Job Stories

This homeowner in Middlesex, NJ had massive flood in her home all because two bathroom toilets weren't installed properly! Due to this, water had leaked behind the walls of the living room, basement, & family room and caused severe mold growth. The materials were so badly damaged and contaminated with mold that we had no choice but to tear them out and dispose of them. It's no wonder why the homeowner had so many breathing problems! Fortunately, the leak was repaired by a licensed professional. After carefully and properly removing all of the contaminated materials, we applied an EPA registered antimicrobial called MAPS 1. This application attacks and kills mold on a cellular level! Afterward, we applied our mold stain remover, scrubbed away the mold stains, and applied our patented sealant called MAPS 2. MAPS 2 encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders mold non-allergenic, inert, and harmless. Also, because MAPS 2 is moisture sensitive, it'll reactivate to prevent any future mold from growing.

After finding an extensive amount of mold growth in his attic, this homeowner in Middlesex, NJ called our office for help. When we arrived and started inspecting the area, we noticed a high amount of condensation throughout the attic. Condensation is a common attic problem because this area of a home is the barrier between the outside elements and a home’s temperature-controlled living area. When warm air from the living space of the home reaches the cold air on the attic walls and roof, condensation can form. We recommended that the homeowner replace the fiberglass insulation with TruSoft Blown-in Cellulose insulation as well as seal up any air gaps in the attic. The homeowner agreed and scheduled an appointment with us to come back at a later date. In the meantime, we are going to get rid of the mold! The first thing we did was remove any contaminated insulation and apply MAPS 1. This is an EPA registered antimicrobial that 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.

This customer in Middlesex, NJ was shocked to find black mold growing all over the concrete walls of his basement. Since he is a current Pest Control customer, he contacted Mold Solutions by Cowleys and we were sent out. Turns out, while the owner was away, his washing machine broke and flooded the basement. The moisture, along with the humidity levels, then caused mold to grow all over the concrete walls. Mold can grow on concrete because its porous surface can trap moisture and provide the perfect condition for mold to thrive. We treated the black mold, as well as the entire basement, with an EPA registered antimicrobial solution called MAPS 1. MAPS 1 attacks mold on a cellular level and kills it quickly. After that, we applied our mold stain remover and scrubbed any and all mold stains throughout the area. After that, we applied MAPS 2. MAPS 2 is a patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it harmless and non-allergenic. It's also moisture sensitive and will reactivate whenever it gets wet to prevent any future mold growth. Now the basement is free from dangerous mold growth!

We were sent out to a new customers home in Highland Park, NJ, to treat for mold in the attic. The first thing we must do before we begin our treatment process is determine the conducive condition that caused the mold growth to begin with. In this case, it was a couple of roof leaks in the attic. We told the owner who is going to hire a roofer to come out and fix all the leaks in the roof. Now that we've uncovered the cause for the mold growth, now it's time to get rid of it! First, we treated the entire attic with an EPA-registered antimicrobial called MAPS 1. This application attacks mold at its DNA and kills it immediately. Afterward, we used our mold stain remover and scrubbed away all the mold stains throughout the attic. Lastly, we applied our patented sealant called MAPS 2. MAPS 2 is a moisture-sensitive application that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it harmless and non-allergenic. MAPS 2 also will reactivate whenever it gets wet to prevent any future mold growth. Now the mold has been removed and the owner can move forward with repairing the leaks in her roof!

There wasn't visible mold in this home in Howell, NJ basement but there was a high mold spore count versus the spore count from the outside. The bank that was selling the property wanted all the wood panels removed and the actual concrete and wall joists treated for mold to ensure that the mold wouldn't form.. those pictures just show that we're a well round mold treatment company that could tear out the materials whether it's necessary or not where in this case the customer (the bank) wanted everything removed.. In situations where concealed mold is suspected due to an indoor mold test, or there is knowledge of previous conditions which could have led to mold. Cowleys can perform demolition work to remove any structurally damaged In this bank-owned property, there was no visible mold, but testing showed a very high mold spore count. The bank asked us to remove all the wood panels so that the concrete and wall joists could be treated with the MAPS patented sealant, guaranteeing a mold-free home so the sale could go through.

A homeowner in Howell, NJ was having chronic allergy problems in her home. Often, when someone is experiencing chronic allergy symptoms and is having respiratory difficulties, it is often mold growth in the home, especially if the problems are not happening during “allergy season” when pollen counts are high. Different people have different sensitivities to mold, and occupants of a home do not uniformly react to mold growth. At a loss to determine why she was having allergy issues that would not resolve, the homeowner finally had a mold test done in the crawl space. The test indicated that mold spores were high even though visible mold growth could not be located anywhere. During our inspection, it was clear to us that the crawl space’s air quality was poor, and crawl space air circulates throughout the entire home. Even though crawl spaces are “out of sight, out of mind,” the air down below enters the home’s living spaces above.  We treated the crawl space with an EPA-registered antimicrobial (MAPS 1), followed by a patented sealant (MAPS 2) that kills mold at the cellular level. This sealant renders any mold growth inert, harmless, and non-allergenic. While in the crawl space, we realigned the vapor barrier. Vapor barriers insulate your crawl space walls and prevent moisture from affecting your home’s structure. However, to work, they must be where they are supposed to be. Vapor barriers can detach, and it is important to periodically check their condition.  When we were finished, the crawl space air was noticeably better. We are hopeful that with the basement now treated for mold growth, this homeowner’s allergy issues will be resolved.    

These Farmingdale homeowners were in the process of selling their home. As often happens, mold was discovered during the home inspection. Often, mold grows in those humid, damp areas of the home that are rarely visited, especially is there had been a water intrusion at some point because of a roof leak, groundwater seepage, or a broken pipe. With this home, the inspector discovered mold on some of the wall sheathing in the attic. Mold will feed on anything that is alive or was once alive, including oriented strand board (OSB) sheathing, which uses an engineered manufacturing process to make rigid uniform panels for wood-framed walls that has no core voids or knotholes. Although OSB sheathing looks nothing like the trees from which it was made, mold will still grow on it as long as there is sufficient water or moisture.The homeowners were concerned that this discovery of mold would delay putting their house on the market, and they contacted Mold Solutions By Cowleys. They called us in to do our mold treatment. We first treat affected areas by applying our EPA-registered anti-microbial (MAPS 1) and then apply our patented polymer sealant (MAPS 2).  While completely safe and non-toxic, this sealant destroys mold. Upon contact with the sealant, any mold is instantly 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 areaThe homeowners chose Mold Solutions By Cowleys because they did not want mold to delay the sale of their home. Our treatment process allows most mold projects to be completed in less than a day. Why?  We directly treat the mold itself instead of tearing out the mold-affected materials (as long as they are not structurally damaged). Also, unlike traditional mold remediation, we warranty our mold treatment process against returning mold.Unfortunately, even when mold is removed, it leaves behind staining and discoloration. This staining is caused by the release of enzymes and certain pigmented compounds. For non-living spaces of the home like crawl spaces and attics, it is an aesthetic choice to have these stains removed, and for certain porous materials like drywall, mold stain removers are ineffective. Residual mold stains, while unsightly, pose no health risk. What’s of critical importance, and our focus, is getting rid of the mold. And after our treatment, not only is the mold is gone, but also any treated areas are protected from future mold growth. Because our process restores the home’s indoor air quality, mold-related respiratory problems are avoided.

The owners of a beach house in Brick, NJ found themselves with an unpleasant surprise when they returned to get the home ready for summer: there was mold growing behind a cabinet and drywall. They contacted Cowleys Mold Solutions and a two-man crew was dispatched to treat the mold.  The homeowner wanted us to removing the cabinet, which was no problem. However, he was hoping to avoid a tear-out and replacement of the drywall panels that had developed mold. Since there was no structural damage to the drywall, we could potentially leave it in depending on whether there was some behind the drywall responsible for the mold growth, and whether we needed to access the area in order to fix the problem. Mold is a sign that a home has some type of water intrusion or chronic moisture from high humidity. While it is important to treat the mold, it is just as important to address the underlying problem that’s causing mold growth in the first place. Otherwise, the mold will return. To check behind the drywall, we cut out four small “peepholes” at the tops and bottoms of each moldy area of the drywall so we could visually access the wall void and determine the water source triggering the mold growth. As it turned out, a condensation drain for AC was dumping water into a bay directly above the mold-affected infected area. We repositioned the condensation line so it would drain water away from the home. We treated the mold problem with our mold treatment process that that involves two separate applications. First, we applied an EPA-registered antimicrobial (MAPS 1) to the affected areas. Next, we applied our patented sealant (MAPS 2), for which Cowleys is a licensed distributor. This sealant kills molds on contact at the cellular level rendering it inert and harmless. Mold is dangerous because its airborne spores can cause various respiratory problems, and some strains of mold contain actual toxins. This sealant is also moisture-sensitive. If the conditions that trigger mold growth return, this sealant has the ability to reactivate and kill any new mold growth in the treated areas. The owners were pleased that we could complete this job in less than a day, that the drywall could be saved thereby avoiding a tear-out/renovation project. And, most important for them, there would be no delays in using the beach house over the summer.

This customer in Mantoloking, NJ had a serious mold issue in his basement. There was black mold all over the walls, on some of the shelves, and in several storage containers. Unfortunately, a majority of the items inside the containers had to be disposed of. After inspecting the area, we determined that the excessively high humidity levels in the basement lead to the mold growth.  In order to remove the severe mold growth, we applied our antimicrobial solution called MAPS 1, which kills mold on a cellular level. We then used our mold stain remover and scrubbed away all the excess mold staining throughout the basement. Next, we applied our patented sealant called MAPS 2. This application encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it harmless and non-allergenic. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and will reactivate whenever it gets wet to prevent future mold growth. Finally, to control the humidity levels in the basement we installed a Sani-Dry Sedona dehumidifier. This dehumidifier can effectively cover indoor living spaces over 3000 square feet, making it well-suited for basements and crawl spaces over 40" high! Now the mold is removed for good and the homeowner once again has a healthy, mold-free basement.

An elderly homeowner in Mantoloking, NJ called our office concerned that he might have mold in his attic. Once we arrived, we equipped our personal protective equipment and began inspecting the attic Unfortunately, within a few moments of our inspection, we found mold all over the rafters. After a thorough inspection we determined that the cause of the mold was due to improper ventilation.    One of the main causes of mold in an attic is due to poor ventilation. Mold is a living, breathing fungus that multiplies and will continue to spread as long as the conditions in the home remain conducive to mold growth. Fortunately, the homeowner just recently had an attic fan installed, so the cause of mold has been addressed and all that's left is to remove the mold. In order to remove the severe mold growth, we applied our antimicrobial solution called MAPS 1. MAPS 1 (which stands for Mold Abatement Polymer Solution) kills mold on a cellular level. We then used our mold stain remover and scrubbed away all the excess mold staining throughout the attic. Next, we applied our patented sealant called MAPS 2. This application encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it harmless and non-allergenic. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and will reactivate whenever it gets wet to prevent future mold growth.