Personal Protective Equipment for Mold Repair Jobs

When you are needing to kill and remove mold from your household, you will want and need equipment that will both make the job easier and help protect you from the dangers of mold exposure. You might feel as though you have been exposed to the mold living in your home for quite a while now and that it probably will not do you much more damage to just go through the remediation without any safety equipment, but you will be wrong about that. The mold spores in your home have not been stirred up nearly as much as they are about to be and if you are planning on performing any invasive procedures in order to get rid of the mold in your walls or in your ceiling, then the mold spore levels in your home’s air will absolutely skyrocket.

One of the first things you are going to want to purchase is a respirator of some kind. There are about three different general types that you can purchase and the respirator is the most important piece of equipment that you can buy for a mold remediation job. This is because the mold spores are in the very air that you breathe and even though gloves and protective clothing are also important, you have a fair amount of control of whether or not the mold comes into direct contact with your skin. Unless you have an allergy to the mold and require that it not get on your skin, the respirator is most important. However, if you have an allergy to mold, you should not be doing this job yourself in the first place.

An N-95 respirator is the basic respirator you will want if you are not planning on tearing apart any drywall or contaminated wallpaper. This will block about 95 percent of mold spores, dirt, and etcetera from entering your respiratory system.

If you want an extra level of protection, consider getting a half or even full-faced air purifying respirator. The good thing about these is that they do not require any training like the next level of respirator will.

Powered air purifying respirators require training and must be used following the regulations of OSHA.

Protective clothing should also be worn during the job. This can include a protective body suit, rubber gloves, and shoe coverings will be necessary, preferably made of a breathable material such as TYVEK. You should purchase a roll of tape, such as masking or duct tape, and wrap it around your wrists and ankles where there are gaps in your protective suit.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of
Texas Water Damage Restoration and
Houston Water Damage Restoration Which are Certified IICRC Water damage and mold remediation contractors.