Get it dry first.
Vacuum off majority.
Treat/encapsulate what’s left.
I avoid bleach/peroxide if at all possible. I don’t like how corrosive bleach is to everything else plus all the health exposure risks.
Peroxide sucks bc it bleaches/Burns skin.
Focus on drying as that will kill/ force dormant what is there.
Fosters encapsulator is a great product and easy to apply.
I’ve personally never messed with boric acid treatment, but I am curious about it.
Pointless to do much of anything until it’s dry (sub 19% MC) (11/13 preferred).
Vacuuming while wet >19% will only smear it around.
It has to have above 23%- 27% MC for a sustained period to grow the type of mold that eats the structure of the wood. A lot, not all of the surface mold lives on the sap coming out of the wood and won’t go deep into the wood.
For an open air structure or recently dried in, you don’t technically have to have hepa vac to remove it, especially as a homeowner doing it.
But do make sure your vacuum has a filter bag to collect the majority and wear a n95 respirator minimum and use ventilation.
There have been several emergencies where I do use a bleach solution to remove the majority of the mold in a wet structure. This is when it’s not effective to dry first.
Think stick built house that was soaked before getting roof sheathing on. Molds up from being soaked and warm. No electrical, plumbing, or finish systems in place.
Bleach solution in pump up sprayer and heavily soak everything. Then make sure everything is getting dry immediately after.
Forced fresh air, Tyvek suit, pvc rain suit over that, p100 respirator with charcoal filters, latex and rubber gloves, all duct taped, safety goggles and face shield.
Ppe is a must.
But if it’s not feasible to dry first and vacuum & treat, health exposure risk is relatively low, and there aren’t a lot of other systems in place that would be corroded heavily, the bleach treatment is an option. But it must include the severe health precautions and immediate forced drying of the structure.
