Let me say something that might ruffle a few feathers.
There are buildings across the UK right now. Schools. Care homes. Social housing blocks. Commercial properties. Professional mould removal has been carried out in all of them. The walls look clean. The report says job done. And the occupants are still getting sick.
Not because the contractor was negligent. Not because the landlord failed to invest. And not because organisations are unaware of Awaab's Law, which now places statutory obligations on social housing providers to investigate and remedy damp and mould hazards rapidly. The issue runs deeper than any of that.
The UK mould remediation industry has focused almost exclusively on what is visible. But mould contamination does not stop at what can be seen. And under the new compliance landscape, that blind spot is no longer just a technical oversight. It is a legal and reputational risk.
There is a layer of intervention the industry has largely ignored. Almost nobody is talking about it. This article does.
Awaab's Law, the IICRC S520 Standard, and the Shift in Compliance Expectations
The foundational standard for the mould remediation industry, the IICRC S520, is explicit: the primary method for mould remediation is the physical removal of contaminated materials. You cannot solve a mould problem by spraying or fogging alone.
We agree with that position entirely. Physical removal is non-negotiable, and nothing in this article argues otherwise.
What has changed is the regulatory standard that now sits alongside it. Awaab's Law, which came into force for social housing providers in England on 27 October 2025, does not simply require landlords to act quickly. It requires them to demonstrate that every reasonable and proportionate step was taken to protect occupant health. Visible clearance is the starting point. Demonstrable environmental safety is the requirement.
The critical question is no longer "Was the mould removed?" It is "Was the indoor environment made microscopically safe for reoccupation?" A documented post-remediation decontamination step provides the evidence trail that answers that question.
For housing associations, councils and facilities managers, this distinction is becoming the difference between a compliant remediation record and a defensible one in a legal dispute. The IICRC S520 sets the standard for what must be removed. Awaab's Law is raising the bar for what must be demonstrated.
The Microscopic Threat That Remediation Leaves Behind
When mould is disturbed during remediation, when plasterboard is cut, carpets are lifted and contaminated surfaces are stripped, airborne spore counts can spike by orders of magnitude before the space is ever re-occupied. This is not a failure of technique or workmanship. It is an unavoidable consequence of the physical removal process itself.
What makes this particularly significant is that a dead mould spore is often no less allergenic than a live one. Microscopic mould fragments, along with the mycotoxins they carry, can remain suspended in the indoor air environment for days. They settle into soft furnishings, HVAC systems, ceiling voids, wall cavities and the micro-gaps in building fabric. They are invisible. They are not recorded on a snag list. They go unmeasured in a standard visual sign-off.
This is the post-remediation contamination gap. It explains why tenants and occupants report persistent health complaints even after a property has been visually signed off as clean. And under Awaab's Law, failing to address it leaves landlords exposed.
Closing this gap requires an intervention that works at the same scale as the contamination itself. That is where No More Mould, Aridom Sanex's professional-grade Hypochlorous Acid (HOCl) solution, plays its role.
Post-Remediation Decontamination: The Clinical Standard the Sector Is Missing
The most accurate way to understand where HOCl dry fogging fits in a mould remediation programme is through a clinical parallel. A surgeon first physically removes the source of the problem. That is the remediation. They then sterilise the entire field to eliminate any remaining microscopic material. That is the decontamination. Both stages are essential. Neither replaces the other. And you would not consider the procedure complete without both.
Professional infection control does not wait until the end of a procedure to manage contamination. It controls microbial risk before, during and after intervention. Aridom Sanex applies the same principle to mould remediation. No More Mould HOCl dry fogging is not positioned solely as a final-stage treatment. It is a staged contamination-control solution deployed throughout the remediation lifecycle, reducing microbial risk at each phase and providing a documented record of each intervention.
Why Sub-5-Micron Particle Size Changes the Outcome?
Not all fogging delivers the same result, and particle size is the variable that separates atmospheric intervention from surface wetting. When No More Mould is deployed using professional equipment producing particles under 5 microns, it remains suspended in the air rather than settling immediately like a conventional liquid spray. It moves through the air following the same airflow patterns as the spores themselves, penetrating ceiling voids, wall cavities, HVAC systems and the microscopic crevices that no surface treatment can reach.
Through a process of oxidative destruction, HOCl at this particle size denatures the proteins that make up mould allergens and mycotoxins at a molecular level, breaking them down into harmless constituent parts. It does not simply kill active mould. It dismantles the threat that dead mould fragments continue to pose. And because HOCl breaks down into water and trace saline after the process is complete, it leaves no toxic residue and no chemical burden in the space.
Consumer-grade fogging equipment produces droplets that settle quickly and deliver surface coverage only. A true sub-5-micron dry fog is an atmospheric intervention. The difference is not incremental. It is the difference between treating the room and treating the air the room contains.
This matters most in environments where vulnerable people live, learn or receive care. Low-toxicity mould treatment using HOCl is not a preference in those settings. It is a safeguarding requirement.
Where No More Mould HOCl Fogging Fits in a Compliant Remediation Framework
Clarity on this point matters, and the sector deserves a precise answer.
No More Mould HOCl fogging is NOT a replacement for structural mould remediation. It is NOT a fix for rising damp, penetrating moisture or failed building fabric. It is NOT capable of preventing mould from returning if the moisture source is unresolved. It is NOT a one-visit solution to a systemic building problem.
No More Mould HOCl fogging IS a precision post-remediation decontamination layer. It IS a staged contamination-control method deployed before, during and after remediation. It IS a method of reducing airborne spore load and denaturing mycotoxin proteins. It IS a documented, professional-grade record for Awaab's Law compliance and insurance purposes. It IS a low-toxicity treatment safe for schools, care homes and social housing.
The real question is not whether fogging replaces remediation. It never does. The question is whether you are completing the sterilisation stage that makes the removal stage fully effective. Most programmes currently stop short of it.
The Questions We Hear Most Often, Answered Directly
Healthy scepticism of fogging solutions is well-founded. The market has too many products that overpromise and underdeliver. These are the three objections we hear most frequently from remediation professionals and compliance managers, and they deserve direct, precise answers.
Objection 1: "This does not fix the root cause. The mould will just return."
Correct, and that point is not disputed. If the underlying moisture source is not properly diagnosed and resolved, mould will return regardless of any decontamination treatment. Structural remediation and moisture management are foundational, and no responsible provider suggests otherwise. What No More Mould addresses is the residual spore load in the environment after the moisture source has been fixed. Without a decontamination stage, that residual load accelerates re-colonisation even in a structurally sound and dry building. The two interventions are complementary. Neither is optional.
Objection 2: "Does this simply kill mould, or does it address dead spore fragments too?"
This is exactly the right question, and the answer is what sets sub-5-micron HOCl dry fogging apart from conventional antimicrobial treatments. A dead mould spore can remain just as allergenic as a live one. HOCl does not simply kill active mould growth. Through oxidative destruction, it denatures the allergenic proteins and mycotoxins in dead spore fragments at a molecular level, breaking them down into harmless constituent parts. It reduces the total environmental contamination burden, including the material that standard post-remediation verification often misses.
Objection 3: "Under Awaab's Law, how does a fogging treatment strengthen our compliance position?"
Awaab's Law requires social housing providers to demonstrate that every reasonable and proportionate step was taken to protect tenant health. A documented staged decontamination protocol, carried out using professional-grade equipment with verified particle output data and timestamped site records, provides a measurable and auditable evidence trail. It demonstrates that the organisation did not stop at visual clearance but took active, recorded steps to reduce microscopic contamination risk before reoccupation. In a legal dispute or regulatory review, that documentation is the difference between a defensible record and an incomplete one.
Who Aridom Sanex Works With?
Aridom Sanex operates as a specialist decontamination partner alongside the remediation and compliance professionals who are already doing the structural work. We do not compete with contractors, surveyors or facilities teams. We close the gap that their disciplines were never designed to address.
Social Housing Providers and Local Authorities
Awaab's Law places clear statutory obligations around damp and mould in social housing. A documented staged decontamination programme, carried out by a specialist partner using professional-grade equipment, strengthens your compliance record and demonstrates proactive risk management. Aridom Sanex operates as a specialist subcontractor across Kent, London, Surrey and Essex.
Remediation Contractors
If you are carrying out structural mould remediation and want to offer clients a genuinely complete service, the post-remediation decontamination stage is the layer most companies are currently not delivering. Aridom Sanex is open to collaborative subcontractor arrangements. You address the building fabric. We address the airborne microscopic environment that physical remediation cannot reach.
Facilities Managers in Schools and Care Homes
The occupants in your building are among those most vulnerable to the effects of poor indoor air quality. Your duty of care goes significantly beyond what visible mould clearance and a dehumidifier can address. No More Mould HOCl dry fogging is safe for occupied and recently occupied environments, carries no toxic residue and is suitable for use in spaces where traditional biocides would not be appropriate.
Loss Adjusters and Insurance Professionals
Mould recurrence is a claims risk that reopens files and erodes settlements. A professionally documented post-remediation decontamination treatment, using equipment with verified particle size output data, adds a measurable and auditable mitigation layer to the post-claim record. It also reduces the likelihood of a repeat claim from the same property.
Commercial Landlords with Ageing Stock
Where full structural remediation is being planned or phased, No More Mould HOCl fogging provides an effective contamination-control layer that reduces microbial risk during the works window and protects occupants during the transition. It is a cost-effective bridge between where the building is now and where the remediation programme will take it.
The New Standard of Care: Verifiably Safe, Not Just Visually Clean
Indoor air quality is becoming central to public health accountability in UK buildings. The benchmark for property managers, housing providers and facilities teams is shifting from visible clearance to verifiable environmental safety. These are not the same standard, and the gap between them is where occupant health risk lives.
An integrated remediation strategy addresses all three conditions that mould requires to grow: spores, moisture and a surface. Structural remediation and environmental control address the moisture source and contaminated building materials. Staged HOCl decontamination addresses the airborne and hidden spore reservoir that physical remediation leaves behind. Neither replaces the other. Both are required for a response that is genuinely complete.
For organisations working within Awaab's Law obligations, this staged approach demonstrates proactive risk management rather than reactive treatment. It creates a documented record of layered intervention. It strengthens compliance defensibility. And it provides measurable evidence that the property was not simply cleared of visible mould but made demonstrably safer for the people returning to it.
Staged atmospheric decontamination throughout the remediation lifecycle is emerging best practice across social housing compliance, insurance-backed remediation and facilities management frameworks. It closes the gap between looking clean and being verifiably safe.
Aridom Sanex provides professional HOCl dry fogging services, strategic decontamination support and equipment supply for in-house teams across the South East. We partner with housing associations, remediation contractors, facilities management teams and insurance professionals to integrate this decontamination layer into compliant, evidence-based and responsible mould remediation frameworks.
The Sector Reform the Industry Actually Needs
The mould crisis in UK buildings is not going away. Ageing housing stock. Energy efficiency retrofits that alter ventilation dynamics and create new condensation risks. A growing compliance landscape that is raising expectations faster than practice is evolving. The professionals working in this space, including surveyors, contractors, air quality consultants and facilities teams, need to stop operating in isolation from one another.
The answer will not come from a single discipline, a single product or a single visit. It will come from a community of practice that shares knowledge across disciplines, challenges incomplete assumptions and builds frameworks that actually protect people rather than simply passing inspections. That is the conversation Aridom Sanex is committed to being part of.
Professional Mould Removal Across Kent, London, Surrey and Essex
Aridom Sanex provides professional mould fogging services, post-remediation decontamination support and HOCl equipment supply for in-house teams across the South East. We serve commercial landlords, housing associations, facilities management teams, schools, care homes, main contractors and insurance professionals across all major towns and boroughs in Kent, including Canterbury, Chatham, Maidstone, Dartford, Folkestone, Tunbridge Wells and all Medway towns. Across London, including Croydon, Bromley, Lewisham, Southwark, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and all major boroughs. Across Surrey, including Guildford, Woking, Reigate, Redhill and Staines. And across Essex, including Chelmsford, Basildon, Romford, Barking, Ilford, Dagenham and Thurrock.
Whether you are managing a social housing block in Gillingham, a commercial property in Wandsworth, a care home in Guildford or a school in Colchester, Aridom Sanex can assess your situation and identify where staged HOCl dry fogging adds measurable, documented value to your remediation programme.
Reviewing your mould remediation framework under Awaab's Law? Book a no-obligation technical call with Aridom Sanex. We will identify where HOCl dry fogging strengthens your compliance position and work alongside your existing contractors, not instead of them.
Aridom Sanex | Advanced Decontamination and Disinfection Solutions | Kent | London | Surrey | Essex
At Aridom Sanex, your safety is not just a priority. It is the reason we exist. When you work with us, you gain more than a decontamination service. You gain a partner committed to safeguarding the people who depend on your buildings, and to helping you meet your compliance obligations with confidence.
All references to HOCl mechanisms are consistent with published microbiology literature. References to Awaab's Law and the IICRC S520 are for general informational purposes and do not constitute legal advice. No medical treatment claims are made. HOCl dry fogging is an environmental decontamination intervention and not a medical or healthcare procedure.