Mold Action after Flooding: When is a Mold Cleanup Job Complete?
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How to determine if a mold cleanup project has been completed properly
When & how to perform mold clearance inspections & tests
When can mold containment barriers be removed?
Who should conduct mold clearance testing: conflicts of interest

This mold cleanup article explains when you can (and probably should) stop looking for or testing for mold in a building after a mold cleanup has been attempted. We explain how you can be confident that the mold cleanup steps taken have been completely and properly performed.

InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers nor with topics or services discussed at this website.

We explain when to order a post mold remediation clearance inspection and test, describe what should be done, and review other indicators that help you decide that a mold cleanup project has been completed after a building flood. Our photograph above shows the entry floor of a home at the completion of demolition, cleaning, disinfection, and treatment with a biocide sealant after the building was flooded.

If your building has been flooded, this website provides an easy to understand guide for flood damage assessment, setting priorities of action, safety, and we provide special information about avoiding or minimizing mold damage. These are quick, simple steps to minimize mold damage in a flooded building.

We also list after-flood "anti-mold" procedures that do not work or are unsafe - to help you avoid unnecessary expense in dealing with mold after a building flood. If your building is already moldy or if you suspect mold related illness in your building, we link to a step by step Mold Action Guide dealing with toxic or allergenic indoor mold and other indoor contaminants: when and how to inspect or test for mold, when to hire an expert, how to clean up a moldy area, when and how to perform post-remediation mold testing.

If your septic system has been flooded we link to an article outlining what to do about that system as well. Extensive, technically detailed in-depth articles on other mold detection, testing, and prevention methods are organized at our Mold Information Center.

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WHEN TO STOP LOOKING FOR MOLD After Cleaning and Repairing a Flooded Building

Mold Clearance Inspections: if significant costs were involved in demolition and cleaning to remove large areas of moldy materials (more than 30 sq.ft. of contiguous moldy stuff) from a building, before making final payment to the cleaning contractor, you should hire an independent expert to inspect and test (not just "test") the building for mold.

The post mold remediation clearance inspector should examine the cleaned surfaces and will explore the un-treated areas to see if the demolition and cleaning were extensive enough.

Screening tests for incomplete mold cleaning, remaining mold contamination, or cross-contamination of areas outside the work area may be performed to check for mold in building areas which were not included in the area of work, to be sure that they were not accidentally contaminated during the cleanup. Be sure that the post mold-remediation clearance inspection includes a thorough visual inspection. Simple screening tests for the presence or absence of mold are not reliable.

Conflicts of interest: Be sure that your mold inspector has no financial relationship with and is completely independent from the cleaning contractor. This step should be taken after all demolition and cleaning have been performed and before any reconstruction has occurred. Otherwise it will be impossible to check the building cavities that were supposed to have been cleaned.

Clearance Inspections are discussed in more detail in a separate document at Clearance Procedures
There should be no visible mold in the building.
All demolition and cleaning should have been completed before the mold clearance inspection is begun.
No moldy building contents should have been left in or stored in the building, and nothing that was removed from the building should have been returned unless it has been cleaned.
There should be no wet areas in the building, including no hidden wet areas in building cavities or behind floor baseboard or trim.
The building should not smell moldy.
Occupants returning to the building should not have an allergic or respiratory-distress or respiratory illness response that appears related to being inside the building. If this occurs, consult your doctor. People exposed to mold, allergens, and stress can become hyper sensitized to mold and other respiratory irritants.
Mold work area containment systems such as plastic barriers should be left in place until after a successful mold clearance inspection, including the lab work.

Taking down mold containment barriers before the building has been cleared is a sign of a contractor in a rush. The risk is that if the cleanup was not adequate, you've now risked cross contamination of other building areas and contents - thus increasing the ultimate amount of mold cleanup work and cost.

When a remediator removes their containment system before the mold clearance inspection we think that the contractor was in a rush, may have worried that we'd consider their containment practices unprofessional or inadequate, or the contractor may just be over-confident in their work.

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FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP
  FIRST PRIORITIES
  BUILDING ENTRY PROCEDURE AFTER FLOODING
  DRINKING WATER - EMERGENCY PURIFICATION
  DRINKING WATER - EMERGENCY SOURCES
  ELECTRICAL SAFETY for Flood Damage Inspectors
  FLOOD DAMAGE TO FOUNDATIONS
  FLOOD RESPONSE CHECKLIST
  FLOOD DAMAGE RFERENCES
  FLOOD VENTS & FLOOD PORTS
  FLOOD-CAUSED MOLD, PREVENTION
  FLOODED HEATING EQUIPMENT REPAIR
  FLOODED WATER HEATER REPAIR
  FLOODED SEPTIC SYSTEMS, REPAIR
  FUNGICIDAL SPRAY & SEALANT USE GUIDE
  INEFFECTIVE MOLD PRODUCTS
  Mold in Fiberglass Insulation
  Mold on Books, Book Conservation
  Mold on Fiberboard Insulating Sheathing
  MOLD PREVENTION AFTER FLOODING
  MOLD RESISTANT CONSTRUCTION
  SEPTIC SYSTEMS & FLOODS
  SEWAGE BACKUP, WHAT TO DO
  SEWAGE BACKUP TEST & CLEANUP
  SEWAGE BACKUP PREVENTION
  SEWAGE & SEPTIC CONTAMINANTS
  SEWAGE CONTAMINATION in buildings
  SEWAGE PATHOGENS in SEPTIC SLUDGE
  WHEN TO STOP LOOKING FOR MOLD
  Wind Damage to Roofs

Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. (727) 595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com 11/06
Hankey and Brown home inspectors, Eden Prairie, MN, technical review by Roger Hankey, prior chairman, Standards Committee, American Society of Home Inspectors - ASHI. 952 829-0044 - hankeyandbrown.com 11/06
Arlene Puentes, a licensed home inspector, educator, and building failures researcher in Kingston, NY. 11/29/06
Repairing Your Flooded Home American Red Cross and FEMA - PDF - English
Como Reparar su Hogar Inundado American Red Cross and FEMA - PDF - espanol
Flood Cleanup - Avoiding Indoor Air Quality Problems US EPA Fact Sheet
Cleaning Up After a Flood Texas Department of State Health Services.

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
Environmental Health & Investigation Bibliography - our technical library on indoor air quality inspection, testing, laboratory procedures, forensic microscopy, etc.
Adkins and Adkins Dictionary of Roman Religion discusses Robigus, the Roman god of crop protection and the legendary progenitor of wheat rust fungus.
Kansas State University, department of plant pathology, extension plant pathology web page on wheat rust fungus: see http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/path-ext/factSheets/Wheat/Wheat%20Leaf%20Rust.asp
"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA - includes basic advice for building owners, occupants, and mold cleanup operations. See http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.htm
US EPA - Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Building [Copy on file at /sickhouse/EPA_Mold_Remediation_in_Schools.pdf ] - US EPA
US EPA - Una Breva Guia a Moho - Hongo [Copy on file as /sickhouse/EPA_Moho_Guia_sp.pdf - en Espanol

Mold Contamination Testing, Cleanup, Prevention: references & products

The Mold Information Center: What to Do About Mold in buildings, When and How to Inspect for Mold, Clean Up Mold, or Avoid Mold Problems
Aerobiology, Building Science, Microscopy, & Laboratory References, an extensive technical bibliography
Allergens: what they look like in buildings
Associations: Sick House, Sick Building, SBS - Air Quality, Government, Private Associations and Information Resources
Atlas of Clinical Fungi, 2nd Ed., GS deHoog, J Guarro, J Gene, & MJ Figueras, Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, 2000, ISBN 90-70351-43-9 (you can buy this book at Amazon) - The Atlas of Clinical Fungi is also available on CD ROM
Atlas of Mold Related Illness: Index of Symptoms and health, physical, neurological, psychological, and other complaint which people suspect may be mold or building-related.
Atlas of Indoor Mold, Online Clinical Mold Atlas, Toxins, Pathogens, Allergens and Other Indoor Particles - Medical Health Effects of Mold (separate online document)
Black Mold that is Harmless Photos of recognizable, usually harmless black mold on wood, bluestain, ceratocystis, ophistoma
Building Floods: quick steps after a building flood or plumbing leak can prevent costly mold contamination
Classes of Mold: what types of cosmetic, allergenic, or toxic mold are a problem? Can mold be cleaned-up successfully?
Clinical Mold References - Detailed bibliography of mold reference texts
"A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA - includes basic advice for building owners, occupants, and mold cleanup operations. See http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.htm
"Disease Prevention Program for Certain Vegetable Crops," David B. Langston, Jr., Extension Plant Pathologist - Vegetables, University of Georgia (PDF document) original source: www.reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/209797.html
"Disease Prevention in Home Vegetable Gardens," Patricia Donald, Department of Plant Microbiology and Pathology, Lewis Jett
Department of Horticulture, University of Missouri Extension - extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6202
"Management of Powdery Mildew, Leveillula taurica, in Greenhouse Peppers," Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, British Columbia - Original source: www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/peppermildew.htm
Environmental Health & Investigation Bibliography - our own technical library on indoor air quality inspection, testing, laboratory procedures, forensic microscopy, etc.
Fiberglass: Mold in Fiberglass Insulation© 2005 comments about a field study in process, & more about health hazards from fiberglass insulation - DJF
Fifth Kingdom, Bryce Kendrick, ISBN13: 9781585100224, is available from the InspectAPedia online bookstore - we recommend the CD-ROM version of this book. This 3rd/edition is a compact but comprehensive encyclopedia of all things mycological. Every aspect of the fungi, from aflatoxin to zppspores, with an accessible blend of verve and wit. The 24 chapters are filled with up-to-date information of classification, yeast, lichens, spore dispersal, allergies, ecology, genetics, plant pathology, predatory fungi, biological control, mutualistic symbioses with animals and plants, fungi as food, food spoilage and mycotoxins.
Fungi, Identifying Filamentous, A Clinical Laboratory Handbook, Guy St-Germain, Richard Summerbell, Star Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0-89863-177-7 (English) (buy at Amazon)
Looking for Mold Procedure: what mold is often found where in buildings - simple technical presentation
Meruliporia: the house eating fungus or "poria"
Mold Action Guide: Step-by-Step Instructions, What to do about mold, mildew, and other indoor allergens
MOLD APPEARANCE - WHAT MOLD LOOKS LIKE Photos of what mold looks like in buildings
MOLD APPEARANCE - STUFF THAT IS NOT MOLD Photos of NOT-mold material that is sometimes mistaken for mold
MOLD ATLAS & PARTICLES INDEX, Pathogens, Allergens and Other Indoor Particles - Medical Health Effects of Mold (separate online document)
MOLD BY MICROSCOPE Mold under the microscope - photo identification of the most common indoor molds found in buildings
Mold FAQs Answers to Most Questions about Indoor Mold, Mold Related Illness, Mold Cleanup, Mold Prevention
US EPA: Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Building [Copy on file at /sickhouse/EPA_Mold_Remediation_in_Schools.pdf ] - US EPA
Mold spores in the Home - a Photo ID Library for detection and identification of mold allergens
Mold Test Kits - How to Collect and Send Your Own Mold Sample to our mold testing lab or to any mold lab you wish
Most Common Indoor Molds Found in buildings, A Table of
Mycology, Fundamentals of Diagnostic, Fran Fisher, Norma B. Cook, W.B. Saunders Co. 1998, ISBN 0-7216-5006-6 (buy this book at Amazon)
Ozone Warnings - Use of Ozone as a "mold" remedy is ineffective and may be dangerous.
Rot concerns in buildings-some building mold such as Meruliporia incrassata "Poria" risks serious rot and hidden structural damage
US EPA: Una Breva Guia a Moho - Hongo [Copy on file as /sickhouse/EPA_Moho_Guia_sp.pdf - en Espanol

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WHEN TO STOP LOOKING FOR MOLD After Cleaning and Repairing a Flooded Building

Questions & Answers regarding this article

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Technical Reviewers & References

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Mold Contamination Testing, Cleanup, Prevention: references & products