Blog: Competitors' Processes

HIP has -- through rigorous research & development, testing, and long-term monitoring -- designed a treatment specifically to treat mould / mold on porous building materials (wood, particle board, concrete) and non-porous building materials.  

 

We have been using this process for 15 years now throughout Southern Ontario and have the only process that Home Inspectors, Realtors and Property Owners all feel confident recommending. 

 

HIP's proprietary treatment protocol allows for a 1-day treatment, no disruption of existing materials, addressing the cause of the mould / mold, and a guarantee that the mould / mold and its spores are gone and are not coming back.  HIP's process is people, pet and environment friendly.

While Dry Ice Blasting techniques were designed for high pressure industrial cleaning of printing presses, foundries, packaging equipment, etc., they have recently been experimented with as attic mould / mold treatments.

 

The abrasive process dislodges the mould / mold but it does not kill it.  It then blows the mould spores around and the dislodged mould / mold can easily be blown down into wall cavities. 

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The insulation surface becomes contaminated with a combination of sawdust and mould spores.  This requires the insulation to be removed and replaced (the use of tarps or drop sheets being impractical due to the nature of attic construction). 

 

Often the cost of the insulation replacement is presented after the initial Dry Ice Blasting quotation making for an unpleasant surprise.  Note that this is a multi-day process that uses a high-profile air compressor on the front lawn that is loud enough to require ear protection.  Mould / mold is dislodged from the sheathing surface, it is not killed.

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Mildew-resistant paints are designed to be applied to clean, dry, mould / mold-free surfaces in areas prone to moisture accumulation (such as kitchen and bathroom ceilings) in order to prevent the start of mould / mold growth.  They are not designed to treat existing mould / mold and actually make effective mould / mold remediation exceedingly complicated once they have been applied.  

 

If Zinsser, Kilz or Rx are applied directly to mouldy surfaces, they will peel within 6 to 18 months, often hanging in ribbons as they do.  Dr. Jim Pearson on Air Quality and Mould Symptoms: "You don't cover it up.  You don't paint it over."

The Temporary Encapsulator Class of mould / mold treatments includes Concrobium (Home Depot's Mould Control), Benefect, Mouldoff and others.  Each are designed to inhibit future mould growth on clean surfaces and not to eliminate existing mould.  

 

Concrobium is principally 1% trisodium phosphate (TSP) and water, with the TSP leaving a fine film over the mould which will slows additional growth and only temporarily.  Instructions indicate re-application after 3 - 4 months. 

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Benefect is principally ~3% thyme oil, a topical anti-fungal treatment that is effective for athlete’s foot and the like but not for expansive surfaces of attic sheathing.  

 

When Temporary Encapsulation products are used, mould / mold is shown to continue along its growth path post-treatment with only a temporary slow-down in the process. 

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Although bleach can be effective on painted and other solid surfaces, labels on all bleach products say that bleach is ineffective on porous surfaces such as wood and concrete. 

 

Because attic sheathing is rough and porous, even repeated liberal applications of bleach followed by vigorous scrubbing will only remove some of the surface mould / mold and will leave visible signs of the mould / mold after the bleach has dried.

 

The residual mould / mold and associated spores will re-populate the originally affected area.

While roof replacement does address mould / mold on attic sheathing, it does not address mould / mold on the rafters or indeed the cause of the mould / mold.  The remaining rafter mould / mold will spread out onto the new roof boards in short order. 

 

Because it requires the replacement of both the roof boards and the shingles, this process is the most expensive option for handling mould / mold and only creates the illusion that it is effective in dealing with the mould / mold. 

 

It causes unnecessarily inconvenience to the homeowner while not addressing the cause of the mould / mold.