Introduction
Benefect is a product some mold remediators may recommended to clients concerned about the toxicity of more common types of antimicrobials remediators use. According to the product label, the active ingredient in Benefect is <1% Thymol, a compound naturally present in Thyme oil. The other 99% of the ingredients may include: oregano oil; lemongrass; a bio-surfactant sourced from park kernel oil which is required for miscibility of the oils into water; water; and a water ionizer used for stabilization and acceleration of the essential oils.
Description
Benefect comes in a bottle as a ready-to-use liquid. According to the product data sheet, the application procedures are as follows: To clean, shake, apply Benefect and wipe away. To disinfect, shake and pour Benefect into a pump sprayer, mop, brush, cloth or sponge. Leave for 10 minutes, allow to air dry. No wiping is required.
Applications
According to the product data sheet, the applications are as follows: Water Damage Restoration: This product can be used to disinfect any hard, non-porous surface. Sewage Damage: The product is registered with the EPA as effective against blood borne / body fluid pathogens including TB and HIV-1.
Mold Remediation: Best used as a wipe application to remove surface mold and as a spray after remediation procedure is complete to control any remaining molds. Should be used with proper remediation protocols, as all mold should be removed from affected areas to ensure health and safety of building occupants.
My Opinion
Some remediators think that since this is an “alternative antimicrobial” it may be used to “treat” mold, i.e., kill it. As such, they may believe that it’s not as important to remove all of the mold, as can normally be done using plain soap and water and a wire-brush. This is misguided thinking.The product literature makes it clear that all mold should be removed. Using this product is not as substitute for removing all of the mold. Here’s why:
The active ingredient in Benefect, Thymol, is a natural phenol derivative of p-Cymene. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thymol). The anti-fungal nature of thymol against some fungi that are pathogenic to plants is due to its ability to alter the hyphen morphology and cause hyphae aggregates (hyphae are the mold’s roots), resulting in reduced hyphae diameters and lyses of the hypha wall (disintegration of the cells).
In layperson terms – the application kills the roots, thus stoping mold that receives it from growing further. This is analogous to spraying herbicides on a lawn to kill weeds – the weeds there are sprayed die, but you have to spray again next month because the seeds are still viable and will sprout into new weeds as soon as there is water for them to grow. Using the product does not effect the spores. If conditions remain wet or get wet again, new mold will grow. Simply spraying the product on mold does not remove the hyphae, spores and other allergens and potential toxigenic matter that might be present.
Is the product more effective than soap and water?
I doubt the chemistry and the ingredients of the surfactants in Benefit cause it to perform better than soap and water. If this were the case we’d be using Benefect to wash dishes. Dish soap is what I recommend mold remediators use for cleaning. A primary reason I don’t recommend the product is the odor.
According to product literature, essential oils are used extensively in aromatherapy and by health professions, with each ingredient possessing certain beneficial characteristics. There is, however, a Disclaimer on the product application literature as follows: “Health and safety precautions in this data sheet may not be adequate for all individuals and product uses.”
Was it just the odor?
It has been the unfortunate case that some homeowners are not able to tolerate living in their home since Benefect was applied. It’s not certain why. One reason is that likely the mold remediator did not remove all of the mold. My experience with remediators is that when they spray or use products other than soap and water, they don’t clean as well. They believe cleaning is not as important.
I have seen cases where the mold was all removed, and individuals still could not tolerate being in their home, long after the product was applied. An odor from the essential oils would seem to be the likely reason, but it’s not certain that was the only. It’s possible, likely, that using the product results in some competing organisms to flourish, those that are not effected by the product. This is why the standard on professional mold remediation, the S520, recommends against the use of antimicrobials in general: competing organisms that are not killed will gain an advantage.
This, and any antimicrobial (the key word is microbe) is more effective at killing germs such as bacteria and viruses than effecting mold growth. Bacteria are one of mold’s prime competitors. Kill all the bacteria and mold has less competition..
Conclusion
We know that mold on hard and semi-pours surfaces can effectively be removed by brushing and cleaning with soap and water (dish soap). In my opinion using a product other than soap and water does not result in a more effective job at removing mold. Regardless of how safe these other products may appear, there is some risk inherent in using them.
