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Tore out a kitchen floor today to get ready for a remodel and came across the foulest filth I’ve ever seen. Oh, sure I’ve seen the black mold–thick, dark lines of the stuff growing between layers of flooring–and stinky, gel-like fungus where you don’t want to touch anything. But this one takes the cake because the entire kicthen–walls, countertops, floor–was like a Dean Koontz scene. A black, stinky, gelatinous glob.
So I got to wonder what all of you use to clean up. I use a bacterial soap and if I have any cuts I scour with a cloth in the shower then use liberal amounts of hydrogen peroxide until it stops bubbling. Somehow, I don’t think that’s enough for this job.
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Get a propane brush burner !!
*Don't forget to wash your clothes thoroughly and use a good respirator with current cartridges.A few months ago I got to thinking about how I handled my coveralls after coming out of crawls (5 -10 times a week.) The crawls are often damp; there is often mold. It occured to me that rolling my damp, dirty coveralls up and stashing in my plastic buket with my knee pads, gloves, respirator and hard hat wasn't the smartest habit I'd ever gotten into!
*Rich,Also, be aware that mold is the i panic de jure, and there are a growing number of law suits being filed about mold in residences.You might consider (i) bringing in an environmental health expert (there are a growing # of home inspectors getting specialized training in this area,) and (ii) covering your butt viz a viz your customer: disclosure of the mold and of growing concerns about it's potential health effects.Is mold really a problem? Don't know myself, but I'm disclosing the potential concerns to my clients. (Some people are calling it "the asbestos of the new millenium" or some such.)
*I agree with Bob. CYA! You did wear a clean suit didn't you? Rubber gloves? Respirator? Plastic booties? Isolated the room to prevent spores from spreading? Are you REALLY equipped, trained and insured, to do this kind of work?
*There was a pretty good article on the growing problem of mold in houses (or lawsuits over mold in housing, depending upon your point of view) in last Sunday's Portland Oregonian. It can be viewed at: While experts say serious health risks are low, more Americans are blaming molds for their ills and many are seeking remedies in court
*Well one thing don't use hydrogen peroxide. If you do have any wounds that will only further damage the tissue. Or, so says the ER Doc who gave us our First Aid training.Wash with water, keep clean and protected with a proper bandage.But, back to the mold, sounds like something well beyond what any of us would want to tackle. This is where you tell the customer that the job isn't worth the long term health risk and make a referal to a Hazmat contractor.
*Bob makes an interesting point. I have stopped all work until the owner is notified. (They're on vaca this week so we thought we'd get alot of work done. Bummer. I have a phone number where the owner can be reached by I'm not gonna' call because I'm swamped with work right now so we'll just move on to the next.)I have done alot of work like this, several years ago I "specialized" in Section 1 work when properities changed hands. I consulted with a OSHA safety engineer and made a rule: I supplied all the protective gear; when the job requires it no one works without wearing the gear. No gear, no work, period.Mold IS a problem. One job I got was when the owner called to say the hospital would not release his 6 yr old son until all the mold was removed from the house. I got the job because I returned the phone call, unlike the other 15 the owner called. I have had workers get infections , I myself had a bronchial infection traced back to the work day I thought I could get away with not wearing a respirator. On those jobs--sometimes you can just smell infection in the air--I put a clause in the contract saying all work will stop when mold is found and work will not commence until a proper work order is signed and dated by the property owner.I read the article Casey posted. That reminds me that the lady got hepatitis and pancreatic cancer last year which resulted in removal of her pancreas and some pretty stong meds for viral infection. She almost died. I am unaware why HP should not be used. I'm talking about small nicks or cuts on hands or fingers.
*check my post under occupation hazard
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Tore out a kitchen floor today to get ready for a remodel and came across the foulest filth I've ever seen. Oh, sure I've seen the black mold--thick, dark lines of the stuff growing between layers of flooring--and stinky, gel-like fungus where you don't want to touch anything. But this one takes the cake because the entire kicthen--walls, countertops, floor--was like a Dean Koontz scene. A black, stinky, gelatinous glob.
So I got to wonder what all of you use to clean up. I use a bacterial soap and if I have any cuts I scour with a cloth in the shower then use liberal amounts of hydrogen peroxide until it stops bubbling. Somehow, I don't think that's enough for this job.