Are Dehumidifiers Enough for Mold Control? Insights from Crawl Space Ninja

Are dehumidifiers really the ultimate solution to mold problems in your crawl space? Join us as we sit down with Michael Church from Crawl Space Ninja to bust this common myth and uncover the truths about effective mold control. Michael shares his expert insights, explaining why simply relying on dehumidification isn’t enough to tackle mold. He emphasizes that mold, much like a hibernating bear, can become dormant but not dead, making it crucial to engage in comprehensive mold remediation strategies.

In this episode, Michael discusses the dangers of cutting corners with budget-friendly disinfectant treatments that skip the essential step of mold removal. He introduces us to the robust process of soda blasting and the application of X70 protectant, highlighting their roles in ensuring mold doesn't make a comeback. We also explore how dehumidifiers fit into this larger strategy, particularly in drying out wood to prevent future mold issues. Tune in to equip yourself with practical advice for maintaining a safe and healthy home environment, free from the recurring threat of mold.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 0 (00:00):
Hey, michael Church, crawl Space Ninja.
Today we're continuing ourmisconception series and we're
going to talk aboutdehumidification and its role on
mold.
Does it make it go dormant orshould it be utilized as a way
to treat the mold?
A lot of companies out there docrawl space encapsulation and
do very little mold remediationand some, in order to get out of

(00:24):
doing mold remediation, will goas far as to say that the
dehumidification or thedehumidifier that they install
will actually make the mold godormant and even, in some cases,
kill the mold.
Well, I'm here to tell you thatmold dormancy is kind of a
weird term.
If you think of like agroundhog or a bear, when they

(00:47):
hibernate they are dormant, thatdoesn't mean they're dead.
So if you go in there and youpoke the bear, the bear wakes up
and he's ferocious, right?
Well, it's the same with mold.
If dehumidification is able tomake mold go dormant as soon as
a water source is introduced,able to make mold go dormant as
soon as a water source isintroduced, the mold is

(01:07):
ferocious and wanting to spreadand the dehumidification may not
be enough to address themoisture problem, especially if
you've got a leak from abovethat's causing, say, the wood to
be wet around a toilet and moldstarts to grow in that area.
So the best thing to do is tocompletely remove the mold and
apply a disinfectant and aprotectant.
Now some people tell us that whydo you offer a service where

(01:31):
you don't remove the mold?
Because you know we can't makeyou have us remove the mold.
Some homeowners are okay withthe mold visibly being there,
but they want us to apply adisinfectant, normally because
of budgetary reasons.
So we do have that option towhere, if we're going to address
mold, we have the option ofspraying an Anabec disinfectant

(01:54):
on the mold in order to treat it.
But I really, really want toencourage you to go ahead and
have it physically removed andthen properly soda blasted and
treated and then X70 protectantapplied to keep it from coming
back.
That is the best way to addressmold in your crawl space.
The dehumidifier is part ofthat process because the wood

(02:15):
has to be dried out in order tostart the mold remediation
process.
So it is part of it, but thedehumidifier is not going to
kill the mold or make it godormant in the sense to where
you never have to worry about it, especially if a future water
leak comes Michael Church CrawlSpace Ninja.
We just want you to take careof that mold properly.
We hope you'll make it a happyand blessed day.

(02:36):
We'll see you later.