Job Stories

Recently, a crew from Cowleys Mold Solutions team was sent to a home in Cape May, NJ. The home was originally built with a crawl space, but at some point, to increase the usable space, the homeowner had converted the crawl space into a finished basement. Conversions of crawl space to basements are a significant construction project that involve excavating the soil under the home and constructing new footings and foundation walls. Although crawl spaces are notorious trouble spots for homeowners since they are infrequently inspected and problems down below can go unnoticed until they start to affect the living areas of the home, basements can be a problem for mold as well.  Just like with crawl spaces, basements are usually subterranean and are prone to mold growth because of high indoor relative humidity levels. In addition to humidity problems, basement mold can be triggered by flooding, groundwater intrusion through cracks in a home’s foundation, and leaky pipes. With this Cape May residence, the problem was a water pipe leak. As long as there is water or moisture, mold will grow on any organic material, even processed wood. Those pungent “musky” smells we associate with mold are the gasses released by mold’s dissolving enzymes. When mold grows in basements or crawl spaces, the mold spores travel on air currents to the living spaces of the home and reattach there. A home’s entire indoor air quality is harmed by mold. Even though this was a finished basement and problems are usually found more quickly. These homeowners were elderly and had limited mobility. In recent years, they stopped venturing down into the basement. This water leak could have easily gone on for a month or two before the couple realized they had a mold problem. One important lesson from this job is that if you know of elderly homeowners, a friend or family member should periodically check their residence for possible insect or mold problems. The elderly often do not notice these problems in their early stages, and it is only after things get really bad that they take notice. With mold, a delay can turn what could have been a smaller, localized problem turns into an extensive mold removal project. Because of the delay in treating the mold and underlying water problem, the basement paneling was ruined/ We needed to do a full-tear out of these materials. Fortunately, although the paneling had to be removed, all of the other building materials were structurally sound. Often, with our mold treatment process, we can avoid removal of all building materials. As long as there is no loss of structural integrity we treat the mold right where it sits. However, like here, once materials are damaged, they must be removed.  After tearing out the water-destroyed paneling, we treated the beams and all of the affected areas by applying our EPA-registered anti-microbial (MAPS 1) which kills any surface mold as well as any airborne mold spores. We then applied our patented polymer sealant (MAPS 2). Any treated mold is rendered inert, harmless, and non-allergenic. The sealant is also moisture-sensitive and reactivates to prevent the return of any new mold growth in the treated areas. 

A homeowner in Trenton, NJ, found mold growth in her bathroom, and she contacted Mold Solutions By Cowleys. Thois small, enclosed bathroom had no window to let in outdoor air and no ceiling vent. Without proper ventilation, after every shower, water vapor is left lingering in the air. It is a situation ripe for mold growth. If that wasn’t asking for mold trouble, there was a pipe leak underneath the vanity that had gone undetected for quite some time. These water and moisture sources created an environment for mold to grow, thrive, and spread. When the two-person Mold Solution crew arrived, we found extensive mold growth beneath the vanity and on the walls. There was a small crevice between the vanity and the bathtub where we found fungus hanging off of the vanity itself! We applied an antimicrobial (MAPS 1) followed by a patented sealant (MAPS 2) that kills existing mold upon contact. This sealant is moisture-sensitive and reactivates to kill any future mold growth in the treated areas should there be another water or humidity problem. As part of our mold treatment process, we thoroughly scrub down all hard surfaces to remove visible mold growth.

After purchasing a new property in Lawrence Township, NJ, this customer discovered a severe amount of mold in the basement! After equipping our PPE, we began inspecting the home and found the mold growth underneath the stairs in the basement, all over the concrete walls, and even behind several picture frames on the wall! After finishing our inspection, we removed all the contaminated materials and treated the area with Mold Abatement Polymer Solutions (MAPS) 1. MAPS 1 is EPA registered antimicrobial that attacks mold on a cellular level and instantly kills it. Next, we applied or mold stain remover and scrubbed away all the mold stains. Lastly, we treated the entire basement with MAPS 2. This moisture-sensitive patented sealant encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it inert and non-allergenic. It'll also reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent future mold growth. Now the property is free from any hazardous mold growth and the homeowner can start her renovations.

Can you image returning home from work only to find out that a pipe in your second story bathroom had burst, flooded your bathroom, and caused mold to grow all over your first floor ceiling and walls? Well, that is exactly what happened to this customer in Lawrence Township, NJ! Once the leak was repaired, the owner called our office and we were sent out.  When we arrived and inspected the home, we noticed several mold stains on the ceiling and walls of the first floor living room and the second story bathroom. The mold growth was so severe that we had no choice but to do a full on mold remediation treatment. This means we have to remove every single mold contaminated item throughout the home! Once we did, we treated the second floor and the living room with our EPA registered antimicrobial called MAPS 1. This solution targets mold at its DNA and immediately kills it. Afterward, we applied our mold stain remover and scrubbed away all the mold stains. Lastly, we applied MAPS 2, which is our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it harmless and non-allergic. MAPS 2 is also moisture sensitive and will reactivate whenever it gets wet to prevent any future mold growth. Now that the mold is gone, the homeowner can hire a contractor to repair the areas in his home. 

After our Pest Control Division had removed all the mice from the crawl space of this home in Neshanic Station, NJ, we were sent our to eliminate the massive amount of mold growth throughout the area. There was an extremely high level of moisture in the crawl space because of the dirt floor. Soil and dirt from the earth contain moisture and since moisture forms so easily in confined areas, dirt crawl spaces are fertile breeding grounds for mold! The homeowner didn't even bother checking in his crawl space for weeks, which was plenty of time for the mold to grow. First, we applied our EPA-registered antimicrobial called MAPS 1. MAPS stands for Mold Abatement Polymer solutions and targets mold at its DNA and immediately kills it! We then used our mold stain remover, scrubbed away all the excess mold staining throughout the joists, and applied MAPS 2. MAPS 2 is our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it inert, harmless, and non-allergenic. It's also moisture-sensitive and will reactivate whenever it gets wet to prevent future mold growth.  Lastly, we installed a Sani-Dry Sedona commercial grade dehumidifier in the crawl space. These dehumidifiers cost less to run than other dehumidifiers, cover over 3000 square feet, and are energy efficient.

After noticing a musty smell in his crawl space, this homeowner in Kendall Park, NJ contacted our office for an inspection. As we examined the area, we noticed that the insulation was hanging down, which means that there is too much moisture in the crawl space. When we removed a small portion of the insulation, we found mold growth behind it! Turns out that the homeowner was renovating the crawl space and during the renovations he opened a few of the vents, which caused the moisture issues. After reporting what we found to the owner, we went right to work! First, we removed the all contaminated insulation & debris and sealed off the vents. Although we offered to encapsulate the crawl space for the owner, he wanted to encapsulate the area on his own and will do so at a later date. Next, we treated the entire crawl space with our EPA registered antimicrobial called MAPS 1, which attacks mold at its DNA and kills it instantly. We then treated the joists with our mold stain remover and scrubbed away all the mold stains. Lastly, we applied MAPS 2, which is our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it non-allergenic and harmless. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent the return of mold. Since the homeowner already purchased a commercial grade dehumidifier and will install it on his own, mold growth will no longer be an issue.

This office building in Kendall Park, NJ recently had a flood in one of their lower conference rooms. The dishwasher broke and, since no one noticed cause it happened over the weekend, water had pooled in the kitchen and leaked into the conference room. The dishwasher was removed, but unfortunately mold has developed along the baseboards. Unfortunately, the mold growth was so bad that we had to remove the drywall and the carpet in several areas of the conference room and kitchen. Once we did and disposed of all the contaminated materials, we began our treatment. First, we treated the affected areas with our EPA registered antimicrobial called MAPS 1. This solution targets mold at its DNA and immediately kills it. Next, we applied our mold stain remover and scrubbed away all the mold stains. Lastly, we applied MAPS 2, which is our patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it harmless and non-allergic. MAPS 2 is also moisture sensitive and will reactivate whenever it gets wet to prevent any future mold growth.

A new customer in Bridgewater, NJ, called our office after finding a massive amount of mold in her attic! Once we arrived and equipped our Personal Protective Equipment, we inspected the attic and, low and behold, we found mold all over almost every single rafter. Turns out, there was a leak in the roof! Roof leaks may not be noticed until the leak progresses enough to damage the top floor's ceiling, and by that point, the attic's mold growth could be extensive. Fortunately, the leak wasn't too bad and the homeowner knew a roofer who would come out once we finished our treatment process.  First, we treated every square inch of the attic with MAPS 1, which is an EPA registered antimicrobial. MAPS 1 attacks mold at its DNA and kills it immediately. Using our mold stain remover, we removed all the mold stains and applied MAPS 2, which is our patented sealant. MAPS 2 encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it harmless, inert, and non-allergic. MAPS 2 also reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent any future mold growth. 

This customer in Bridgewater, NJ had to stop the selling process of her home because the home inspector found mold in the attic. The homeowner saw us encapsulate the crawl space at her neighbors house and knew that we remove mold from homes, so she gave our office a call and we were sent out!  As we inspected the attic, we were told that there was a leak in the attic a short while ago that was professionally repaired by a roofer. That leak went unnoticed for a while and, although it was repaired, mold still developed and no one noticed, since the owner hasn't been in attic since the repair. First, we applied our EPA registered antimicrobial called Mold Abatement Polymer Solutions, or MAPS 1 for short. This application attacks mold at its DNA and immediately kills it. Next, we applied our mold stain remover and scrubbed away any and all mold stains. Lastly, we treated the attic with our patented sealant called MAPS 2. This encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it harmless and non-allergic. MAPS 2 is also moisture sensitive and will reactivate whenever it gets wet to prevent any future mold growth.  Now the mold is gone and the homeowner can continue with the real estate sale of her home!

The owner of a pet resort in Englishtown that offers pet daycare and overnight boarding became aware, in a somewhat unusual way, that mold was growing inside a section of their building’s interior walls. A dog that was boarding there had dog scratched away a part of the wall, exposing the hidden mold. The dog had likely smelled the mold and was curious to see what on earth could be causing such a foul-smelling odor. Dogs have an incredibly keen sense of smell, so for them, identifying mold hidden behind walls would be pretty easy. A for may not know what it is, but they sure know it stinks. The owner quickly made the call to Mold Solutions By Cowleys for whatever mold remediation work was necessary to protect their health and the health of the pets that they care for. The Mold Solutions team went to work using our MAPS system. We area that we treated was a room used for holding pens. First, using electrostatic fogging, we applied an anti-microbial that kills surface mold and airborne mold spores. Although the walls had mold growth, they were still structurally sound. In these situations, Mold Solutions can successfully and permanently resolve a mold problem while avoiding a costly and extensive tear-out of perfectly good building materials. Instead, with our process, we treat the mold itself. After the anti-microbial application, we used electrostatic fogging to apply our patented, proprietary sealant that coats and kills the mold, and prevents the spores from further spreading. Any microorganism, including mold, viruses, and bacteria that comes into contact with this sealant immediately dies. However, what makes this sealant unique is its built-in “moisture intelligence.” This sealant has the ability to travel through any surface water and seek out the moisture in mold spores where it then reactivates to prevent any future mold growth. The MAPS system and its patented sealant not only kill today’s mold but tomorrow’s mold as well. When mold spores come into contact with this sealant, they are destroyed at the cellular level. The mold is no longer allergenic or otherwise harmful. So, when the Mold Solutions team finishes a mold project, we’ve not only removed the existing mold, but we’ve laid the groundwork to prevent mold from returning to those areas that we’ve treated. When we treated the mold, the building materials were dry, so further inspection will be required to determine the source of the water intrusion. Because mold requires water or moisture to grow, it is essential to identify the underlying water or moisture issue that caused the mold growth in the first place. Our objective is to permanently resolve a mold problem, and that requires identifying and repairing the underlying water problem. If the underlying conditions causing the mold growth are not resolved, there is always the potential for mold to return. With hidden mold growth inside walls, the problem is usually either a slow leaky pipe or a roof leak causing seepage from above. If the volume of water is not enough to stain or seep through the drywall or acoustic tile, the problem often remains undetected unless someone can smell the mold or an occupant of the structure starts to develop allergy symptoms. If someone has chronic allergies, it is important to rule out mold as the underlying cause. The owner of this pet facility was fortunate that one of his “guests” had such a refined sense of smell and took it upon himself to “do some digging” in order to satisfy his curiosity about the offending odor.