Moldy Crawl Space Prevents Sale of Home in Toms River, NJ
Challenge
Recently, I went out on service call for a new client out in Toms River, NJ who was selling her home and in order to have a successful sale, needed to remove the mold in her crawl space. Crawl spaces are one of the most neglectful areas of a home and one of the most important areas —leaving it untouched can seriously affect your health. Crawl spaces are susceptible to damage from the moisture that's in the soil and are a breeding ground for mold and mildew.
Once I arrived, I equipped my personal protective equipment, since mold is a biohazard in enclosed spaces, and began inspecting the crawl space. A few moments into my inspection, I noticed that all the insulation in the crawl space and the foam padding on the wall was filled with mold. Concluding my inspection I determined that the reason for the mold in the crawl space was due to moisture build-up from the dirt floor crawl space. Dirt floor crawl spaces attract and absorb moisture. When the dirt dries, it causes humidity levels to rise in your home.
Solution
First, I removed both the foam padding on the wall and the insulation and treated the entire crawl space with an EPA registered antimicrobial solution called MAPS 1. MAPS 1 targets mold at a DNA level and kills it instantly. After applying MAPS 1 I then wiped away all the mold and applied MAPS 2. MAPS 2 is a patented sealant that encapsulates mold and renders it useless and non-allergenic. Unfortunately, due to the fact that mold has been in the crawl space for such a long period of time, 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.
Next, I replaced all the insulation with new comfort thermal insulation and placed a vapor liner down. A vapor liner is a 6 mL plastic sheeting that prevents any water vapors in the dirt from coming up into the house. This thin sheeting in the crawl space helps create a divide between water and your home and keeps all the moisture in the soil instead of in the crawl space. The homeowner was grateful and she can now continue with the sale of her home.
