Mold Solutions by Cowleys Before & After Photos

Mold growth is the result of water or moisture buildup. There are numerous ways that excess water or moisture can occur inside a home. Often, it's a leaky pipe while other times, its moisture build-up in crawl spaces, attics, and basements because of chronically high indoor humidity levels. With this homeowner in Manchester Township, NJ, the cause of the mold formation was, believe it or not, furniture placement! 

The homeowners placed furniture directly against their HVAC registers — those vent grilles in your home that cover the hole where the duct enters the room to blow out heated or cooled air. As this homeowner found out the hard way, never block these registers! Doing so not only impedes the efficiency of your HVAC system, but it can also trigger dangerous mold growth by trapping the moisture in the air that’s blowing out of the ducts.

First, we treated the affected areas with our EPA registered anti-microbial called MAPS 1, which attacks mold on a cellular level and kills it instantly. We then scrubbed away the mold and applied MAPS 2, which is our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders the mold non-allergenic and harmless. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent the return of mold.

Finally, as a precaution, we treated the ductwork. Since there was no underlying damage to any building materials and everything was structurally sound, there was no need for a building tear-out. With our mold treatment process, we simply kill the mold right where it sits, and we are often able to do so in less than a day.

One of the Mold Solutions By Cowleys crews was called out to treat and remove mold that had formed in the basement of a restaurant in New Brunswick, NJ. The basement had significant mold growth on the joists (the lumber supporting the basement ceiling) and the walls due to moisture and condensation from high humidity levels down below. 

We first treated the joists and walls were treated with our EPA-registered anti-microbial called MAPS 1, which attacks mold at its DNA and kills it instantly. We then wiped away all the mold and applied MAPS 2, which is a patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it useless and non-allergenic. 

Mold formation in this New Brunswick, NJ basement could have been prevented if a dehumidifier had been installed. Dehumidification is, by far, the most important long-term preventative measure for controlling dangerous crawl space and basement moisture that will inevitably lead to mold growth. We recommended the purchase of a commercial-grade dehumidifier to maintain indoor humidity at levels that would minimize or prevent mold growth. The owner understood the importance of dehumidification to keep a basement clean and dry, and stated that he would contact us at a later date if he decided to go forward with purchasing a unit. 

A two-member team of Mold Solutions By Cowleys was sent to a home in Millstone Township, NJ to treat an isolated mold problem in the home. Here, the bathroom fan had stopped working and, unfortunately, was not timely repaired. Without a working ventilation system in a small enclosed area such as in a bathroom where there are high moisture conditions from all of the steam and hot water, there is a high risk of mold growth. And that’s exactly what happened.

Mold had formed on the ceiling. The homeowners had the fan fixed, but it was too late. They found themselves with a serious mold problem. Once mold forms, it will either continue to spread or become dormant depending on temperature and moisture conditions. Mold, a living organism, is a type of fungus. It will not simply “die” and go away on its own. Rather, mold, by its very nature, produces mold spores that become airborne will attach elsewhere in the home. Also, a home’s occupants can breathe in those spores, and those with respiratory sensitivities can develop allergy-like symptoms or even develop respiratory infections. Any mold, not just so-called toxic black mold, is potentially dangerous and must be treated.

For this bathroom mold problem, we treated the mold with two applications. First, we applied an EPA-registered antimicrobial (MAPS 1) that kills the mold on contact. Second, we applied a patented sealant (MAPS 2) that is available only to licensed distributors. This sealant not only kills the mold, but it is also moisture sensitive and will reactivate to kill any future mold growth. We also wiped down any visible staining caused by the mold. Mold stains are the residue of mold growth. They are not by themselves allergenic. However, they are unsightly, aesthetically unappealing, and can give the mistaken impression that there is still a mold problem.  

The homeowner learned a valuable lesson about the importance of ventilation to keep down moisture and humidity levels in enclosed spaces. It is important to have working exhaust fans in bathrooms and attics where there can be high levels of humidity. In other areas of the home, such as basements and crawl spaces, where good ventilation isn't an option, it is important to have a commercial-grade dehumidification system to avoid mold problems and have clean, dry air circulating throughout the home.

Homeowners in Millstone Township, NJ, were recently doing some deep cleaning of their basement, and when they removed a drawer out of a dresser, they discovered mold growth. They immediately stopped cleaning and contacted Mold Solutions to have the mold treated. The cause of the basement mold growth was chronically high relative humidity levels, which is quite common in basements and crawl spaces. For mold to form, flooding, a burst pipe, groundwater infiltration, or other major water intrusion event is not necessary. Mold can just as easily start to form if there is a high level of moisture in the air. 

Fortunately, all of the building materials were sound with no loss of structural integrity, so we were able to treat the mold directly right were it sits with our removing any building materials. The homeowners were quite relieved that the mold treatment would not involve an extensive tear-out and renovation. We treated the entire basement with our EPA registered antimicrobial called MAPS 1, which attacks mold on a cellular level and kills it instantly. We then scrubbed away the mold and applied MAPS 2, which is our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders the mold non-allergenic and harmless. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent the return of mold.

For long-term prevention of returning mold, the homeowners had us install a commercial-grade whole-house SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier, which is considered one of the best high-performance dehumidifiers and filtration systems on the market. They are specifically designed to work in the challenging environment of basements and crawl spaces and operate 24/7, turning on and off automatically using a built-in hygrometer. There is no water pan to empty and is set up to drain into a sump pump or other drainage system. These dehumidifiers will keep down indoor humidity and moisture to levels where mold will not form. By producing clean, dry air, these dehumidifiers do a great job eliminating musty odors and that muggy feeling caused by high humidity. The indoor air quality is dramatically improved. These machines have proven especially beneficial for those with allergies or asthma. 

We first treated the affected areas by applying our EPA registered solution called Mold Abatement Polymer Solutions 1, otherwise known as MAPS 1. This product attacks mold on a cellular level and kills it instantly.

We then applied MAPS 2, which is our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders mold non-allergenic and harmless. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent the return of mold.