Power Washing and Roof Cleaning Forum

AJ · Member

Cinder (concrete) block cleaning

DirtyRoofcom · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Whats on them? what kind of grime are you dealing with? is there ventilation?

AJ · Member

Just looks like mold/mildew

yes i have windows i can open and of course ill use ventalation fan and a respirator ( not cloth style)

Art O · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Not sure you should be spraying Bleach inside a home. You should join this FaceBook Group and ask David
www.facebook.com/groups/MoldInspectorsMoldRemediatorsandmore/467469186780550/

John Aloisio · Approved Exterior Cleaner

Be careful with a customer confusing a cleaning with a remediation. Typically the mold/mildew on basement block walls is actually coming from inside the blocks and seeping out. if you clean the outside, it might be back in a week or two. Also, be careful with ventilation issues, and residual fumes left after you have cleaned.

I would have them contact a ServPro or a mold inspection service. Sounds like too much liability.

AJ · Member

thanks everyone.. sometimes my brain works faster than my hands.

the house is empty at this point.. owners are moving into a new place and wanted it cleaned up for resale.

i will look into that FB page and consider passing.

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE ASSISTANCE

Bryan P · Approved Exterior Cleaner

It may be surface mold though. Just need to figure out what it is. When I moved out of my last house I left the house empty and the basement closed up with no AC running. Went back in about 6 weeks and the basement walls were covered. Difference is mine was wood paneling over the block, so I killed the mold with a weak household bleach mixture then Murphy's Oil soap. Left the AC on vent and we had no more problems the the remaining 8 months the house was for sale. You may need to ask the homeowner how long the problem has existed. If it's new, it might just be on the surface. I did pull a few panels to make sure there was nothing behind the walls on mine...can't do that with block.

Fred W · Guru

John Aloisio wrote:
Be careful with a customer confusing a cleaning with a remediation. Typically the mold/mildew on basement block walls is actually coming from inside the blocks and seeping out. if you clean the outside, it might be back in a week or two. Also, be careful with ventilation issues, and residual fumes left after you have cleaned.
I would have them contact a ServPro or a mold inspection service. Sounds like too much liability.

+1

Dave · Approved Exterior Cleaner

DO NOT use bleach inside the house. We do mold remediation, and our process is to use the safest process available for the job. Bleach is not something we ever use. Where are you located in Ohio? I can give you the names of some mold companies in Ohio