Q: We had a roof leak that broke through the ceiling in the bedroom. We made the repairs but now we have this musty smell coming from the unfinished attic. Is there anything that can kill that smell?

A: Yes, the problem can be rectified, but without having seen the problem and/or smelled the area in question, it is impossible to detail an exact solution. How long ago did the water intrusion happen? Where did it happen? How large an area was affected? Where did the water come from?

We would start with a visual evaluation of the attic area looking for visible signs of mold while using moisture reading equipment to sample the moisture content of things in the attic (framing members, plywood, etc.) Often the culprit is the insulation, which cannot be dried and sanitized effectively and usually requires replacement.

In general, the remediation process would involve determining what was (or still is) wet, sanitizing and drying if possible, or lastly, removal and replacement of all damaged items--or a combination of all these.

If the damage happened quite awhile ago, we undoubtedly would use an industrial hygienist to take samples for mold amplification and then follow his written remediation protocol to repair the area.

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Good luck!

This information is brought to you by Michael Zboralske of Zebra Cleaning & Restoration Services in Orangevale, CA.