Whole House “Decontamination” Cleaning

This guide should help you do a detailed cleaning of your home, assist others with cleaning, or instruct workers and volunteers. Please contact Indiana Mold Remediation at (317) 867-4766 or info@indianamold.com if you have questions or suggestions. Please share this guide with others if you find it useful! We only ask that you give us credit and direct them back to this page.

Background Information

Mold is present in all environments everywhere in the world. It is impractical to remove all mold spores from a structure with current technology. The goal of remediation is to control the levels of mold and restore the structure to a “normal” level.

Visible mold growth in a structure can produce higher than normal spore counts in the air. Mold spores may settle on surfaces and contents throughout. This increases the chances of future mold growth, and can impact those suffering from health issues related to mold exposure.

With time, air quality should return to normal background levels after you identify the source of mold and correct it. Yet, even when you improve the air quality, there may still be elevated levels of mold spores on surfaces throughout the home. You may also reduce these surface spores over time, depending on how often you clean.

Many people, especially those with health problems, won’t want to wait for the spore counts to reduce over time. You can remove the settled spores more quickly with a thorough cleaning. To do this, you must clean all surfaces and contents in the home, or the affected area(s). There is a lot of time and labor involved, which can make hiring a contractor very expensive. We want to help you avoid that cost by telling you how you can do it yourself.

Mold Cleaning Supplies

Before starting, make sure you have the cleaning supplies and safety gear you will need for the project. Some of these supplies may include:

  • N-95 disposable particulate masks
  • Disposable nitrile gloves
  • HEPA filtered vacuum (see "What is HEPA?" below)
  • General/all-purpose cleaners
  • Cloth rags
  • Bucket
  • Mop and mop bucket
  • Furniture sliders

What is HEPA?

HEPA, or High Efficiency Particulate Air, is a standard for air filtration. According to the U.S. government, an air filter must remove 99.97% of all particles that pass through it that are 0.3 microns to be considered HEPA.

Mold spores are generally 10-30 microns, so HEPA filters are more than capable of removing them from the air.

See the Wikipedia page for more details.

Cleaning Procedures

HEPA Vacuuming

Use a HEPA filtered vacuum to keep spores from spreading while you clean. Modern vacuums usually have HEPA filters, and most Shop-Vacs can be fitted with a HEPA filter and allergen bags. Either of those should perform well enough for decontamination cleaning.

True HEPA vacuums sold for professional remediation are expensive, and probably overkill for what you're trying to do. Remember that remediation is about control or reduction, not complete elimination.

Damp Wiping

When damp wiping, try to maximize cleaning efficiency and reduce cross contamination of surface debris and waste. Use the damp wiping method on hard non-porous surfaces and hard surfaced contents. You can also damp wipe many semi-porous surfaces such as wood framing, but results will vary.

HEPA Vacuuming Procedure

For carpets, use a vacuum with a beater bar (the little spinning brush) if you can. Vacuum the carpet slowly in one direction, then turn and vacuum across like you're making a cross-hatch pattern.

You can vacuum other contents and surfaces as well. Vacuum walls, ceilings, rough surfaces, and uneven materials with a brush attachment. The brush will help seal the area to get more suction where you need it. The goal is to reduce the dust present in the area. Use many passes, with a slight scrubbing action, to help dislodge surface contamination and heavier growth.

Always complete HEPA vacuuming before damp wiping, not after. Damp wiping, if possible, is always the final step in cleaning.

Damp Wiping Procedure

  1. Fill a bucket with your cleaning solution of choice. Follow the directions for mixing ratios.
  2. Wet a clean rag in the cleaning bucket and wring it out until it is wet and no longer dripping.
  3. Use the rag to clean surfaces until it is too dry or too soiled. Set it aside for laundering, don't put it back in the bucket!
  4. Repeat the process with a clean rag.

The above process keeps your cleaning solution bucket clean and effective to prevent cross contamination. Remember to keep those dirty rags out of the cleaning solution!

Cleaning Contents

Cleaning Your Home

A project of this size can be overwhelming. If you can, get some friends or family to help. Social groups such as churches, scout troops, or other organizations may also be available for help. Be honest in your request for aid; we all need a hand sometimes. Provide your volunteers with the information in this guide so everybody is on the same page.

Have your supplies, equipment, and a plan ready before you start. Pace yourself. You don’t need to do everything at once. Keep in mind that this may be a good time to downsize, de-clutter, and organize. If you come across something you haven’t seen in two years, you probably don’t need it any more.

While you are picking up cleaning supplies, grab a couple of allergen filters for your furnace. Use one while you are cleaning, and install the other one when the cleaning is done.

Getting Started

Choose a room. If possible, move all contents and furniture out of the room. Start in the corner of the room and work your way around. Clean every surface in the room including floors, walls, ceilings, and any remaining contents. Use the HEPA Vacuuming and Damp Wiping procedures above. Pay special attention to horizontal areas that collect dust such as the tops of doors. Damp wipe all horizontal surfaces and any visible mold on walls and windows. Don’t forget the baseboards and door trim.

If the room has carpets, vacuum them a few times very well. Use an encapsulation cleaning method before you move the furniture and other contents back in. You spray the encapsulation solution onto the carpets, let it dry, and then vacuum it again. This will not add excessive moisture to the floors, and is an effective method of mold spore control.

Sweep and mop hard surface flooring with a cleaning solution of your choice.

HEPA vacuum and damp wipe any cabinets or large furniture that remains in the area. Make sure you clean the bottom of large furniture. Furniture bottoms are often neglected, so they’re a prime place for dust, mold spores, and mold growth. You may not need to clean cabinet interiors, but you can do it now if you are going to.

You can now clean your contents and return them to the cleaned room. Remember to de-clutter and organize. You may want to have a couple of extra storage containers handy. Move any contents that cannot be salvaged to the garage, outside, or into a dumpster. Put any questionable items to the side and consult a professional if needed.

Where Do I Begin Cleaning?

If you have concerns about a particular area, start there. It’s best to clean the worst areas first. If no area seems worse than the others, start in the area you most want cleaned, like a child’s bedroom.

Warm air rises through the home and exits the attic. It may be best to start cleaning on the lower level so air flow isn’t bringing spores from contaminated areas into clean ones. You may even want to use fans or other methods to keep air flowing in your desired direction.

Remember to Take a Break

Cleaning an entire house is a daunting task. If you have cleaned an entire room without stopping, you definitely need a break! Remember to take one task at a time, then a room is done. One room at a time and a level is done. One level at a time and your house is clean. You will get it all done. When you’re ready, repeat the cleaning steps in the next room.

Finishing Up

When all the rooms are clean, mop or vacuum all the floors in open areas again and put a new allergen filter in the furnace. Congratulations, you are done!

Think About the Future

This is a good time to think about the future of your healthy home. We recommend that you take a little time to make a cleaning schedule so you can keep the house in good order. You don’t want to have to do this all at once again. You have seen all the areas of your home that you never see, so it is a good time to repair any maintenance problems you have discovered. If you are considering new paint, look for anti-fungal options.

Thank You!

Thank you for taking the time to read our guide, we hope it is informative. Please contact Indiana Mold Remediation if you have any suggestions to help make it better.

For more information, call or text (317) 867-4766.

Need Some Help Cleaning Mold?

Whether you need a professional to do the work, or just some advice along the way, we're here to help. Reach out to Indiana Mold Remediation about your mold cleaning issues for a free, no-obligation 15-minute virtual inspection.

Book a Free Virtual Inspection Call (317) 867-4766