Snapshot
A restoration company was hired by a homeowner to address a flooding event in their finished basement. A limited approach was taken by the restoration company, which primarily focused on removal of water damaged items and drying out the space. High mold levels were noted later when the homeowners preemptively tested the basement in preparation to sell their home. Healthy Homes products were exclusively used in conjunction with established protocols over 2 days to reduce the Aspergillus / Penicillin counts by 99.3% and the Stachybotrys counts by 100%.
Intro
Sager Healthy Homes was contacted by a concerned homeowner over the elevated test results she received for her basement. The homeowner explained that a restoration company had done some work in the basement after a flooding event and now after some time had passed, they were looking to prepare the house to sell. A flood cut (4ft up from the floor) of the drywall had been done. Along with the damaged drywall, some other damaged items were disposed of. Fans and dehumidifiers were used to dry the space. Unfortunately, for the client, no further treatment or post testing was recommended after the flood.
Problem
Without taking the initial proper steps for cleaning and treatment as well as ensuring the basement wasn’t left in a conditional suitable for mold growth, Aspergillus / Penicillin (14,798 Cts/M³) and Stachybotrys (3920 Cts/M³) rose to elevated levels. Additionally, the HVAC was inspected and tested as well revealing total mold counts of (1,435 Cts/M³).
Approach
The first step was to remove the remainder of the drywall and any other affected materials that couldn’t reasonably be cleaned. An air scrubber was utilized to create a negative pressure environment to contain movement of spores to other areas of the home and flush fresh air through the contaminated space. RE-Hydro was applied to all wood framing and unfinished construction materials. Other materials and items were wiped down with either RE-Hydro or BIO-Clean as well. The basement and ductwork were then thoroughly fogged with DE-Mold as a final step.
Results
The team at Sager Healthy Homes supplied two technicians over two days to complete the work. Due to protocols that were implemented and the safety of Healthy Homes Products, the homeowners weren’t displaced from their home while the work was being conducted. Post-test results showed Aspergillus / Penicillin counts dropped from 14,798 to 102 and Stachybotrys counts from 3920 to None Detected. That’s a reduction of 99.3% and 100% respectively.
