Black Mold!!!! Home remedies or just let the Pros handle it?

Question

I'm rehabbing my first deal, I paid cash for and the back half of the house (approx. 450 sq/ft), has black mold under the baseboards and on the floor under the laminate I just removed. The source is a bad roof which will be replaced prior to any other rehabbing. Any home remedies or do you just leave it to the professionals?

Andy Hudgins · Answer

JUST leave it to the professionals.

In some states, if it is 100 square feet or less, DIY.

What you've got to consider is that the mold is in one area BUT it is spitting out spores which are going airborne and traveling into a humid, food-rich environment. When you start demo-ing, the spores really start flying. The pro's put everything under negative pressure which means the spores are directed either outside or through a HEPA air scrubber. So, if YOU start the demo by first turning on the air conditioning so that your crew can work in comfort well, now the airborne spores are being drawn into the HVAC and spread throughout the entire house.

A talented mold ASSESSOR might visit and not only give an estimate but also provide helpful hints where the performance of the structure is concerned as it relates to vapor activity.  Yes, this estimate should be provided only by an assessor, not a mold remediator. As our holdings grow we would benefit from a relationship with a good assessor.

Jim Wiley · Answer

Without question, let the pros handle it. If it's under the baseboards, then it is probably creeping up inside the walls as well as going under the laminate. This is too big for an amateur. Knowing it was done right, and getting rid of the liability dread is worth much more than the cost of professional remediation.

Cody Campbell · Answer

Thanks guys.