I am working on a renovation in Southern California where we have received some rain in the last few months (not much!). The owner, who has a daughter that is highly allergic, mentioned that there are some black spots on the new studs that frame the daughers bathroom. The room is now in the waterproofed building envelope but not sheeted yet. Do we need to remove the framing or clean with bleach?
Thanks
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soak it down with 10% solution of bleach and scrub it off, now that its undercover it should not reappear .. however, your client is obviously more up to date on this than any of us, what does he want??
Hello, sanne, welcome to BreakTime.
Link from the IL dept of public health says to first clean the surface with a non-ammonia soap or detergent in hot water and scrub the entire area effected by the mold. Then disinfect the area with a solution of water and bleach (1/2 cup of bleach per gallon of water). Let disinfecting areas dry naturally.
http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pdf/moldmildew.pdf
Since the kid is sensative, I might tend to shoot for overkill, so my added, overkill step might be to hit the studs with some anti-mold paint (after cleaning/disinfecting).
jt8
"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first."
-- Ronald Reagan
Thank you! I will look into these!
As long as you're looking into things...check out borate products that not only kill the mold, but keep it from coming back...and they're non-toxic. Read this old thread for more information on this:
53283.3Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
If you make the decision as to how to deal with it, you'll get the call every time the daughter sneezes.Get an industrial hygenist to formulate the remediation and follow that plan.And document everytthing!
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Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
That black stuff on new lumber has always been with us. I remember it from a house my father built in 1956, when I was just a kid. I saw it when I was framing in the early 1970's. I've found it inside walls that were built in 1926. You can see plenty of it at Home Depot today. Through all that, our species has survived.
The stuff seems to be dead or dormant after the house gets dried in. The bleach and borate treatments suggested above may do some real good, or they may be a placebo. Either way, if the customer wants to pay for it, go ahead.
-- J.S.
Man, is mold the new asbestos, or what? Talk about a hot button. How many studs? Would it be easier to replace them if you're not even sheathed yet?
That being said.... I think Bob (RJW) is on to something. Either let them offer a prescriptive remedy or get a "professional" to offer one. Not that you are not a professional, I just mean someone who deals with household toxins as an occupation.
If it were my own house I'd probably hit it with a bleach solution and call it done if I was nervous about it. But the truth is, I can't remember framing a house that didn't have some lumber with 'black spots' on it.
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/101139
22.6 million settlement for moldy lumber. just in case you missed it. Doesn't sound like the defense did a great job. Now that there's precedence, I'm sure there are a few people that will blame the little black spots for every cough they have.
Be a way of getting a new house paid for , ummm .
I keep tellin yall Bob is good to have around .
Tim
It's ironic you referred us to an article from a suit in Ca. I have a page on my website which I just referred the vermiculite thread to in my just finished last post there. Here's the page; the bottom 2 sections are about mold.
http://www.ahi-ns.ca/Healthy.htm
Bynthe way, that case is nuts!!!!!