Commercial Mould Remediation in Library – over 10, 000 books

by | Jul 2, 2020 | Juvenaire News

Commercial mould remediation is Juvenaire’s speciality. We have cleaned mould in both commercial and residential properties from Gold Coast to Sunshine Coast and across Queensland. With decades of experience behind us, we have the best remediation processes for commercial, residential and vehicle decontamination.

Juvenaire was recently called in to carry out commercial mould remediation in a large library at an educational establishment. The library has in excess of 10,000 books and many square meters of carpet, shelves and numerous pieces of furniture. Mould growth occurred due to a combination of high humidity and the air conditioning system breakdown. As a result, the mould outbreak contaminated countless books and surfaces, including carpets, furniture and bookshelves. 

Initial Inspection And Treatment

At initial inspection, a Project Manager visited the site, assessed the damage and formulated a remediation plan. Mould spreads via airborne mould spores and can become a health hazard for humans if inhaled. Therefore, the first course of action was to place air scrubbers in strategic locations to improve the air quality. Air scrubbers are designed to ‘suck in’ airborne particles as small as 0.3 microns, invisible to the naked eye. 

All contents and affected areas were then cleaned using a HEPA vacuum cleaner. This subsequently removes minute mould spores from books and all exposed surfaces in the affected area without spreading the contaminants. Specialist mould removal agents are applied to treat affected objects and surfaces. This is done by hand and by micro misting to cover hard to reach places. To battle the humidity caused by a malfunctioning air conditioning unit, we installed industrial dehumidifiers. This removes excess humidity in the air that was causing mould to thrive and spread. Technicians isolated sensitive areas containing old records and books by putting up a containment. These delicate items were cleaned by hand and carefully treated so as not to damage them. 

A Laborious Effort

As 10, 000 plus books were affected, a team of technicians were called in to meticulously clean them. Its a time consuming task, but reducing the chance of mould recurrence is paramount and a thorough decontamination process necessary. Once the visibly affected areas are cleaned and treated, technicians moved to cleaning the entire area. Many shelves, desks, chairs and carpet flooring were meticulously decontaminated with HEPA vacuuming and treatment with specialist mould cleaning agents. The team then steam cleaned, sanitised and deodorised fabric chairs and carpet tiles. 

At completion, a visible inspection, followed by clearance testing is conducted. This determines if the affected areas have acceptable levels of mould ecology and safety of the library users. A clearance certificate was granted and a recommendation to quickly repair the air conditioning unit to reduce relative humidity within the library. This would reduce the risk of a recurrence of mould growth.

For more info about Juvenaire’s mould remediation services click here