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Pure Maintenance

Mold Elimination Case Study: Isla Vista Apartment

By August 26, 2022October 5th, 2022No Comments
mold removal

Conventional mold elimination, which typically only addresses visible mold growing on some part of a building, is becoming a relic of the past. Today, leading experts understand that exposure to mold spores in the air a person breathes can cause allergic reactions or mold illness, and this is why we treat the entire indoor environment since mold spores do not stay in the area of observable mold growth.

Our process denatures all mold spores in indoor environments in the air and on surfaces, effectively eliminating the potential cause of these health problems from those microscopic mold spores. That is what we are about at Pure Maintenance of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.

I spend a lot of time writing about why you should care about mold and why our mold remediation approach is the most effective method. Today, I am excited to go in a different direction. Instead of focusing on our goal or process, I will give you a peek into our results. Below is a summary of a real job we performed on a rental unit in Isla Vista. 

Context: Request for Mold Elimination

I received a call from the concerned father asking for a mold inspection and consultation at his son’s apartment in Isla Vista. He explained that his son was dropping out of the University of California Santa Barbara because he had developed a severe mold-related illness and was under the care of a healthcare provider. He had only moved into his apartment about two months earlier but was already unable to live there. Upon inspection, there was no visible mold.

Before Mold Remediation

Our spore trap analysis revealed Penicillium/Aspergillus contamination of 93,000/m3 in the living room and 98,000 in the bedroom; the outdoor control sample showed no Aspergillus and nominal amounts of other strains that were not present indoors. Our treatment started at 9:00 am and finished by noon.

After Our Mold Treatment: 

Post-treatment testing revealed that no mold grew during the incubation phase of the lab testing, confirming that there was no culturable mold present. These results allowed us to reclassify the space as a reduced-risk environment, an achievement that further distinguishes our process from conventional mold removal solutions.

Most importantly, for the two weeks that the student remained in the apartment following our treatment, he was without symptoms or other physical discomforts.

Final Thoughts on Mold Elimination: 

Don’t skip that last paragraph! We are in the mold remediation business to improve our client’s health and comfort. If the numbers remained as good as we see in the test results, but you felt no difference, what difference would we actually be making?

That is what sets us apart from the rest. Conventional mold removal typically stops at removing visible mold, leaving everything you can’t see hanging in the air. As illustrated above, we can get to mold wherever it may be, even if you can’t see it. We’re so confident in what we do that we guarantee* that your space will be mold-free after our treatment. We can even keep it that way!

Our results speak for themselves. If you are suffering from mold illness or know you have a mold problem, call us today! Nobody else can improve your indoor air quality as well as we can.

*Conditions apply