Soda Mold Remediation

NOTE - You must were a NIOSH approved respirator when removing mold

The most common methods for removing mold from building interiors have required expensive and specialized wet-vacuuming equipment and labor-intensive wet wiping involving harsh chemicals. In addition to requiring a great deal and time and effort, these methods rely on the use of moisture, one of the prime causes of mold growth in the first place!

There is another alternative rapidly increasing in popularity: bicarbonate of soda, or more commonly known as soda blasting. The technology is fairly new, having been developed in the mid-1980s primarily for the purpose of cleaning the Statue of Liberty inside and out, a delicate task requiring effectiveness without damage. This same method allows the user to gently and quickly eradicate mold from any surface, even highly porous material such as wood, leaving it clean and bare...all without harming exposed wiring, pipes or fixtures. The soda also provides the added benefit of absorbing any remaining embedded moisture and odor.

Until now, this process required a costly visit by a contractor with cumbersome, expensive, trailer-mounted equipment. The Eastwood Company now offers lightweight and portable equipment for the user who wishes to remove mold quickly and efficiently, without inflicting additional damage.

Perhaps the best feature of soda media is that it is completely inert and water-soluble, saving you a great deal of clean-up time, with no environmental impact when the job is done. Of course the proper steps should be taken to recover the paint particles and mold residue before blowing or sweeping the dust away. Also, proper respiratory and body protection methods and equipment should always be used.

Soda as a blasting media has many other uses as well. Use it for paint stripping, mold remediation, removing graffiti, cleaning stains from concrete, and cleaning years of tarnish from copper and brass fixtures. It's widely used in auto restoration to strip paint from metal and fiberglass, and also has the ability to clean and degrease complex mechanical assemblies such as transmissions or rear axles, with no harm to internal moving parts. Since it is not an abrasive, it will not harm delicate mechanical assemblies, wiring, lines or underhood components.

As always, Eastwood offers our customers the latest and best in equipment and supplies to help make their projects the best they can be. We now have several soda-blasting units to choose from, and a selection of bicarbonate of soda medias available.