- Q.I’ve come across a
product that was created to combat the anthrax spore
and was later found to be effective against mold as
well. It’s fogged throughout the job for 24
hours, with no access allowed. The product is said to
eradicate mold, not just put it in a dormant state.
Does this work?
A.Mac Pearce responds:
Fogging is an appropriate technique for destroying
an infectious agent such as anthrax spores. Once
they are dead, they can’t cause disease.
Mold problems, though, can’t be
“fogged away,” because the mold
spores are just as irritating dead or alive. While
the dead mold spores cannot initiate new growth,
they must be physically removed or they will remain
inside the building as an irritating component of
the dust. Unless the mold is rinsed or vacuumed
away, it’s still there, dead or alive. It
has been my experience that elbow grease trumps
such chemical treatments.