Roof mold is a common issue for homeowners in Auburn, WA, and throughout the wider King County Area. The instinct to handle it yourself may be strong, due to the prospect of cost savings.
But the DIY path has real challenges. The most common one is cleaning the growth without fixing what caused it. Here's what to weigh before you start.
Small surface spots are one thing. Growth across the roof deck, soft wood, or a moisture source you can't find are good reasons to bring in someone who checks the attic and the roof together.
Left alone, the moisture behind attic mold can soften and rot the roof sheathing.
Mold grows where wood stays damp. In Greater Seattle attics, condensation is often the cause: warm, moist house air leaks up through gaps in the ceiling and turns to water on the cold roof deck. Roof leaks are another source.
If the moisture keeps coming, the growth comes back, which is why the fix matters more than the cleaning.
Access: attics are tight, with roofing nails coming through the deck and ceiling drywall that won't hold your weight. Scope: what you can see from the hatch is often not all of it. Cause: cleaning without fixing the moisture source is temporary.
For health questions about mold, talk to your doctor or read the Washington State Department of Health's mold guidance.
We don't publish do-it-yourself chemical mixes.
Mold on the surface of the sheathing mostly stains it. The bigger risk is the moisture behind it.
Sheathing that stays wet long enough can soften and rot, and soft or delaminated sections have to be replaced. Catching the moisture problem early usually keeps that repair smaller.
A sound plan has two halves: deal with the growth, and fix the moisture source.
At RoofSmart, we remove or treat the growth and fix the moisture source as one job. See how our attic mold treatment levels and warranty work.
Air sealing the ceiling below the attic is usually the strongest step. Then we correct and balance the ventilation, make sure bath, kitchen, and dryer fans vent outdoors, and fix any roof leaks. A bath fan that runs continuously at low speed and boosts when someone showers also helps keep indoor humidity down.
Insulation usually doesn't need replacing, because mold grows on the wood and the dust on its surface, not inside the insulation. It gets replaced when it's wet, damaged, or contaminated by pests.
No treatment makes an attic immune to mold. Keeping the attic dry is what makes the result last.
RoofSmart inspects attics and roofs in Auburn and across King County, removes or treats attic mold, and fixes the moisture source behind it.
Fill out the short form to pick your inspection time, or call us during normal business hours.