Why Should You Hire A Mold Removal Professional
It is important that you take action immediately to prevent more mold growth, but you also want to treat it and take proper steps to ensure it does not come back.
Hiring a professional means that the problem will be taken care of with the proper equipment and procedures to ensure safe mold removal from hardwood floors after water damage occurs. They have the knowledge and experience to make sure your home is mold free.
If youve got mold, or you are experiencing some of the health symptoms of being exposed to mold, a mold removal expert will be able to assist in diagnosing and fixing the problem.
Give the number on our website a call today for a free quote with no obligation!
Get Rid Of All Materials
Using a heavy-duty garbage bag to get rid of all the trash and debris, tools that you used, rags, and sandpaper ensures the problem does not recur. If you used a vacuum cleaner, use a chemical cleaner or bleach to wipe it down, killing collected mold spores.
Once you have learned how to get rid of mold on wood floors, ensure that you keep the floors dry to prevent the same problem. Cleaning the floors regularly also helps you monitor their condition. Humid environments promote the growth of mold. Therefore, it is good to ensure you control the humidity to prevent the growth of the mold.
Remove From Wood Floors
As with hardwood, you may notice warping or staining from the affected areas. It can also seep through the wood, causing it to be deeper than it first seems.
You can then add an 8:1 ratio of diluted bleach and water. Spray on the area and allow it to sit for several minutes. Bleach will prevent further spreading and kill existing mold.
If it seems to have penetrated the wood, you can use a scraping tool or brush to match the depth of growth.
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Kill Mold With Bleach
Bleach has a powerful sanitizing ability and can kill mold in just a few minutes. However, it has some dangers:
Because of these risks, you might want to avoid using bleach on your floor. It depends on the finish you have on your floor and how deep the mold appears to be growing. You can test an inconspicuous spot to see if it hurts your floors finish.
If you decide to use bleach, water it down in a spray bottle. Use only 1 part bleach to 10 parts water .
Spray the bleach to completely cover the mold. It will start killing the mold on contact, so you do not need to let it sit for long.
Leave the bleach on the mold for no more than 5 minutes . Swipe it up with a rag and throw it away.
Note: You may have read that white vinegar can also kill mold. Some people prefer vinegar because it is natural but vinegar is bad for hardwood floors. Vinegar takes 60 minutes to kill mold, which is way too long to leave liquid sitting on hardwood floors. It can damage the finish and seep into the wood, causing bigger problems. Skip the vinegar for your hardwood floor and use a bleach solution that kills mold faster.
Mold Is Often Discovered Under Floorboards But Dont Fret
With mold, early detection is advantageous, and discovering mold in the early stages can make remediation much easier. But when mold is discovered under flooring or under floorboards, there may be additional damage to deal with. When removing mold under floorboards there may be no other way but to completely remove the wood. In short, floorboards infested with mold may have no other option than to be removed, disposed, and replaced .
Removing mold under floorboards, but not replacing the wood itself, may allow residual mold to spread to other parts of the home. And while mold infestation can often be prolonged over time, the potential for structural damage can be huge. Beyond the damage, there may also be health risks – sometimes minor, but sometimes more serious. Mold-related health issues could include respiratory problems, sinus troubles, and allergic reactions. Hence, removal is always essential.
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Leaving Stains On Some Wood Surfaces Is Harmless Or Of Cosmetic Significance Only
If an exposed flooring surface remains stained even after surface mold has been removed, you will need to sand that surface – a step typically performed after the flooring has been installed.
While in general we recommend against using bleach as a substitute for proper mold cleanups we have successfully used bleach to remove stains in wood floors before re-finishing the exposed wood surface. Be sure that all bleach or any other cleaning has been thoroughly removed before re-finishing a floor.
Media blasting can also produce a very clean wood surface with minimum damage to the wood. But be careful: inexpert use of any power-blasting or power washing method for cleaning wood can leave a raised wood grain and a very uneven surface that would be unacceptable for finishing on an interior wood floor surface.
Stains that might remain on the flooring underside will be of no cosmetic import and as long as the floor is installed indoors and not exposed to water or high moisture, mold growth should not be a problem.
S To Dealing With Water Damaged Hardwood Floors
You dont need to panic every time someone spills a glass of water on your floors. Clean it up with a towel or paper napkins and you likely wont have to worry about mold growth.
These steps are good guidelines if the spill is something bigger where the potential for mold growth is there, but not so much you have to call in the big guns you can handle it yourself by following these steps.
1. Open Your Windows
Get fresh air circulating through your home to start the drying process. Moisture typically builds up because there is a lack of proper ventilation. However, if the weather is muggy this might not be a good idea because you will introduce more moisture into your home from the outside environment.
Do you live in La Jolla or the Coronado Cays? These places are two of the most notorious places in San Diego for mold issues because of the humidity and moisture in the air. If you live in an area that has a higher rate of humidity than the rest of the county, youre better off with a dehumidifier.
2. Scrub Floors
After you have wiped up the water on the floor scrub affected area with a non-sudsy cleaner. Warm water and white vinegar in a spray bottle is the most effective and natural remedy for this step. You likely already have these items in your home and it will save you a trip & save you from harsh chemicals.
3. Turn Fans on High
4. Meter Test for Moisture
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What Causes Mold To Grow On Floors
Mold growth always starts with one thing: moisture.
If your floors are exposed to any amount of excess moisture it could be in the form of a water leak, condensation, steam, or humidity theres a chance that mold can grow. Cleaning up spills and leaks quickly helps prevent mold growth, but if you didnt dry your floors thoroughly enough, it could lead to mold.
Once mold starts to grow on or underneath your flooring, it can cause staining, buckling, or even cause parts of your floor to rot.
Some types of flooring are particularly susceptible to mold, such as hardwood floors, which can trap or absorb moisture. Water can leak in between cracks and collect underneath without you noticing. On the other hand, tile and vinyl flooring is waterproof and therefore more resistant to mold.
How To Get Rid Of Mold Under Flooring
Related Articles
Mold – you can’t wish it away and you can’t really avoid it. However, you can get rid of it and keep it from coming back. There are more than 100,000 kinds of mold. In nature, they’re beneficial as those molds decompose biological matter that would otherwise drown the world in waste. When the mold spores drift inside your home, if the spores find a suitable, damp environment, they begin to grow. The result is more than distasteful – it can prove hazardous to your health. If it’s growing under your flooring, you need to fix the cause, kill and remove the mold, then replace the flooring.
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Signs Of Mould Under Hardwood Floors
Musty smells permeating your home area can be a sign that mold is growing somewhere. Mold usually oozes gases that have a musty odor. Find out more on what mold smells like.
Water damage is a prominent sign that there is a mold problem. If you observe spongy strength of the hardwood floor when you walk over it, it means water has damaged the wood and mold has surely grown.
Water stains on your floor is a sign that water has settled on your hardwood floor for long, hence, the formation of mold.
You can check under your hardwood floorboards for mold. You can do this yourself or call on a mold remediation specialist. Carefully pry up the trim so that you can pull up some hardwood floorboards.
While doing this, put on protective glasses and wear a face mask. Mold is toxic to human health taking necessary precautions is a wise thing to do.
Remove From Concrete Floors
For concrete floors, commonly in basements or the garage, be sure to start by scrubbing the area with a broom to loosen up the moldy surface. Then, mix water and detergent that does not contain any ammonia ingredients. Pour it onto the floor and work the mix with a broom or scrub brush to ensure it is getting into all the grooves to help removal.
Fill a bucket with clean water. Begin to mop up the area of affected concrete. Once the area dries, you can visibly see how much mold is left on the concrete, if any. Next, you will add a water and bleach mixture to the concrete area. Allow it to sit and then rinse again.
The last measure is to add trisodium phosphate to your bleach mixture. Once you saturate the concrete area with this, it should kill any that remains. You can allow this to dry. This removal method should kill what exists and prevent any further outbreaks on the concrete. Read our full guide on how to remove black mold from concrete.
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How To Remove Mold Under Hardwood Floors
When you find any mold in your home, do not hesitate to take immediate action. First of all, you must think about what causes mold on your wood floor and figure out how you can stop it. If there is a leakage or spill in your house, make sure to fix it before proceeding with the removal. If you think not able to remove mold completely, you will have to consult a wood flooring expert who may counsel refinishing, replace the floorboards, or remove the mold.
Firstly, remove room furnishings. It would be best if you carried uncontaminated things to a mold-free area. Seal and take the furniture outside immediately. Throw away easily replaced items if they are infected with mold. Take all washable carpets and furniture in the sun and place them after the house is complete.
Open windows and doors to allow air circulation in the room. Set a fan on the window, pointing outwards that will keep well ventilations.
Next, you will pry away the baseboard wall trim in the infected area. Similarly, pull up any transitional floor trim. Remove the whole flooring in the room. Besides, if you think the mold infects only in a small area of the floor and you can patch only that area. Remove only the trim needed to access the area of the floor involved plus two feet extra. Then you might observe to remove mold properly.
Choose Appropriate Mildew And Mold Cleaner
Choosing the right cleanser is the next step in eliminating white mold from a wood floor. Make sure that the cleaner you use completely removes the mold from the surface. You can buy a chlorine solution with a water bleach ratio of 10:1 in your local supermarket to treat surface mold. For your own protection, always read the label on any substance you use.
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Check For Water Damage
Water damage is one of the most common signs of mold under hardwood floors. This stain indicates that water has been on the wood for a long period of time. The water can produce mould spores quickly and you cant let it develop.
If you spill any liquid on your hardwood floor, wash and wipe it up immediately. You cant allow it to seep between the boards onto the subfloor where it can sit and rot. As long as you take care of any spills your floor will stay in great shape for years.
Removing Mold From Wood Floors And Ceilings
If you have surface mold on your wood floor or ceiling, your first step is to identify the molds source. This means youll need to look for any signs of water damage that may have caused the mold.
- Time: 20-30 minutes.
- Hydrogen peroxide or commercial mold cleaner .
- Hard bristle brush .
- Protective equipment, such as mask and gloves.
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How To Remove Mold From Flooring
Depending on the flooring material, you can use at-home removal remedies to kill and remove it from affected surfaces.
You will want to be very careful, as breathing in spores can be hazardous to your health. Since you will be working with both chemicals and moldy surfaces, it is best to wear gloves, a mask, and safety glasses.
When finished, always be sure to put washables immediately in the washer to not spread any spores that may have gotten on your clothing.
Mold On The Underside Of Wood Flooring
One of the hardest issues to find and treat is when wood flooring mold problems are on the underside of the hardwood. Until you begin to notice musty odors or warping begins to show on the hardwood floor itself, you may not realize there is a problem. When moisture becomes trapped under a floor, the wood begins to slowly absorb it. As the boards absorb the water they expand and begin to warp. Hardwoods normally have moisture content levels of 10% or less. Once moisture content levels reach 18% or higher, there is a strong chance for mold to grow.
The only way to find a wood flooring mold problem that is under the hardwood is to physically look for it. At this point it is recommended that you contact a wood flooring installer or a mold remediation specialist. They will have the experience necessary to begin removing flooring planks without damaging them.
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Cracks And Separations Between Boards
When homes are heated in the winter, RH levels can plummet, boards can shrink, and spaces appear between the boards as the wood loses MC. Some of these variations are seasonal problems and will close up on their own when the weather changes and the MC of the air increases.
Monitoring the rooms temperature and RH level, then taking corrective action, can also minimize seasonal shifts in the wood floor. As an example, homeowners can add moisture to the air during dry winter months by installing a humidifier in the furnace.
Best Moisture Meter For Wood Cabinetry
The Sam-Pro Tools Dual Moisture Meter measures the moisture content of just about any kind of wood, fiber boards, and particle boards. That makes it one of the most versatile moisture meters on the market, and one thats great if youre constantly testing different kinds of building materials. This is my top pick for any kind of cabinetry.
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What Are The Causes Of Mold On Hardwood Floors
Mold develops on a natural matter exposed to excessive humidity or retained moisture. It suggests that hardwood floors are vulnerable to mold growth underneath them in the event of a flood or water damage. Learn more about what mold looks like on hardwood floors here.
Excessive humidity in your home can be present without you realizing it. Mold spores can exist without anyone knowing how they got there. Also, you may be living in a house with a leak that you dont know.
If your basement has wood floors, you must be highly vigilant about moisture to avoid mold growth. Ensure to empty a humidifier that periodically absorbs moisture in a room with hardwood flooring to prevent water spilling. Heres a helpful guide on what to put in a humidifier to prevent mold.
Signs Of Mold Growth Under Hardwood Flooring
Its normal for homeowners to be unsettled about mold growth that appears on or below their hardwood floors. However, finding a single patch of growth is only a sign that the problem could be much worse.
Youll need to look further to determine how widespread the problem is.
Ideally, you only need to look out for certain signs such as water stains, actual mold growth, musty odor, and spongy flooring. Any or all of these signs found on or below your hardwood floor is a sure sign that you have a mold problem that needs to be addressed.
Lets further discuss each of the points mentioned.
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