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 .
The Truth Behind House Mold
Organic materials such as dust, wood, fabric, wallpaper,and paint provide more than enough nourishment to keep mold growing andhealthy.
Mold grows year-round in any home regardless howclean.
Allergens come from mold spores in the basement andcrawl space.
A typical mold spore will be about 0.0002 inches in size and can optimallygrow anywhere where there is adequate humidity, food, and warmth in the air toabsorb moisture.
Mold can digest some synthetic materials includingadhesives, pastes, and paints
Even though mold cannot get nutrients from an inorganicmaterial such as concrete metal and glass, it can grow on the dirt present onthese surfaces.
The Environmental Protection Agency reports thatall molds can cause health problems under the right conditions.
There is evidence that mold exposure can cause flu-likesymptoms such as headache dizziness, fatigue, diarrhea, and allergic reactionsincluding irritation of eyes, nose, or throat.
White Mold On Clothing
Have you ever walked into your closet and noticed little white spots on your clothes?
It can be worrisome and a complete nuisance.
Truth is:
Your clothes likely are not entirely ruined and can be cleaned.
There are options for how you can clean your clothes.
But you first need to determine whether the clothes are even salvageable. The two questions you need to answer to decide whether to save your outfits or discard is:
- Did your clothes get wet
- If so, how long were they wet
Meaning did the mold that is growing on your clothes be caused by some sort of flood. If your clothes got wet and mold is using it as a food source, the water damage restoration would refer to this as Condition 3, and discard the clothes.
Now:
If your clothes did not get wet, it might be an easy fix.
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Is It Important To Test Mold
Mold growing in your bedroom no matter the type should be removed. The health risk is not necessarily tied to a certain type or amount of mold. Therefore, there are no federal limits on acceptable levels of indoor mold, and expert groups typically do not recommend routine testing for mold strains.
The important thing is to rid your home of any known mold immediately, or better yet, prevent mold from growing in the first place. Youll rest better knowing that youre doing everything you can to keep this silent invader out of your bedroom.
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- +14 Sources
- 1.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. . Basic Facts about Mold and Dampness. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from
- 2.Wood, R. A., Eggleston, P. A., Lind, P., Ingemann, L., Schwartz, B., Graveson, S., Terry, D., Wheeler, B., & Adkinson, N. F., Jr . Antigenic analysis of household dust samples. The American Review of Respiratory Disease, 137, 358363.
- 3.Seguel, J. M., Merrill, R., Seguel, D., & Campagna, A. C. . Indoor Air Quality. American journal of lifestyle medicine, 11, 284295.
- 4.Environmental Protection Agency. . A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture and Your Home. Retrieved December 13, 2021, from
- 5.
Im Building A New Home And We Havent Even Moved In Yet And We Noticed This This Week
Unfortunately, this is fairly common in new construction. There are a couple of possible causes. The subfloor and joists often become saturated by rain before the roof is installed. Over the subsequent weeks, mold growth forms before the building materials can dry out. Another common cause is exposed soil in the crawl space. Most builders wait until the very end to install the vapor barrier. If the soil beneath the home is damp, this can create high humidity conditions in the crawl space. Over time this will cause mold growth on the joists.
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We Moved Into Our House A Year Ago Its Only A 3 Year Old House We Just Noticed What We Think Is White Mold On Many Of Our Stored Items Throughout The Basement Is This Mold And Should We Call A Professional Or Try To Do It Ourselves I Keep Finding More And More Items With This Substance On Them We Recently Had The Basement Fogged For Fleas As Well If That Makes A Difference
This is due to elevated humidity in the basement. Typically this occurs due to a lack of heat during the winter months. The lower temperature leads to increased humidity, which in turn causes the mold growth.
The easiest solution is to simply increase the temperature of the basement. Also, install a relative humidity gauge in a central location. Your goal is to keep the RH under 50% during the winter months.
In addition to increasing the temperature, you might need to actively ventilate the basement. Running an existing bathroom exhaust fan can achieve this. If no bathroom fan exists, you can install a wall mounted exhaust fan.
How Do You Determine The Severity Of A Mold Problem
A mold problem isn’t quantifiable in the way you might think.
“Mold is a living organism,” said Steven Nardozzi of Rochester Environmental and Construction Group, which handles remediation of mold, asbestos, lead paint and other unwanted household issues.
“When we deal with lead paint and asbestos, those are fibers particulates that can be measured. Mold cant be measured. It’s always growing,” he said.
Spore count numbers are evaluated using air quality testing equipment based on what the outside numbers are in any particular area, said Wes Kimble of Turn Key Home and Mold Inspections.
For example, if the spore count is 13,000 in a garage, 2,000 in an adjacent living environment and 1,000 outside, then you could deduce that the garage likely has a mold issue, said Nardozzi.
Not all molds are toxic, and often a number of types are present in an area at one time.
Other tools to determine the extent of a mold problem include visual inspection, and moisture meters that determine the level of moisture in building materials, said Nardozzi.
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Flights May Be Less Comfortable With Recommendations
He argues that airlines should continue disinfecting high-touch areas such as armrests and tray tables, stop in-flight food service, mandate mask-wearing, and ask patrons to keep their above ventilation fan on throughout the flight. While these adjustments make flying less enjoyable, they can help reduce in-flight virus transmission. Masks are currently required on public transportation.
Allen is not the only one saying it is safe to resume flying.
How Mold Spreads Throughout Your House
Ifyou have mold in the basement or crawl space, its spores will rise throughoutthe house. This is called the Stack Effect. Because of the stack effect, thewarm air rises in the home and exits through the upper levels and attic. Whenthis occurs, a vacuum is created on the lower level which draws air upward fromthe crawl space and basement. Mold spores, dust mites, odors, and anything inthe air will be drawn into the main area of the home that is where you breathe.A mold infestation can colonize within 1-14 days.
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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%.
In The Shower And Bathtub
Showers and bathtubs are one of the most common places you may find mold. With repeated use, these areas tend to be damp most of the time. If you arent properly ventilating during and after your shower or bath, mold spores will thrive. But mold isnt always visible and obvious be sure to check for mold on your shampoo bottles, washcloths and loofahs, shower curtain, in and around the faucet and shower head, and in the tile grout.
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I Live In Va But Have Been In Ma For A Few Months Taking Care Of My Granddaughter While It Is Cool In Ma It’s Still Quite Warm In Va When My Husband Arrived Home Yesterday He Found Mold On Several Pieces Of Furniture The A/c Was Off And There Has Been A Lot Of Rain There Recently I’m Somewhat Surprised At The Problem Although I Understand Why It Happened The Couch In The Picture I Attached Will Be Tossed As It Wasn’t Expensive However The Rest Of The Furnishings Were More Costly My Question Is If It’s Worth Trying To Save Any Of The Other Pieces That Are Just Beginning To Show Signs Of Affectation Should I Just Clean House And Start Again Or Try To Get Things Under Control My Granddaughter Will Be There Over Christmas And I’m Scared For Her Health
The mold growth on the couch is pretty extensive. Your intuition is correct, this should be discarded. The ability to salvage the other furniture depends on the materials. If its hard, non-porous items like wood tables, cleaning is fairly easy and theres little fear of lingering spores. If its upholstered, the cleaning is much more difficult. I recommend HEPA vacuuming the furniture outside . Even the best HEPA vacuums bypass a fairly large amount of spores into the air. After cleaning, you could have a local mold inspector collect an air sample while you gently agitate the furniture. This should give you a fairly good picture of whether youve removed the latent mold spores.
Mold Grows Incredibly Fast In My Kitchen What’s Going On
- LocationCurrently in Bloomington, IN, but Normally NYC, CDG, and even POZ or wherever FT takes me.
- Posts:
notsosmart…I like to bake bread, and the last batch I made had mold on it within two days, despite being stored in an air-tight zip-lock plastic bag. Even bread that I put in the fridge seems to mold over quickly, and not to mention fruits/vegetable that are left on counters.What’s going on?I keep my kitchen nicely aerated, there is no visible mold on any walls or anything like that, and neither my GF nor I have had any respiratory/allergy issue that are tell-tales of a mold infestation.Is there anything I can do besides vacuum-sealing everything?kipperIf you find you do have mold spores, which I’m guessing you do, talk to your landlord . They should be responsible for paying someone to remove the mold and take measures to ensure they’ve removed all of it, and that it won’t return. They may temporarily place large, industrial-sized air dryers wherever the water damage was, in an attempt to remove any remaining water.In some cases, mold remediation means gutting the apartment, down to the studs. When Mr. Kipper was doing mold remediation 7-8 years ago, they’d apply a bleach-based solution to the studs and would also usually apply Kilz to a lot of the cleaned surfaces, IIRC.Good luck!slaweckinumber_6YVRTizzette
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Use Fans To Send Moisture Outside
If your home has kitchen, bathroom or window fans that vent the moist air outside, use them when you cook or take a shower. If you do not have fans, open a window when you cook or shower, cover pots when cooking, and try to take cool, short showers. Dry clothing on a clothesline outside or use a clothes dryer that vents air outdoors.
I Heard About Toxic Molds And Black Molds That Grow In Homes And Other Buildings Should I Be Concerned About A Serious Health Risk To Me And My Family
There is always a little mold everywhere in the air and on many surfaces.
Certain molds are toxigenic, meaning they can produce toxins . Hazards presented by molds that may produce mycotoxins should be considered the same as other common molds which can grow in your house. Not all fungi produce mycotoxins and even those that do will not do so under all surface or environmental conditions.
Mold growth, which often looks like spots, can be many different colors, and can smell musty. Color is not an indication of how dangerous a mold may be. Any mold should be removed and the moisture source that helped it grow should be removed.
There are very few reports that toxigenic molds found inside homes can cause unique or rare health conditions such as pulmonary hemorrhage or memory loss. These case reports are rare, and a causal link between the presence of the toxigenic mold and these conditions has not been proven.
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Long Story Short I Think I Have Both Efflorescence And White Mold A While Ago I Noticed Mold All Over My Shoes Belts Bags And Other Items In My Cedar Lined Closets In The Garage And Later Some Bubbling Under The Paint As Well As Crystalline Areas Growing In The Basement So I Went Nuts And Attacked With Mold/mildew Killer Bleach Ammonia Vinegar Lemon Tea Tree Oil Baking Soda And I Put Moth Balls The Hanging Moth Insert Things All Of The Diff Products Offered By Damp
In the vast majority of cases, this type of mold growth is due to excess humidity. While the cedar will help prevent mold growth on the walls, it wont do anything to prevent growth on your clothes, shoes, etc. The Damp Rid style packets can help, but youll likely need to take more extensive measures. First, youll need to monitor the humidity. Purchase an inexpensive relative humidity monitor and place it in the closet. Your goal is to keep it below 55%. You might need a dehumidifier to keep it under this number.
Once this is achieved, cleaning chemicals will not be necessary. If you need to clean up past mold, using something like Benefect.
Youll also want to verify whether you have vapor emissions or other water intrusion issues. Contact a basement drainage / waterproofing contractor and have them inspect the area.
Figure A: Mold And Mildew Love Moist And Damp Places
Mold and mildew need only a damp, moist environment and organic material to establish themselves and thrive. Roof and foundation leaks, high interior humidity, overflowing washing machines and more severe forms of flooding are common sources of moisture and are what causes mold in a house. Drywall backing, wallpaper, carpet backing, household dust and wood products are commonly attacked organic materials.
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How To Prevent Mold In Your Bedroom
Did you know that the average American spends 93% of their lives indoors? With so much of your time being spent inside, it makes sense to want the environment youre in to be as healthy as possible.
Indoor mold is always worrisome, but mold in the bedroom is especially so because it is often the most used room of a home. Its up to you to protect yourself from mold exposure, whether you own or rent your home. The following article will help you accomplish this important responsibility.
I’m In A Bungalow With 7month Old Twins There Is Mold On Every Wall Most Are Black But One Wall Is Whit And It Is A Fungal Type Growth On Top Of The Wallpaper It Looks Like Rounded Lumps Of Cotton Wool It’s Privately Rented’ What Is It And What Should I Do
If mold growth is visible on every wall, youre likely dealing with a humidity based problem. This occurs when a home has insufficient ventilation. If the home has poorly insulated walls, the problem will be more severe. Due to the severity of the mold growth, I recommend calling a local professional . In the meantime, I recommend improving your ventilation by running your bathroom exhaust fan 24/7 and cracking a window if possible. This will reduce condensation throughout the home. If the bathroom does not have an exhaust fan, install a Panasonic WhisperGreen fan.
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