Mold Solutions by Cowleys Before & After Photos

These homeowners in Lincroft, NJ, in Monmouth County found themselves with some water in the storage area of their basement caused by a pipe leak. They immediately had the leak fixed and cleaned up the stagnant water. However, it doesn’t take long for mold to form (in fact, following some water intrusion, mold can form in 24 hours). These homeowners found themselves with mold growth in the storage area and on some of the personal items they had stored there and contacted our office to treat the mold growth before doing anything else.

We treated the mold affected areas with our EPA registered anti-microbial called MAPS 1, which attacks mold on a cellular level and kills it instantly. We then scrubbed away the mold and applied MAPS 2, which is our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders the mold non-allergenic and harmless. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent the return of mold.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that mold has been present in the basement for such a long period of time, it stained the door Fortunately, these stains are purely aesthetic and pose no health risk. Once MAPS 1 & 2 have been applied, the mold is no longer a threat. The homeowners were pleased to find out that, with the mold completely treated, it was not necessary to buy a new door, and with a fresh coat of paint, the door would look as good as new.

Recently, we went on a service call to a home in Holmdel, NJ, after the homeowner found mold in his attic, and contacted us to have it treated. The attic is one of the most common places for mold to develop because of chronic humidity issues. Unfortunately, rarely visited attics are also one of the most likely places for mold growth to go unnoticed. 

Once we put on our personal protective equipment (mold is a bio-hazard in enclosed spaces!), we began our inspection of the attic. After a thorough inspection, we determined that the mold growth in is attic was due to a lack of ventilation. Here, there was neither an attic fan nor any static vents to create an air flow. Poor ventilation can trigger mold growth. Why? Mold can form by an imbalance in temperature between the air coming into the attic and the air going out. During cold weather, warm air from the house rises, entering the cold unheated attic. When warm air meets the cold attic surfaces condensation occurs forming water droplets, and if cold enough, ice crystals. This moist environment along with a food source, building materials made of wood, creates the perfect conditions for attic mold infestation. Mold will grow on and consume anything that contains once-living organic materials, including plywood and sheetrock. 

After determining the cause of mold growth, it was time for the solution! First, we applied an EPA-registered, non-toxic antimicrobial solution called Mold Abatement Polymer Solutions 1 (MAPS). MAPS 1 breaks down mold at a cellular level and kills it instantly. Once that solution dried, we applied a patented sealant (MAPS 2). This moisture-sensitive sealant encapsulates mold, rendering it inert, harmless, and non-allergenic. MAPS 2 reactivates when it gets moist to prevent the growth of any future mold colonies.   

Although we successfully removed the mold, the underlying issue causing the mold growth, poor ventilation, still needed to be addressed. Otherwise, there would likely be future mold issues. Improper attic ventilation is a serious problem for homeowners that can lead to very expensive repairs, not to mention unnecessarily high utility bills. After speaking with the homeowner about his inadequate attic ventilation, he asked us to help with the air flow by installing static vents. With a mold problem, homeowners must not only remove the mold. For a long-term resolution, the underlying cause of the mold growth must also be fixed. The mold specialists at Cowleys do both.

These homeowners in Colts Neck, NJ needed to have mold in their basement treated in order to be able to put their home up for sale and attract potential buyers. For obvious reasons, active mold growth in a home is unacceptable to the majority of potential home buyers. As often happens, mold problems are either ignored or not discovered until the home-selling process, and unfortunately, by that time, the mold growth has progressed making it more expensive to treat. Also, the delay in treating the mold exposes the occupants of the home to a variety of respiratory problems.  

The basement mold was caused by excess moisture and high indoor humidity in the basement. This home went for years without dehumidification and there were also indications of groundwater seepage into the basement. Homes situated in areas with high water tables are especially prone to flooding and groundwater intrusion, and it is important for homeowners to keep an eye on their investment. Water and moisture damage is the culprit of a wide range of problems, from mold growth to wood rot that can damage a home’s foundation.  

We treated the entire basement with our EPA registered anti-microbial called MAPS 1, which attacks mold at its DNA and kills it instantly. We then scrubbed away the mold and applied MAPS 2, which is our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders the mold non-allergenic and harmless. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent the return of mold.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that mold has been present in the basement for such a long period of time, it stained the area. Fortunately, these stains are purely aesthetic and pose no health risk. Once MAPS 1 & 2 have been applied, the mold is no longer a threat.

In order to control the humidity in the basement, we installed a Sani-dry dehumidifier, which is a commercial-grade dehumidifier specifically designed and manufactured for the challenging environments of basements and crawl spaces. 

A three-man crew from the Cowleys Home Improvement team was sent to a home in Toms River, NJ. As often happens in homes situated in areas with high water tables, especially after periods of heavy rain or snowmelt, this home had a significant problem with groundwater seepage.

As this homeowner found out, an unfortunate byproduct of groundwater entering a crawl space is mold growth. The homeowner realized there was a mold problem down below because that tell-tale earthy, musty smell of mold had permeated the home’s living space. To resolve this problem, we removed the existing fiberglass insulation. This type of insulation in the crawl space absorbs water and is a source for mold growth. Over time, fiberglass insulation in crawl spaces tends to fall as it becomes weighted down and mice just love this material for nesting. These types of insulation are are not specifically designed for the moisture and humidity found in crawl spaces and often wind up causing problems. 

To treat the mold, we applied an antimicrobial (MAPS 1) followed by a patented sealant (MAPS 2) that not only kills the existing mold, but also has moisture-sensitivity. This sealant has the ability to reactivate and kill future mold growth in the treated areas. To effectively deal with future groundwater intrusions we installed two workhorse “smart pumps” that tie into a discharge line.

Homeowners in Toms River, NJ, found that groundwater had entered the basement. Fortunately, it wasn’t a great amount and the cleaned it up and fixed the crack where water was entering. Unfortunately, as this homeowner found out, it doesn’t take much water to trigger mold growth. A couple of days later, they checked the basement and noticed some mold growth on the sheetrock. Mold will attach to any organic material and use it as food, dissolving it with powerful enzymes. Even though sheetrock is made of inorganic gypsum, it has thick sheets of paper that mold will attach to.  

Here, the sheetrock was not structurally damaged and we could treat the mold directly. As often happens, as long as there is no loss of structural integrity to the materials, we can treat the mold — often in less than a day — and leave the materials alone, avoiding an expensive tear-out and renovation project. We treated the affected areas with our EPA registered anti-microbial called MAPS 1, which attacks mold on a cellular level and kills it instantly.

We then scrubbed away the mold and applied MAPS 2, which is our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders the mold non-allergenic and harmless. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent the return of mold.

The homeowner was pleased that we could quickly resolve the mold issue. With the groundwater problem fixed, this homeowner should not have a return of mold.