Tips For Removing Black Mold

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How To Remove Black Mold Stains

Black mold removal is something that may be a bit misunderstood.

There are several types of molds that have a black coloring that can be mistaken for a more potentially hazardous “black mold” which should only be cleaned by a professional. If you have this type of mold in your home, or are unsure if it is a toxic form, contact a professional to come and look at it to give you an ultimate decision about this. If it is not the toxic form of black mold, known as Stachybotrys or Memnoniella, then you can and should take care to clean it.

How To Know The Difference

There are several types of molds that have the black coloring which causes it to be confused with the toxic forms we have listed above. Although the only way to be sure is to contact a professional to handle the situation, you may be able to determine it is not this type of mold if you take a better look at where it is growing. This type of potentially harmful molds usually only occurs on items that have been wet several times and that contain cellulose. This includes such things as gypsum board, cardboard, ceiling tiles, wood and insulation that contain cellulose.

If you find that you have any of these things with black colored mold on them, it is better to contact a professional without moving and disturbing the mold growth.

Basic Mold Cleaning Steps

If you have found that the black mold in your home is not that of the potentially dangerous type, you should still take great care in removing it. Remember that the spores in mold can cause health problems to those that inhale them. Follow these basic steps for cleaning molds.

• Any item that is heavily molded, such as carpeting, should be discarded rather than cleaned. It will not be able to remove the mold thoroughly enough.
• Place these items into heavy duty plastic bags to throw away.
• If the mold is on a shower or bathroom wall, cleaning is okay.
• A solution for doing this is to mix one half of a cup of bleach with a gallon of water. Place in a spray bottle.
• Spray the area that mold has grown.
• Scrub the area. Bleach is the most successful choice for mold removal.

Take It Outside

If at all possible, take the item that has black mold on it outdoors to clean. This way, you have a better chance of keeping the mold spores out of and off of other areas in your home. When you do this, you will be able to secure an overall cleaning without spreading the mold.

If the mold is significant and you can not throw the item out, you can attempt to scrape off the mold. If you attempt this, you should cover your nose and face with a cloth to prevent breathing the mold in. If at all possible, just replace it.

Prevention Is The Best Medicine

Like a disease, preventing the mold from growing is the best way at treating it. There are many things that you can do to keep mold at bay. The first step is to make sure that the mold has been cleaned thoroughly before you attempt to use preventative measures. Follow the directions above to clean the mold.

Once the area is clean, you can then use several things to help you to keep mold out.

Keep the area dry. You should not allow water or humidity to linger for any amount of time. To help with this, you can purchase and run a dehumidifier in the room. This is a great way to remove water and humidity and ultimately protect your home from black mold.

Wipe down bathroom sinks, tubs, and shower stalls after their use. This will greatly reduce the instances of mold growth in these areas. Additionally, use soap scum removers to keep the soap scum (which the mold feeds off of) off the walls.

Waterproof the basement. Most black mold removal has to happen in the basement as that is where things are placed, forgotten about and then ruined by a flooded basement. If you have water in your basement, you need to remove anything and everything that gets wet. Have your basement waterproofed for safety. This process will lock out the water for good.

Always check everything that has been wet or has been in a humid location for mold growth. Mold growth is likely to happen fast and it will likely leave anything that is porous damaged in the process. But, remember, if you have mold on cellulose products, it is the best move you can make to call on a professional for help in removing it from your home.