Mold and Mildew

If you have visible spots of mold growing on your walls, ceilings and/or floors, you are faced with a very difficult, dangerous and potentially costly situation. Serious mold contamination should be taken very seriously. Spraying OdorXit liquid odor control products on the problem will not kill or abate the mold. OdorXit Concentrate and Magic are not fungicides, they are odor removers. There is a huge difference.

OdorXit CLO₂ on the other hand does kill mold fungus and mold spores on contact. However, if there is mold growing inside walls or in areas and on materials that the gas produced by OdorXit CLO₂ can not reach, the mold will not be effected. Even in open area like basements where there are lots of boxes stacked or cloths hanging air circulation is essential to eliminating the mold with OdorXit CLO₂. If there is mold growing on drywall you need to determine if the mold infestation is limited to the surface or if it has managed to grow through the drywall. If the drywall is soft or wet, the chances are that it needs to be removed and replaced, if the drywall is solid you will need to wash the fungus off the surface before treating it with OdorXit CLO2. While the area where the drywall was removed is still open, the interior components of the wall should be treated with CLO₂. Boxes packed with musty or moldy smelling contents should be unpacked and the contents separated so the gas can get to the fungus and kill it. Because the Slow release packets product gas for 20 to 30 days, there is plenty of time to expose the contents of the boxes a few boxes at a time.

Any closed area that has musty or moldy smells has some mold fungus growing whether it is visible or not. The mold spores are what is causing the odor. Further, if the relative humidity is reduced to levels that cause the mold fungus to start to go dormant the level of mold spores will increase sharply. Areas like this can be treated very effectively with OdorXit CLO₂ with either the Fast or Slow Release version of the product. The important point is to use the proper size packet to treat the area and provide adequate air circulation. Audio testimonial from Gary Sullivan's "At Home With Gary Sullivan" syndicated radio show.

Finally, mold produces a product called mycotoxins which can be very toxic.When the mold is killed it turns into a powder that is heavily latent with these mycotoxins. The evil black mold (Stachybotrys) has a mycotoxin that is really toxic. There are other color molds that are just as toxic but not as ugly. Washing a formerly mold contaminated area with a mixture of Dawn detergent, ammonia and water works well to kill and remove the nasty mycotoxins. Make no mistake, mycotoxins are nasty stuff which should be handled with great care and caution.

Links to other sources of information on Mold and Mold Abatement

Minnesota Department of Health
American Lung Association
ALA Asthma in Children