How To Prevent Mold And Mildew Throughout The House
Help keep your home free of mold and mildew with a few preventive measures.
- Use dehumidifiers, fans, and open windows to help reduce the moisture in your home. Be especially vigilant during hot, humid months.
- Fix plumbing leaks as soon as possible.
- Do what you can to prevent rainwater from seeping into your home. Check potential problem areas regularly.
- Clean the fabrics in your home routinely and keep them dry.
- Store items in dry, well-ventilated areas.
Learn Why White Vinegar Removes Mold Better Than Bleach
Vinegar is a bold mold killer. According to ServiceMaster Restoration and Cleaning, the mild acid in vinegar kills about 82% of known molds and can help prevent future outbreaks.
You can clean small amounts of mold with vinegar yourself, but know when to call professionals. Besides a crisis, such as a flooded home, the Environmental Protection Agency advises hiring professionals when the moldy patch covers about 10 square feet or larger.
In this video, learn more about mold remediation from out senior editor, Brad Holden.
Find The Moisture Source
Black mold removal is important. But first, one must identify that it is black mold. First, look at the color, followed by the smell. Black mold is black or even dark grey in color, and often smells wet and musty, as it usually grows in areas with a lot of moisture. Black mold is also usually noticeable in the home if you experience a burning or scratching sensation in your throat or lungs. Black mold is dangerous, and can greatly affect your health if left untreated, so it’s important to remove it as soon as you’re aware of it.
Before you can begin any black mold treatment, youll need to perform a black mold test and find the source. Its often the result of excess moisture in a particular area. Youre most likely to find black mold in areas of your home that you dont visit as often like the basement, but it can pop up anywhere. Here are a few common moisture sources to look for:
- Faucets and fixtures. Sink, shower and bathtub faucets and fixtures that are leaking can lead to the growth of black mold over time.
- Exposed plumbing. Damaged or leaking pipes, especially in warmer temperatures, can often create black mold in areas like basements.
- Water heaters. A small leak can create black mold in your basement or water heater closet.
Also Check: How To Clean Mold Off Bathroom Walls And Ceiling
Symptoms Of Black Mold Exposure In Adults
Exposure to black molds must be avoided at all times. With or without sensitivities, you can still experience poisoning. The following are the symptoms of black mold exposure in adults:
- Itchy and red eyes
- Respiratory irritations
Those with asthma and other breathing problems must be extra careful. The mold spores are enough to trigger an attack. If you inhaled the mycotoxins, the effect would be much worse.
The same goes for immunocompromised individuals. They are at a higher risk of developing an infection when exposed to black molds for long periods.
Aside from adults, infants and children are also vulnerable when exposed to black molds. Its actually a risk factor for asthma among children.
If you suspect that youre experiencing black mold poisoning, you should seek medical care right away. Youll undergo a blood test and skin prick test to determine if you have an allergic reaction to black molds. The doctor can also provide prescriptions to ease the symptoms. Ultimately, an allergy shot will help reduce your flaring immune system.
Keep Healthy Humidity Levels
Mold and mildew thrive in a humid environment, so it is important to keep your humidity levels down. In areas that are prone to excessive moisture, make sure you ventilate. When using the kitchen, bathroom or basement, turn on the vent fans. If there are no vent fans in these rooms, have them repaired or installed by an electrician. Also, consider installing whole-home humidification or plug-in dehumidifiers.
Attics fans can also help manage moisture and provide ventilation in the home. Ask your HVAC professional if attic fans are right for your home.
You can also take measures to control the humidity levels in your home with your HVAC system, which may or may not have a humidification system built in. Regardless, running the air conditioner will help dry and circulate the air. A closed up home in the summer without air conditioning and little air movement will create the humid, warm and dark conditions necessary for mold growth.
Don’t Miss: How To Clean Mold Between Pavers
How To Identify Mold On Concrete
If you think you have mold growing on your concrete surfaces, you can look at few things to see if it is indeed mold.
Color of the growth pattern. If it is white, black, brown, or green, it could be a mold colony growing on your surfaces.
The shape of the growth. Are there circular patterns? What about a climbing growth pattern from the floor up the wall? If so, this is a good indication of a mold colony growing on the concrete surfaces.
If you see any stains, growth patterns, or other concerning objects growing on your concrete walls, contact a professional at Mold Busters and have a complete inspection done to confirm the growth is, in fact, mold.
Get Rid Of Dust Mites
Household dust mites and their debris flourish in damp, mouldy conditions. Living in bedding, carpets and other soft furnishings, dust mites thrive in homes that dont have adequate ventilation and where relative humidity is high. Did you know if you have had your pillow or duvet for over 2 years 10% of their weight is made up of dust mites, dead mites and their droppings. When this detritus comes into contact with skin or is inhaled, it can cause allergic reactions, resulting in asthma attacks, eczema, watering eyes, itching, sneezing and a runny nose.
Reducing humidity levels considerable reduces the mites ability to thrive. Bedding, cushions and carpets should be frequently cleaned or hoovered, and mattresses flipped to help remove mites and their debris as well as dead skin cells and hair that provide them sustenance.
Recommended Reading: How To Clean Mold Off Bathroom Ceiling
What Are The Symptoms Of Reaction To Black Mold
Among the most common risks and health effects of mold are allergies. Some of the most common allergy symptoms of mold include runny nose, wheezing, rash, itchy and watery eyes, redness of the eyes and coughing. Mold also irritates the airways and eyes and skin and causes fever and respiratory problems. Those with low immune systems or chronic lung disease can develop serious lung infections due to mold allergy. Other reactions to black mold include damage to internal organs, mental damage, exhaustion and nausea. In extreme cases, it can also be fatal.
How To Kill Black Mold With Tea Tree Oil
- Combine 1 teaspoon of your favorite teat tree oil to 1 cup of water.
- Stir or shake thoroughly and put the mixture into your spray bottle.
- Mist mold mixture on tarnished areas and wipe clean.
- No spray bottle No worries!
- Thoroughly dampen a disposable towel or old hand towel with green cleaning solution and apply to tarnished area.
- As a mold prevention measure, apply the tree oil to tile grout or around faucet handles and spouts then leave to dry)
Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Mildew On Boat Seats
How To Kill Black Mold With Bleach
Killing Black Mold with Bleach on a hard, non-porous surface will kill nearly any type of mold spore that it comes in contact with.
Eliminating Black Mold with Bleach is also very inexpensive and readily available. Many, if not most food markets, grocery outlets, and hardware stores will carry a number of mold killing cleaners.
However, bleach has a heck-of-a time reaching the root level of mold growth in porous type items such as tile grout , wood and cement block. To name a few. Thus, it is very important to pay attention to the type of surface you are intending to clean.
The mold killing agent in the bleach simply does not reach the root and instead, leaves the moisture content of the bleach behind in its wake. This same moisture is what promotes additional mold growth to the area just cleaned.
Have you ever wondered why mold stains keep coming back to the same area of your outside patio or wooden deck after killing the mold growth with bleach? Hmmm..,
Never mix bleach with ammonia This is extremely dangerous and will likely produce Toxic Chloramine Fumes or Vapors.
Never mix bleach with vinegar Combining these two mold cleaners together will not give you a better cleaning agent to work with.
While vinegar will lower the pH in the bleach and in turn make the bleach a better disinfectant, the trade-off for safety purposes is not worth it. And, the vinegar-bleach combo could be lethal as Toxic Chlorine Gases will be discharged into the surrounding airspace.
How To Kill Black Mold With Vinegar
No need to mix anything here white distilled vinegar can be used to clean away black mold as is and right out of the bottle.
- Evenly spray white vinegar onto the mold stains or you can make your own mixture of a vinegar borax-water solution
- No spray bottle! Just pour the vinegar or borax solution onto a disposable towel and generously wipe onto the mold covered area and allow to dry for an hour or so.
- Get a damp towel and wipe clean again, allow to air-dry .
- If staining persists, then give the hydrogen peroxide or baking soda and vinegar combo a shot. The borax-water combo may work for you here as well on any lasting discoloration.
- Add a little elbow grease with an old toothbrush and you should be good-to-go!
Read Also: What Causes Mold On Ceiling In Bathroom
Quickly Stop The Source Of Moisture To Prevent Mold From Growing Further
Depending on the problem, you may have to perform significant repairs to stop the moisture. If its a leaky pipe, condensation in your HVAC system, or a crack in a doorway or window, make sure to either repair or have a professional repair it ASAP. If there is a moisture problem from your basement walls, run a dehumidifier to dry excess humidity.
Use A Humidity Monitor
Lastly, put up a humidity monitor in your home. This will let you know if the humidity levels are within a healthy range. By watching over the humidity level, you can prevent your home from being a breeding ground of black molds.
On average, the ideal humidity level for household settings is 30% to 50%. Once it goes beyond 55%, your home becomes an ideal place for mold growth. This is what you need to avoid.
A humidity monitor will keep an eye on the moisture level. This way, you can act fast to fix leaks and remove other sources of dampness.
Also Check: How Quickly Can Mold Grow From Water Damage
What Causes Black Mold On Windows
Black mold does favor damp condition as the result of condensation. Windows play a major role in separating two areasinside and outside. Why the natural process often takes place is merely the different temperature from both sides. Additionally, less sun illumination making the window area shadier is another cause cant be underrated.
Putting the pot plants and flowers on the window sills undeniably adds your interior artistic details. On the other hand, the plant life placed within spitting distance from the window can easily transfer the mold spore. Besides, water droplets excreted from the leaves pore commonly called guttation can impact on wet surroundings rich in humidity.
Dirt usually left on the glass panes can also contribute to the fungus development and colonization. Any debris containing organic materials on the windowpane is good food source full of nutrient. This matter seems a bit trivial, but with no right measure in clearing out the grime, the black mold will flourish well.
S To Get Rid Of Black Mold
Following are the methods that are effective and help you out to get rid of them.
1- Baking soda is mixed with water and sprayed on the wall. Which can be helpful in the removal of the black mold.
2- Vinegar has anti-bacterial properties, and these black molds are created because of bacteria or fungus for many reasons. Mix vinegar with water or apply it directly can surely treat it.
3- There are many sprays in the market to remove black molds. And most bouquets contain hydrogen peroxide, which is essential for anti-fungal issues.
4- Lemon has bleaching properties, and using it on fungal things will give you effective results, and it also removes the fungal smell.
5- Kerosine oil is very useful and is mostly used in humid fungal and black mold. It removes the most rigid black mold but creates a bit of smell.
Recommended Reading: Remove Mold From Leather Couch
Dealing With Black Mold Contact Restoremasters
Although you can reduce the amount of black mold in your home, theres a possibility it might grow back. At RestoreMasters, our team specializes in residential and commercial mold removal.
Our experts have the equipment to treat your mold infestation to ensure it wont regrow. Our goal is to get you back in your home comfortably and safely.
We service Salt Lake and Utah counties. Contact us today to learn more.
Use Detergent & Baking Soda
Detergent and baking soda is a more powerful version of killing mold than using laundry detergent. Below are the steps you should follow.
Read Also: How To Get Rid Of Mold In Basement
How To Clean Mold And Mildew From Fabric
Avoid sending mold spores into the air and throughout the house by first taking fabric and upholstery outside when possible. Brush off as much of the mildew as possible. Then treat fabric or upholstered pieces individually as follows.
Moldy or mildewy fabric should be laundered in chlorine bleach and hot water. If chlorine bleach is not a safe option for the material, soak it in oxygen bleach and hot water for a half-hour, then wash as directed. Take it outside to dry in the sun if possible.
Upholstery that you can’t take outside should be vacuumed first. Replace the vacuum bag or take the canister outside to clean. Then mix 1 cup of ammonia with 1 cup of cool water. Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stains with the ammonia solution. Blot until all the liquid is absorbed. Repeat the process until the stain disappears. To remove the resulting ammonia solution, sponge the area with cold water and blot. Dry thoroughly with a fan or hair dryer set on cool.
Make Sure That Downspouts Arent Draining Onto The Foundation
Even if your gutters are clear, you can have problems if the water is draining too close to the house. It can leak into the basement or wear away at the soil underneath the footings, causing the walls and ceilings to crack. To avoid this problem, make sure that downspouts extend a minimum of ten feet from your house.
Read Also: What Causes Mold On Bathroom Ceiling
Symptoms Of Black Mold Exposure In Adults: What You Need To Know
Molds are one of the most common problems among households. But of the thousands of mold types, theres one thats been plaguing homes for years: black molds. Its dark color is often attributed to its menacing health effects. In this post, I will discuss the symptoms of black mold exposure in adults and what you can do if your family got in contact with this allergen.
Remember that any type of mold can be dangerous to a persons health. This is why you should act fast the moment you discover the presence of molds in your home.
How To Get Rid Of Black Mold
Some areas in the world have moist air, much humidity or pollution it damages not only the health of the person but also the property like furniture, house, etc. However, it can be cured in different ways. In the following article, we get to know about How to get rid of black mold? So please dont skip the article from anywhere and read it carefully because it will be very useful for all of you guys.
Black mold is the type of fungus on the wall, edges of the windows or the wall, or the corners of the floor. Moreover, it is like a spongy shape or looks like a black hole that cant be removed if the proper method is not used. It also causes smell and products are available to remove it too.
Furthermore, many professional companies are working on this issue, but they charge very high at some places and are so expensive. So, for those who dont want to do it from companies, easy remedies are there for them that can be performed at home freely.
Lets discuss them
Recommended Reading: How To Mold Leather Holster
