Black mold is an unsightly infection that’s caused by excess humidity. If left on its own, the mold will continue to grow and eventually infest your entire home. Not only is mold ugly to look at, but it can also pose a health risk. It can cause infection of various diseases and can also spread toxins. At the very least, it can cause allergic reactions.
So how do you get rid of mold?
Purchase a Dehumidifier
Mold grows in dark, cool and humid places. The key here is humidity. Without water, mold cannot grow.
If you live in a humid home, purchasing a dehumidifier can make a big difference. Watch the humidity meter on your dehumidifier and watch it drop. Once you’ve dehumidified one room, move the dehumidifier to another room and keep repeating the process.
Remember to dump the water collector in the dehumidifier, as mold can actually grow even in that small bucket. The last thing you want is to spread mold with a device that’s designed to prevent mold.
Cleaning Out the Mold
Once you’re dehumidifying your rooms to prevent future mold growth, the next step is to get rid of the mold that’s already in your home.
Start by sealing off the room that you plan on working in. You can just use plastic wrapping and tape to do this. Make sure you cover the sides and sills of the doors between rooms. This prevents spores from the mold from getting into the rest of your house once you start scrubbing.
Open a window and place a fan blowing outwards there. This helps get the spores out of your house.
Put on a set of protective clothing that covers your whole body. This protective clothing should be clothes that you’re willing to throw away once you’re done. If you don’t have any such outfit, just head down to Goodwill and buy the cheapest set of secondhand clothes you can find.
Make sure you’re wearing a breathing mask and a pair of goggles. Mold spores can cause infections and allergic reactions if you’re not careful.
Take a spray nozzle and put a mixture of 1 part chlorine bleach to 10 parts water in it. Spray this mixture over all the areas with mold. Let it sit for 10 minutes, then scrub.
Scrub hard and get all the mold out. Make sure you get all the cracks and crevices and leave no spot unturned.
Rinse and repeat this procedure for every room in the house that has a mold infestation. Once you’re done, toss all the clothes you used. Over the next few weeks and months, look for a resurgence of mold. If they come back, look to see if there’s any water leakage near that area.
What to Do About Mold in the Carpet
Unfortunately, if you have a mold problem, you’re probably going to have to replace the carpet. Even if you steam clean your entire carpet, it’s not going to kill all of the mold spores. That means the mold will probably be back.
If mold is a serious issue, you might want to consider getting a different kind of flooring.
One Last Thing to Check
If you’re finding mold in your ceiling or your attic regularly, check to make sure that your bathroom’s exhaust pipe isn’t leading into the attic. It’s one common mistake that amateur contractors make. Instead of piping the bathroom exhaust to the outside of the house, they just move it up into the attic.
This causes the insulation to get wet, making it easy for mold to grow.
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