Just as the R&R industry has seen the mysterious return of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) to the mold remediation process where false positive aesthetic stain removal is favored over industry standard source removal, the same can be said about the incorrect practice of “killing mold.”
The S520 mold remediation standard makes it clear that returning a structure to Condition 1 status, defined as visibly clean and dust free, is about cleaning…not killing. In fact, IICRC S520, Part 4: Principles of Mold Remediation explains, “Physically removing mold contamination is the primary means of remediation. Mold contamination should be physically removed from the structure, systems and contents to return them to Condition 1. Attempts to kill, encapsulate or inhibit instead of proper source removal generally are not adequate.”