How To Get Rid Of Black Mold In Your Attic

Is Mold In Attic Common

Yes, attic mold is common because it can be found in any property, old or new. The condition for the growth of mold is abnormal moisture levels in the attic. Although attic mold can be found in all homes, research has shown that older homes are at a higher risk of attic mold infestation. This is because they often have faulty insulation that allows moisture to penetrate, thus creating suitable conditions for mold growth. The most common type of mold that grows in attics is Penicillium andAspergillus.

Attic Mold Removal In Toronto Ottawa Montreal And Edmonton

Findingmold in your home or business can be scary and frustrating. Mold or mould is a type of fungus that is formed through a few key ingredients including moisture, a surface to grow on, and a lack of air ventilation.Attic mold is a typical place to discover mold and can be remediated with the help of Canada’s Restoration Services. Our professional mold removal company has been conducting mold inspections in attics and performing mold removal in attics for over 10 years. We are proud to announce that we provide a transferrable warranty for up to 25 years for mold removal and mold remediation in attics. The warranty is listed on the property and is transferred to the new homeowner, if you decide to sell your home.

How To Get Rid Of Mildew In The Attic

• Scratching Noise at Night in the Attic

Mildew grows in a thin, black or whitish layer on a variety of materials in your attic. It thrives in warm, dark, moist areas and produces a musty odor that clings to everything it touches. Cleaning mildew from your attic is not a difficult task, but it does require some time and patience. Once mildewed surfaces are cleaned, your attic will need some help drying out to prevent more mildew from developing.

Also Check: Does Vinegar Kill Mold On Basement Walls

How To Clean Automotive Mold

An easy and chemical-free way to clean and kill mold inside your car is to use white vinegar. This acid helps to kill mold and keep it from returning by essentially burning it. You just need to pour the vinegar into a spray bottle and mix it with some water. A good ratio is eight parts vinegar to two parts water.

How Does Moisture Get In Our Attics

To further talk about how mold gets in our attic we need to find out how moisture gets in our attic.

To break it down, your house is heated in the winter. When you heat air, the heated air holds more moisture and rises to the ceiling.

The hot air then finds tiny cracks and holes in your drywall through air vents, light fixtures, and wall junctions to enter the attic space.

Once in the attic, the hot air mixes with the cold winter air and begins to dew on materials, with the most common material being the roof decking.

Once dewing, the water can drip onto your drywall which causes staining on your ceilings or can create mold.

TL DR : Hot, humid air rises into your attic, mixes with the cold winter air and condensatescausing staining and mold.

Theres also this handy video that explains how mold gets in your attic in northern climates. However, you may or not need remediation suggested at the ending. Read on to find out.

Read Also: Black Mold Ceiling Bathroom

Create A Bleach Mixture

If the black mold growth in your home is small enough for you to treat alone, a simple mixture of bleach and water can help. Add one cup of bleach to one gallon of water and apply it to the moldy spots. You can also find commercial black mold removal products.

Soak a paper towel in the cleaner and press it over the mold growth to dampen the area. Then start scrubbing. Avoid spraying moldy areas, since the droplets will collide with the mold spores and launch them throughout the room, making them easier to breathe in and harder to eradicate.

Be sure to dry the area thoroughly when youre done.

Do NOT mix bleach with ammonia. This combination can create toxic fumes that are far more dangerous than any mold youre trying to clean.

Removing Mold Growth From Roof Sheathing

Mold remediation contractors use a variety of techniques to address attic mold growth, including dry ice blasting, hand sanding and encapsulation. The first two are effective, though often cost prohibitive. As you can imagine, the labor required to hand scrub every square inch of roof sheathing is quite significant. Additionally, encapsulation is still necessary, as the hand sanding and brushing will not remove the underlying stain left by the mold spores.

Dry ice blasting is an attractive, but expensive, choice. The technique uses solidified carbon dioxide beads to blast the surface material from the sheathing. The concept is similar to sand blasting, minus the mess. Unfortunately, dry ice blasting produces a large amount of carbon dioxide gas, which in a confined area, can lead to a drop in oxygen levels. This necessitates several safety measures that can quickly ruin the economic feasibility of the process.

Encapsulation addresses several of these problems in an efficient and cost-effective manner. We have more information on the subject of mold encapsulation on our mold treatment page.

You May Like: How To Fix Moldy Bathroom Ceiling

Can Mold In The Attic Make You Sick

No, it cannot. Fortunately, attic mold is not associated with the negative health issues that are linked to other forms of molds. This is because people do not spend a lot of time in the attic. As such, they do not get to breathe in mold spores that cause health problems. However, this does not mean that attic mold is safe. It could still be harmful to the occupants of your home. If not monitored, attic mold growth can cause an infestation that can pose health risks for people with allergies and other health conditions like asthma. In some instances, breathing attic mold spores can cause persistent coughing, sore throat, and sneezing.

In The Case Of Attic Mold The Answer Is Both

Truth is, unless you live in a bubble, every home has some amount of mold in it. And its not really a problem until you add excessive moisture. Have you ever noticed a little mold in the corners of your window where condensation occurs? Its not usually there in the summer, when the windows are open and the air is cool and dry. It shows up when we add heat and humidity to our home- creating ideal conditions for mold to bloom. Your attic environment is not much different. Attics are naturally hot in the summer and cold in the winter. But they should be dry. If your attic is steamy in the summer and clammy in the winter, you have a moisture problem. And you know what excessive moisture causes- mold problems. The good news is a mold problem in your attic isnt cause to panic. When caught early enough, mold remediation wont cost you a fortune. And if you choose DRYmedic to fix your attic mold problem, fixing your moisture problem wont either.

Also Check: Mold In My Ac Vents

Can You Eat Butter With Mold

Eating moldy butter is not life-threatening, nor will it give you food poisoning or even make you sick. However, once the quality starts to deteriorate and butter goes rancid, the smell and taste become off-putting and may change the flavor of or even spoil your favorite recipe. Fresh is always best.

How To Prevent And Remove Mold From Attics

How to prevent and Remove Mold from Attic?

How often should you check your attic? Is your attic free of molds? How bad is mold in attic? How can you treat mold in attic?

Often neglected yet one of the important spaces of your home is attic. Do you check the walls and floors, the sides and corners of your attic quite often? If the answer is no, your attic needs a thorough check. Neglected attics have more chances of mold infestation. Molds may look like a petty problem that could be rinsed off with one splash. But it is beyond your imagination. The extent of which is even asthma, memory loss, anxiety and depression under long-term effects. First off, you need to know what mold is and what problems can it can lead to.

You May Like: How To Get Rid Of Mildew On Boat Seats

Also Check: How To Clean Mold Off Ceiling In Bathroom

How Mold Grows In The Attic

Mold grows in the attic due to moisture issues. One of those is improper ventilation. The attic usually has a system where the warm air from outside comes in through soffit/eave ventsand flows through the attic, rises and goes out through the ridge vents.

However, if attic insulation is covering the vents and the air cannot escape, it continues to warm up and cause moisture and condensation on the colder wood in the attic. Thus causing mold to grow. According to the US Federal Housing Authority, 1 square foot of venting is needed for 100 square feet of attic space.

How To Get Rid Of Attic Mold With Tea Tree Oil

• Oil it Up! For those who once thought essential oils were only good for making the house smell great, theres another helpful use. And, you can find many essential oils that act as a natural fungicide.
• A good one to use is tea tree oil mix a few drops of this oil into a spray bottle with water to spray onto the offending surfaces. If you choose this method, be sure to shake the bottle well because the oil and water will naturally separate.

This technique will help to kill molds that are already there, but is equally effective to prevent mold growth in the first place.

If you dislike the smell of tea tree oil you could also try grapefruit seed oil for the same effect without the tea tree aroma.

Don’t Miss: Mold Or Mildew On Bathroom Ceiling

Skip Sheathing And Tongue & Groove

For many years the sheathing material of choice was skip sheathing or tongue and groove. Both of these were natural wood products with excellent mold resistance. While mold growth can occur on these materials, it typically requires far more moisture and time for the growth to occur. We regularly encounter attics with skip sheathing that have very poor ventilation and yet, remarkably little mold growth. Part of this is due to the age of the homes and the general lack of air sealing that occurred when they were originally constructed. However, a large factor is simply natural woods resistance to mold growth.

Below is an unusual example of mold attacking the skip sheathing, while the plywood remains largely unaffected. Often this is a sign that the plywood has been replaced recently. The mold growth may have occurred years ago and has yet to attack the new plywood.

White Mold Growth on Attic / Roof Sheathing

Below is a more typical example of mold growth. Note the heavy staining and growth on the plywood. The original skip sheathing has much less growth.

How To Treat Black Mold In Attic

Depending on the size of the black mold growth, you can try removing it yourself. For small growths, there are several home remedies to clean them. Here are the steps:

• Remove all the contaminated stuff. Black mold grows easily, so you need to remove all objects that may make the mold grow again. Make sure to wrap them tightly in plastic, to prevent the mold spores from growing and spreading.
• Prepare proper cleaning tools. You need a mask, gloves, and goggles. Make sure to dispose of all of them after the cleaning. Again, you need to wrap them tightly with plastic, before discarding the objects.
• Make sure there is enough ventilation in the attic. Poor ventilation will make you get exposed to flying spores that cannot get out.
• Mix some detergent with warm water until foamy. Use this mixture to scrub the moldy surface as hard as you can. This solution is perfect for nonporous materials, and not ideal for wood.
• Detergent does not work? Add a half tablespoon of baking soda into the water in a medium-sized spray bottle . Shake the bottle and spray the mixture to the moldy surface. Scrub the mold clean before spraying again. This time, let the mixture to dry by itself.
• Discard all the tools you use for cleaning . Wrap them in plastic before throwing them out. This is to prevent mold spores from flying around.

Also Check: Airborne Mold In House

Tips To Prevent Attic Mold

• Check the attic for moisture or musty odors periodically. If either are detected, locate the issue right away to get a mold remediation plan in place.

• Make sure all exhaust fans and vents are working properly

• Make sure the attic vents are not blocked by insulation or other items in the attic

• Install an attic fan to help keep moisture levels down

• Keep the attic dry, and if moisture or water leaks have been detected, dry out right away to prevent mold growth

• Fix any roof or window leaks right away

• Once all mold has been remediated, spray a fungicide or other mold prevention product to help prevent mold from coming back

• Keep the attic clean and clutter free. The less clutter the better!

If you are ever in doubt about your DIY attic mold removal, or if you are unsure if you do have attic mold, call Rock Environmental at 585-340-6799, or click the button below! We are available 24/7/365.

What Causes Attic Mold

We in the mold industry like to say that mold problems are moisture problems. In other words, you cannot have a mold problem without a moisture problem.

Generally speaking, attic moisture problems that lead to mold growth are most often caused by:

Lets take a look at each one of these three causes individually so you can make sure you or a professional fix the source of the mold problem.

Don’t Miss: Prevent Mold On Bathroom Ceiling

Diy Attic Mold Removal What To Use To Clean Mold Safely

There are 3 simple ingredients you can safely use to clean away mold in your home: white vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. Remember NOT to mix these ingredients! Keep reading for maximum cleaning power and safety!

What about all of the mold cleaners that are being marketed? What about the claims that a certain product kills mold, removes mold, removes stains, disinfects surfaces and prevents mold from ever returning? If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

To learn more about the products you use to clean your home, and how they are NOT regulated by the federal government, check out our articles: Cleaning Products Homemade vs. Store Bought and How to Choose the Best Black Mold Removal Products.

A: First Use Moldstat Plus To Kill Attic Mold Then Fix Your Vents

Gloria, you have it right, the combination of moisture and wood makes for good eating for the city of mold growing in your attic. Idea wise certainly killing attic mold on wood is the sweet spot for using MoldSTAT + mold killer. More details about how to go about application and the tools are a bit lower on this page.

What we wanted to call your attention to is when to kill the mold. We recommend quickly killing the attic mold now to prevent the growth from getting even more out of control. By eliminating the mold that has already built up you will reduce spread of mold spores that will happen from the activity of replacing the existing duct work. Once the duct work is replaced, then as a final step, we suggest a re-application of the mold stat plus to get rid of any lingering mold that may have been jostled loose during the construction activity.

As far as a need for Mold Prevention Solutions, as long as the moisture is under control, the attic mold is unlikely to regrow, so a mold sealant would be over kill, but it might make sense to use an anti-microbial mold prevention spray as a final pass to afford 6 months of prevention as the overall attic moisture levels recede.

You May Like: Wet Molding Leather Holsters

Identify The Moisture Problem

Now the hard part begins. Its easy enough to shoot holes in the treatment only techniques. Its quite another task to successfully identify the cause of attic mold growth in each unique situation. The cause of the excess moisture must be clearly identified. In most cases, this is due to several compounding factors.

Poorly connected exhaust fan