What Is Crawl Space Mold Remediation?

Mold remediation is the process of killing the fungal growth in your crawl space. In practice it means dropping all of the existing insulation because it is contaminated, treating every piece of exposed wood, and then replacing the insulation.

There are two ways to do the treatment part. They cost the same. I prefer one of them and I will tell you why.

Step one: the insulation has to come out

If there is bio growth in your crawl space, the existing insulation is contaminated. There is no cleaning it. It comes down, all of it, and it gets disposed of.

This is the messiest part of the job and the part people underestimate. It is also not optional. Treating the wood and leaving contaminated insulation in place is doing half a job.

Step two, option one: clean and disinfect

This is how we usually do it. We use a product called Pro Cleaner, which is eighteen percent hydrogen peroxide.

It is safe for people and pets to be in the home while we are working. The only inconvenience is that the HVAC has to be off while we are ripping out the old insulation and while we are spraying.

The reason I prefer this method is that it cleans as well as disinfects, which means you can see a visual before and after. You get to look at photographs of what the wood looked like when I got there and what it looks like when I am done.

Step two, option two: disinfect only

The other option is a hospital grade disinfectant. It works. It is extremely effective.

What it does not do is clean. So the mold is dead, but the wood looks the same as it did before, and you have no visual proof that anything happened. Some homeowners are fine with that. It is the exact same price either way.

There is one situation where it is the right call. We did a house recently that had no subfloor. The cleaning product bleaches the wood slightly, and I raised the concern with them that if there were any gaps in their floor, that spray could work its way up into the main living area. So we went with the disinfectant instead. That was a conversation we had before I started, not a decision I made for them.

Step three: new insulation

Once the wood is treated, new insulation goes back up. You have several choices for the replacement, and we go through those options before the job starts so you know what you are getting.

What remediation does not do

It kills what is there. It does not stop it from coming back.

Mold needs moisture. If the humidity that grew it is still in your crawl space, you are going to see it again. That is why remediation and encapsulation usually get discussed together. Remediation cleans up the problem. Controlling the environment is what keeps it from returning.

Call me at 910 580 1836 and I will come look before anybody quotes you anything.