Can you stay in your house during mold remediation?
There is no single answer. It depends on how much mold there is, where it grows, how well the work area is closed off, and who lives in the house. A patch behind the bathroom sink is one situation. Mold through the walls of a living room after a leak is another. Many families in Chula Vista and the rest of San Diego County stay home through a small job and move out for a large one. Some move out because of who lives with them, even when the job itself is modest.
The same question comes up after a fire or a burst pipe. People ask whether it is safe to stay in a house after a fire, or whether you can live in a house with water damage while it dries. The logic is close to the same: how big the damaged area is, whether it can be sealed off, and whether the air in the rest of the home stays clean.
Small mold jobs and large ones
What counts as small
Mold grows where moisture stays: bathrooms, corners of exterior walls, behind furniture pushed against a cold wall, under baseboards, in closets. The EPA's brief guide to mold and moisture says most people can clean a moldy area smaller than about 10 square feet on their own. For a patch like that, nobody needs to leave. The person cleaning wears gloves, goggles and a respirator, keeps the room aired out, and does not mix cleaning products. Sponges and rags go in the trash afterward, and work clothes go straight into the wash.
Wallpaper with mold behind it is usually replaced, not cleaned. Wood, concrete and painted surfaces are scraped or scrubbed first and then treated. And the moisture source has to be fixed, or the mold comes back no matter what was sprayed on it.
When it is no longer a do-it-yourself job
The EPA points to professionals when the area is larger than that, or when the water involved was sewage or otherwise contaminated. A pro also makes sense for mold that is hard to reach, mold that showed up after a flood, and mold that comes from a building problem such as a leaking roof or a wall that stays cold and wet. Here the work is bigger: drywall, flooring or insulation may come out, and equipment runs for days. Our page on how professional mold remediation works covers the steps.
How long it lasts varies with the job. The EPA's standard for being done is practical: the job is finished when people can use the area again without health complaints. That is also the point at which a family that moved out can come back to those rooms.
Sealed work zones and the rest of the house
Do you have to move out during mold remediation? Often you do not, if the affected rooms can be cut off from the rest of the home. A contained work zone is closed with plastic sheeting, doorways are taped, and the air inside is filtered and kept at lower pressure, so dust and spores tend to stay inside the zone instead of drifting down the hallway. The household lives in the rooms that were not affected.
This works well enough when:
- the mold is in one room, a bathroom, a closet or one section of wall;
- the kitchen and at least one bathroom stay usable;
- the work zone does not sit on the only path between bedrooms and the front door;
- the home's heating and cooling ducts can be shut or covered in the work area.
It works badly when the mold is in the main living area or the hallway, when large amounts of drywall or flooring are being torn out, or when heavy equipment has to run for days in a small home. In those cases, finding somewhere else to stay is usually the safer choice. For homes in the south county, see mold remediation in Chula Vista homes.
Who should leave even for a modest job
Is it safe to live in a house during mold remediation? For most healthy adults behind a properly sealed zone, generally yes. For some people the answer changes. Any kind of mold, at high concentration and over a long time, can harm health, and some people react more than others. Consider moving them out, at least for the loudest and dustiest days:
- infants and very young children;
- older family members;
- anyone with asthma, allergies or another chronic lung condition;
- anyone whose immune system is weakened by illness or treatment;
- pets, especially birds and small animals that spend their time near the floor.
Typical reactions to mold include a runny nose, sneezing, coughing, itchy eyes and skin irritation. If any of this starts or gets worse once work begins, that person should stay somewhere else until the job is done.
A sealed work zone is not a room to walk through. Children and pets should not go behind the plastic, and nobody should open it to check on progress. One torn seam can let dust into the rest of the house.
Living with drying equipment
Mold usually comes after water, so remediation often goes together with drying. After a leak or flood, drying floors, walls and furniture can take anywhere from a day to several weeks. Air movers and dehumidifiers run day and night during that time, and they are loud. The rooms are warm and dry, and doors may have to stay open or closed as the drying plan requires.
Can you live in a house with water damage while this goes on? Often yes, with some rules:
- do not switch off or move the equipment, even at night, unless the crew agrees;
- keep cords and hoses clear of walkways;
- keep children and pets away from the machines;
- expect a higher power bill for that period;
- if the water came from a sewer line or flooding from outside, stay out of the affected rooms completely.
When drying equipment fills the bedrooms, or the only bathroom is torn up, staying with relatives or in a hotel is often simpler. More on this is on the page about water damage restoration and drying.
Smoke and soot cleanup
Can you live in a house with smoke damage? It is less clear than with mold. Soot, tar and other combustion residue settle into porous materials and get into vents and gaps. Opening windows and cleaning surfaces only helps part of the way. Air fresheners cover the smell for a while, and it comes back when the air gets humid or warm.
Where soot hides
- upholstered furniture, mattresses, rugs, curtains and clothing;
- wallpaper, drywall, plaster and particleboard;
- plastic panels, ceilings and floor coverings;
- air ducts, air conditioners, range hoods and gaps in the walls;
- appliances, books and insulation.
Ordinary cleaning removes the visible layer but not what has soaked into the materials. Harsh chemicals can leave streaks and spread the residue further. Professional cleanup usually goes in this order: inspection to find the main sources of the smell; removal of burned items, soot, ash and contaminated fabric; cleaning of walls, ceilings, furniture, floors and hard-to-reach spots; then vents, hoods, gaps and cabinets; and only after that, odor treatment. Mechanical cleaning comes first, then neutralizing the smell.
Is it safe to stay in a house after a fire? Smoke and combustion residue irritate the airways and are hardest on people with allergies, asthma or sensitive lungs. After burned plastic, wiring or synthetic materials, cleanup should not be put off. If the smell lasts for days, gets stronger with the doors shut, or comes out of furniture, walls and vents, the home needs professional cleaning, and sensitive family members are better off elsewhere until then. The page on fire and smoke damage restoration explains the process.
Who pays for the hotel
Does homeowners insurance pay for a hotel? Sometimes. The California Department of Insurance residential claims guide explains that the cost of living elsewhere while the home is being repaired may fall under the loss-of-use part of the policy. This is often called additional living expenses coverage or loss of use coverage. The department notes that insurers usually advance this money, and that you should keep every receipt.
Mold is a separate question. Whether mold work is covered at all depends on the policy and on what caused the mold. A sudden burst pipe and a slow leak that went on for months are often treated differently. So before booking anything, ask the insurer:
- Is the cause of this damage covered under my policy?
- Does my policy include loss of use or additional living expenses, and what is the limit?
- What kind of housing will you accept: hotel, short-term rental, staying with family?
- Will you advance money, and how do I submit receipts?
- Are meals, laundry, extra mileage or pet boarding included?
Write down who you spoke with and when. Take photos of the damage before work starts. Keep hotel bills, restaurant receipts and any other costs in one folder.
What to do with your belongings meanwhile
Furniture, clothing and boxes in the work area get in the way, and they can pick up dust, spores or smoke residue. Things that are still clean are better moved out before work begins, not stacked in the next room where they block the path. Fabric, mattresses and upholstered pieces that already took on mold or soot need cleaning or a decision about whether they can be saved.
For larger jobs, belongings are packed, listed and taken to storage, then brought back once the home is ready. This is called a pack-out. Our page on packing out and storing your contents explains how items are boxed, tracked and returned. Keep documents, medications, chargers and a few days of clothes with you, not in the crates.
Putting it together
A small, sealed mold job usually lets a family stay home. A large job in the main rooms, a fire with soot through the house, or anyone at higher risk in the household usually means moving out for a while. Check the policy before booking a room, keep receipts, and get belongings out of the way before work starts. To learn more about the people doing the work, see who we are and how we work, read reviews from local homeowners, or visit the page for our service area in Chula Vista.