Use/wash dirty timber?

[noone70]

Today I am using several OSB boards to protect the subfloor and underfloor heating pipes while I finish the electrical, walls, and ceiling.

Naturally, they have gotten a bit dirty and some dirt and soil have been tracked in from outside. Not too bad, but the boards are not clean.

After all, the boards cost 1500-2000 SEK, so I would like to use them in other parts of the construction.

Is it possible and if so, how do I clean them in the simplest/safest way?

 

[NoOne2k]

Make sure they are dry and sweep them off with a piasavabroom?

 

[noone70]

Make sure they are dry and sweep them off with a piasavakvast?

That will hardly be enough to remove any potential mold bacteria that have stuck around in the soil.

 

[Demmpa]

There are ALWAYS a lot of mold spores in the air.

 

[noone70]

There are ALWAYS a lot of mold spores in the air.

Yes, I know, but now it's about this without me having walked with muddy shoes on these boards. The carpenters who built the frame for our extension discarded some timber precisely because it was dirty. I might be wrong now, but I guess they might have had a pretty good reason for discarding the timber.

 

[vectrex]

Yes, I know, but now it's about this without me walking with muddy shoes on these boards. The carpenters who built the frame for our extension discarded some timber precisely because it was dirty. I may be off base now, but I guess they might have had a pretty good reason for discarding the timber.

Of course, it molds a bit easier if there's a lot of dirt on them. But wood also molds. The crucial point to avoid mold is that it must be dry. Sweep them off as mentioned above and use them in places where they are not visible. As long as they are mounted on the dry side, you don't need to worry about any mold.

 

[Stefan1972]

It can't get moldy just because it's dirty..........more conditions are needed than that. Perhaps the builders discarded the boards more because they aren't paying for them themselves. Just dust them off and use them. Nothing will happen.

 

[Darenhall]

Scrub and rinse off with a hose, let it dry and spray with mold-free using a pressure sprayer, allowing it to soak in. Washed and impregnated.

 

[Stefan1972]

Why spray and treat with mold-free products? No wonder people are afraid of mold if it's something you constantly have to eradicate in every possible way.............

 

[Darenhall]

If the OP is worried about growth generated by dirty shoes and doubts that it can be removed with a broom, some form of "poison" is the solution for mold anxiety. More work and more money but perhaps somewhat less worrying about possible cultivation in the walls. However, this scenario requires physical conditions to even become relevant.

 

[KnockOnWood]

If the original poster is worried about growth generated by dirty shoes and doubts that it can be removed with a broom, then some form of “poison” is the solution for mold anxiety

Could it be related to "climate anxiety"

 

[Darenhall]

Maybe Greta has some pointers regarding the OSB issue..

 

[Plupp 173289]

Do not wash your OSB. They may swell from it. Brush as clean as you can, then there is no problem using the boards.

 

[noone70]

If the original poster is worried about growth caused by dirty shoes and doubts that it can be removed with a broom, then some form of "chemical" solution might be the answer for mold anxiety. More work and more money, but perhaps somewhat less pondering about potential growth in the walls. But this scenario, of course, requires physical conditions to even become relevant.

Worried or not, I have spent about 2 million and hundreds of hours building an extension to the house, so isn't it silly to risk getting mold if I can easily get an answer here? Or? 😉

 

[noone70]

Maybe Greta has some pointers on the OSB issue..

I just show her the solar panels and the electric car charging box on the wall, and she'll be silently admiring