.png)
Mold removal is stressful. Ideally, this is not something you have to repeat often (or ever). Whether you're just doing additional research to learn about the process, or if you've already scheduled us to come out, below are some tips to get the most out of our dry fog treatment.
If you have any follow-up questions feel free to reach out to us by phone, text, or email. We're always happy to answer questions.
In the days leading up to the treatment:
Make arrangements for all people, pets, and plants to be out of the home during treatment.
While our treatment is non-toxic, during the treatment we’ll need everyone out of the home, including your pets. As soon as your treatment is done it will be safe for everyone to come right back inside.
Wipe down or dust surfaces to make sure they are clean.
Clean surfaces allow the antimicrobial barrier the best opportunity at a long life. If you have the time and ability cleaning surfaces is a great way to get the most out of your mold treatment. Places to focus on are electronics, dressers, window sills, cabinets, doors, and counters. It is also important to use a cleaner that leaves no residue. We are partial to vinegar. If you don't mind the smell it is a great all-purpose cleaner.
If you have a dehumidifier (or multiple), run them non-stop.
Aside from active leaks, humidity is the biggest enemy of an effective treatment. Removing as much humidity from the air as possible is a valuable step in preparation. Run your demudifiers as long as you can and make sure those buckets stay empty. Also avoid using humidifiers, diffusers, or anything similar that adds more water to the air.
Have a new HVAC filter ready.
After we leave mold will continue to come inside through open doors and windows. As it circulates through your HVAC system your filters will help keep your air clean. As another benefit, we'll add our anti-microbial treatment to any filters you have on hand to increase their effectiveness at killing mold traveling through your ductwork.
Run the A/C for 24 hours before we come.
In addition to a dehumidifier, air conditioners remove humidity from the air while they are running. If you can handle the cold, run your A/C for the full 24 hours before we come out. It can get chilly, especially in the winter, but it can make a good impact on lowering the humidity in the home.
Remove anything made of brass from the home
It may sound strange, but our non-toxic treatment is safe for all your belongings, except brass. The Hydrogen Peroxide in our fog reacts with the brass and adds a patina that needs to be polished off after. We recommend just removing anything with brass from the home during treatment. If it is something attached to the home be sure to let us know beforehand and we can make sure it is protected while we're there. While everything else is safe, we do recommend that if anything has high personal value (either emotional or monetary), is irreplaceable, or you just don't want to risk it, we recommend just removing it from the house during the treatment.
Day of the Treatment
Strip bedding from your mattresses
Beds are a common location for bacteria and mold buildup. Blankets and sheets can be washed, but a mattress can’t (at least not easily). By stripping the bedding our fog can sterilize the mattress and even penetrate into it a bit to make sure any mold spores that have landed are gone.
Leave cabinet doors and drawers open.
Since mold spores are airborne they can float anywhere - including in the back of your drawers and cabinets. Leaving them open ensures the fog gets into the very back of the cabinets to get any hiding mold. If you forget let us know and we can open them as we go along during the treatment.
Disable your alarm system
Our fog is dense enough to trigger smoke alarms. We don't mind the noise - but we feel bad when the fire department is alerted and comes to your home thinking there is a fire. If you have a monitored alarm system that will automatically notify the fire department make sure it is turned off when you leave on the day of treatment.
Hopefully this clears up any questions you have about preparing for the treatment process. Feel free to reach out if you have any follow-up questions, we're happy to help clarify anything. Also, if you're looking for more insight into the treatment process and how the dry fog works, start here on our Mold Remediation page.