Mold Removal: Dry Ice Blast Cleaning Systems Rid Mold From Bermuda Wellness Center

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As the only psychiatric facility in Bermuda, the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Center is the place people turn to for comprehensive mental heath care and services across all areas of psychiatry. When its facility became infested with mold and threatened the health of its patients and staff, the Wellness Center turned to Cold Jet and Best Restorations, Inc., a mold removal company and Cold Jet in Delray Beach, Fla., that exclusively uses Cold Jet’s dry ice blast cleaning systems for mold remediation projects.
 
As a result of problems caused by a shoddy HVAC system installed years earlier, Mid-Atlantic staff members began to notice dark mold stains on the walls and ceilings, as well as its distinct mold smell, in several areas of the center. During the initial mold inspection, Best Restoration found mold on the underside of the ceiling tiles, on the untreated dry wall and all over the cedar used throughout the ceiling frame.
 
“The mold was everywhere, and if not removed, would have continued to grow and infest other areas of the hospital,” says Harold Ettinger, vice president of operations at Best Restoration, Inc. “Previous cleaning crews tried to remove the mold with sandpaper and grinders, but that proved ineffective and actually damaged the cedar joists and beams in the ceiling. The manual process of completely removing the mold from the attic and ceiling would have taken a large cleaning crew working under difficult conditions several weeks to complete just the mold remediation process. With Cold Jet’s dry ice blast cleaning system we were able to clean and restore the building in considerably less time.”
 
Dry ice blast cleaning uses compressed air to accelerate soft recycled speeds. When the dry ice hits the surface, it creates mini-explosions and sublimates. The combination of blasting the dry ice at high-speeds and the temperature of the ice helps to kill more than 99.9 percent of mold spores. Dry ice blast cleaning is a non-abrasive process, meaning it will not damage the surface being cleaned. The process does not create secondary waste and the only thing left to clean up is the contaminant blasted from the surface. Best Restoration was able to use dry ice blasting to clean even the hard to reach areas between the beams and into roof sheathing, which allowed the crew to completely eradicate the mold while eliminating the need to manually apply toxic biocides.
 
“For Mid-Atlantic, we were able to eliminate a problem that could have ultimately impacted the health of staff and patients,” says Gene Cooke, president and CEO of Cold Jet, LLC. “Once mold starts to grow, it has to be removed quickly. In the Midwest, where communities experienced the worst flooding in 15 years, cleaning efforts and mold remediation will be of the upmost importance to help victims return to their homes. As evident in the Mid-Atlantic Wellness Center mold remediation project, as well as following Hurricane Katrina, Cold Jet’s dry ice blast cleaning solutions provide an effective, time-saving and method that removes mold.”