Mold Solutions by Cowleys Before & After Photos

These homeowners in Eatontown had their bathroom vent hose detach from the bathroom vent fan, and hot bathroom air was being belched straight into the attic pretty much every day someone was taking a nice, hot shower. This problem went unnoticed for about a year, resulting in significant mold growth all over the attic rafters and roof sheathing.

To help prevent mold growth in your home, it is important to move moist humid air out of the home before it can condense and lead to dangerous mold growth. It’s why we have exhaust systems for clothes dryers, attic ventilation fans, and bathroom ventilation fans. When any of these systems are not properly functioning and fail to move moist air out of the home or have been improperly installed, wood rot and other damage from moisture and the dangerous consequence of chronic moisture conditions, mold growth, often results. 

Once the problem was found, the homeowners immediately had the hose fixed. But they had a mold problem that needed to be resolved, so they contacted Mold Solutions By Cowleys to kill the mold. Since all of the building materials were structurally intact with no water damage and only had superficial mold growth, there was no need for a massive tear-out and renovation project. Instead, we were able to permanently remove the mold in less than a day with our treatment process that involves two separate products. 

First, we applied our EPA-registered anti-microbial, called MAPS 1, which targets mold at its DNA and kills it immediately. Next, we applied our patented polymer sealant called MAPS 2. This sealant is what makes our mold treatment process unique in the industry. MAPS 2 encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it useless and non-allergenic. Additionally, MAPS 2 is moisture-sensitive and whenever it senses moisture, the sealant reactivates to prevent the return of any new mold growth in any of the treated areas.

Needless to say, the homeowner was quite relieved that his attic mold problem could be addressed and resolved so quickly. The lesson learned in these cases is to periodically check those seldom visited places in your home like your crawl space and attic to make sure that there are no mold issues or other hidden problems lurking above or below.

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.

A homeowner in Shrewsbury, NJ had her hot water heater burst. To us, short of a tree crashing through a roof, a burst hot water heater is one of the more damaging, scariest events that can happen to a homeowner and is listed by insurance companies as one of the major sources of residential water damage

This homeowner was not keeping tabs on her hot water heater and paid the price. The tank burst and flooded her basement. She had the water removed and had everything dried out. Unfortunately, mold will start forming with standing water in as little as 24 hours.

Mold Solutions By Cowleys came in and treated the entire basement with our two applications, MAPS 1 and MAPS 2. MAPS 1 is our EPA-registered anti-microbial that kills mold on a cellular level. Next, we applied MAPS 2, which is our patented polymer sealant. This application, which kills mold and vertically any pathogen on contact, is moisture-sensitive and has the ability to reactivate, killing any mold that may reappear in the treated areas.

We thoroughly wiped down all hard surfaces to remove the mold stains. The homeowner was pleased with our service and happy that there was no need to tear out any building materials. As long as the building materials have not lost their structural integrity, Mold Solutions can treat the mold right where it sits, avoiding substantial construction costs often associated with traditional mold remediation. 

This Shrewsbury, NJ homeowner found himself with mold growth on a dining room wall behind a recently hung mirror. This particular job highlights the fact that it does not take much of a water or moisture intrusion for mold to grow.

Homeowners often associate mold growth with only significant water intrusions like flooding or a leaky pipe. However, that is far from the case. Often, we see mold growth formation from sustained high indoor humidity levels, especially in basements, crawl spaces, and attics. With the mold growth in this home, mold had started to form either because there was preexisting moisture on the paper and cardboard backing of the mirror or the direct contact of the mirror against the wall allowed for condensation since the was no room for the room air to move and naturally keep the wall surface dry. Either way, to the surprise of the homeowner, significant mold growth had formed behind the mirror.

I wanted to be sure that there was no mold growth inside the mirror itself behind the paper and cardboard backing, and with the homeowner’s permission, I removed the mirror backing (which was already damaged from moisture build-up) to see if there was anything lurking underneath. Out of an abundance of caution, I treated the backside of the mirror with our treatment products as well as the wall itself (see photos of damaged backing and mirror with the backing removed).

Our treatment uses two products that work in sync with each other. First, we apply an EPA-registered antimicrobial (MAPS 1) followed by a patented proprietary sealant (MAPS 2). This sealant will reactivate when exposed to water or moisture, so it not only kills the existing mold but also stands ready to kill any future mold growth in the treated areas. I recommended to the homeowner that when the mirror is reinstalled that spacers be used to keep it from directly touching the wall. Keeping the mirror off the wall will allow air circulation behind the mirror which will reduce condensation and mold growth. Also, spacers help protect the wall paint.

Mold stains are different than the mold itself. Mold is a fungus, a living organism, that spreads through releasing mold spores that reattach on new surfaces. Mold is the culprit that can cause respiratory sensitivities, allergies, and in severe cases, lung infections. Mold stains are the non-living residual markings left by mold from its enzymes that dissolve whatever organic materials that the mold is using for food. Although mold stains are unsightly, they are non-allergenic and their removal is an aesthetic decision such as whether the mold is in a living or non-living space of the home. Often, mold stains are so deeply embedded that they cannot be completely removed through scrubbing and a mold stain remover, and the only way to obliterate the mold stains is to paint over them. 

Here, you can see the residual staining on the wall after the mold was treated and we tried to manually scrub away as much of the staining as we could. The homeowner’s concern was to have the mold treated so there would no longer be any active mold growth in his living room. We were able to successfully treat his home and make his living room safe in less than a day.