How To Get Rid Of Black Mold On Drywall
The unpleasant presence of black mold in your house does not only pose a health risk for you and your family but might also suggest another larger problem in your house broken insulation or water infiltration system, for instance. You will want to learn how to get rid of black mold on drywall and how to take preventive actions in order to ensure the health of your family, yourself and your pets.
Although the mold is not harmful itself, it produces unhealthy toxins that can harm people and pets if they spread across the room or house. These toxins can cause allergic reactions and worsen respiratory problems for small children, the elderly, and those with a weak immune system.
Therefore, you should immediately take action when you spot black mold on drywalls, furniture, ceilings or other installations.
Looking For Mold In Walls
If you have mold on drywall, there is a possibility there can also be mold inside the walls, including in the insulation and on wooden studs within the walls. While you’re removing and replacing drywall, make sure you look carefully for signs of mold inside the walls. Here is more about mold in walls.
How To Remove Mold From A Drywall
Today is a surprisingly lazy day and youve finally got the time to lie down on your couch and do nothing. You cast a long, casual glance on your drywall only to find a big, black ball on it. Disgusted by what you just saw, you thoroughly inspect your wall and find out that its a mold. Mold can damage your wall to the extent that youd have to install a new one. Besides, the presence of mold in your house can be quite deadly for your health.
However, timely removal of the mold can help you save your wall and save yourself from contracting any serious infections. But the most important question is whether you can get this done on your own. Is it really that easy to get rid of the mold? The good news is that you can kill the mold on your own. Lets have a look at how you can remove the mold.
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How To Remove Mold From Drywall Using White Vinegar
White vinegar is a powerful mold cleaner thanks to its acetic acid content. Acetic acid rapidly kills molds and makes it effortless to wipe away. Use distilled white vinegar at full strength to harness its mold-destroying power.
Pour distilled white vinegar into a sprayer and saturate moldy areas. Allow the distilled white vinegar to sit on the mold for at least one hour to ensure all spores are eradicated. Wipe away mold residue with a clean cloth and repeat until no sign of mold remains.
Take care when using distilled white vinegar on painted drywall, as the acid content may cause the paint to peel or crack.
How To Remove Black Mold From Unfinished Drywall
Fixing a mold problem on unpainted drywall will take considerably longer and is more labor intensive. There will be no actual cleaning involved â instead, the moldy section will be cut out and replaced. If you are unable to do this, then its recommended you employ the services of a contractor.
What you will need: Plastic sheets, a pencil, a utility knife, some sandpaper, a new piece of drywall, some drywall compound, and a vacuum cleaner .
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How To Clean And Disinfect
Cleaning and disinfecting the area after you remove the mold is important to make sure all spores are removed. If the area only affected the outside of the drywall, allowing a bleach mixture to sit on the surface for fifteen minutes and wiping down with water is sufficient.
If you needed to remove drywall to get rid of the mold, extra steps should be taken. First, wipe benefact antimicrobial on all of the unaffected drywall near the area. Use a HEPA vacuum on the unaffected areas as well to remove any spores that may be clinging. Youll also need to HEPA vacuum the entire area you contained, including floors, to make sure no spores get into other areas of the home.
Spray The Cleaning Solution On:
Put on your safety gear and carefully place the step ladder underneath the moldy ceiling. Climb up and spray all the affected areas with the vinegar and baking soda mixture.
If the ceiling is painted, you will first have to scrape the paint off from the moldy areas before applying the cleaning solution.
Wait an hour or two for the solution to kill the existing mold and spores.
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Scrub Moldy Surfaces + Let Dry
Once the product has soaked for a few hours, you can remove it and the mold using a soft bristle brush or sponge. Continue scrubbing until there is no visible mold. Let the area dry completely before moving onmoisture could contribute to the mold growing back. You can ensure the wall dries by pointing a van right at the affected area.
Know Your Mold And Mildew
Mold can grow in your home wherever theres an abundance of moisture, especially when its allowed to remain for extended periods of time. Mold usually appears on walls, ceilings and floors of homes where moisture management is not at its best. In particular, basements, shower walls and windowsills are areas where mold commonly likes to live. Mold and mildew, for all intents and purposes, are essentially the same thing mildew is generically used to describe many minor mold problems in the home, such as on shower tile grout. However, some molds can become highly toxic to people if left to prosper. Mold can cause allergic reactions, asthma and other respiratory complications, and is especially a risk for small children, the elderly and those with existing respiratory illnesses or weakened immune systems. Mold can appear in many shapes and colors, none of which accurately determines the actual species of mold. However, it does commonly present itself in various tints of black, white, green or blue, and in many combinations of these and other colors.
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How To Prevent Mold From Getting Worse
If there is visible mold behind the bathtub wall and surround, there is probably some sort of moisture leak that is causing it to expand. That being said, we would recommend that you stop running water in that bathtub until you can have a professional remediate the mold.
We also recommend keeping the bathroom ventilated by leaving the doors and windows open to reduce the amount of moisture that is allowed to seep in.
Installing a HEPA filter in your bathroom can also help to remove mold spores from the air and hinder their ability to spread and grow.
Clean Walls Clean Home
If you notice signs of mold growth on the walls of your home, youll need to take action before it spreads. It has the potential to cause health issues and structural problems to your property.
The most important thing to do is to fix the source of the problem to prevent mold growth. Then, depending on the size of the affected area, you can either clean the mold yourself or hire a professional.
Removing small patches of mold yourself is fairly easy. You can use readily available products such as borax, vinegar, baking soda, tea tree oil, bleach, and hydrogen peroxide. But, if mold covers a substantial area of a wall, you should seek expert help immediately.
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Removing Black Mold From Drywall
The process begins by finding out whats causing the mould in the first place and fixing the problem. If the issue is a simple leak, make sure its completely fixed before you begin removing mold from drywall. At this point you also want to get an idea of how big the affected area is. Its only recommended for homeowners not trained in black mold removal to tackle areas that are less than ten square feet. Because of the potential health dangers of mold this is a precaution you should take.
Black mildew is the most dreaded type of mould and you should exercise caution if you suspect you have black mold. Determining if you have black mold on drywall can be as easy as checking the pattern its growing in, as it always grows in a circular pattern. The process to remove black mold from drywall is the same as with any other fungi.
Another step is to check the damage to the drywall itself. Unfortunately, removing mold from drywall isnt always possible. If the damage is too extensive the piece will need to be removed and replaced. Check that the drywall isnt soaking wet, bowed or crumbling before continuing. You must also determine if the mould is on the surface of the drywall, such as on top of paint, or inside of the drywall, which usually occurs with a leaky pipe. As long as the damage isnt too severe even mold inside drywall can be removed in small chunks.
Using Stain Removers For Killing Mold From Drywall And Sheetrock
There are some cases where you could simply spray moldy drywall with a mold stain remover. Clorox Clean Up is cheap and works well, but there are many others. You can use mold stain remover when the black mold is a simple surface mold caused by humidity. If you arent sure if its surface mold, or something more serious, most honest mold removal professionals will offer a free quote.
The most common example of this scenario is in a shower, along the wall or ceiling drywall. When people take long, steamy showers, the shower walls & ceilings get wet with humidity and eventually black mold will start to grow. You can lightly spray the walls with your mold stain remover, wait a couple minutes, and wipe it off. Repeat as needed. But keep in mind that unless you start drying out your bathroom after showering, the mold will eventually return.
If you are looking for tips on removing humidity from your furniture and clothes to reduce the chances of having mold, here is an article that might help.
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How To Get Rid Of Black Mold
Manuel Sousa/ iStock/ Getty Images Plus
- Working Time: 15 mins – 2 hrs
- Total Time: 15 mins – 2 hrs
- Skill Level: Intermediate
Mold spores can be found nearly everywhere on earth. But finding black mold is unnerving because of its potential danger, so you want to get rid of black mold as soon as possible. When the spores are exposed to moderate temperatures and moisture, they begin to grow and multiply. Our homes, especially bathrooms and damp basements, can provide nearly ideal environments for mold to thrive.
The good news is that not all mold, even the ones that appear to be black in color, are dangerous. There are three categories of common molds found in households that can have health effects:
- Allergenic molds that can be safely removed by using disinfecting products
- Pathogenic molds that can be controlled with disinfectants
- Toxic molds that require professional treatment and disposal of all affected materials
What has become known as the dangerous black mold is Stachybotrys chartarum, a colony with a dark green or black slimy surface. It is most often found in homes or buildings that have been exposed to excessive amounts of water and humidity for an extended period of time, especially after a flood. S. chartarum produces trichothecenes, a type of mycotoxin. Exposure to S. chartarum could potentially lead to a wide range of respiratory health effects, though this has not yet been proven.
How To Prevent Mold
Mold flourishes in warm, moist areas, so the key to mold prevention is controlling moisture buildup in your home. Controlling the humidity in your home and addressing leaks or water intrusions as soon as possible is the primary way to prevent mold, says Ragsdale. If you notice any water leaks, act quickly to fix the leak. If your indoor humidity levels run high, you may want to invest in a dehumidifier or air conditioner to better control the humidity. Ragsdale recommends servicing your HVAC system annually to ensure it is doing its job at controlling humidity buildup. Crawl spaces and basements are common locations for mold growth, says Rasgdale, since they are typically not climate controlled. If you cannot ventilate these areas, you may need to install a dehumidifier. Ragsdale also recommends being mindful of how you store items in these areas. For example, a pile of newspapers or magazines can soak up moisture in humid spaces and make excellent breeding grounds for mold.
Bathrooms are also hotbeds for mold growth, so be sure to run the fan or open a window during showers or baths. In addition, take care to wipe down surfaces in your shower stall to prevent mold growth. Sometimes mold grows in areas of the shower where water becomes trapped or takes a while to dry out, such as gaskets or shower door tracks. In these cases, take extra time to ensure these areas are properly dried out.
Shutterstock/Burdun Iliya
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What Creates The Need For Mold Remediation
Mold spores severely detriment the indoor air quality inside your home. Mold growth primarily happens when moisture is high, such as after water damage from a leaking pipe. Bathroom and attic mold are common, as these areas often have the ideal conditions to make mold grow.
Though molds thrive on porous material, they grow on various surfaces, including drywall and painted drywall. When airborne water vapor hits a cold surface and turns into a liquid, mold may grow on your cellar or exterior walls. Because restrooms and laundry rooms are often damp, mold may flourish there.
You can frequently see mold and mildew coexisting on grout. The walls and ceiling next to humidifiers and any room with a hot tub or jacuzzi are other places that are humid and prone to mold.
Scrub With Baking Soda Or Borax
Sodium bicarbonate and the natural mineral borax each have a high pH that inhibits the growth and survival of mold. Both products are inexpensive and easy to use.
Make a paste of the powders with a few drops of water and apply it to the areas of mold growth. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes and then use a dampened scrub brush to scour the area. Rinse well with fresh water and dry with an old cloth.
Neither product is as effective at killing mold or removing stains as chlorine bleach or vinegar.
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What Is The Best Way To Get Rid Of Mold
Trying to get rid of mold without proper knowledge or without a professionals help may aggravate the situation or result in even more significant problems than the mold itself.
To get rid of mold completely and prevent mold regrowth, you have to determine the type of mold you are dealing with, the extent of growth, and the root cause of the problem. You have to find the best method to remove the mold, and sometimes this may involve removing the moldy surface completely. You also need to find and repair the source of moisture so mold does not grow again.
Natural ways of removing molds are best advised since most cleaning agents like bleach only remove the mold on the surface without getting to the roots. Also, some of these cleaning products have chemicals that can be toxic to humans.
Can I Just Open The Wall & Use Bleach To Clean It
You have to be very careful when treating mold inside the wall.
A few things to know first:
Depending on the age of the property, there could be asbestos & lead, so be cautious of opening materials, this can cause a procedure 5 clean up.
Build a contained area with plastic so you dont spread the mold spores causing secondary damage.
Heres a great way to capture particulates/ dust from spreading using simple shaving cream:
And finally, please do not use bleach. There is so much on the internet about using bleach, but we promise it doesnt work.
Weve been on hundreds of calls where theyve used bleach, and it comes right back in a matter of days.
Your better off using a mold removal agent like RMR or contact the Twins today, you can purchase ours.
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Identify The Mold Affected Surfaces
Keep in mind, that treating all of your mold growth at once will help to ensure that the mold doesnt begin to spread again once youre finished. Because If you have mold in one place, theres a good chance you have it someplace else.
For this step, place a small piece of painters tape near but not on, each mold spot you locate. This will help you quickly identify them later when your removing mold in your house.
If your mold problems are on the Outside of your house See our article on the Best Vinyl Siding Cleaner you can buy.
This Is A Picture Of The Mold Before Cleaning The Black Stuff Is It Humidity Or Roof Leak Related
The pattern of mold growth and brown staining indicates a roof leak, not condensation. While there are exceptions, humidity based mold typically does not have the brown water stain marks you see in your photo. Also, condensation based mold tends to be less intense and more diffuse. The mold growth on your ceiling is highly localized and fairly heavy. There are also areas of bubbling in the sheet rock, which indicates liquid water.
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