Media Blasting vs. VaPURE Treatment Mold Remediation

Mold is one of the last words you want to hear if you’re a homeowner (right up there with water leak and termites). Mold is damaging, dangerous, and hard to remove.

Removing mold yourself is a gamble. It can spread throughout a home quickly if the right precautions aren’t taken, and it can increase the risk for you or a family member to get sick from a mold-related illness.

Fortunately, Pure Maintenance of Central Illinois practices dependable, effective mold removal and remediation every day. We offer industry-leading services like VaPURE treatment as means to remove mold. As a homeowner, it’s important for you to know the difference between your mold removal options so you can choose the one that best fits your personal preferences.

Mold Remediation Methods

When mold is found in your home, it must be removed. Otherwise, it will continue to spread. Mold is only dormant in extreme conditions.

Removing mold is rarely simple. In some cases, all it takes is a good scrub with a household cleaner like bleach, vinegar or a commercial cleaner. This is usually the case in the bathroom or kitchen, on non-porous surfaces.

Walls and floors can be scrubbed to remove mold. Removing stubborn mold may require even more complex steps, like replacing carpet, drywall, or boards.

But before you start scrubbing away at a massive mold colony, we’d like to share two mold remediation techniques used by the pros.

Media Blasting Mold Remediation

Media blasting is a great alternative to hand-scrubbing. The name of this method is quite literal: in this technique, a medium (usually water, sand, or soda) is blasted at the intended surface with pressurized air in order to remove mold.

The media acts as scrubbers, reducing the mold and resurfacing the area so there are no stains left behind. This technique cleans a wide area with very little work. It is fast and cost effective, which is why mold removal companies use it.

Here’s a little more information about each type of media blasting:

• Water is a good medium for cleaning air ducts, but it does not do as well against mold that has adhered to a semi-porous surface. It also increases the chance that mold will come back due to the residual moisture left behind. Extreme measures must be taken to dry the room thoroughly after water blasting.
• Sand blasting (sometimes called grit blasting) is very abrasive, so it can be effective for tough removal jobs like mold, graffiti, and rust. In some cases, sand blasting is too aggressive for mold remediation because it actually loosens mold spores and allows them to spread. This can result in a mold outbreak throughout your home. It can also damage softer surfaces like drywall and wood.
• Soda blasting is gentler than sand blasting, but just as effective. It isn’t considered the go-to method, though, because it leaves behind fine dust that is difficult to remove. Soda blasting can take days longer than other media blasting services due to the lengthy cleanup time.

VaPURE Treatment Mold Remediation

Also known as dry ice blasting, VaPURE treatment is less common, but strikingly similar to media blasting. This mold removal procedure also uses pressurized air to blast particles at the mold-covered surface. The difference is that the medium used is non-abrasive frozen CO2 pellets.

Surprisingly, dry ice is very effective for removing mold. And unlike more aggressive media blasting methods, it can be used for wood and many other semi-porous surfaces without causing damage.

One drawback of VaPURE treatment is that there is some residual moisture left behind due to the CO2 “melting” (producing fog), but not nearly as much as water blasting. For this reason, the risk of reintroducing mold to the area is much lower.

Conclusion: Is there a Preferred Method?

Media blasting and VaPURE treatment are both used for semi-porous surfaces where mold is most likely to grow. These services can be performed on non-porous surfaces as well, for a thorough cleaning. (Porous materials usually have to be thrown away if they are affected by mold.)

Both methods are effective in different situations. A certified mold removal team will be able to recommend a great method for removing mold in your home, given the unique factors of the situation.

Ultimately, though, there has to be a superior method for removing mold, right?. In this comparison, VaPURE treatment is superior to traditional media blasting for mold remediation.

Here are a few reasons why:

• It produces less secondary waste from the blasting process. The only thing left behind is unattached mold spores which can be removed from the area with a HEPA vacuum. There are no residual byproducts because the media evaporates, unlike sand, grit or soda.
• It is aggressive enough to remove mold, but not enough to affect the structural integrity of a home’s framing. If not done cautiously, media blasting can eat away at the wood framing or roofing of a home. Even in capable hands, it can still be too aggressive for certain surfaces.
• It allows mold remediation teams to get in tight spots. Mold will often find small, hidden places to grow: within walls, between building materials, and under the house are just a few of them. VaPURE treatment can reach these cramped places better than other blasting methods.

Regardless of how extensive mold growth is in your home, there is a way to remove it safely and effectively. For severe home mold growth, VaPURE treatment from Pure Maintenance of Central Illinois is a great method for the reasons stated above. Got mold? We can help! PMCI proudly serves Central IL, including Champaign and surrounding areas.