Black Mold Can Form In Dark Damp Corners Of Your Basement Without You Ever Knowing It
Worse, it spreads very quickly. Not only does mold rot drywall, but it can also lead to serious health issues. If you have asthma or allergies, mold can cause eye irritation, cough, congestion, and skin irritation. More serious health issues from mold exposure include fever, coughing up blood, nose bleeds, vomiting, and even liver damage. If you spot mold spores, you need to act quickly while taking proper safety precautions. Here well cover 5 steps for removing black mold in your basement.
Before you get to work in the basement, strap on a face mask and gloves to protect yourself. Without touching it, inspect the damaged area. Black mold will look like soot and may be dusty. If the job is too big, or you have health issues that could be exacerbated from addressing the mold issue, contact a professional cleaning service or mold remediation company, such as Woodard, and stay as far away from the area as possible.
How To Get Rid Of Mold With Baking Soda
Baking soda is mild, harmless to your family and pets, and is a natural and safe household cleaner. It can also kill mold. Baking soda and vinegar are typically used together when dealing with a mold problem since they kill different species of mold.
Where To Check For Mold In Your Bathroom
You may love a long, hot shower but, unfortunately, so does mold. The warm, wet environment of a bathroom is practically an invitation for mold growth. Bathrooms that lack proper ventilation are especially prone to attracting mold. While it may be clear to check for mold on shower tiles, there are plenty of less obvious places for mold to grow in the bathroom.
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Removing Mold Spores From The Air Quickly And Safely
Mold is one of the scariest common problems you face as a homeowner/renter. I say common because, of course, there are those stories out there of people whose homes become infested with Black Widow spiders or something like that.
No, no, no. Just burn the house down, in that case. Mold? Thats easier to deal with, but it feels like a huge problem. This is particularly true when you consider that the spores stay behind in the air and can re-establish a mold colony. It almost feels pointless to clean it up in the first place!
So the question is this: How do you kill mold spores in the air naturally? In short, you need to get rid of the source of the mold, and then pull the spores out of the air. If you stop the conditions that led to mold buildup, youll also stop the spores.
In this article, I want to take you a bit more in depth into how mold gets its start in your house, how it grows to become a problem, and the steps you can take to mitigate it. Thankfully, the solutions here are not so complicated, and you can get a lot accomplished with a simple anti-mold procedure.
Does Insurance Cover Mold Remediation
Dont presume your homeowners insurance will pay to fix your mold problems. Insurance typically pays if the problem results from an emergency already covered on your policy, like a burst pipe, but not if mold resulted from deferred maintenance, persistent moisture or seepage, or from floodwaters .
Check with your insurance agent to see if your particular mold problem is covered.
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Black Mold Removal And Cleaning
Mold remediation in stores, offices, or schools is best left to the pros. This also applies to household mold exceeding 10 square feet.
The contractors you choose should have insurance and licenses from organizations like the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification .
Homeowners can handle cleaning about 10 square feet of black mold on their own.3 If the patch is small enough, a combination of bleach, water, scrubbing, and ventilation should do the trick.
Before treating mold on your own, prioritize ventilation and protective gear.
Removing black mold is a tough and dirty job. If you or anyone in your family is sensitive to mold allergies, has respiratory or immune issues, trust the professionals.
Find a contractor in your area to get started.
Laundry Drains And Front Load Washers
Many front load washers retain a little water at the base of the unit. Over time, this water grows bacteria, leading to musty smells in your laundry area. We had problems with this in our first front loader. The new unit has a small drain hose, and I clear the stale water out every couple weeks.
An improperly installed drain hose may trap water in the line or allow sewer gases to escape into the home. Make sure drain lines are installed correctly.
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How Mold And Mildew Form
Mold and mildew need the right conditions for growth. To begin, they need mold spores as a type of seed. Spores grow with three factors: food , water, and oxygen. Increasing or decreasing any of these factors will cause mold and mildew to grow or die.
Spores land on the surface, germinate, and grow. Mold and mildew may start as early as 24 to 48 hours after the surface has been dampened. Mildews white-gray spots spread outward, not upward, remaining on the surface. Mold, though, eats into its basewhich makes it harder to removeand sometimes grows upward.
What Are The Symptoms Of Black Mold Exposure
If you find black mold on your property, theres no need to panic. But black mold presents more health risks to sensitive groups like those with respiratory conditions or immune conditions.
According to the Centers for Disease Control , black mold spores can generate cold- or flu-like symptoms such as:
- Stuffy nose
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
So while black mold probably wont kill you, it can make you feel sick and should be removed as soon as possible.
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Homemade Mold Remover Spray Recipes
Use the spray suggested for the type of surface youre cleaning. Do not use these sprays at the same time or immediately after each other since their ingredients should not be combined. Do not store unused portions theyll lose effectiveness after 2-3 hours. Keep the sprays away from children and pets, and use proper ventilation at all times.
How To Get Musty Smell Out Of The Basement
Having a mildew smell in the basement is particularly unpleasant if someone is living in it. The first process shows you where to check for sources of the smell that may require fixing or cleaning.
From there, we have several cleaning recipes and techniques to work toward basement odor elimination. Some work may need to be done to the basement, but we have got you covered.
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How To Get Rid Of Mold On Shower Tile And Grout
Shower tile and grout can be a difficult area to keep mold free because the wet and warm conditions make it a prime breeding ground for mold. However, small areas of mold can be removed with a grout cleaner , a mold remover, or a bleach-and-water solution.
- Spray the grout, let the formula penetrate, and rinse. In some cases, there’s no scrubbing needed: In our tests, Clorox Tilex Mold and Mildew Remover spray killed 99.9% of mold and mildew germs and bacteria in only five minutes.
How To Remove Mold With Vinegar
Vinegar is natural and safe mild acid that can kill 82% of mold species. Plus it doesnt give off dangerous fumes like bleach. If you want to use vinegar to prevent mold growth on surfaces, spray vinegar on the surface and leave it. Repeat every few days to keep the surface mold-free.
How to Use Vinegar
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The Bottom Line On Getting Rid Of Mold In Your Basement
Mold can be scary, especially if you or a loved one have allergies or sensitivities. However, you can get rid of mold in your basement by fixing the moisture issue, removing unsalvageable material, and putting a little elbow grease into cleaning the affected area. Just remember to be safe, watch for cross-contamination, and never hesitate to call a professional if the problem becomes more than you can handle.
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How Do You Get Rid Of Mold
There are plenty of commercial products that are effective for black mold removal, but many of them contain harsh chemicals that may be as harmful as the mold itself. There are several ways to get rid of mold without resorting to toxic chemicals.
Here are 5 ways to treat black mold using green household cleaners:
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Is It Mold Or Mildew
Mold and mildew are both types of fungi that thrive in humid conditions with poor ventilation. The most common causes of mold and mildew on walls are condensation, humidity and water leaks.
Mildew is gray or white in appearance with a powdery texture. It can be found lying on flat surfaces in moist areas. As mildew is a surface mold, it wont damage your propertys structure .
Mold is a fungus that spreads from airborne spores. It is usually black, yellow, or green and has a fuzzy or slimy texture. Mold can cause structural issues in your home, as well as health issues.
How To Get Mold Smell Out Of A Basement
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S To Remove Mold From Carpet
Once you have diagnosed your carpet with mold, it is essential you act immediately. Be sure to keep the area cut off from the rest of your home. Mold can quickly and easily spread, turning a small issue into a significant projectand not the fun kind of project. There are two approaches to cleaning mold from your carpet. You can use natural products, or you can attack the area with stronger chemicals. Before handling any potentially moldy areas in your home, it is vitally important that you protect your face and hands. Face masks and gloves will go a long way in ensuring that the mold and cleaning chemicals do not affect your health.
It is equally important to note that you should not mix cleaning solutions unless otherwise specified, as this can create toxic fumes that would be hazardous to your health.
Vacuums without high-grade filtration will send mold spores back into your air, leaving them free to float around and land somewhere else they find suitable to colonize.
UV rays from the sun can actually help to kill mold spores.
What Does Mold Smell Like
Mold is simply a fungus and thrives on moisture indoors or outdoors. It reproduces thanks to tiny spores that can travel through the air. These spores are hard to see with the naked eye. There are many types of molds, but they all need water to live in.
Usually, a mold smell is not very strong, but it will produce a musty smell when it reaches a certain density. To illustrate, it might be like the smell of damp clothes in the rainy season or the smell of rotting wood, sometimes like the earths smell. Believe it or not, its not an odor you enjoy around your house.
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Products Youll Need In Order To Remove Mold Smell
Because youre just an amateur mold cleaning worker, its best to equip yourself with the things you need to protect yourself and speed up your productivity
- Face mask: Wearing a mask to avoid breathing mold spores and chemicals when cleaning.
- Protective glasses: Mold can cause itchy and burning eyes therefore, wearing protective glasses is essential.
- Rubber gloves: You dont want your hands and skin to get exposed to strong chemicals.
- Scrubber: You will need a high-quality scrubber with soft bristles to scrub off any moldy spots, especially large ones.
- Toothbrush: If the area is quite small and narrow, a toothbrush might be a more effective option.
- Cleaning rags: After the cleaning process, you use rags or absorbent cloths to remove residual mold and moisture.
- Plastic bags: Use these to keep all the material and discard as soon as you finish.
How Do I Handle The Mold Now
If you find your home does have mold or even mildew, the first tip we share with property owners is to find the source of the extra moisture. It is imperative to find the source and fix it immediately. If the mold is a new issue that has not happened in previous years, start with checking your mechanicals. Next check your roof for damage. Next look for any cracks or leaks in the foundation of your lake house, lake cottage or cabin. As soon as the excess moisture issue is fixed, mold removal and remediation can begin.
Assess the mold situation. If the mold is well beyond a light cleanup and is embedded into the woodwork or other materials in your house, its time to call the professionals. You can follow this link to get a list of local mold removal professionals that will give a free evaluation and estimate. If you believe it is a light cleanup and something you can tackle on your own, DO NOT use bleach. Bleach can actually spread mold because bleach has a high concentration of water which simply adds excess moisture. We suggest a product such as Concrobium Mold Control, which is specifically designed to deal with mold and mildew.
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The Shower And Bathtub
Your bathroom is a mold spores dream come true. Over time, and with repeated use, high high-traffic areas within the bathroom, including the shower and bathtub, accumulate a constant level of dampness.
Unless theyre properly ventilated, these spaces become the perfect habitat for mold spores. While it might seem like mold in these areas would be obvious, thats not always the case.
As you evaluate your shower and bathtub for mold, be sure to check shampoo bottles, loofahs and washcloths, your shower curtain, the space around the faucet and shower head, and the tile grout.
Helpful Tips You Should Know
To optimize the cleaning outcome and prevent mold from coming back to your house, you should follow some of the following tips:
- Disable HVAC systems: Turn off heating, air conditioning, or ventilation system so that the mold spores dont go into the system and get caught in it. As such, you can make sure that you have eliminated its presence from your house.
- Open your windows: Before attacking the musty, moldy area, dont forget to open all the windows and let fresh air in. Good ventilation is a prerequisite to improve current conditions.
- Open all compartments: Open your cupboards, drawers, cabinets, and more to let the air circulate and refresh.
- Clean one room at a time to prevent mold spores from flying all over the house.
- Use air purifiers and dehumidifiers: These appliances will be useful in terms of clearing indoor environments.
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