Basement mold removal

http://cdn.brownstoner.com/4e020f1749a76-

A bit of background. The molded area is a small closed partition space at the back of the house. The area is about 10×10 in size and to the right of it is the boiler room, directly to the left of the infected wall is a half bathroom. Above the infected area is our kitchen and bathroom. I noticed a couple of black patches a couple of months ago but it seem to grow exponentially the past couple of weeks. 

Has anyone dealt with mold removal? I am thinking about cutting open the sheetrock to see if I can find the source of the mold, if there isn’t. I plan to install a dehumidifier around the area to keep the humidity under 60%. Do I need to hire a mold inspector? How common is this?

Thanks in advance.

namahs

in General Contractors 13 years and 10 months ago

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aboveb | 13 years and 8 months ago

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According to EPA, if an area contaminated with mold is greater then 30 square feet, you MUST reach out for specialist to perform a mold removal for you. The thing is, sometimes mold is hidden behind the walls, under the carpet, etc. Its always a good idea to have a mold inspection in case you suspect large mold contamination.
You can do it yourself, take walls apart, etc, but if you get the inspection, they would use a special mini cameras to check your wall space without taking it apart!
If you in New Jersey, here is a great company – http://www.abmoldremediationnj.com . Good Luck!

BHS | 13 years and 10 months ago

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I strongly agree with the previous commenter: it’s a leak, not general humidity, and you need to fix the source of the water before fixing the cosmetic issues. Don’t bother with a mold inspector. It may be a simple plumbing fix. You’re right to be opening the wall to see what’s going on.

bowl-of-dicks | 13 years and 10 months ago

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If you do not remedy the source of the mold, it will just come back. And it sounds like it could be a number of culprits, given the proximity to kitchen/bathrooms. If the mold is isolated to just this one area, it reinforces that you do not have a general humidity problem like in a basement (no need for long term dehumidifer use). As for clean up, start with bleach and a scrub brush.