Homeowners often ask whether it’s possible to remove 100% of mold spores from the home. The answer is no—not even if you have the best mold removal team in the world. Not even if you have the very best skills and technology at your disposal.
Fortunately, there’s something else to consider. Even if you could remove every single mold spore from your home environment, you wouldn’t want to. Mold spores do serve a purpose in the ecology of planet, and it’s perfectly normal (and harmless) to have normal, low levels of mold spores detectable in your indoor air.
Problems arise when mold reaches higher, toxic levels. It poses serious health risks to both people and pets, and it can destroy property values if it really gets out of hand. This is where mold prevention and remediation companies serve a valuable purpose. A qualified specialist can perform a range of mold-busting services, including:
- Certified inspections to diagnose the extent of the problem
- Proven strategies for prevention and containment
- Effective treatment and removal of mold colonies and mold-infested materials
- Protecting your health and property values through proactive mold prevention and removal
But these benefits wouldn’t seem very desirable if the environmental costs were high. Most homeowners are increasingly concerned about doing their part for a healthy planet. People don’t want to unleash a torrent of harmful chemicals in their home unless there is no other choice. So—can professional mold removal be environmentally friendly? The answer is basically yes, but it requires some explaining.
Common safety concerns
Your mold removal specialist has a variety of tools in their toolbox. These include various types of vacuums, damp wipes, full-body protection, infrared lights, impermeable bags, and yes—chemicals such as biocides and fungicides. Chlorine bleach is an example of a chemical that should not be used lightly, either by homeowners themselves or by professionals. There are situations, however, where a person with a weaker immune system or specific allergy is specifically threatened by mold. There are also situations in which mold colonies have expanded throughout the home, and it’s necessary to deal with them in no uncertain terms in order to save the integrity of the home. Tearing the home down or losing significant property value would arguably be worse overall for the planet.
Having said that, there are solutions and products out there that can remove many types of mold with minimal or zero impact on the environment.
Eco-friendly solutions and solvents
Several natural mold removal products are on the market, and many of them do have anti-microbial or fungicidal properties. These include various types of tea tree oil, citrus products, vinegar and baking soda, among others. There are widely varying reports about the effectiveness of many of these solutions. Some homeowners report success, while others report frustration and continued mold growth.
Things like tea tree oil almost never make it into the toolbox of a qualified mold remediation specialist. Why? Because they don’t have enough strength to defeat large scale mold invasions. However, there are specialists out there who use eco-friendly solutions. It’s important to take your specialist about the solutions they use, and ask if it’s possible to minimize the impact on the environment.
The dry ice solution
Another eco-friendly solution that’s grabbing attention in the professional mold removal industry is dry ice. When mold spores are hit with a high-pressure blast of dry ice particles, they can be neutralized without the need for scrubbing or other forms mold removal. This process sound promising, but it doesn’t always work—especially in smaller spaces. At this point, relatively few mold removal specialists offer dry ice as a solution—but if you’re really concerned about finding an eco-friendly solution, you may want to look for a specialist who makes use of this technology.
Yes, it’s possible to remove mold without harming the planet!
The most eco-friendly way to deal with mold, by far, is prevention. Once mold grabs strong foothold, options quickly become limited. Even so, you’ll be surprised at how eco-friendly your mold removal specialist can be, especially if you voice your concerns ahead of time.
We appreciate your time, and hope this information has been useful! Please comment below.