Mold Solutions by Cowleys Before & After Photos

A new client of ours contacted our office after discovering severe mold growth in her bathroom, so we suited up and headed out! 

All mold needs moisture to grow, and there a few places in your home with more moisture than a bathroom, especially a full bathroom with a shower or tub. Mold can appear in as little as 24-48 hours and even if mold doesn't appear on visible surfaces, it can still grow behind the walls and on bathroom ceilings, on the insulation, and anywhere else it has a food source and moisture exposure.

When we arrived, it was quite easy to spot the mold growth! Now we need to determine the conducive condition that caused the mold growth. After measuring the humidity levels, we determined that was the cause of the mold. Turns out the bathroom fan wasn't working properly, which was causing the high moisture and humidity levels. We brought this to the owner's attention who then called her brother-in-law to replace the broken exhaust fan with a functional one.

We began treating the area with MAPS 1, an EPA registered antimicrobial that kills mold on a cellular level and then scrubbed the mold away. Afterward, we applied our patented sealant called MAPS 2, which encapsulates the mold and renders it non-allergenic and harmless. MAPS 2 is also moisture sensitive and will reactivate whenever it gets moist to prevent mold from growing.

Due to the fact that mold has been in the bathroom for such a while, it stained the walls. 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.

This homeowner in Brielle converted a pool house, which was located above a crawl space, into an additional living space. As part of the conversion, he installed a bathroom with a sewage pump put in the crawl space. The new residents in this converted unit soon noticed the tell-tale musty smell of mold, so we were called to inspect. Sure enough, the crawl space had mold growth on the cross beams and sheeting. The homeowner wanted a permanent, long-term solution beyond getting rid of the existing mold, so this problem would not resurface. 

We first treated the mold. Initially, we applied a powerful anti-microbial, and then we applied our patented, proprietary sealant that contains micro-particles of silver, which instantly kills mold on contact. This unique sealant kills mold at the cellular level rendering it inert and harmless. Also, it reactivates with water or high moisture levels, so it serves as a protection against future mold growth.

We explained to the homeowner that a crawl space always has a high risk of mold growth if it is not kept dry. Once indoor humidity exceeds 50%, which is common in virtually all open, vented crawl spaces, mold can grow, and over 60%, mold thrives. The homeowner agreed that it would be best the investment to take care of this crawl space once and for all. He contracted with us to insulate and encapsulate the crawl space, creating a barrier against the destructive outdoor elements. We also installed a special commercial-grade dehumidifier to keep down humidity, and well as a sump pump. We explained that his new “clean space” would not only keep out not only hot, humid outdoor air but also insects and rodents. The air in the living space above would be cleaner, crisper, and healthier. The homeowner and the new residents of this living space were pleased with our installation, and happy that the mold was gone, along with the smelly air and all of the potential health issues that mold can bring. 

During a pre-sale inspection of a home in Oceanport, NJ mold was discovered in the basement. As often happens, the mold is discovered in the nonliving areas of the home when there is a detailed inspection pending a sale. To avoid this scenario and stay on top of problems, we encourage homeowners to periodically inspect their nonliving areas of the home, especially basements and crawl spaces, where there are often water and moisture issues because of chronically high indoor humidity levels. 

The sellers were concerned because the sale was now put on hold pending treatment of the mold problem. There was a lot of anxiety and worry not knowing the costs involved and how long it would take to be to fix. The seller had good news from Cowleys. As long as there is no loss of structural integrity of the building materials, with our mold treatment process, massive tear-outs and renovations can be avoided. Instead, we directly treat the mold right where it sits leaving the underlying building materials alone.

With this basement, we treated the mold with two of our two-part system, an EPA-registered anti-microbial (MAPS 1) followed by a patented sealant that kills mold on contact and has the ability to reactivate to kill future mold growth (MAPS 2). We then wiped down the visible mold stains. We were in and out in less than a day completely resolving the mold issue. Needless to say, the seller (not to mention the real estate agent) was happy that the pending sale was immediately back on track with no delays. Over the long term, to deal with the moisture issues in the basement, we are hopeful that the buyers will consider installing a commercial dehumidification system. By keeping basement humidity levels low, mold will not form and the home will have clean, dry air circulating throughout.

Recently, a property investor who owns and manages a 4-unit apartment building in Oceanport, NJ, contacted Mold Solutions By Cowleys to treat a mold problem. His building had a significant water intrusion event. A water pipe had burst in one of the 2nd-floor units, which, in turn, caused fairly extensive flooding in the apartment underneath. 

Since the water problem was caught quickly, the landlord thought that there would not be enough time for any mold to set in. It’s a pretty common misconception that it takes a while for mold to start forming after a water leak. In fact, mold starts growing immediately. Mold spores will attach to damp or wet organic materials —  wood products, ceiling tiles, cardboard, wallpaper, carpets, drywall, fabric, and even insulation —  as long as there is enough water or moisture and temperature conditions are right (mold thrives in hot, humid surroundings). Some strains of mold can easily grow within 24 to 48 hours from the water intrusion event and begin to colonize a day or two thereafter. While it may take a week or two before mold grows enough to be seen by the naked eye, mold is often there at the microscopic level. Inevitably, there is a delay between mold formation and when it is first discovered.

With this particular job, mold growth was discovered when renovations started a short time later. They immediately called us to make sure this mold problem was handled correctly and there were no tenant mold-related complaints down the road.  

We treated all of the mold-affected areas with two products, an EPA-registered antimicrobial called MAPS 1 followed by a patented sealant called MAPS 2.  This sealant, available only to licensed distributors, completely destroys mold, rendering it harmless and non-allergenic. MAPS stands for Mold Abatement Polymer Solutions. MAPS 1 attacks mold at its DNA and kills it immediately while MAPS 2 is a 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 Mold Solutions crew was able to treat this mold problem in less than a day, and the renovations were back on track for this landlord with no time loss.

These homeowners in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ were in the process of selling their home. As often happens, during the home inspection, mold was found in the basement. This home did not have a basement dehumidifier and there was chronically high indoor humidity that led to mold growth.

We treated the entire basement using MAPS 1, which is our EPA-registered antimicrobial. Following MAPS 1, we applied our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders the mold non-allergenic and harmless, called MAPS 2 MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and if any mold attempts to take root and regrow in any of the treated areas, this sealant reactivates to kill any new mold growth before it has a chance to take hold. 

Most important for the seller, since there were no building materials that lost their structural integrity, it was not necessary to do a major tear-out and renovation with our treatment process because we kill the mold right where it sits. With our process, there were no construction delays or other problems caused by finding mold. The sellers breathed a sigh of relief once they found out that the sale would not be derailed because of mold, and that the closing could go on as planned.