Remove What You Can
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency suggests that homeowners might need help from a professional if they find mold on an area more than 10 square feet in size, but after big floods, that's not always possible. So the EPA has published guidelines that even inexperienced homeowners can follow.
Once Norm discovered the mold, on went the respirators and out came the pry bars. People can be sensitized to mold through the skin as well as the lungs, so rubber gloves, goggles, and a respirator—the EPA recommends a double-elastic disposable labeled "N-95"—are all important.
Careful mold removal begins by sealing off the area with plastic over the doorway. Then all absorbent materials (including carpet, drywall, and paper items) have to go. "Take walls down to the studs," says Rebecca Morley, director of the National Center for Healthy Housing in Columbia, Maryland. Even though most guidelines say material a foot above the floodwater mark can remain, "you actually do need to go further," Morley says. Researchers measured mold levels before and after cleanup in four demonstration homes and found that spore counts dropped to a background level in the three where crews removed all the drywall, but stayed alarmingly high in the one where they only took away the bottom pieces.
No one knows how dangerous it is to leave mold trapped in inaccessible places, such as inside walls or behind cabinets. "With lead and asbestos, you can manage it in place," Morley says. "But mold is a growing organism. Even behind a cabinet, I'd be leery about whether it is truly contained."
For Rashida, the decision was easy. The demolition phase was the time to get rid of questionable materials, including the old drywall and burlap covering the barge boards. She didn't want to worry later about shortcuts she took.
