[Greenbuilding] Reducing mold

[Andrew Golkin]

Google microban. Order it from Jondon.com it's about $30 per gallon.
Benefect is a more environmentally friendly solution as well.

Andrew Golkin
Director of Emergency Services
Paul Davis Restoration & Remodeling of Suburban Virginia
703-335-2424 Fax 703-361-1013
www.pdrvirginia.com

On Nov 7, 2010, at 7:49 PM, Bob Klahn <Home-NRG at dnaco.net> wrote:

Sacie,

There are some newer proprietary mildicides used in commercial remediation
after flooding or other major water/mold damage.
 I haven't tried any of them and they are probably hard to get, especially
on single residential scale.

On most surfaces (substrates), chlorine bleach solution is unnecessary
overkill; toxic for the environment and, in many of the "easy" applications,
toxic to the user.  It will not penetrate into any porous substrate to
"kill" more than the surface bloom.

A  rag or sponge, dampened - not wet - with a solution of warm water and any
mild surfactant (dish washing detergent works well).  Only enough surfactant
to break the surface tension of the water - no suds needed.

Wipe from the top down, clearing away the surface bloom, then wring in the
bucket or basin, leaving the mold in the water.
Dry as rapidly as possible - by blowing (room temperature or sightly warmer)
air across the surface (heat will drive the moisture deeper into the
material and slow real drying.  Instead, hot air or radiant heat can create
an illusory surface drying.

No panaceas that I know of.  Most of the things toxic to mold are also toxic
to us - and other living critters.

Bob Klahn

On 11/7/2010 7:22 PM, Sacie Lambertson wrote:

*From Mike O'B;    Are you thinking about ways to reduce the mold?
*
Indeed, I would love something easy to reduce the black stuff that appears
in our shower.  Certainly it is enough of a problem here in relatively humid
NE Kansas that there are loads of products sold in the stores to get rid of
it.  A good spray of a vinegar solution helps, as does clorox.  However, the
water from our bathroom goes straight outside into a small running-
downhill-gray-water trench, so using clorox isn't so great.

I'm in fact looking for a solution that doesn't exist.  A good scrubing
lasts a long time.  The walk-in shower is 3'x5', not a stall at all.  The
room in which it lives is large for a bathroom; in the winter the ambient
temp is rather cool so I would love to enclose the shower area like the
Sunfrost site suggests but I'm afraid I would only be asking for more mold
problems.

Wonder how the Turkish bath folks keep mold out?

Sacie



_______________________________________________
Greenbuilding mailing list
to Send a Message to the list, use the email
addressGreenbuilding at bioenergylists.org

to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web
pagehttp://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_lists.bioenergylists.org



No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 8.5.449 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3243 - Release Date:
11/07/10 19:34:00


 <Home-NRG.vcf>

_______________________________________________
Greenbuilding mailing list
to Send a Message to the list, use the email address
Greenbuilding at bioenergylists.org

to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page
http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_lists.bioenergylists.org
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.bioenergylists.org/pipermail/greenbuilding_lists.bioenergylists.org/attachments/20101107/8bd2c3c0/attachment.html>