How To Remove Mold In Your Home
Removing Mold In Your Home [5 Easy Steps]
Mold is a nasty thing to uncover in your home. It can grow just about anywhere, and it’s not always easy to get rid of. If you’re dealing with mold in your home, don’t worry! We’re here to help. In this post, we’ll first talk about the causes of mold in home and then walk you through five easy steps on how to remove mold in your home. Let’s get started!
Causes Of Mold In Home
Several factors cause mold, but the three main causes are water damage, humidity, and condensation. If you see mold in your home, one (or more) of these factors is likely to present.
Water Damage
If you’ve experienced water damage in your home, whether it was from a flood, a sewer backup, a leaky roof or pipe, or even just high humidity, then you’re at risk for mold growth. Mold thrives in moist environments, so if water isn’t dried up and cleaned up quickly, you’re likely to see mold start to grow.
If the growth begins on a surface that is organic such as cellulose, it is a food source mold thrives in and it may grow quickly and spread. When you physically see mold you are sure to have mold spores (which are invisible to the naked eye), floating around as well.
Humidity
If the air in your home is too humid, it can also lead to mold growth. High humidity can be caused by running your air conditioner too much, not using a dehumidifier frequently enough, or even just by having high indoor temperatures.
Mold found in bath rooms is often a result of not using an exhaust fan when showering. Sometimes the exhaust fan is heavily clogged with dust so it is inefficient at reducing humidity.
Having an exhaust fan is not the answer to the how to remove mold in your home, but it can be for how to prevent mold in the home. Air movement is a form of energy that naturally deters mold development.
Condensation
Condensation can also lead to mold growth. This typically occurs in poorly ventilated spaces, and it happens when the warm moist air meets cold surfaces like windows, walls, floors, etc. Cold surfaces especially during the cold months will act as a magnet for warm moist air, causing condensation to happen.
Enough condensation produces water which in turn can cause mold to manifest. Usually it appears around the windows, window sills and the corners of dry wall that are not well insulated. The corner bead of dry wall corners is usually aluminum which becomes very cold in the winter causing condensation.
How To Remove Mold In Your Home? [5 Easy Steps]
Now that you know what causes mold in your home let’s move on to how to remove mold in your home! Here are five easy steps for doing just that.
Step 1: Turn On Your Air Conditioner
If your home has high humidity levels, one of the best things you can do to help remove mold is to turn on your air conditioner. When your air conditioner is running, it’s actually acting as a dehumidifier taking out moisture in the air. Dryer air not only feels better in the warmer months but will greatly reduce the potential for mold in the home.
Most modern HVAC systems will manage and regulate humidity. Your HVAC system has an evaporator coil that condenses water vapor from the air, in a process similar to when condensation appears on the outside of a glass containing a cold beverage. … The liquid is then condensed out of the air, making your home less humid.
Step 2: Open Windows And Vents
If your home has high humidity levels, one of the best things you can do to help remove mold is open your windows and vents. When the warm, moist air meets the cold air outside, it will condense and cause the water vapor to evaporate. This process has also been named, “burping the home”.
This occasional process will help reduce the humidity level in your home and make it less hospitable for mold growth. Additionally fresh air being introduced into the home allows for a freshening affect that reduces odors and even remove minimize dust.
Some with allergies who may not want the natural occurring molds in the outside air can still benefit from this process. There are cost efficient air filters that competently scrub molds from the air using a HEPA filter. These filters can be found at local hardware stores and online. Once turned on will take out the extra natural molds, but still allow for the freshening effect of an air exchange with outdoor air.
Some With Allergies Who May Not Want The Natural Occurring Molds In The Outside Air Can Still Benefit From This Process. There Are Cost Efficient Air Filters That Competently Scrub Molds From The Air Using A HEPA Filter. These Filters Can Be Found At Local Hardware Stores And Online. Once Turned On Will Take Out The Extra Natural Molds, But Still Allow For The Freshening Effect Of An Air Exchange With Outdoor Air.
If you have any furniture that’s been affected by mold, you need to remove it from the room immediately. Mold can easily spread to other pieces of furniture, so it’s best to just get rid of it altogether.
Action Extraction of Macomb regularly discovers mold covered furniture when they are on job sites providing water damage service. Often a bookcase or desk will be moved with mold all over the base or back due to earlier flooding.
If you have ever had basement flood or water damage through a drain backup or even some wet carpet by any furniture, take an inspection.
These articles of furniture could have absorbed water during a previous incident and unknowingly to you have resulted in becoming affected by mold. Inspect them thoroughly at the base and if you can tip them so you can see the bottom of the wood.
This inspection has led to the horrors of being shock when mold is found, but that is great news. Finding mold on furniture is an easy way to know how to remove mold in your home. Merely remove the moldy piece or pieces of furniture from the home and this one act may be all that is required to remove mold.
Step 4: Use A Heavy-Duty Cleaner To Get Rid Of The Mold
Now that you’ve removed all moldy furniture from the room, it’s time to remove any mold on surfaces! The best way to do this is with a heavy-duty cleaner like TSP. Just add some water, mix it until you get a good consistency, and then scrub the mold.
On hard surfaces this will work tremendously well and should be following up with a rinsing of a bit of bleach and water. The mold should be gone for good as hard surfaces preclude the mold from establishing roots that could allow it to return.
Mold on surfaces such as wood and dry wall is another story and often getting a professional inspection for mold is recommended.
The mold may be due to a hidden water presence from faulty plumbing, a leak in a wall or even a roof leak. Professionals have specialty moisture detection meters that can locate hidden water damage.
Once the cause for mold on a porous material is discovered the best technique going forward is removal and replacement, unless it is small. If it is small the scrubbing with TSP and a fresh coat of paint will be an acceptable remedy.
However, dry wall and wood are both cellulose and porous materials having the mold problem within the materials itself, not just the surface. Removing the surface mold with bleach and water will just have it temporarily removed.
Mold has roots much like trees and bushes and removing the mold on the surface will not kill the roots. Often the surface cleaning will allow the mold to return more virulent and aggressive as it has become under attack.
Step 5: Dry Out The Room Thoroughly
After you’ve removed the mold through cleaning or entire material removal, it’s time to dry out the room completely. You can do this by opening your windows and running fans. Just make sure that you turn them off at night, so they don’t cause condensation. If humidity levels are really high, you might want to consider running a dehumidifier in the room for 24-48 hours.
And that’s it! Now that you know how to remove mold from your home, there’s no reason why you should have to deal with it again! Unless, of course the moisture problem is still present and requires a professional inspection. In some instances having an environment hygienist out to perform air sample testing is recommended.
So make sure you follow these five easy steps every time you see mold in your home! Knowing how to remove mold in your home will keep you free from the allergies mold causes and greatly improve your air quality.
What To Do If These Steps Don’t Work?
Now that you know how to remove mold from your home, there’s no reason why you should have to deal with it again! However, if you see mold in your home even after trying these five easy steps, it might be time to contact a professional. Mold can be dangerous to your health, so it’s best not to take any chances with it!
If you need a professional mold remediation contractor consider us at Action Extraction restoration services. We have been a fully certified preferred mold removal provider for over 30 years. We offer free inspections and free estimates when you call. We know how to remove mold in your property with certified and professional techniques. Call today 800-713-4333.
Why Should You Deal With Mold As Soon As Possible?
Mold spreads quickly and it can be a danger to the home as well as your health. Once mold starts growing in your home, there’s no going back- you have to deal with it at that point. To make this easily understood, the mold you see is like seeing the mom and dad. They are producing millions of children everyday called “mold spores”, which you cannot see with the naked eye.
Regularly taking these children into your lungs with each breath will cause health issues over time, especially if there are toxic molds.
The mold typically found in homes from water damage is the toxic mold called “Stachybotrys”. This is the feared “black mold” that gets a lot of attention in news stories. Typically greenish-black in color it grows on things with high cellulose content like dry wall and wood.
Some of the symptoms related to regularly breathing in toxic mold spores are:
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
- Sore throat
- Eye irritation and watering
- Headaches
- Skin rashes
- Itchy skin
Why Should You Hire A Professional If You Could Do It Yourself?
The simple answer is that they know what they’re doing and will do it safely. There are cleaning protocols in place that only professionals know how to implement and a DIY effort is often like attempting surgery because you have several sharp instruments your good with. Not only that, but you also want to make sure that no one is exposed to mold spores or toxins because once someone has been exposed, it can lead to respiratory issues and other health problems.
What Are The Dangers Of Dealing With Mold Yourself?
If you’re not careful when removing mold in your home, you’ll expose yourself (and others) to mold spores and toxins. And since no one knows your home like you do, there’s always the risk of accidentally damaging walls, floors or other furniture in your home- which can make the problem even worse.
There’s also the danger of unintended consequences. When you go after a major mold issue with tools that disrupt the growth, it’s like taking a tennis racket to a hornets nest. You have just unintentionally wakened the sleeping giant, forcing countless mold spores to be violently released into the air.
Our professionals are trained to contain the area by placing powerful negative air systems that channel many CFMs of air out of the house. Mold removal under these conditions is like tossing a leaf into the current of the Niagara. It has no choice but to go in the direction of the energy and nowhere else.
Controls must be maintained during major mold removal processes and our professionals know how to remove mold in your home without spreading it to other areas of your property.
Professional Mold Restoration Contractor
Action Extraction has been providing water damage restoration in Anchor Bay, Michigan as well as all Southeast Michigan for over 30 years. If you see mold in your basement or your home, give us a call at 800-713-4333! We’ll be happy to help remove it and make your home feel like new again! We hope this article was useful! If you want to learn about our services, visit our website here: Action Extraction Restoration