Why Does Mold Keep Coming Back

Use A Cleaning Solution

You can use a specialized mold remover, or you can choose a more natural cleaning solution to remove minor cases. Like any major cleaning project, you should first put on a pair of rubber gloves, a respirator mask, and safety goggles if possible. Some of these solutions can irritate the skin, and cleaning mold can release spores that are harmful to breathe in.

What Is Mould And How To Get Rid Of It

Find out everything you need to know about mould and causes, treatment and long-term solutions to protect your home.

Mould often makes an unwelcome appearance in our homes and while it is relatively common it can also cause harm to your health. Thats why weve put together a helpful guide to exactly what mould is, the different mould types to look out for and to how to get rid of mould.

• How to prevent mould from occurring

We Were Away This Entire Summer In Washington Dc And Found White Powdery Mold On The Couch In Our Basement We May Have Had Some Water Damage From A Bad Rainstorm In The Adjoining Room Any Idea What This Is And How To Treat It Thank You

This is very likely mold growth. If the couch is of low/moderate value, I would toss it out. In general, mold growth on porous items such as upholstered furniture is difficult to remove. If its worth a fair bit, you could attempt to salvage it via HEPA vacuuming. See the response to the previous photo/submission for details on the cleaning process.

Recommended Reading: When Is Mold Remediation Required

What Can I Do To Fix The Broader Problem

Once you can see mould, you know there’s a moisture problem indoors.

It might be solvable with improving ventilation naturally by opening windows and doors, but you may need to resort to mechanical dehumidification because some properties tend to accumulate moisture because the materials that were used to construct the home are such that air can’t really circulate well.

So, your only solution is to run a dehumidifier or your heating system essentially all the time to minimise the probability of condensation forming.

If you have wall-mounted inverters, some have a dehumidification setting.

consider purchasing desiccant pots which extract moisture from cupboards where shoes and handbags might be stored.

For further advice on removing mould from your home and specifically household goods as well as how to know when to dispose of mouldy items follow the link to this article.

How To Clean Mold From Your Bathroom Ceiling

To clean mold from the ceiling, wash the affected area with a store-bought mold cleaner, or a mixture of dish soap and water. Let the area dry. Now its time to get out the big guns to kill the moldbleach. Mix one-quarter cup of bleach with one quart of water and apply the solution with a spray bottle or sponge.

Don’t Miss: How To Detect Black Mold In Your House

If You Use Bleach To Clean Up Mold

• Never mix bleach with ammonia or other household cleaners. Mixing bleach with ammonia or other cleaning products will produce a poisonous gas.
• Always follow the manufacturers instructions when you use bleach or any other cleaning product.
• Open windows and doors to provide fresh air.
• Wear rubber boots, rubber gloves, and goggles during cleanup of affected areas.
• If you need to clean more than 10 square feet, check the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guide titled Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings, which gives advice on all building types. You can get it by going to the EPA web site at .

Can You Live In A House With Mold

If the mold damage is located in your living room, kitchen or the bathroom, the experts will recommend you to find alternative lodging for the time being. Also, if you have infants and elderly people at home or have family members with a weak immune system, you should probably leave your home for a while.

Also Check: How To Remove Mold From Cinder Block

What Mould Can Do To Your Health

Living in a home where mould is present can affect your physical and mental health. Mould can trigger various health issues such as respiratory infections, worsening asthma, depression, allergic reactions, wheezing, sneezing and coughing.

It may affect certain groups of people more than others, such as

• People with existing skin problems, such as eczema
• People with respiratory problems, such as allergies and asthma
• People with a weakened immune system, such as those undergoing chemotherapy

Its important to know what mould can do to your health so you can take precautions, especially for those at higher risk.

How To Remove Mold From Drywall

Removing mold from drywall can be tricky because if drywall gets too wet, it is ruined. In fact, its often easier to cut out the infected section of drywall and replace it, rather than trying to treat the mold directly. If the drywall feels soft, its beyond saving. However if you do want to clean the drywall without removing it, heres what to do.

Youll need:

Method:

Step 1: Brush the mold off the drywall using the scrubbing brush. Try to remove as much as possible without getting the wall wet.

Step 2: Make a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. Spray it onto the area until it is damp, but not soaked.

Step 3: Wait 10 minutes then use a medium-bristled brush to clean the wall using circular motions. Dont scrub too hard or youll damage the drywall.

Step 4: Wipe down the wall using household disinfectant wipes.

Step 5: Allow the wall to dry. In high-humidity environments, set up a box fan directed toward the wall to dry it as quickly as possible.

If the drywall is stained when dry, use a primer or stain block before repainting. Consider a mold-resistant paint to provide extra protection, and reduce humidity in the room to stop mold from returning.

Pro Tip: Learn How To Remove Humidity from Your Furniture and Textiles for Proper Moisture Control

Read Also: Why Do I Have Mold In My House

Mold Life Cycle Stage : Spore Formation

Spores form at the ends of the hyphael cells. How quickly and how well the spores form depends on specific conditions: light versus dark, high or low oxygen level, how warm or cold it is, and if those nutrients are available for the mold to feed upon. You can control some but not all of these conditions.

Control Your Basements Humidity Level

Basements and crawl spaces are hot spots for mold. If your basement smells musty or people complain of allergy-symptoms when they visit, you may have a mold problem. Moisture often gets trapped in basements, and its an ideal place for mold to grow without being noticed. Checking your basement floor, walls, and plumbing regularly will help keep mold from spreading if there is an issue.

The best way to avoid excess moisture in your basement or crawl space is with a dehumidifier. We recommend you keep your indoor air at around a 50% moisture level. Adding a dehumidifier and programming it to the appropriate humidity setting will go a long way in avoiding mold growth.

Its also a good idea to check items you store in the basement. The confined, dark rooms in the back of your basement could be harboring moisture and mold. Make sure items are clean and dry before you store themthink tents, sleeping bags, extra clothes, and other items you throw in the back room and forget about.

Don’t Miss: What To Do When Black Mold Is Found

I Found This On My Couch In The Basement Im Planning To Throw Away The Cheap Furniture But The Basement Has Carpet Im Nervous About Mold In The Carpet Thoughts Should I Have It Cleaned If So With What

You are correct, this couch should be discarded. Its very difficult to fully remove the mold growth from the upholstered furniture. This growth points to an overall problem of elevated humidity. I recommend purchasing a relative humidity gauge. Monitor the area and see if the RH rises above 55%. If it does, and I assume it will, youll need to lower the humidity.

In the winter months, youll need to focus on two items. First, increase the airflow to the basement. Stagnant air will lead to higher levels of moisture. This can be accomplished through a bathroom exhaust fan. If no fan is present in the basement, consider installing a Panasonic wall fan .

Next, youll need to increase the temperature. As the temperature rises in the basement, the humidity will lower. The minimum temperature is determined by the target relative humidity. For example, if the RH is 65%, youll need to increase the heat until it drops below 55%.

Removing Mold From Different Surfaces

Once the root cause of the mold has been dealt with, its time to address the visible mold itself. Often the infestation is worse than can be seen with the naked eye, so its important to do more than wipe mold off surfaces and hope for the best. The mold you see is the spores or fruiting body of the fungus, but often the hidden roots survive a first attempt at removal and the mold comes back. Heres how to remove mold for good, wherever you find it in your property.

Before you start: Make sure to ventilate the work area properly, and wear appropriate personal protective equipment to protect against mold spores that will be disturbed when you begin working. Gloves, safety glasses, and an N95 or better mask are all essential. Wear a long sleeved shirt and pants to avoid getting spores on your skin. Try to close off the area from other rooms to prevent spores from spreading throughout your home, and consider renting a HEPA air filter.

Pro Tip: The EPA recommends only removing mold yourself if it covers an area less than 10 square feet. Any larger than that and you need to call in the pros.

Dont Miss: Can Mold Cause Intestinal Problems

You May Like: How To Clean Up Mold And Mildew

What Are Mould And Mildew And Why Do They Occur On Walls

• Mould is a kind of fungus that develops from airborne spores. It usually grows in damp, warm conditions without much airflow, which is why household bathrooms and loft spaces often suffer from mould. It is often simply caused by humid conditions and lack of ventilation, but sometimes mould on walls can be due to plumbing leaks, both inside and outside the property. Badly insulated heating pipes can also cause a build-up of moisture behind the walls.

• Mildew is the name for the most common type of black mould on walls, characterised by spots that can then spread over larger areas if left untreated. To find out if you have mildew on your walls, apply some bleach onto the affected area with a cloth. If the dark colour fades after a few minutes, itâs mildew. If not, the patch is probably just dirt.

How To Stop Condensation And Black Mold From Coming Back

Condensation and mold can turn into a big problem. Where there is moisture, there is likely to be mold. Eliminating mold growth at the source is important for keeping your home and family safe and healthy.

Condensation occurs most commonly in the winter when heat and humidifiers are used, adding extra moisture to the air in your home. However, condensation can occur in your home at any time of the year, particularly in areas that have frequent excess moisture, such as the bathroom. Condensation and mold go hand-in-hand. If not addressed, condensation can quickly turn into a black mold problem.

Read Also: What Are The Symptoms Of Inhaling Mold

Does Cleaning Mold Make It Worse

Cleaning mold is not enough to eliminate their harmful effects because, even when molds are dead, they can still produce toxic spores. Molds have to be removed entirely, and there are different procedures for doing this depending on the type of surface on which the mold has occurred.

Diagnosing Hidden Mold And Rot Behind Shower Surrounds

Assessing a shower for hidden mold is difficult. Moisture meters, the most important tool in a mold inspectors kit, is of limited value on shower surrounds. Tile and stone often provide false positives due to the conductivity of the material. Fortunately, well trained mold inspectors have other avenues to identify moisture issues.

• Investigate the crawlspace or room below. If the leak is significant, often the materials below the shower will show signs of water damage.
• Investigate the adjacent wall. If the shower shares a common wall with a bedroom or closet, an inspector can use a moisture meter to check for elevated water content. Additionally, a small hole can be cut in the sheetrock to provide a visual inspection. A boroscope can then be used to look within the wall cavity. This type of inspection is much less invasive than removing tile and can often be performed without drywall repair.

Recommended Reading: How To Do Plastic Molding At Home

How Do You Test For Mold In The Air

The most common and reliable way to test for mold spores in the air is through non-viable air sampling. This is also called a spore trap analysis. A trained indoor environmental professional will collect samples of air, using a calibrated air pump. The air will be collected onto non-viable mediums, called cassettes.

Will Mold Come Back After Cleaning

Unfortunately, mold is very persistent, and it can come back if you are providing it with the right environment for it to do so. So, even if you have spent lots of time cleaning and removing it, the mold can come back quite quickly.

To truly stop the mold from growing, you will need to follow certain steps.

Mold spores do not need much before they are attaching themselves to your surfaces and spreading mold.

The most ideal conditions for mold growth are those that are moist, and this is the leading cause of mold in most homes. This will explain why you most commonly find mold in damp and moist areas, like bathrooms and kitchens.

The mold produces spores that can remain dormant for up to hundreds of years in certain types and in the right conditions. This is why it is so important to eliminate humidity if you have a bad mold issue.

If you do not want the mold to grow back, you will need to eliminate the mold spores.

You May Like: How To Clean Up Mold On Ceiling

Run The Air Conditioner Or Dehumidifier

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

Running an air conditioner or dehumidifier during humid months will diminish mold growth. Humidity levels in your home should run between 30 and 50 percent throughout the day to inhibit mold. Humidity levels fluctuate during the day, but you can use an inexpensive hygrometer to check your indoor humidity levels.

How To Remove And Prevent Condensation Mould

Spotted some nasty organic ‘wall art’ around your windows or in your bathroom? It may well be condensation mould. This type of mould appears when moist air clashes with a surface with a lower temperature, leaving nowhere for the moisture to go. Maybe you’ve seen little droplets of water form by the window or in cold corners? These moist conditions make for an ideal breeding ground for mould, so you’ll want to get rid of the condensation and dry out the air as soon as possible.

To remove condensation mould:

To prevent condensation mould from returning:

• Increase the ventilation in your home by opening a window. Take a look at your air vents to see if they’re blocked.

• When you’re not letting fresh air in, turn up the thermostat a little.

• Dry laundry outside as much as you can. If this isn’t possible, consider investing in a dehumidifier.

Also Check: How To Remove Mold From Bamboo Cutting Board

What To Do If Mold Is Growing In Your Apartment

If there is mold in your apartment, you need to notify your landlord immediately. You might also consider asking your landlord to bring in a professional mold inspector. Mold usually grows in difficult to see places, like behind walls or appliances, and the professionals will have equipment to detect it.

How To Get Rid Of Mold On Walls

Many people first notice theyve got a mold problem when they see it growing on their walls. Check in the corners near the ceiling and floors in rooms with high moisture levels, such as kitchens, bathrooms, laundry rooms, and basements.

Youll need:

Scrubbing brush

Method:

Step 1: Make a solution of one part bleach to three parts water in the spray bottle.

Step 2: Saturate the mold and surrounding area on the wall.

Step 3: Let the solution soak into the mold for 10-15 minutes.

Step 4: Using the scrubbing brush, remove the mold and stains.

Step 5: Repeat as necessary to remove all the traces of mold and mildew.

Step 6: Make a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in the second spray bottle.

Step 7: Spray the cleaned surface and allow it to absorb and air dry.

This method works because it addresses the visible mold, as well as the underlying roots that often go untreated. Surprisingly, vinegar and hydrogen peroxide are both more effective at killing mold roots than bleach. Because they work best on different types of mold, try to use them together to cover all the possible varieties of mold you might be dealing with.

Pro Tip: If you dont have hydrogen peroxide at hand, you can also clean mold with vinegar and baking soda instead.

Recommended Reading: How Do You Remove Mold From Shower Grout