When your house has issues that lead to water damage and high humidity, e.g., poor drainage, plumbing leaks, or roof leaks, you’re opening the door to mold growth. When mold spores enter your house, land on a wet or damp surface, and begin to grow, they can potentially cause structural damage and health problems, such as allergies, skin rashes, and respiratory irritation.
That is why, when homeowners spot a small patch of mold growing somewhere in the house, they immediately clean or remove the small mold growth. However, when mold growth covers a large area, i.e., more than 10 square feet (around 1 square meter), professionals are called in to handle the situation.
Mold remediation is a professional process of identifying, containing, removing, and cleaning up mold growth. The goal is to return mold levels to natural, safe, and acceptable levels and eliminate the source of moisture that’s causing the growth of mold in the first place. The process focuses on preventing future growth over just removing visible mold.
If you’re planning on having professionals over to your house to address the issue of mold, you might be wondering if you can stay at home during mold remediation or if you should vacate the premises temporarily. Here’s the answer.
When You Can Stay at Home During Mold Remediation
Assuming you and the rest of your household don’t suffer from asthma, allergies, or other lung issues or have weak immune systems or are children or seniors, then you might be able to stay.
Consider the following conditions:
- Mold is limited to small, isolated areas: If the mold is limited to a small area or a single room like a spare bedroom or the attic, then it might be safe to stay in the other areas of the house.
- The area is properly contained: If the remediation team uses negative air pressure and effectively seals the area with plastic barriers to prevent spores from entering.
Bottom line: It might be okay for you to stay, but that will depend on several factors. Before making a decision, it’s important to talk to the professionals and follow their advice.
What to Expect When You Stay at Home During Mold Remediation
Should you decide to remain in your house while mold remediation is ongoing, you will have to prepare for it. Sure, it might be technically safe to stay at home, but the process is highly likely disrupt your daily life. So, you should be prepared for this.
Be aware that when mold remediation is ongoing, you might face:
- Work crews moving in and out of the house daily,
- Hallways or doorways with plastic barriers,
- Rooms that are sealed off, limiting your access to certain parts of the house,
- HVAC systems turned off to prevent the spread of mold spores,
- Constant noise from drying fans and dehumidifiers,
- HEPA air scrubber running for several hours during the day, and
- Strong chemicals used in mold removal that release harmful fumes.
Your tolerance for these disruptions is among the considerations you’ll have to weigh when making your choice. You may find that continuing to live at home during mold remediation is totally okay, or you may find it annoying, especially since it would feel like you’re in a construction zone for most parts of the day.
Precautions to Take When Staying at Home During Mold Remediation
If you stay, be extra careful. Always keep your safety, health, and well-being the top priority.
- Ensure that the work area is properly sealed off
Ensure that the remediation team sets up proper containment barriers, negative air pressure, and HEPA filtration to prevent mold spores from spreading.
- Avoid the work area entirely
Don’t enter the work zone for any reason. Stay out of the work area once remediation starts and keep out of it until the process is completed.
Especially keep children and pets away from the remediation zone at all times, as they are more sensitive to mold spores.
- Use separate entry and exit points
It’s also a good idea to ensure that you have a separate entrance/exit, if possible.
- Use a separate air system
If the mold is near ductwork and your house uses a centralized air conditioning or heating system, avoid turning it on while the remediation process is ongoing. Otherwise, mold spores might spread to other areas of the house. Instead, use a separate AC or heating system, if possible.
- Consult your professional team regarding safety
Talk to your remediation team and discuss how their work can be done with your utmost safety in mind.
When You Should Vacate Your House During Mold Remediation
Sometimes, the mold remediation that’s necessary for your house might require you to stay out of the premises temporarily. Or, you’re living with individuals whose health will be at risk if you stay.
- Sensitive individuals
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that people with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), other respiratory conditions, or who are immunocompromised should absolutely not stay in a moldy house even while it is being cleaned. Those who are elderly or an infant or a child should also leave the house to avoid increased exposure to airborne spores. For these people, even a small amount of mold can be harmful, so it’s best to relocate temporarily even if it’s just a minor mold remediation job.
In addition, if your household has chosen to stay at home while the work is ongoing and you observe someone is experiencing mold-related health symptoms, leave the house immediately and consult a doctor. Symptoms could include sneezing, runny nose, coughing, itchy or watery eyes, and nasal congestion.
- Widespread mold
If mold covers more than 10 square feet (around 1 square meter), is in multiple rooms/floors/walls, or is located in key areas of the house like the kitchen or living room, it’s safer to move out for the time being.
Staying is not only impractical, it’s also unsafe, especially for large-scale remediation which often involves cutting out drywall or multiple walls or ceilings, using strong chemicals, and running loud drying equipment. All this work can make your home unlivable for several days or more.
- HVAC contamination
If mold has infested the HVAC system, mold spreading through the air is likely. That is, there is a chance that mold spores have traveled to different areas of the house, so your remediation crew is now facing a bigger problem.
Summary: When Can You Stay Vs. Not Stay at Home During Mold Remediation
| You Can Stay | Vacate Your House |
| No one in your household has asthma, allergies, lung issues, weakened immune system or are children or seniors Mold growth or infestation is limited to small, isolated areas of the house Your contractor has properly contained the infested area | Your household includes children or the elderly, or if someone has asthma, allergies, lung issues, or is immunocompromised There is widespread mold growth, i.e., mold covers more than 10 square feet (around 1 square meter), is in multiple rooms/floors/walls, or is located in key areas of the house like the kitchen or living room Mold has infested the HVAC system |