Mold Remediation Blog

Have you spotted mold in your home, but are unsure what to do next? In today's post, we will be looking at modern Soda Blasting and conventional sanding.

The Best Mold Solutions For Wood: Soda Blasting vs. Sanding

Oh no, have you spotted mold on the wood in your home’s attic, basement, or crawl space?

*eeek!*

Researching what to do about it?

Icky mold as a topic is probably pretty new to you, right?

Before jumping into this article about basic wood mold removal, we want to be sure you know the three primary steps to take If You Find Mold In Your Home.

  1. Don’t Panic: First, ascertain whether anyone in the home is currently experiencing anything that could be considered an allergic/toxic reaction to the mold. How serious does the issue seem to you right now on a scale of 1-10? Don’t panic, but don’t take risks with your health either.
  2. Call A Professional: The ONLY people you should trust to give you the truth about your mold issue is a certified, reputable mold inspector or mold removal company like Valor Mold (we’re available in parts of VA, DC, & MD).
  3. Follow Their Instructions: There’s a network of professionals available to inspect your home, guide you on the next steps, and remove the mold for you. If there’s an emergency, help is available. Reach out the proper authorities. If you’re in our area of the country, call Valor Mold – check our Service Areas.

That said, today, we’re looking at modern Soda Blasting and conventional sanding.

Let’s jump right in.

What Is Soda Blasting?

Below we’ve embedded a quick 1-minute video of one of our crew members all dressed up in protective gear, soda blasting some beams. This gives you a complete visual of how the process works.

It’s definitely not rocket science, but it IS MOLD SCIENCE in action. 

The ‘Soda’ being used is like regular everyday baking soda, but not quite. Instead, it’s called Blasting soda (sodium bicarbonate) because under the microscope the tiny crystals are specially-manufactured to have a knife-like shape. 

This is so when the soda hits the mold with all that air-compressed force; it’s literally BLASTED off the wood in a way that doesn’t harm it.

In fact, soda blasting is gentle enough for plastics, chrome, wiring & ductwork, and glass.

  

The Main Benefits Of Soda Blasting Mold

  • Removes 99.6% Of Mold… as effective as it gets!
  • Costs 75% Less Than Sanding… especially when the ‘big picture’ costs of doing it wrong are figured into the equation. 
  • Takes 80% Less Time Than Sanding… saving you a ton on labor costs! 
  • Restores Wood To Its Pristine, Original Look
  • Environmentally-Friendly & Biodegradable
  • Sodium Bicarbonate Is A Natural Deodorizer… this is why it’s also commonly used to clean up wood that’s been impacted by fire. 
  • The Soda Used Is Non-Toxic & Water-Soluble… we’re going to completely clean it up anyway. Less reputable companies might leave some residue behind, but we keep our job sites clean as a whistle through air vacuuming, correct nozzles, using the right amount of soda, the right sized hoses, angling, etc.
  • Soda Blasting Cleans, Degreases, and De-paints Simultaneously… for more saved money and elbow grease. 
  • No Technician Fatigue… 

Technician Fatigue?

The conventional method of sanding wood can be EXTREMELY fatiguing in an attic when you’re doing it by hand with say, a wire brush or extended scrubber. You’ve got to invest in serious elbow grease (not to mention the chemicals) thoroughly addressing each joist, stud, or beam! 

The same thing goes for cramped crawl spaces and extensive basement infestations. 

Meanwhile, as you saw in the video above, sandblasting is a breeze. If you’re slightly ADD and really into the work like we Mold Nerds are…it’s fun!  

Almost a form of mold removal art…

People who enjoy pressure washing and cleaning concrete experience this odd joy. 

Moving on…

The Alternative: Mold Removal By Sanding

To this day, with all the blatant health and financial risks involved in trying to handle a mold problem yourself… if you search online there are guides telling people to DIY ‘small’ mold problems. 

What does this entail? 

And this is despite the fact that DIY’ing mold removal doesn’t work:

  • Invest in a full outfit of protective gear, including a certified air mask, gloves, suit, etc. 
  • Invest in all the proper material you need to seal off the area, like plastic and taping.
  • Invest in a vacuum with a HEPA filter and bags to collect all those spores you’re going to be kicking around all over the place with the dirt, debris, paint chips, etc.
  • Invest in sandpaper, bristled brushes,  bleach, other ineffective retail mold removal chemical or kits…

 

All this money you need to spend just to see the mold return and potentially be far worse. It won’t work!

What’s more likely to happen (way more), if you’ll join the neverending list of homeowners who went to battle with mold and LOST. The so-called DIY method to mold removal might sound cheap, but it isn’t.

How Much Does Soda Blasting Cost?

Pretty much no matter where you live in the county, if you go out and get five different estimates for mold removal you’ll get a widespread in return. Here in our neck of the woods, the spread might look something like this:

  • DIY Price: $5-$150…although this isn’t what you’ll end up paying. 
  • Handyman / Remodeler Price: about $400, because they aren’t specialists. 
  • 2nd Rate Company Price: roughly $1,300, because they’re cutting corners.
  • Scam Artist Price: $5,000-$8,000 (they tend to show up after serious rain storms roll through the area). 

Valor Mold Prices Start At $2,799 For A 10x10 Room

As we like to tell our customers when they ask us why the range is so wide for proper Mold Remediation using soda blasting,

“Because the industry is like the Wild West. It’s unregulated. It’s unpredictable. It’s made up of all sorts of crazy characters. As a result, prices—and the quality of remediation—are all over the map.”

 

Wrapping Up: Soda Blasting Wins Hands Down!

There’s no question soda blasting is a far superior method to dealing with mold on the structural wooded areas of your home. But whether it’s your attic, crawl space, basement, spare room, or kitchen, mold needs to be dealt with properly

If you’re in our area of the country, don’t hesitate to contact Valor Mold and you’ll be in good (albeit nerdy) hands. We’re here to help with 99% accurate mold testing, remediation, and more. Thanks for your time today.  

Why Choose Us

We remove mold the right way… and it would be an honor to hear from you.

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96% Success Rate

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Instant Mold Testing

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300+ Happy Clients

You can trust our process—we’ve performed over 300 successful projects since we opened in 2006.

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