 10% solution max. There are others that are effective. Concrobium is probably OK. Apply a sealer. Since you said this is in a crawl space, I'm going to guess that HEPA vacuuming the area is impractical. If you choose not to clean it, consider this: Controlling the moisture will cause the mold to go dormant. It will not necessarily "die". If, in the future, the area again reaches a moisture content high enough, the mold will re-activate with a vengeance. A higher than normal concentration of mold spores will still be present. In addition to the spores, there will be an off-fall of microscopic mold components that will become airborne and find their way around to who knows where. Spores aren't the only nasty things that molds produce. Spores, mycotoxins and protiens that make up molds are all allergens to some people.


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