Mold Removal & Mold Services Before & After Photos

Recently, I went on a service call to a commercial property in Wall NJ, after the property owner found mold during his renovations. Before beginning my inspection, I equipped my personal protective equipment (PPE). Why? Once mole spores are disturbed, the spores detach and start floating everywhere, landing on anything and anyone. If you’re not wearing any PPE, you’re inviting all of those mold spores to settle on your clothing, the area you’re cleaning, your shoes (allowing mold to travel to other areas in your home), in your eyes, and up your nose into your upper respiratory system! This is an imperative first step to any mold inspection.  

Once I put on my PPE I began my inspection of the entire property. After a thorough inspection, I noticed a small amount of mold growth on the interior of the wall plywood. As I took a closer look, I noticed there was moisture entering from the exterior siding. Turns out the siding of the building is stucco and water was flowing from the top of the building between the stucco and the sheathing. This moisture led to mold growth. Mold thrives on organic materials like natural fibers (cotton, wool), paper, leather, wood, or surfaces coated with organic matter such as food, grease, and soil. Mold grows best in warm temperatures of 77 to 86 degrees and needs moisture that can come from water leaks, flooding, high relative humidity, or condensation. Mold growing on exterior stucco walls is not only unsightly, but it can also cause larger problems if it gets in between your home's exterior stucco and framing. 

Before treating any mold on your property, you must first fix the problem or the water source causing the mold to grow. Fortunately, the property owner repaired the leak by the time I arrived. 

In order to begin the treatment process successfully, I needed to remove the insulation in the affected areas to gain access to the sheathing. The property owner allowed me to do so as the contractor he hired will replace the insulation and drywall. Then, I applied an EPA-registered, non-toxic antimicrobial solution called Mold Abatement Polymer Solutions 1 (MAPS 1). MAPS 1 breaks down mold at a cellular level and kills it instantly. Once that solution dried, we applied a patented sealant called MAPS 2. This moisture-sensitive sealant encapsulates mold, rendering it inert, harmless, and non-allergenic. MAPS 2 reactivates when it gets moist to prevent the growth of any future mold colonies. Now the property owner can continue his renovations in a safe, mold-free environment.  

Recently, the Cowleys Mold Solutions Team went on a service call to a residence in Belmar, NJ. The homeowner contacted us because of mold growth in his living room. 

Mold is an unwanted by-product of a water or moisture problem in a building. There is a long list of possible water intrusion events that goes well beyond flooding. Mold can form because of leaking pipes, dampness and humidity, especially in basements and crawl spaces, and rain seeping in because of damage to the roof, surrounding fascia boards, and around window frames. For many, exposure to mold can be harmful, leading to long-term chronic health problems, especially for those with pre-existing respiratory conditions and other risk factors.

As we were putting on our personal protective equipment (mold is a serious biohazard in enclosed spaces) we asked the homeowner if he knew of any water intrusion on his property, such as a recently burst water pipe. This preliminary information helps us determine the underlying cause of the mold growth. We don’t just want to treat the current mold. We also want to fix the underlying problem so that mold doesn’t return. The homeowner informed us that a pipe did, in fact, burst in his living room while he was away at work. Fortunately, his son happened to come home early from work and was able to stop the water leak. Otherwise, the problem would have been much worse.

As we began our inspection in the living room, we immediately noticed mold growth around a particular window frame. Unfortunately, after a more detailed inspection, we found that the mold and water damage was more extensive than we first thought. Some of the drywall was so damaged that it had to be removed. If building materials have not lost their structural integrity, we can often just treat the mold. However, sometimes the water damage is too much. Here, we needed to remove some of the drywall, and we started to cut the drywall in those areas where the moisture and mold were most visible. Once the window trim was removed, we could see there was mold growth between the trim and the drywall that wrapped around most of the window. We kept cutting and removing the damaged building materials until we reached the undamaged areas of the drywall. 

After the damaged drywall was removed, we applied MAPS 1(Mold Abatement Polymer Solution 1), an EPA-registered anti-microbial. This application is specifically designed to kill active mold growth. We then scrubbed away the surface mold and applied MAPS 2, a patented polymer sealant that encapsulates the existing dead mold and prevents future mold from growing.

After we were finished with our treatment, the homeowner informed us that he scheduled an appointment with a contractor to install new drywall in the living room. Although no one likes these unexpected events, the homeowner was relieved that the dangerous mold growth was removed from his home and he could now move forward with the necessary repairs without worrying about any hidden mold.

We were contacted by the owner of a beautiful vacation house in Atlantic Highlands, NJ that was located a block from the beach that the family used only during the summertime. On a recent visit to check the condition of the home, he came across an unfortunate development — surface mold had started to grow under a window. Apparently, there was a small leak around the window flashing and water had seeped in.

After arriving and equipping our personal protective equipment, we applied a powerful EPA registered anti-microbial called MAPS 1. This product attacks mold at its DNA and kills it instantly. Next, we applied MAPS 2, which is a patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it harmless and non-allergenic. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent any future mold growth.

Although the mold was killed and rendered completely harmless, there was still residual staining. While mold stains themselves are harmless, they are aesthetically unattractive. We thoroughly wiped down the stains with a mold stain remover and we were able to remove most of the stains. However, deep mold stains are particularly difficult to remove no matter how long and hard you scrub, and it’s next to impossible to remove the mold stains completely. Fortunately, once MAPS 1 & 2 has been applied, the mold is no longer a threat.

We talked to the homeowner about the job after we were done and he was pleased that we could treat the mold so quickly and without having to remove any building materials. While we were able to remove most of the staining, there were a few residual patches. The owner told us that “it was an easy fix” to get those areas repainted.

This homeowner in Little Silver, NJ found himself with mold growth in his basement. As often happens in basements and crawl spaces, chronically high indoor humidity levels caused mold growth. It is not necessary to have a water intrusion event like flooding or a leaky pipe. Sustained high moisture in the air is more than enough to trigger dangerous mold growth, and from our experience, this problem is one of the major causes of mold growth in homes.

The homeowner contacted Mold Solutions by Cowleys. Our crew treated the mold in less than a day. We treated the mold-affected areas of the basement with two applications. First, we applied an EPA-registered antimicrobial (MAPS 1) followed by a patented sealant available to licensed distributors (MAPS 2). This sealant not only kills the mold, but it is also moisture sensitive. It actually reactivates to kill any future mold growth! We also wiped down any visible staining caused by the mold. Mold stains are 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 a mold problem.  

To control the humidity and prevent further mild growth, it is important to fix the underlying problem, which in this case, was high relative indoor humidity levels. To address this problem, we installed a SaniDry Sedona dehumidifier for this homeowner.  These dehumidifiers are specifically designed to work in basements and crawl spaces. From homeowner feedback, the best thing about them is that they are trouble-free and work automatically. There is no water pan to empty and a built-in hygrometer constantly measures the room’s humidity, turning the machine on and off as needed. 

Mold had found its way inside the closet of the master bedroom of a townhouse in Red Bank, NJ. The mold growth was triggered by a pipe leak in an adjoining townhouse that shared a common wall. Mold requires certain conditions to develop, including excess requires moisture. It is frequently a consequence of a water intrusion event, be it a leaky roof or pipe, groundwater seepage, or even chronically high indoor humidity. Also, mold has a distinct preference for dark out-of-the-way places, so it is often not discovered unless someone is specifically inspecting for it. 

With this townhouse, mold formation on a closet floor could have been easily overlooked. After all, we expect to find mold in those living areas of the home where there is water and moisture like kitchens and bathrooms, or at least where there are pipes. Fortunately, these homeowners caught the problem in its early stages, and the mold did not yet spread to other areas in the home.

The Mold Solutions By Cowleys crew follows strict protocols in treating mold. First, we applied our EPA registered anti-microbial called MAPS 1 to all of the mold-affected surfaces. This product attacks mold at its DNA and kills it instantly. After applying MAPS 1, we then wiped away all the mold and applied MAPS 2. MAPS 2 is a patented sealant that encapsulates the surface mold is growing on and renders it useless and non-allergenic. MAPS 2 is also moisture-sensitive and reactivates whenever it gets wet to prevent the return of mold.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that mold has been present in the attic for a long period of time, it stained the walls. Fortunately, these stains are purely aesthetic and pose no health risk. Once MAPS 1 & 2 have been applied, the mold is no longer a threat.