Least-toxic Products

Most homeowners  would prefer to go a least toxic route, i.e., a healthier route for cleaning up mold and mold removal. But homeowners want to make sure that mold isn't going to grow back a couple of weeks after the mold removal job is done.

In close to 15 years of environmental inspecting, I have had the opportunity to see many products -- both conventional cleaning and encapsulant (sealant) products from the mold industry, as well as "green" products.

Because I work with a microscope on-site, I have sometimes been able to see products that fail to kill mold, fail to prevent future mold growth, or perhaps both killed mold and prevented future mold growth but were themselves toxic to homes and families.

Here are some of my observations:

You ask, "What least-toxic products do work and last a long time?"

Borax - my favorite product for cleaning

Borax is a common cleaning product, available in the laundry aisle of a supermarket for around three dollars. Borax is a white mineral powder. When mixed with water and used as a cleaning solution, it has an abrasive action that easily cleans mold off a surface, even a semi-porous surface.
 
I have seen before-and-after samples under the microscope where Borax was used to clean off significant Aspergillus growth from OSB (oriented strand board), which is supposedly not easy to clean.

Point of Information: Although the word "green" commonly refers to "least-toxic," please be advised that "green" is not always "least-toxic." Recycled goods are generally considered "green," yet if the original goods were toxic, the recycled version would be toxic, too, just recycled toxic. I would have no idea if "green" cleaning products are also "least-toxic."

I don't use the words "non-toxic," because even though a product is effective and doesn't off-gas volatile chemicals, you still might not want to drink it - such as lime or Borax.

For information on the EnviroHealth mold inspection service, call 888-735-9649.

Available in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other areas by arrangement

How to use Borax in mold removal:

Question: isn't chlorinated bleach the best thing for killing mold?

Answer: I have found chlorinated bleach only a mediocre product for cleaning up mold. Besides, you don't need to kill the mold. Just get rid of it. Borax works much better -- and I've seen this multiple times under the microscope. I think the folk who tell you to use chlorinated bleach must not work with a microscope or they'd know better.
 
At one house under construction, there was visible mold on drywall. A worker sprayed 100% bleach (not safe!) on the mold. Some hours later, I arrived for testing, and the sprayed mold was still there.

Caliwel - my favorite product for encapsulation

Question: I've seen other products, both conventional and green, at a local home supply store. What you think about them?

Answer: With conventional products, you run the risk of offgassing from toxic ingredients, and with green products, you don't know how long their effectiveness will last or whether they really are least-toxic.
 
Borax and Caliwel are least-toxic products with proven effectiveness, so I don't see a need to look further. In fact, the Alistagen folks say that you can use Caliwel over mold (after HEPA vacuuming), that it kills mold on contact and allows you to skip the cleaning phase. Isn't that interesting!

I've seen Caliwel kill mold on contact. At one house under construction, rain got into a small, inaccessible crevice-like area. The builder would have had to take down a good portion of the structure to access the mold, so as a compromise, the area was sprayed thoroughly with Caliwel. (National guidelines allow for compromises when necessary.)

A couple of hours later, I arrived with my microscope. Samples revealed both Caliwel and mold spores. What I saw under the microscope were Stachybotrys spores that were dessicated, misshapen, and rupturing. It was quite impressive to see.

top of page