What should I do before mold remediation?

Right away

The first few steps are about keeping the problem from growing and keeping your options open.

• Stop the water. Shut off a leaking supply line, run the sump pump, or put down a tarp. If a pipe or appliance failed, call a plumber.
• Leave the mold alone. Scrubbing, spraying or pulling off wet drywall spreads spores and dust to clean parts of the house.
• Close the door to the affected room if you can, and keep children and pets out.
• Don’t blow fans across it. A fan pointed at moldy material pushes particles into the rest of the home. Fans for drying are fine once the mold is contained.
• Take photos and video, with dates, before anything is moved.

If the water came from a sewer backup or from floodwater outside the house, treat everything it touched as contaminated. Keep people out of the area and don’t try to salvage soaked carpet, pad or upholstery yourself. That kind of water carries more than mold, and cleanup calls for protective gear.

Before any work is scheduled

Testing before remediation sets the scope and gives you a baseline. Without it, there’s nothing to compare the clearance results to, and it’s hard to know how far the problem really goes. Our answer on when you should test for mold explains which tests fit which situations.

This is also the time to handle paperwork:

1. Report water damage to your insurer and ask how they handle mold.
2. Get a written scope that lists what will be removed, what will be cleaned and how containment will be set up.
3. Ask who is responsible for fixing the moisture source, and when.
4. Ask what clearance testing will be done and whether you’ll receive the full lab report.
5. Confirm whether rebuilding is included or handled separately.

If you’re comparing companies, these questions for a mold remediation company help separate a real remediation plan from a spray-and-leave job.

Preparing the house

Task	Why
Move unaffected belongings out of and away from the work area	Gives the crew room for containment and keeps clean items clean
Leave visibly moldy items where they are	Moving them spreads contamination; they’re handled inside containment
Clear a path from the entry to the work area	Equipment and bagged debris need a short, direct route
Plan where pets will stay	Air machines and plastic barriers aren’t pet-friendly
Remove valuables and documents from nearby rooms	Fewer items to protect or clean
Ask about the HVAC and thermostat	Your remediator may want the system off or vents sealed
Arrange parking and access	Crews bring equipment and may need a door close to the work area

Belongings from the affected room raise their own questions: some can be cleaned, some can’t. Our answer on mycotoxins on belongings explains how to sort them.

What not to do

• Don’t spray bleach or other cleaners on the mold. It changes what testing finds and doesn’t solve the problem. See what not to spray on mold.
• Don’t paint over it, even temporarily.
• Don’t start demolition yourself, especially drywall or insulation.
• Don’t throw out damaged items your insurer may want to see, unless they’re unsafe to keep.
• Don’t run a central HVAC system that draws air from the affected area, if you can avoid it.

Finally, decide whether you’ll stay home during the work. The answer depends on where the mold is, how much of the house the containment takes up, and whether anyone at home is sensitive to mold. It’s worth settling before the crew arrives.