Saturday, May 12, 2007
Remediation of a Sink Cabinet + Garden City Mold Testing Investigation
The first question to be addressed is whether water went below the deck (base) of the sink cabinet. If you think it might have, then the deck should be removed so you can clean underneath. Here are the remediation steps:
- Empty out the sink cabinet.
- Examine the interior with a strong flashlight. Look for signs of water staining or anything that looks like it might be mold.
- Take samples for submitting to a screening service if you want to confirm the presence or absence of mold. See the May 11, 2007, posting for instructions on tape-sampling.
- Feel around the water pipes, especially at connections and at the bottom. If there is leakage, have the leak fixed.
- HEPA vacuum inside the cabinet to pick up loose debris and possibly mold spores.
- Wear an N95 respirator, available from $5 on up at a local home supply store.
- Remove the deck of the cabinet.
- Again with a flashlight, examine the bottom of the deck and the now-exposed cavity below where the deck had been. Look for signs of water-staining and mold.
- If the area looks basically clean, HEPA vacuum the bottom of the deck and inside the cavity.
- If the area looks bad, further demolition may be required.
- Wipe off all surfaces using a Borax solution (1 cup per gallon of water) and scrub brush.
- The best type of scrub brush to use is an old-fashioned yellow straw-like brush. Check for one at KMart or other local stores. You don't want a brush that is too stiff or too soft.
- Immediately wipe semi-dry with a clean rag.
- Allow to dry.
- When dry, encapsulate wood surfaces with either two coats of Caliwel (www.alistagen.com). If Caliwel is out of the budget, encapsulate with two coats of whitewash. Both of these substances are lime-based, and lime kills mold on contact. For whitewash recipes, do a search ("whitewash + recipe"). Mix outdoors, wearing goggles and gloves. Caliwel has a binder that gives it a longer lifetime.
- Also encapsulate the deck piece, if you plan to re-use it. If not, install new material for decking. If the material is wood, encapsulate the bottom with Caliwel prior to installation.
- Lastly, put a waterproof shelf liner on the top of the deck. This liner is not necessary if the deck is laminated.
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