Many homeowners experience mold in their home on a frequent basis. It appears that it’s easy to clear up, but the mold always returns. You clear one small area of mold on your wall, and then a few weeks later you notice mold in an area you weren’t aware of having mold.
Let’s take a peek at the most frequent problems people encounter when attempting to remove mold, and how they should approach mold removal.
Why mold is more of a challenge to remove than it appears.
Mold occurs in clusters and there will be more mold than is visible. Colonies that you can see have a lot of mold growing underneath them. Another reason is that people have problems removing mold because of spores. If you try to remove a colony, thousands of spores will be released into the air. Last, it is difficult to eliminate since it will involve eliminating the source of moisture.
Mistake #1 is to use bleach on porous surfaces.
Many will utilize bleach to eliminate mold from surface materials since it is inexpensive and readily available and can break down mold and mildew. Bleach is effective only for non-porous surfaces like tile, and not as well for porous surfaces like drywall or grout. The reason behind this is that a bleach solution is mostly water with some sodium hypochlorite. The water in the solution will soak through and feed the roots of the mold and the sodium hypochlorite will bleach the mold spores, creating a whiter appearance to the infected area than prior to the treatment. The result of using bleach on porous surfaces is a clean-looking area that still has mold growing underneath the surface.
The best way to get rid of mold on porous surfaces is to utilize EPA registered products, or hydrogen peroxide. If some of the surface that has mold is embedded in the dry-wall or under the sub-floor, it is best to call in professionals to get rid of the entire mold.
Mistake 2: Not Getting Rid of the Source of Moisture
Those who attempt to get rid of mold usually leave the source of the mold problem intact. Relative humidity, water leaks of any kind, condensation and poor ventilation are all factors that contribute to the development of mold. If someone were to have a boat filled with water with holes in the bottom and they tried to get rid of the water by bailing out the holes, they would simply end up with the same amount of water they had before.
Mold colonies will emit spores which can be transported in air, so it is crucial that the mold is dampened down when it is being removed. If the mold colony is dry (there is little to no visible moisture on the affected surface), scrubbing at it will release the individual spores in the air to be inhaled and possibly land in other places in the house.
The correct way to get rid of the mold is to wet/dampen the surface first and then to begin scrubbing at the mold colony. Doing this will ensure that any mold spores that might have been released are still resting on the surface of whatever material had mold on it; doing it this way will reduce the risk of inhaling unnecessary mold spores. After getting rid of leaks and moisture sources, always do waterproofing of cracked areas.
Mistake 3: Not Using Containment Failure to use containment measures
This is the single most common mold cleanup mistake. Containment will assist in eliminating the risk of spreading mold spores throughout the house. Most people who decide to tackle such a project on their own will fail to consider containment. Containment is the process by which the infected area is sealed off from the rest of the house, usually using plastic sheeting (by professionals).
The HVAC system is turned off to ensure that the spores will not be able to travel through the forced-air system. In extreme instances, containment procedures also include using negative pressure machines to extract any spores that may have become airborne. Another thing that professionals do is to reduce the amount of foot traffic that goes in or out of the infected area. Very limited containment should be used in the event of a small localized surface mold outbreak (less than 10 square feet).
Mistake 4: Painting Over the Mold
One of the least effective methods of removing mold is painting over the mold. By doing so, not only will you cover the mold, but you will find that the paint will peel away at the areas where the mold is growing.
When removing mold it is vital that you place the mold infected materials in a sealable bag to avoid spreading the mold spores which will infect other materials around your home, this is one of the common mistakes people make when trying to deal with mold problems on their own leading to the spread of mold to other materials in the home
Mistake 5: Once the visible mold spots have been removed the job is done
Even though the visible mold spots may have been removed there may still be other colonies of mold growing in hard to see places, especially if you had to identify colonies of mold in your home. So if you have visible colonies of mold and after removing them you can still smell the typical musty smell of mold then it is highly likely that there is still mold growing in your home walls.
Once the visible signs of mold have been removed it is a good idea to have the walls tested for moisture levels and to have the air tested for mold spores, if there is still a musty smell it might be a good idea to hire a professional to come and inspect the walls and surrounding area for further mold infestation.
