Mold Remediation – Guidelines

Mold remediation in Oregon is a largely unregulated industry.  While this allows for freedom and flexibility, it also creates an opportunity for unscrupulous contractors to provide sub par services.  Even worse, the industry is fraught with outright scams.  Before you hire, ensure that you understand the process and expectations.

Though certainly less regulated, mold remediation borrows many techniques from related industries such as lead and asbestos.  Contractors differ slightly on the specific techniques, but all quality remediators include the following in their protocol.

1.)  Identify and repair the cause of the problem

• A mold remediation company has no business cleaning up mold contamination unless they’ve dealt with the original source of moisture.  Often this repair is performed by an outside contractor such as a plumber or roofer.

2.)  Contain the mold remediation area.

• Negative air pressurization and HEPA air scrubbing must be employed to prevent cross contamination with other portions of the home.

3.)  Remove unsalvageable materials

• Often, the materials within a containment zone can be salvaged.  However, if the damage is severe or the cost of cleaning exceeds the cost of replacement, removal is called for.

4.)  Clean & remediate remaining materials

• Remaining materials may include underlying framing, flooring, sheetrock and contents.  Each material requires a different cleaning process.  Framing is typically cleaning with a HEPA vacuum and wire brush, while sheetrock and flooring are cleaned with an antimicrobial wipe down.

5.)  Verify cleaning process.

• Portland mold remediation contractors vary in their approach to PVR (Post Remediation Verification).  If the original problem is fairly small, often PVR is performed in house.  For larger projects, I recommend hiring a 3rd party mold inspector to perform a clearance inspection.