Our house got about 6 - 8 inches of water due to Katrina.  We flooded (about the same amount) with tropical storm Allison in 2001, so I've been through it before.

Anyway, my plan was, like before, to remove all the carpet and tear out sheetrock (did it to the 4ft. seam last time, this time might only do 2ft., since sheetrock may be hard to come by and for some other reasons), then thoroughly clean the floors and spray a strong bleach solution on the affected part of the wall framing.  Well, today someone who lives in my neighborhood stopped by to ask if I had a hand truck he could borrow, and he started talking about mold.  He works for a mold remediation company, and very enthusiastically stressed that the services his company provides were absolutely essential to ensuring the job is done properly.  He said something about them SANDING each individual stud (but what about the end surface of the stud where it's resting on the sill plate?) and spraying some sort of special chemical to kill the mold.  He said that even bleach won't kill some types of mold, and that even if you kill the "living" mold, the spores remain and will sprout right back up as soon as a little bit of moisture is present. (I'm paraphrasing... don't remember his exact words)

Bottom line... is this person simply handing me a sales pitch?

--Mike

Not sure, I was told by a basement "expert" who came to look at a water problem I had in my basement that all I should do is wipe down the studs with a bleach/water solution.

On a related note, when I went to the hardware store I saw that they had a new kind of drywall that uses a fiberglass mixture instead of gypsum. It almost feels like plastic instead of the gypsum board. It's supposed to be water and mold resistant. The way the stuff feels though, makes me think it would be absolutely waterproof. You may want check into it. I think the name of the stuff I got was Dens Armor Plus or something like that.

AND resist the urge to start the rebuilding and sealing up walls until everything is dried out, which is a humid environment can take weeks.

ETA: As NewbHunter posted above they now have materials meant to retard mold growth use them.

Dunno, but Google is your friend  

Seriously though, I know nothing about it, but what about sealing with poly or something from a spraygun?

Mold can be deadly. Some types of mold will get into your lungs and interfere with your breathing. Whatever you need to do, make sure it's done. In Western Washington, under severe conditions, they tear down the house, treat the foundation and rebuild.

Oh Lord how did we ever survive before all these fancy-pants mold busters came into being...?


I vote do it like you did last time.

Vent and bleach solution to clean.

However, there are also preventative paints that you can paint the floor with that can act as a preventative.  I haven't used them in years, but you can probably ask at the local home depot.

+-Bleach and water and/ or food grade peroxide and lots of ozone while it dries out.Industrial grade ozone

I'm sure some of what  he's saying is a sales pitch.  The main thing now is for you to rent some big fans to completely dry the home out, so tear out that drywall and any insulation that was moist then get the fans going.  As the rains happened several days ago, I presume, you do already have mold growing so do wear masks while in the affected area.  

I've had a lot of experience dealing with mold in residences.  First rule of mold remediation is eliminate the source of moisture.  A dry environment isn't conducive to mold growth.  

Remove the building materials that got wet like the gypsum board, insulation, carpet, etc.  Replace with new, dry materials after wall cavities and floors have dried out.

Quoted: Quoted: Oh Lord how did we ever survive before all these fancy-pants mold busters came into being...? I vote do it like you did last time. Yeah--I just spent some time with Mr. Google and it looks as though mold is the new asbestos.   If you need me I'll be heading for the hills--there's mold out there.

You said it brother. A little bit of truth inevitably transforms into mass hysteria, which becomes fact after being parroted by the masses for years on end.

DDT, leaded gasoline, asbestos, lead paint...I could go on forever. Hell, each deserves it's own book.

My suggestion to the original poster? Air the place out. Rip out the drywall (it's cheap) and carpet. Replace as you did last time. Don't sweat it.

When we had substantial flooding in VA and NC a few years ago, people just ripped all the wet stuff out down to the frame, let frame dry out, then rebuild over frame.

Seems to have been sufficient and it's muggy around here too.

Quoted: Oh Lord how did we ever survive before all these fancy-pants mold busters came into being...? I vote do it like you did last time.

I agree - but that was before black mold became a huge liability issue. Regardless of our personal opinions, remediation guys work off of liability concerns. How much concern you have is your own choice. Ive had to deal with mold remediation professionally and it is a pain in the ass. There’s plenty out there on it, as above check Google – but here’s a bit from my experience.

First off, mold is not a forgone conclusion just because it is flooded. Moisture is a requirement for mold growth – need to reduce the moisture content (below 15% roughly IIRC). If the affected areas are thoroughly dried prior to mold becomes apparent, you may be OK (blowers and exposing confined areas – like wall cavities etc.) Get carpet up and sheetrock off, blowers working, can you get your air on? (to reduce ambient humidity). If you get to it quickly your likely to be fine. How long it was and will remain wet is the biggest concern – couple of days in the right conditions can do it. Let it air out for some period of time to ensure thorough dryness and so you can see whats going on. Visual inspection will tell you something, but we do air samples – again liability.

He’s right - once mold becomes apparent, physical removal of affected materials is the only way to deal with it. Biocides (inc bleach) in general only kill a large percentage – some spores survive and moisture is reintroduced you’ve got mold again. The bleach helps more with reducing smells than ridding mold, so still advisable. Then again, if the material doesn’t reach the magic moisture number again, mold growth is attenuated.

Is he handing you a sales pitch – to an extent, yea. But he’s not being dishonest.  The real question is, if you were happy with what you did last time – no mold etc – then I think I’d let experience be my guide.  If you have some concern over liability – either through future sale of the real estate or some other reason then remediation is not a bad idea. If there’s no mold visible anywhere, I’d say its not much of a concern – but this is your ass not mine. Do what you think is right.

Luck
Alac

If bleach don't kill it, I'd like to know what will.  I'd go with what everyone else says, do it the way you did last time.  Sounds like a sales pitch to me.  If you really get concerned, use more bleach in your solution.  

after we were flooded I had mold everywhere, I had to cut into the walls to get to it. I bought a mold killer, you put a cap full intp a gallon and it would kill the mold, on the back it said it was sodium hyperchlorate, and that's bleach. So I used all of that and used a capful of bleach in water and finished the house, it worked great. I used a gasmask, get one.

Oxy Clean!!

Thanks for all the info... I think I'm going to do the "nuke 'em with bleach" approach as I did last time.

--Mike

Mold and mildew are everywhere and always will be. They just wait for the opportunity to get going.

I think your plan is a good one and adequate. Just make sure the wood and flooring is thoroughly dried before you put new dry wall, etc in.

Put a couple of dehumidifiers in the house if you can. It will make a surprising difference. Ideally you would dry things out as quickly as possible to prevent mold growth. Growth is really the issue as contamination is assumed.