Mold treatment professionals almost always use HEPA vacuums to remove mold. To eliminate visible mould, the majority of these contractors have been trained to utilize disinfectants and HEPA vacuuming. I should also remark that most of these mold removal companies do not operate in crawl areas very frequently.
What is HEPA Vacuuming
The issue with HEPA vacuums is that you can turn your shop vacuum or wet/dry vacuum to a HEPA vacuum by just adding a HEPA Filter. HEPA is an acronym that stands for High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestance or High-Efficiency Particulate Air. That is, the filter can collect 99.9% of the 0.3 micron or bigger particles in the air flowing through it.
Since mold particles are from 4 microns to 20 microns a HEPA filter is used to capture them. HEPA filters are also used in air scrubbers, which are employed in mold removal.
As previously stated, just converting your shop-vac to a HEPA-vac does not ensure that the mold is fully eliminated. If you have ever used a vacuum attachment, the brush can knock mold spores, dust, or whatever into the air in a way the vacuum cannot catch.
Vacuuming Crawl Space Mold
Taking care of crawl space Mold is distinct from mold in dwelling places. In a living space, normally mold remediators are standing and the mold is growing on flat surfaces like drywall, but in a crawl space, the sub-floor can have nails that prevent the attachment from reaching the wood. Subterranean areas also include difficult-to-reach rim joists and ducting that might obstruct attachments.
This is why we choose soda blasting crawl space mold removal over HEPA vacuuming. In comparison, I would not soda blast mold off the drywall of your living space due to the destructive force of soda on the paper and the clean up would be horrendous.
If you are hiring a company to HEPA vacuum mold of the joists and sub-floor of your crawl space, make sure you check their work very well. Let them to spread the mold before covering it with spray foam or paint. Additionally, before HEPA vacuuming or using any liquid mold agents, make sure they minimize the humidity and dry the wood.
Related Questions
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Is it OK to vacuum up mold?
While vacuuming is a crucial aspect of the mold remediation procedure, we do not advocate using a standard vacuum. Household vacuums and standard wet/dry vacs aren’t effective because they don’t have the right kind of filters to properly trap the mold.
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Can you use a shop vac for mold removal?
Use a HEPA filtered vacuum to keep spores from spreading while you clean (see sidebar, “What is HEPA?”). Modern vacuums usually have HEPA filters, and most Shop-Vacs can be fitted with a HEPA filter and allergen bags. Any of these should be enough for decontamination cleaning.
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What type of vacuum is used for mold remediation?
HEPA filter
Employ a HEPA-filtered industrial vacuum. HEPA has the ability to return clean air so that you won’t be breathing in harmful dusts or particles that the vacuum is collecting during operation.
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Do mold spores stay in air after cleaning?
Mold spores linger in the air for how long? Mold spores may remain in the air forever. While in the air, they remain in a dormant state until they come into contact with wet or moist surfaces, at which point they may start growing into visible mold.