Take the Right Approach to Successfully Eliminate Mold

Foster® Launches Website to Support Post-Hurricane Cleanup

Foster® brand, a technological leader in mold and mildew-resistant coatings, has launched a special website at www.fosterproducts.com to support hurricane cleanup and provide quick access to information about mold treatment and prevention, plus links to relief agencies, mold remediation associations/contractors and distributors of the company’s products.

“The extensive water damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita created conditions that are ripe for mold growth in homes and businesses,” says Troy Anderson, Foster senior technical adviser.  “We’re recommending that property owners and contractors involved in hurricane-related cleanup take a three-phase approach to remove mold and prevent its return.”

Mold and mildew need moisture, warmth and a food source, like wood, drywall or carpet, to grow.  Flooding, heavy rains and structural damage from the storms produced ideal mold growth conditions and have fueled widespread concern over its effects along the Gulf Coast.

“We encourage people to take action as soon as they can safely return to their property.  The longer mold has access to warmth, moisture and food, the more it will grow and spread,” said Anderson. “Getting structures cleaned up, dried out and coated can help minimize mold’s impact and prevent it from returning.”

The Foster brand recommends this three-phase approach to mold cleanup:

• Clean. Remove any water-damaged and mold-contaminated materials that cannot be salvaged, such as carpeting, furniture and wallboard.  Thoroughly dry all materials to be left in place by exposing them to circulated dry air.
• Treat. Treat all remaining non-porous surfaces with a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-registered premixed, ready-to-use disinfectant.  Clean and deodorize other porous materials to remove residual microbial contaminants.  Specially formulated products containing surfactants can be more effective than bleach and water to clean surfaces and are often safer to use.
• Coat. Professionally apply an antimicrobial or mold-resistant coating.  These coatings can help protect the surfaces from moisture intrusion and provide residual long-term protection against the re-growth of mold and mildew on their surface.

Contractors may use an airless sprayer, brush or roller to apply these water-based coatings.  Because not all coatings are alike, Anderson recommends selecting a product that is tested to resist mold growth under the most rigorous conditions.  ASTM D5590 Standard Test Method for Determining the Resistance of Paint Films and Related Coatings for Fungal Defacement by Accelerated Four-Week Agar Plate Assay is the best test method for evaluating a coating’s ability to resist mold growth.

Anderson added that coating selection should also factor in the surface where it will be applied, such as walls or air-conditioning ducts.

“After removing mold and mildew, no one wants it to come back,” he said. “That’s why it’s critical to make sure the contractor completes all three phases and uses the best technology available.”